Won Ton | Hoành Thánh

Filling

12 ounces lean pork, ground

4 ounces shrimp, shelled, deveined and finely diced

1½ cups scallions, finely diced

1½ tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp grated ginger

2 water chestnuts, peeled, finely diced (or ¼ cup jicama, finely diced)

1 Tbsp Chinese white rice wine, or gin

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1½ Tbsp oyster sauce

Pinch white pepper

36 wonton skins

3½ Tbsp cornstarch

10 cups cold water

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp peanut oil

Mix together all the filling ingredients, until thoroughly blended.  Place in a shallow dish, refrigerate, uncovered, 4 hours, or covered overnight.

Make the wonton:  Skins should be kept at room temperature.  Work with one at a time, keeping remainder under a damp towel.  Keep a bowl of water at hand to wet edges of skins.  Place 1 Tbsp of filling in center of a won ton skin, wet edges, fold in half and seal edges.  Wet the folded corners, not the sealed corners, and draw ends together to create a bow-like dumplings, like a tortellini.  Repeat until 36 wontons are made.  As each is made, place on a cookie sheet dusted with cornstarch.

Place water, salt and peanut oil in a pot, cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add won ton, stir and cook for about 8 minutes until won ton are translucent, and filling can be seen through the skin.  Turn off heat, run cold water into pot, drain.  Serve immediately.

Leftover wonton should be placed on wax paper to dry thoroughly before refrigerating for later use.

Taro Root Pancakes (Lai Wu Bok Bang)

1½ pounds taro root, peeled, ends removed, coarsely grated (to yield 4 cups, tighly packed)

2/3 cup Chinese bacon, cut into ¼-inch dice

2 extra large eggs

1 cup scallions, finely diced

1½ tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1½ tsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry

Pinch white pepper

3 Tbsp cornstarch

7 Tbsp peanut oil

In a large bowl mix all ingredients except peanut oil, thoroughly to make a cohesive mass.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute.  Add 3 Tbsp peanut oil.  When a wisp of smoke appears, scoop 5 generous spoonfuls of taro root mixture (about 3 Tbsp each) into the pan and flatten them.  Lower heat to medium-high and fry for 2 minutes.  Turn over, fry for another 2 minutes until both sides are browned and crisp.  Remove, drain on paper towels.  Continue until all pancakes are done.  With each batch you may have to add about 2 Tbsp peanut oil to the pan.  When done, turn off heat, transfer to heated dish and serve.

Makes 16 pancakes.

Shrimp Balls (Har Yuen)

¾ pound shrimp, shelled, deveined, washed, dried and chopped into a paste

3 Tbsp coriander, minced

2 Tbsp egg white, beaten

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

Pinch white pepper

1 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp oyster sauce

1½ tsp sesame oil

1½ tsp peanut oil

2 tsp Chinese white rice wine, or gin

8 cups cold water

1½ tsp salt

Place shrimp in a bowl, add all other ingredients except cold water and 1½ tsp salt and mix well to combine.  Mix by hand if possible.  After it’s all well blended, pick up the shrimp and throw it with some force against a side of the bowl.  Repeat about 10 times until mixture is firm.  (If use an electric mixter, mix 4 to 5 minutes, using flat paddle, until mixture is firm).

Keep a small bowl of water close by to moisten hands.  Divide mixture into 24 equal portions.  Wet hands and roll each portion into a ball.  Continue until 24 balls are made.  Add cold water and 1½ tsp salt to a pot, bring to a boil over high heat.  Add shrimp balls and return a boil.  Cook 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp balls are firm.  Turn off heat, run cold water into pot to stop cooking and drain.  Serve immediately.

Scallion Pancakes

This scallion pancakes are different from the typical scallion pancakes in Chinese restaurants here.

1¼ cups bleached wheat flour

1½ tsp baking powder

1 medium egg, beaten

1½ cups, plus 2 to 4 Tablespoons cold water

¾ tsp salt

Pinch white pepper

2 Tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in hot water to soften, then finely diced

1/3 cup Chinese bacon, finely diced

½ cup Chinese sausage (lop cheung), finely diced

7 scallions, trimmed, finely sliced

1½ Tbsp peanut oil, plus additional for pan, as needed

Mix flour and baking powder.  Add egg and 1½ cups cold water and mix in one direction until smooth.  Add salt and pepper, mix well.  Add shrimp, bacon, sausages, scallions and peanut oil, blend thoroughly.  The batter should be thin.  If not, add 2 to 4 Tbsp of water.

Heat a crepe pan or a nonstick fry pan, add sufficient peanut oil to coat bottom.  Pour about 3 Tbsp of batter into pan, cook 2 minutes, or until pancake sets.  Turn over with spatula and cook until light brown.  Remove from pan and place in a heated dish in an oven set at warm.  Repeat until you get about 12 pancakes.

Serve with tea as a snack or as a course of a larger meal.

Turnip Cake (Lor Bok Goh) | Bánh Củ Cải (Chiên)

1½ pound (4½ cups, tightly packed) fresh Chinese turnips, peeled and coarsely grated

3¼ cups cold water

1 slice ginger, 1 inch thick, lightly smashed

3 Tbsp Chinese white rice wine, or gin

2 large gloves garlic, large, peeled and left whole

Pinch white pepper

10 ounces (2-1/3 cups) rice flour

6 ounces (1½ cups) glutinous rice flour

2 cups plus 1 Tbsp cold water

1/3 cup liquefied pork fat, or peanut oil

2 Tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in water to soften, drained and cut into ¼-inch dice

3 Chinese sausage, cut into ¼-inch dice

½ cup Chinese bacon, cut into ¼-inch dice

1/8 tsp white pepper

3¾ tsp salt

3 Tbsp scallions, finely diced (optional)

3 Tbsp coriander, finely diced (optional)

Grease a 9-inch round, 3-inch deep cake pan; set aside.

In a large pot, place the turnips, 3¼ cups cold water, ginger, wine, garlic and white pepper.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat and simmer, with lid left open a little, for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove pot from stove, allow to cool, then discard ginger and garlic.

In large bowl mix rice flours with 2 cups and 1 Tablespoon water.  Add liquefied pork fat (or peanut oil) and mix well to combine.  Add dried shrimp, sausages, bacon, white pepper and salt, and mix well to combine thoroughly.  Add turnip mixture, including cooking liquid, to the bowl, and mix well to combine.

Place the mixture in a greased 9-inch round cake pan.  Steam for 1 hour 15 minutes, replenish water every 15 minutes.  Test for doneness.  Turn off heat.  Allow to set 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove cake pan from steamer, cut into portions and serve, sprinkled with finely diced scallions and coriander, if desired.

To pan fry, make sure cake is at room temperature.  Slice the whole cake into portions ½-inch thick by 2½-inches long.  pour sufficient oil to cover fry pan.  Heat over high heat until wisp of smoke appears.  Add turnip cake slices, lower heat.  Pan-fry until light brown, about 3 minutes, turn over, fry for another 3 minutes. 

Drain slices on paper towels, serve immediately with diced scallions and coriander.

Do not freeze turnip cake.  It can be refrigerated.

Oct 2013 - Made this.  Was NOT impressed.  It was way too sticky.  Maybe increase rice flour to 13 ounces and reduce glutinous flour down to 3 ounces next time, if there is a next time.  It made so much, and I had to throw away more than half because it just sat in the fridge over a week.

Braised Five-Spice Pork Belly

Ingredients:

6½ cups cold water

4½ ounces sugarcane sugar or dark brown sugar

1 piece ginger, 1½ inches long, lightly smashed

4 scallions, trimmed, cut in half

3 cinnamon sticks, 3-inches long

4 pieces 8-star anise

10 cloves

¼ tsp anise seeds

½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns

2 to 2½ pounds pork belly

Usually cut into a piece 11x2½x2½ with 2 ribs attached, which should be left on.  Tie the meat around 4 times around its length to prevent the meat from falling apart during cooking

2/3 cup double dark soy sauce

2/3 cup Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry

Place water, sugar, ginger, scallions and five spices into a large pot.  Stir to blend, add pork belly.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  As it boils, add soy sauce and stir.  Return to a boil, add wine and mix.  Return again to a boil.  Lower heat, cover pot, leaving a slight opening at the lid and simmer for 4 hours.

As it simmers, turn the meat over 8 times, so that each of the 4 sides cooks through.  Turn off heat.  Close lid and allow meat to come to room temperature.  Refrigerate overnight.  This allows the meat to further absorb the spices.

To serve, remove meat from refrigerator.  Cut off string, remove ribs and discard.  Cut meat across into 1/3-inch slices and allow to come to room temperature.  Place slices in steamproof dish, ladle sauce over slices and steam for 10 or 12 minutes until very hot.  Serve immediately.

6½ cups cold water

4½ ounces sugarcane sugar or dark brown sugar

1 piece ginger, 1½ inches long, lightly smashed

4 scallions, trimmed, cut in half

3 cinnamon sticks, 3-inches long

4 pieces 8-star anise

10 cloves

¼ tsp anise seeds

½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns

2 to 2½ pounds pork belly

Usually cut into a piece 11x2½x2½ with 2 ribs attached, which should be left on.  Tie the meat around 4 times around its length to prevent the meat from falling apart during cooking

2/3 cup double dark soy sauce

2/3 cup Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry

Place water, sugar, ginger, scallions and five spices into a large pot.  Stir to blend, add pork belly.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  As it boils, add soy sauce and stir.  Return to a boil, add wine and mix.  Return again to a boil.  Lower heat, cover pot, leaving a slight opening at the lid and simmer for 4 hours.

As it simmers, turn the meat over 8 times, so that each of the 4 sides cooks through.  Turn off heat.  Close lid and allow meat to come to room temperature.  Refrigerate overnight.  This allows the meat to further absorb the spices.

To serve, remove meat from refrigerator.  Cut off string, remove ribs and discard.  Cut meat across into 1/3-inch slices and allow to come to room temperature.  Place slices in steamproof dish, ladle sauce over slices and steam for 10 or 12 minutes until very hot.  Serve immediately.