The Chinese Year of the Tiger has just begun and it’s time for some traditional feast. Chinese restaurants and families in the city share some lip-smacking recipes that you can try out this weekend!
Mahua Chinese Biscuits
Ingredients
1 kg all-purpose flour
500 gm butter
200 gm sugar/salt
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Water
Oil
Method
● Melt the butter, mix all the ingredients and knead the dough. The dough shouldn’t be too soft, as it could get difficult to fry
● Cover the dough and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. After that, cut the dough into small pieces and flatten it with a rolling pin, just like rotis, and cut it in long strips
● Take each strip, twist it and join the ends
● Fry them in hot oil and your biscuits are ready to munch on (Mei Fong Chen)
Rice Noodles
Ingredients
A packet of rice noodles
Chopped carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, onion and celery or any other vegetables of your choice
1 cup shredded boiled chicken
1 tbsp each of white and black soya sauce (white and black)
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp oil
Method
● Soak the rice noodles for an hour
● In a pan, add oil, veggies and stir fry them until cooked
● Add the shredded chicken, soya sauce and mix well
● Toss the soaked noodles into the pan with salt and pepper, mix well and leave it to cook for 5-10 minutes
● Garnish with spring onions and serve it hot with chilli sauce (Mei Fong Chen)
Salmon Nigri Sushi
Ingredients
1/2 cups sushi rice
430 ml water
1 tsp salt
45 ml rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 sushi-grade skinless salmon steak, about 450 g
5 ml wasabi
Soy sauce for sushi and sashimi (to taste)
Pickled ginger (to taste)
Method
● In a bowl, cover the rice with cold water. Rinse the rice 4-5 times or until the water runs clear. Leave the rice in a strainer for it to drain thoroughly
● In a saucepan over high heat, bring the rice, water and salt to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until the liquid is completely absorbed. Remove from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes, covered
● Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the vinegar and sugar until the sugar dissolves
● Spread the cooked rice onto a baking sheet and pour the vinegar mixture on the top
● Combine to coat and separate the grains of rice. Spread out the rice again and cover with plastic wrap. Let it cool slightly
● With a sharp knife, trim and discard the discoloured sections of the salmon. While holding the knife at a 30° angle, finely slice the fish against the grain to obtain 4-inch-long slices
● Set aside on a cold plate or refrigerate while shaping the rice balls With slightly moistened hands, shape the rice into 6-cm-long balls using 2 tbsp of rice for each
● Spread a small amount of wasabi onto each rice ball and cover with a salmon slice
● Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger
(Chef Amit Chauhan, owner of Finer Taste Hospitality)
Chicken Broth Raman
Ingredients
For broth
6-6 1/2 pounds chicken wings
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3 small bunches scallions roots, trimmed
10 cups water, divided
1 head of garlic, skin on, roots removed, cut in half horizontally
1 piece ginger, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
20 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 sheet dried kombu (sea vegetable or seaweed)
1/4 cup soy sauce For the shoyu tare
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin For eggs and noodles
3-4 large eggs, depending on the number of diners
6 packs of fresh, thin and wavy ramen noodles For serving
1/2 cup fermented bamboo shoots
6 medium scallions, thinly sliced
3 toasted nori sheets, cut into ribbons
Chilli oil or toasted sesame oil
Method
For broth and tare
● Set up a rack in the middle of the oven and pre-heat to 380°C
● Place the wings in a stove top-safe roasting pan or casserole dish. Roast until well-browned, for about 30 minutes
● Add in the carrots and scallions, stir to combine
● Roast for 20 minutes more
● De-glaze the roasting pan. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a stockpot
● Place the empty pan on the stove over high heat
● Add 2 cups of the water and scrape up all the flavorful browned bits from the pan
● Bring to a boil and carefully pour the mixture into the stockpot
● Add the garlic, ginger, shiitakes, kombu and remaining 8 cups water to the pot. Stir
● Let it simmer (You should see just a few bubbles around the edges)
● Add the soy sauce and simmer uncovered until the chicken falls off the bone. This will take about 3 hours
● Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard the solids
● Cool the broth to room temperature, cover and refrigerate overnight
● Before using, skim the fat off the surface and discard
● For the tare, combine the soy sauce and mirin in a small airtight container, seal and refrigerate until ready to use
(Chef Amit Chauhan, owner of Finer Taste Hospitality)