ANOTHER INTRO: No diets in Honk Kong!

I have amazing news! I am extremely privileged to be able to visit Honk Kong for the 1st time in my life and I am so excited about sampling authentic Chinese food. I can't wait to learn about the food history and culture. I have joined a cooking school to learn all that I can while I am here. Unfortunately the rules dictate that I cannot tell you the recipes that I learn at this School! BUT I can show you the pictures! Later on I will try and adapt them to my palate, budget and diet so that the dishes are healthy and nutritious! In the mean time I shall show you all the wonderful dishes I get to sample and try and find out what we all want to know - with all the Dim Sum, Dumplings and Delicious Dinners, HOW do they stay so slim??

My experience of Chinese cooking is stir fries and steaming. I hope to expand my knowledge and learn the real deal!! So far I have eaten the best BBQ Duck and Prawns in the best XO sauce I have ever had - I can't wait to learn how the BBQ here is so good, what products to use to create the best sauces!

Everyone in this city seems to eat out all the time. The serviced apartment we are in has some cooking facilities but it is not possible for me to recreate wok fried dishes in the the tiny studio with one electric hob, one pot and a weak exhaust! I managed to make a simple broth with chicken and choi sum!

I poached the chicken with Soy Sauce, White wine vinegar, Stock and then added Choi Sum and Green Beans.

Later that week I was taught how to poach a chicken the Chinese way and OH MY GOODNESS! Their method is very different, very precise and results in a much more tender chicken.  The Chinese prefer the Chicken's thighs, legs, wings, feet, skin and innards! They discard the breasts or sell them cheaply to westerners!! When they poach the chicken it is so tender that they do use the breasts for cold salad dishes e.g. Bon Bon Chicken.

They chop the chicken in a very different way to the way we carve, they love to cook with the bone in and yes they would eat the head! The skin is incredibly tender and the cartilage is perfectly edible. It may not be to everyone's taste but it is very tasty indeed!

I also learnt how to make an incredible Stir fry with Aubergines and 2 different ways with tofu! I have never been a fan of Tofu but I am willing to learn and try these amazing dishes to see if it will change my mind!

Deep fried Aubergines with Rice noodles

Stir fried spicy tofu

Deep fried Fresh Tofu

Cooking with Honey: Lamb Shanks, Root Veg, Sticky Beef Ribs

It's cold and wet and miserable in Melbourne. I gather it is the worst winter in 60 years! Just my luck to have to face another depressing winter. Well the only way to cheer up is to cook something warming and soothing. I decided to do a couple of slow cooked recipes this week, involving mouth watering, soft, melting meat on the bone. I also happened to find a neglected bottle of honey at the back of the cupboard and decided to incorporate it into my dishes. Not only did the slow cooking produce a really tender end result but using honey in each dish gave it a mellow subtle sweetness to cut through the rich tangy and salty sauces.

1. Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks with Rosemary, Honey and Apricots:

Ingredients:
The Lamb shanks [one each]
Rosemary
Honey - good quality x 2 large tablespoons
Dried Apricots
Can of chopped tomatoes
Tomato puree
Onions x 2 large brown ones chopped into cubes
Garlic x 6 large cloves left whole
Celery x 2 stocks
Carrots x 2 sticks
Cardommon pods x 4: crush and remove seeds, then crush the seeds into a powder
Cinammon Stick x 1
Pinch of Cumin seeds
Pinch of dried red chillies crushed
Dried bay leaves x 2
1/2 pint of water or chicken/veg stock

1. Prep the veg and place on a deep dish with all the dried herbs and spices; Mix in 1 tablespoon of oil [preferable canola/rapeseed/olive]; Then gently soften on a low heat.

2.  In a non stick frying pan add another tablespoon of oil and a stick of rosemary to flavour the oil; Brown the lamb shanks in this oil over a medium to high heat and set aside [ save the flavoured oil for roast veg].

3. Add rosemary [whole stems] and tomatoes and tomato paste to the veg and cook out for a few minutes then place the lamb shanks on top of the mixture. Then add a couple of tablespoons of the honey and mix in.

4. Add stock/water to just about cover and turn up the heat to bring everything up to the boil. Then immediately turn the heat down, cover with a tight fitting lid and forget about the shanks for an hour.

5. Check that they are not sticking after an hour - if it looks a bit dry just add a splash of water and scrape the bottom of the pan. Check the seasoning - add salt and crushed black pepper.

6. Allow to gently simmer away for another hour and a half [total 2.5 hr slow cooking] and check the level of liquid intermittantly so it does not catch at the bottom. In the last half hour add the dried apricots [1/2 a cup should be enough].

Serve this sweet and sour dish with rice/couscous/roasted root veg. I had beetroot, butternut squash pumpkin and red onions in the house. So I roasted them in the rosemary flavoured oil saved from browing the lamb, with more rosemary, garlic, cumin seeds, honey and a squeeze of lemon and an orange. I season ed them well and threw in the lemon and orange skins in the roasting dish for added aromas! I promise the smell of roasting veg and lamb will not only work up an appetite but give you something really special to look forward to when it is gloomy outside.

2. Honey and cumin roasted winter veggies:

Red Onion, Beetroot and Butternut Squash

Roasted with Honey, lemon and orange juice, rosemary, cumin and salt and pepper

Honey Roasted veggies [roasted for about 1 hour in 180 degrees C]

3. Sticky Beef Ribs

Ingredients:
Ribs - from Butcher - chopped up
Wheat Beer [or if you wish just water/beef stock - but watch the salt content of stock as the soy will be salty too] - 1 bottle
Soya Sauce [low salt] - 1/2 a cup
Honey x 2 large tabelspoons
Cinammon stick x 1
Star Anise x 4
Garlic cloves - left whole in their skins [whole bulb]

1. Marinade the Beef ribs in soya sauce for 30min - 1 hour; Drain and set the soya aside.

2. Brown the pieces of meat in a little oil along with the garlic cloves, cinammon and star anise - caramelise well but do not burn. Set everything aside to rest.

3. Pop the meat in a deep non stick pan along with the spices and garlic then add 2 tablespoons of honey and the soya sauce [add some water to loosen if needed and mix in the honey].

4. Then gently add the beer if using [it will bubble up so be careful] or add the water/stock - bring to the boil gently [this will evaporate the alcohol].

5. Allow to simmer with a lid on very slowly for 2.5 - 3 hours checking intermittently that they are not drying out. I squeezed some orange and lemon juice into the pan to create a really sticky but balanced end result.

Serve with slices of red chilles, spring onions, ginger and corriander leaves as garnishes; This is delicious with rice and some wilted bok choy as well!

This dish is sticky salty sweet and best eaten with fingers. The garlic cloves will be caramelised and sweet and tender too. Just avoid eating the star anise and cinammon!

NOTES ON HONEY:

Honey is actually sweeter that table sugar. So a little should go a long way. It is made of simple carbohydrates [monosaccharides] called Fructose. It is believed to have anti-inflammatory effects and contain a vast number of minerals. However it has the same devastating effects as sugar if eaten in excess [not just if it is eaten in large quantities but also through a high frequency of intake]. So it can cause tooth decay over time and an intake of excessive amounts will result in the surplus [that the body cannot use or store as glycogen] being turned into fat. Just because it is a natural product does not mean it is necessarily any better for you than refined table sugar*. It is recommended that you never give babies or toddlers honey. So use sparringly in your recipes but do try it out as it does cut through tangy tomato sauces beautifully and also provides a lovely contrast to salty dishes.

* Some people even consider Brown sugar to be better for you!! Brown sugar is manufactured by spraying molasses [which is an intermediate product of sugar refinement from sugar cane and beets] onto refined sucrose. It is just as cariogenic i.e. likely to cause tooth decay as refined white sugar and honey.

Fabulous Fish Pie

This is my show off Dinner party number. It is rich and comforting. The dish is basically an assembly of layers of yummy components [while they are cold]. So it can be prepared in advance and then popped into the oven when the guests arrive. It is a matter of getting fresh ingredients on the day, preparing everything ahead and then putting it all together in a specific order. The decadence of this dish is all to do with big chunks of fish, juicy prawns and simple flavours.

The stars of the show

Ingredients: You need a deep pie dish for this

Pie filling:
Jumbo cooked peeled prawns - tails on.*
White fish fillet - something like Whiting, Flake, Haddock or Pollock - check no bones
Oily fish fillet - e.g. Salmon - check no bones
Carrot x 1 or 2 - finely diced
Leek x 1 - finely diced
Celery x 1 - finely diced
Onion/Spring onions - finely diced
Garlic clove [optional]
2 dried bay leaves
Milk [Skimmed]
Creme Fraiche/ Thickened cream **
3 or 4 eggs - boiled cooled peeled and cut in half
cup of frozen peas

* I take the tails off when I wash the prawns and check the black residue along the prawn has been removed. I pop the tails into a pan with a little bit of water and bring to the boil, then simmer to create a stock. This can be used to lighten the sauce of the pie filling if it is too thick or just stored/frozen to use another day.

** If you are watching your waist line, ditch the creme fraiche [even though this is less fat than cream] or cream. You can thicken the sauce with a little cornflour if you are not gluten intolerant.

You can of course not use anything at all but the sauce may be a little runny unless you reduce it down to very little.

Pie Topping:
Potatoes* - Boiled, drained, slightly steam dried then mashed with Olive oil/Canola oil and skimmed milk OR with tonnes of butter : Depending on how you like your mash.

I like my mash to be done with olive oil [lots of it - Spanish style!] and skimmed milk with a dollop of Dijon mustard, then an egg yolk when it is slightly cooled - quickly beaten in to create a silky mix that sets well on the pie.

*To create a low carb low fat topping, I use steamed Cauliflower - mashed with Dijon mustard and a drop of olive oil. Season well. Another option is a layer of Courgettes that have been lightly oiled and seasoned.
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1. Prep the veg and place on a low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or canola/rapeseed oil and gently soften. Season with salt and pepper. You can grate in the garlic to this mix of veg if you are using it.

2. In another pan place the eggs in cold water and bring to the boil. Allow 15min exactly from the moment you place the eggs on the heat to boiling then plunge the eggs in cold water for a minute [they will have boiled for about 7 - 8 minutes altogether]. The eggs will peel easily and you can cut them aside and set aside to cool.

3. Prep the prawns [i.e. remove the tails and wash & check they are all clean] and since they are already cold - place them at the bottom of your pie dish as the 1st layer along with the cooled egg halves.

4. So now for the Fish: Place the fillets in enough cold milk to just cover. Place in 2 dried bay leaves. Then gently allow the milk to heat up on the lowest heat on the hob. You want the fish to be slightly underdone - just starting to go opaque [they will finish cooking when the pie is heated through in the oven before serving]. Remove from the heat and drain - reserve the milk, discard the bay leaves. Allow the fish to cool.

5. Meanwhile the veg should be soft [but not coloured] - add the warm drained poaching milk to the sauce and start to reduce gently.

6. When you are happy with the consistency of the sauce, switch the heat off and add the creme fraiche or cream if using [continue to reduce if you want to thicken it more otherwise set aside to cool]. If you are not using creme fraiche or cream, dissolve some cornflour in a bit of cold water, add to the mix and thicken the sauce in that way.

7. Meanwhile the fish should be cold enough to handle [if not go away and have a cup of tea]. Remove any skin and cut into thick chunks. Place the fish as the next layer. Sprinkle over finely chopped parsley and scatter the frozen peas on.

8. Check the sauce has cooled completely to room temperature. Then pour over the filling so that it gets into all the layers.

9. Make the topping of your choice and allow to cool before you place it on the pie as the final layer. The pie can then be set aside till you are ready. When you are, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Then place the pie in, reduce the heat to 180 degrees C and leave for 35 - 40 min. Check that it is bubbling, and take it out when you have some colour on the topping. Allow to cool slightly before serving [it may be too hot to eat straight away without taking off a few layers of skin from the roof of your mouth]. You can serve with a crisp green salad simply dressed with lemon and olive oil. Frankly it is such a rich dish that you probably won't need anything else with it other than a cold Reisling or Pinos Gris!

Courgette Slices on top of this one!

This one has Cauliflower mash on top

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Nutritional Points:

Well without even taking into account the Vegetable topping options, the Fish Pie actually contains loads of healthy vegetables! If you keep the sauce light and use creme fraiche instead of cream or the cornflour option then you are making a really healthy version.

If you indulge in a buttery mash with the pie then it will taste amazing but definitely be infinitely more calorific especially if you add cheese on top or add cream to the sauce. Since this would be a special occasion dish it does not really matter too much if you do go for a rich mashed potatoes - just watch the butter/cream/cheese amounts. I never put cheese on top - I don't think it is necessary and I also feel that Fish and Cheese don't really go together!

Please note that it is a myth that eating foods rich in cholesterol will raise your blood cholesterol. So prawns and eggs DO NOT raise blood choloesterol as much as Saturated fats do [i.e. butter/cream/cheese]. When we eat cholesterol rich foods, the body compensates by reducing the cholesterol produced by the liver. Seafood, eggs and fish are low in Saturated fats and high in proteins, minerals and Omega 3 fatty acids.

The Omega 3 fatty acids protect us against heart disease. It is found mainly in oily fish and can reduce blood pressure, reduce the unhealthy triglycerides in our blood as well as increasing the good cholesterol in our systems. [The plant source of omega 3's include linseeds, soybeans, canola oil. So you could use Canola oil/margarine to richen the mash instead of butter.]

Quinoa Magic

I discovered Quinoa quite late in the day. It seems to be a well kept secret amongst vegans & vegetarians. I was very impressed to discover that this SEED [which looks like a grain] has the highest amount of protein than any other grain in both quantity and quality. It has lots of Iron, Calcium, Vitamin E, Manganese, Magnesium, Phosphorus and the B vitamins. It is low in fat and high in fibre. Ticking all the boxes? I should say so!

This recently re-discovered South American staple was once called the Gold of the Incas. It grows in the Andean mountains and used to be considered a sacred food of the Aztecs. Nowadays you can get it easily from health stores, markets and supermarkets. It is not very expensive and a little goes a long way.

This bag cost me about $4 from a health shop

It looks a bit like couscous and can be treated like rice. You need to rinse it very well - I like to soak mine beforehand to almost help the seeds germinate. You can soak it for 20min - overnight, depending on when you remember that you want to use it! Then rinse off the water and wash/ drain the seeds well. The seeds are coated with a substance called saponins which can be bitter. By rinsing them well in cold water you can remove this easily.

Quinoa, Chicken stock with saffron threads, Courgette, Red Pepper and Onion

I like to use quinoa as vehicle for other flavours and in this recipe I am using it like rice in a risotto. After soaking the quinoa I like to prep all the veg and have the ingredients ready.

Ingredients:
1 x Cup of Quinoa [soaked in cold water]
1 x large brown onion diced
1 x Courgette diced
1 x Red pepper diced
Pint of hot chicken stock
Pinch of Saffron - soaked in hot chicken stock
Lemon and parsley for garnish

1. Prep all the veg before washing and draining the Quinoa.

2. Put 1 tablespoon of canola oil/rapeseed oil into a non stick frying pan. Fry the veg on a high heat to slightly caramelise but not cook through, then set aside.

3. Dry fry the onions to soften and add in the drained Quinoa and mix together to heat through.

4. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then gently simmer to allow the seeds to absorb the liquid but don't stir too often.

5. Add the veg back in as the stock gets sucked up by the grains - then cover and take off the heat. Allow it to finish cooking for 15min without lifting the lid off. Then stir with a fork to fluff up the seeds.

6. Scatter over the finely chopped parsley and squeeze over some lemon to freshen up the dish.

I served this with Lamb chops roasted with smoked paprika, garlic and rosemary. You can serve this with Fish/Chicken or even with a poached egg on top for a fancy brunch.

You can use Quinoa in a many different way. Here are some ideas:

- Gently heat and simmer in milk for Quinoa Porridge in the morning. Add in a teaspoon of honey and a handful of blueberries and almonds to create a healthy brekkie.
- Throw in a handful into any soup [e.g. minestrone] or stew [Spanish chicken recipe works well with this]  to add bulk and increase the protein content of you meal.
- Boil in hot stock/water for about 10min, drain and then scatter over salads as a nutty garnish.
- Scatter over your normal crumble topping and add a nutty texture to your puddings.

Nutritional Points:

I find this super grain to be very more-ish and quite filling. It is to be highly respected as it is a complete protein by which I mean it has all the essential amino acids.

Proteins are made of amino acids. There are 9 that our bodies cannot make and need to get from our diet. These are called Essential Amino acids [they include Lysine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine and Histadine]. A complete protein should contain all of these. Some other sources of complete proteins include Meat, Chicken, Fish, Eggs and Soyabeans.

Vegetarians and Vegans are usually told to try and food combine to get all their essential amino acids. Some plant based products don't have the complete range e.g. Lentils/pulses have most of the essential amino acids but are low on lysine. Rice is known to have lysine in it and so they are encouraged to have rice and lentils to get the full complement of amino acids. Another example is beans on toast. So overall Quinoa is a great source of complete proteins for those who are very strict with their diets and it contains large amounts of Lysine which is essential in tissue growth and maintenance.

Give it a try - it's a great store cupboard ingredient and adds a different dimension to your daily options!