Steamed Cheung Fun with dried shrimps and spring onion

Cheung Fun is one of my favorite Cantonese dishes in Chinese restaurants.  It is the steamed rice rolls. There are different flavors of cheung fun, they may include fillings, like fresh shrimps, BBQ pork (Cha Siu), minced beef and; dried shrimps and spring onions.  They are either served as dim sum in Chinese restaurants or a snack (street food) in local food stalls in Hong Kong.

I took a dim sum class and learned how to make this dish four months ago.  The class teacher is a chef in a Chinese restaurant in London.  I have tried twice and modified the recipe.  I am so excited about making this.  If you like cheung fun, try this recipe and add different fillings you like inside.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serve: 2-3

Ingredients:

-         160g rice flour

-         50g wheat starch

-         50g corn flour

-         650 ml water

-         2 tbsp vegetable oil

-         ⅛ tsp salt

-         35g dried shrimp (soaked and minced)

-         1 spring onion (green part, finely sliced)

-         1 tsp white sesame seeds

Tools:

-         2 square non-stick cake tins (19cm x 19 cm)

-         Rubber spatula / scrapper

Sweet Soy Sauce:

-         12 tbsp hot water

-         2 tbsp brown sugar

-         1 tbsp light soy sauce

-          

-         1 tbsp dark soy sauce

-         1 tsp sesame oil

Method:

1.	In a big mixing bowl, add rice flour, wheat starch, corn flour and salt and mix all well.  Sieve the flour mixture.  In the meantime, add ½ tbsp oil and water into the flour mixture and stir it well to become a silky batter.  Set aside for about 20 minutes.
2.	Pre-heat the oven at 160°c and toast the white sesame seeds for 6 minutes.
3.	In a small mixing bowl, add hot water and sugar and stir it well until the sugar dissolved.  Then add dark soy sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil, stir it well.
4.	Steam the minced dried shrimp for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.
5.	Boil water in a wok and place a rack in it.  Brush some vegetable oil in a square cake tin.  Put the tin on the rack, cover and heat it for 2 minutes over high heat.
6.	Stir the batter well and pour ¼ cup of it evenly in the tin. Swirl the batter evenly around the tin in order to coat the bottom of the entire tin.  Once it is set, add 1 tsp dried shrimp and 1 tsp spring onion evenly all over the top of the batter.  Cover and steam for 2 minutes.
7.	Use a spatula to release the edge of one side and roll it from one side to another side into a roll.  Set the roll aside on a serving plate.
8.	Repeat the step 5-7 until use up all the batter, dried shrimps and spring onion.  Clean the tin as necessary and re-grease the tin between uses.   Remember to stir the batter well every time before pouring it into the tin.
9.	Cut each roll into 5-6 pieces.  Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on the steamed cheung fun.  Pour the sweet soy sauce over the rolls and ready to serve.

Cantonese Roasted Pork Belly

In Cantonese speaking, roasted meat is called “Siu Yuk” while roasted pork belly is called “Siu Nan”. It is very common to order them in Chinese restaurants, like “Char Siu” (the Chinese BBQ pork).  I love Cantonese Roasted Pork Belly very much.  The skin is crispy and the meat is moisture and juicy.  My dad loves it too.  When I was young, my dad always ordered this yummy dish when we had dinner in Chinese restaurants.  It is easy to cook but it takes time to prepare and marinate it.  I always marinate it overnight for better texture and flavor.  I enjoy cooking this for my family.  Hope all of you like it!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Marinating time: overnight in fridge

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

-         650g pork belly with skin

-         1L water

Seasoning for meat:

-         ½ tbsp Shaoxing wine

-         2½ tsp table salt

-         1 tsp sugar

-         ¾ tsp five spice powder

Seasoning for skin:

-         1 tsp table salt

-         ¼ tsp vinegar

Tools required:

-         1 meat tenderizer needle / a scriber needle

-         2 metal kebab skewers / bamboo skewers

Method:

1.	Scrap away the hair on the skin and clean.  Thread the pork belly on the metal/bamboo skewers.  Then boil water in a saucepan or wok over medium heat and simmer the pork belly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, use the paper towel to pat the meat dry and let it cool down.
2.	Use a meat tenderizer needle or a thick needle to poke the pig skin until it is full of small holes.  Coat the pig skin with a thin layer of vinegar.
3.	In a small mixing bowl, mix salt, sugar and five spice powder well.  Rub the mixture all over the meat except the skin.  Use the aluminium foil to cover the pork belly except the skin.  Leave the pork belly in the fridge to marinate overnight.
4.	Preheat the oven at 220°c.
5.	Lay the marinated pork belly, skin-side up, on a rack in a roasting tray. Poke the pig skin again and scatter it with salt.  Place the roasting tray at the top of the oven.  Then roast it at 220°c for 15-20 minutes until the skin starts to bubble and turn to golden brown.
6.	In the meantime, uncover the pork belly and place the rack in the middle of the oven.  Reduce to 180°c and roast the pork for 30-35 minutes.  Remove the meat carefully from the oven and leave it to rest for 15-20 minutes.
7.	Chop the pork belly into small pieces and ready to serve with mustard.
	Tips: i. After I tried this recipe several times, I found it’s perfect to brush the vinegar and salt on the skin to make it crispy.  I found some recipes which suggest using baking soda instead of vinegar.  Although the skin is crispy, it is too hard and the texture is not good. ii. If you have time, try to poke as many holes as possible on the skin in order to make it crispy.  At the first time, I failed because I only poke some holes on the skin.

焗蜜汁义燒 (Chinese Barbecue Pork Belly/Char Siu)

女兒非常喜歡吃义燒。每逢她回家吃飯，义燒必是其中一味餸菜。My daughter loves Char Siu very much.  She misses Chinese food a lot.  I always cook this dish when she comes home to have meals with us.  

焗蜜汁叉燒

準備時間：10分鐘

烹調時間：50分鐘

份量： 2-3人

材料：

Ø  梅頭豬肉 450克

醃料：

Ø  紹興酒 1湯匙

Ø  薑汁 2茶匙

Ø  生抽 1 湯匙

Ø  李錦記叉燒醬 4湯匙

Ø  蜜糖1湯茶匙

汁料：

Ø  麥芽糖1 湯匙

Ø  清水1 湯匙

 

做法：

1.	將梅頭豬肉洗淨，加入已拌勻的醃料，放入保鮮袋內，密封袋口。存放於雪櫃中一晚。
2.	焗爐預熱至200°C， 把醃好的豬肉放在焗盤中，倒進所有汁料。蓋上鋁箔紙，焗約35分鐘。
3.	將焗爐調低溫度至100°C，拿走鋁箔紙。用掃筆把焗盤中的焗汁均勻地塗在叉燒上後，焗 5分鐘。
4.	反轉叉燒另一面，重複塗上焗汁再焗 5分鐘。焗汁會慢慢收乾，义燒顏色漸變鮮紅。
5.	用暖水稀釋麥芽糖，在义燒表面塗勻麥芽糖水，焗2分鐘。反轉另一面，塗上麥芽糖水再焗 2分鐘。
6.	從焗爐取出，等待10分鐘後即可切片。

Chinese Barbecue Pork Belly (Char Siu/Cha Shao)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Serve: 2-3

Ingredients:

Ø  450 gm skinless pork belly or pork shoulder

Char Siu Sauce:

Ø  1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

Ø  2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger juice

Ø  1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Ø  4 tablespoons Lee Kum Kee Chinese Sauce (Chinese Barbecue Marinade)

Ø  1 tablespoon honey

Maltose Sauce:

Ø  1 tablespoon Maltose

Ø  1 tablespoon hot water

Method:

1.	Rinse and cut the skinless pork belly or pork shoulder in 2 long strips. Mix all the Char Siu Sauce ingredients and marinate the strips and then put them in a ziplock bag in a fridge for overnight.  Massage it so the marinade is all over the pork strips
2.	Preheat oven to 200°C.  Line a baking tray with non-stick paper and set a wire rack on top. Place the pork strips on the rack. Then cover the strips with kitchen foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Keep the Char Siu Sauce left in the bag.
3.	Lower heat to 100°C. Uncover and throw away the foil. Brush the remaining Char Siu Sauce over the pork strips and bake for 5 minutes.
4.	Turn over the pork strips and brush the Char Siu Sauce on top of them. Bake for another 5 minutes.
5.	Dilute the maltose in hot water and dab it on the pork strips.  Bake for 2 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side.  Then bake for another 2 mintues.
6.	Leave the pork strips to cool to room temperature (about 10 minutes) before slicing.