An underrated fish, most people tend to avoid skate when they walk past it in the shops, yet it couldn’t be easier to deal with when cooking. From its lack of needle-like bones to its soft, flaky white meat, there just isn’t anything else quite like it.
1 x 350–500g skate wing
a thumb-size piece of ginger
1 spring onion
2 teaspoons preserved black beans
1 garlic clove
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
PREPARATION :
• Place the skate wing in a dish large enough to sit in your large wok on a steamer stand, with enough space to cover the work completely with a lid.
• Finely slice the ginger and place on top of the skate. Slice the spring onion lengthways into thin strips and place in a small bowl.
• Give the black beans a quick rinse under cold water, then tip them into another small bowl. Finely chop the garlic and add to the black beans with the salt. Lightly crush the ingredients together with the back of a teaspoon, then spoon the mixture over the top of the skate, spreading it across the length of the wing.
COOKING :
• Set your large wok or steaming pan up with a steamer stand and fill with boiling water to a third of the way up the sides. Place the fish dish into the wok or pan, cover with a lid and steam for 7–15 minutes, until the fish is cooked and the flesh is falling off the wing when tested with a fork. Remove the fish from the pan and scatter over the spring onion.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan until smoking hot, then carefully pour the hot oil over the top of the fish. Spoon over the soy sauce and serve.
! TIP: Try not to move fish around too much while cooking – no matter how you do so – the delicate flesh benefits from being barely touched. This dish is best served directly from the dish that it sits on during the steaming process.
Much like a portrait painter, sometimes I am ‘commissioned’ to create a recipe that matches a dish that a student has once eaten. When this happens there is always the challenge of creating something that lives up to expectations – when successful, however, the reward is well worth it. This recipe started out as one of my commissioned pieces. Over the years, I have adapted it slightly, making it more about the fish itself than fulfilling a specific brief. It’s delicious and works perfectly served with simple blanched greens on the side.
1 tablespoon salted soybeans
2 garlic cloves
1 birds-eye chili
a large handful of coriander
1 x 350–500g sea bass, scaled, gutted and de-gilled (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
The Sauce
1 teaspoon chili bean sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
100ml chicken or vegetable stock, or hot water
a dash of dark soy sauce
PREPARATION :
• Lightly crush the soybeans in a small bowl with the back of a teaspoon. Finely chop the garlic and chili. Roughly chop the coriander
• Wash the fish, pat dry and place on a large plate or platter suitable for steaming.
• Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
BUILD YOUR WOK CLOCK: place the crushed soybeans at 12 o’clock, then arrange the garlic, chili sauce bowl, and chopped coriander clockwise around the plate.
COOKING :
• Set a large wok or steaming pan up with a steamer stand and fill with boiling water to a third of the way up the sides. Place the fish plate into the wok or pan, cover with a lid and steam for 7–12 minutes, until cooked (see Tip). Remove and set aside, covering the fish with foil so it stays warm and moist.
• Drain and dry the wok, add the vegetable oil and heat until smoking. Add the soybeans and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the garlic chilies, and sauce. Bring to a vigorous boil, then add half the coriander and continue to cook for 1 minute until the sauce has thickened and reduced by at least a third.
• Pour the sauce over the steamed fish and garnish with the remaining coriander to serve.
SWAPSIES: Salted soybeans are fermented soybeans preserved in brine and can be found in most Chinese supermarkets. They add a nice texture to this sauce, however, if you cannot find them, the dish works just as well without.
! TIP: To check whether your fish is fully cooked, pull the dorsal fin (the one on the back) lightly. If it falls off without any force, the fish will be cooked through to the bone. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Steam in cooking does not always have to come from water boiling in a pan. In this Hong Kong dish the steam is created from the rice, and there is an art to getting the chicken into it at the right time in order to have it cook through perfectly and give you the textures you’ll want – a crispy layer of rice on the bottom of the pot, followed by fluffy, steamed rice in the middle and succulent meat on top.
400g boned, skinless chicken thighs
8 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and drained (see here)
280g jasmine rice
340ml water
a thumb-size piece of ginger
1 spring onion
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
The Marinade
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
Chilli and Garlic Sauce
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large fresh red chili, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, bashed and peeled but kept whole
6 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
PREPARATION :
• To make the chili and garlic sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chili and garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, then add the soy sauce and sugar to the pan, bring to a boil and cook for a further 30 seconds until the sauce has caramelized slightly but is still runny. Pour into a ramekin ready for later.
• Cut the chicken thighs into 5mm slices and put in a bowl. Cut the drained, soaked mushrooms into fine slices and add to the chicken slices. Add the marinade ingredients to the bowl and, using your hands, rub them together until all the marinade has been absorbed.
• Rinse the rice 2–3 times to get rid of any excess starch, then drain the rice through a sieve. Measure out the water for cooking in a jug. Finely slice the ginger and spring onion.
BUILD YOUR WOK CLOCK: place your ginger at 12 o’clock, then arrange the rice, water, marinated chicken bowl, and spring onion clockwise around your plate.
COOKING :
• Heat the vegetable oil to medium heat in a clay pot or heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the slices of ginger to the oil and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the washed rice to the pan and fry it in the oil for 1 minute, stirring to coat the grains evenly, then pour over the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, add the chicken and mushroom mix and cook, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid and check that the chicken is cooked (it should be light brown or white in color, with no pink), and that the rice has formed a crisp, golden brown layer on the bottom of the pan. If it needs it, leave it to cook for a few minutes longer.
• Once cooked, spoon into bowls and garnish with the spring onion. Serve with the chili and garlic sauce.
! TIP: If you hear light ‘crackling’ noises from the base of the pan during the last stage of cooking, this is a good sign that the rice is crisping up on the bottom of the pan. If, however, you smell burning, turn the hob off at this point and serve immediately!
FIVE-SPICE LOTUS LEAF CHICKEN WITH CHINESE SAUSAGE :
Lotus leaves have a porous nature that makes them perfect for steaming – as the steam soaks through them their sweet, earthy aroma is added to whatever is wrapped inside. Here they accentuate the naturally warm flavors of the five-spice and wind-dried sausage, while the lotus root adds a nice contrast in texture. This is a great dinner-party dish; serve the lotus parcels whole and let the guests unwrap their individual parcels.
6 large lotus leaves, soaked in hot water
2 x 8–10cm lotus root segment
10 boneless chicken thighs
2 wind-dried Chinese sausages
20 dried golden lily mushrooms, soaked and drained (see here)
The Marinade
½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornflour
PREPARATION :
• Put the lotus leaves in a large bowl, cover with hot water and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Peel the lotus root segments and finely slice them into large rings.
• Cut the chicken thighs into eighths and place the pieces in a mixing bowl, then finely slice the wind-dried Chinese sausages and add to the chicken along with the drained soaked mushrooms. Add the marinade ingredients to the bowl and, using your hands, massage them into the meat until everything is well combined.
• To assemble the lotus leaf wraps, lay a leaf on a clean work surface and arrange a few of the lotus root slices in the center. Spoon some of the marinated meat over the lotus root, then wrap the edges of the leaves around the meat to form a tight package. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
COOKING :
• Place a bamboo steamer over a wok a third filled with boiling water. Put the lotus leaf wraps inside the steamer, cover with the lid and steam for 25 minutes.
• Remove the wraps from the steamer and serve with rice and a pickled vegetable dish such as Pickled Carrot and Mooli (see here).
! TIP: You will find lotus root in most Chinese supermarkets; they usually come vacuum-packed. You want to look for lotus root that is light brown in color – try to avoid the black-skinned lotus roots as they tend to be older and not as fresh.
SWAPSIES: If you cannot find dried golden lily mushrooms, swap out finely sliced dried porcini, shiitake or straw mushrooms instead.
BLACK BEAN SPARERIBS :
The most common way to eat these ribs is as a type of dim sum, but they also make a great simple meaty meal served with some stir-fried pak choi and rice on the side. Traditionally, sodium bicarbonate and water are used to tenderize the meat; however, I have found that leaving the ribs in the marinade overnight and steaming them for a longer period of time works just as well, with the benefit of keeping the natural texture of the meat.
15 pork ribs, chopped into 3–4cm chunks (ask your butcher to do this for you)
1 large fresh red chili, finely sliced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
The Marinade
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons preserved black beans, crushed
2 tablespoons plum sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Chiu Chow chili oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cornflour
PREPARATION :
• Put the ribs in a large bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and, using your hands, mix everything together until the ribs are well coated. Cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
COOKING :
• When you’re ready to cook, place a bamboo steamer over a wok a third filled with boiling water. Put the ribs inside the steamer and sprinkle over half of the red chili. Cover with the lid and steam for a minimum of 20 minutes, or until the ribs are tender and light brown in color.
• Remove the ribs from the steamer, scatter over the spring onion and remaining red chili and serve.
! TIP: To check the ribs are properly cooked, check the ends of the bones – if these are dark in color with no red present then the ribs will be ready.
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