Digitized cookbook

Here is the digitized version of the sketchbook. I stumbled across it cos my partner said he wanted to make lup lup and my lup lup recipe wasn't on the blog, and when I went to check this out this link came up on Google.

It's nice to see the sketchbook again. I've actually lost my own digital copy of the sketchbook, so glad to see this and to have the blog so I have the recipes!!

http://www.sketchbookproject.com/library/10147#page-slide_11

Sorry Patrick, you were right, the lup lup recipe wasn't there. I've put it up now! 

Lup Lup 粒粒Lì lì Tiny Pieces

These are also known in cantonese as "chau lup lup" - stir fried pieces.

Lup means "grain/granule/tiny piece" in Cantonese, which is just what this is, little bits of salted radish, deep fried red skin peanuts and other assorted vegetables. You can use any vegetables of your choice, so long as they are not watery, e.g. green beans, sweet corn (fresh or frozen), bell peppers. The peanuts and salted radish are the key elements, otherwise put in whatever you like, although you should at least have a "sweet" vegetable in there, e.g. red bell pepper/carrot/sweet corn to contrast the saltiness of the radish.

200g green beans chopped into 1cm lengths

1 sweet bell pepper chopped into approx. 1cm pieces

80g salted radish, chopped into 1cm pieces (it is brown in colour, dried, comes in 
vacuum packs in small pieces in chinese supermarkets. You can substitute "soy radish" - which comes in slices, then chop it up into 1cm pieces too).

100g red skin peanuts (can use pink skin too). These are traditionally deep fried until the nut is golden brown. They can be roasted but the skin might not stay on the peanuts. I have in a pinch used roasted salted peanuts, which also works, but I like the slight bitterness the skin gives the dish, and it looks pretty.

50g sweetcorn, frozen or fresh kernels (optional)

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 dried birds eye chilli, chopped / 1 fresh green chilli, chopped (deseed and de-membrane for less heat)

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp dark soy sauce

Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok or cast iron skillet on high heat. When hot, add vegetables, garlic and chilli. Stir fry for 3 minutes, add sugar and soy sauce. Test green bean, when cooked but still crisp, add peanuts and stir through. Serve with rice, or this goes well with congee (rice porridge/"zhou").

Vegan Chinese Coconut Tarts

Coconut tarts were a delicious treat for me in HK, my favourite part was the kitsch glace cherry in the middle, which I used to save till last as a little coconut island with a cherry on top.

The tart should have a light-ish fluffy filling, with a slightly chewy outer, and crisp "short" pastry. Not a diet food, probably best for parties as you can share them out and don't end up eating them all!

I'm not sure how this freezes, I imagine probably quite well as it is quite dense and not liquid.

This is an ongoing experiment, I may end up substituting the ground almond with coconut flour, or perhaps more dessicated coconut. In the meantime, this is what I have come up with. :)

This makes 24-26 tarts

Ingredients:

Pastry: 300g plain flour
250g margarine (I prefer vitalite in the UK as it has a more buttery taste)

Filling:
115g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp No-Egg egg replacer, or equivalent*
1/4 tsp salt

50ml oil
400ml coconut milk(1 regular can)
150g sugar
1 tsp vanilla
200g dessicated coconut

12 glace cherries, cut in half.

*I have seen coconut tart recipes that require custard powder, which mainly consists of corn starch. Egg replacer also consists of different starches, so perhaps a future experiment would be to replace the egg replacer with custard powder. 

Preheat the oven to 180C.

For the pastry - In a large mixing bowl mix the flour and margarine using a spatula - the less you handle the pastry the better. Break up the fat and press it into the flour against the side of the bowl until it starts to resemble large bread crumbs. Usually this is the point where you would add water/milk, but I've found that margarine has a large water content and that it usually will at this point form together into a large ball when pressed with your hands. Margarines differ however and if yours doesn't want to clump, then add cold water/soy milk a teaspoon at a time until it comes together. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime prepare the filling.

Mix the dry ingredients apart from sugar in a large mixing bowl. In a measuring jug measure out the oil, then add the sugar, vanilla. You can add half the coconut milk and mix until well combined. Pour into the mixing bowl, then add the remaining coconut milk. Mix well. Fold in the dessicated coconut.

Get the pastry out the fridge and divide into two. Roll out the pastry on a floured board until about 0.5cm thick. Using a pastry cutter that fits with your cupcake tin, cut out the shapes. I tended to roll the cut out round shape to make it larger and slightly thinner. The pastry should come up the sides of the tin, rising up about 2-3 cm high at the sides.

Fill your cases with the coconut mixture using a large spoon**. Place the glace cherries on top.

**I put the filling in raw pastry cases and baked together, which took ages (nearly 40-50 minutes), and had to cover the tops of the tarts with foil as the coconut browned before the pastry was fully cooked. Next time I may blind-bake the pastry before adding the coconut filling.

Bake until the coconut is browned - it is important to flip out a tart and  ensure the pastry is cooked through at the bottom. If you tap it it should make a crisp sound, or cut through and it should have no translucent uncooked looking pastry.

Tip: If the coconut has browned but the pastry isn't fully cooked, try covering tightly with foil so that it doesn't brown any further. I've also taken the tarts out, put the tarts on a rack, then back on a baking tray, then covered with foil, so that the pastry bottoms were exposed to the heat and the coconut was protected. All of this seems a bit of a hassle on reflection, so I would suggest blind baking the pastry cases first!!!

Wilted Chard Salad with Cooked Garlic Dressing 凉菜

Wilted Chard with Cooked Garlic Dressing

A "Cold Dish", or  凉菜 Liángcài

The raw vegetable is an anathema in traditional Chinese cuisine. Vegetables, even in salads or cold dishes, aka Liángcài, are at the very least blanched before serving. An exception is cucumber salad, where the cucumber is crushed with the flat of a knife, roughly chopped, then a similar dressing is poured over the pieces. 

Serves 2 as a side dish 

I used a mixture of chard and spinach for this dish as that was what I had, but you can experiment with substituting different blanched and cooled vegetables, e.g. mung bean sprouts, other sprouted beans, nettles, calalloo, etc. This is a basic recipe - you can add chilli, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds to your taste.

Chingkiang vinegar, 镇江香醋, pinyin: Zhènjiāngxiāngcǜ, is quite commonly available, particularly in Chinese supermarkets; I got mine in the Asian section of a large supermarket. If you can't get it, you can substitute balsamic at a pinch, but reduce or omit the sugar in the dish.

Ingredients:

200g leafy vegetable, e.g. spinach or chard

1 clove of garlic, chopped finely

Dressing:

2 tbsp vegetable oil, e.g. canola/rapeseed/peanut

3/4 of a tablespoon of chinkiang vinegar

the juice of 1 tbsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Wilt the spinach either by blanching for 30 seconds in boiling water, then rinsing immediately with cold water, or by wilting in a hot frying pan, turning the spinach until all the leaves are wilted, then rinsing with cold water to stop the cooking process. 

Squeeze out the excess water from the vegetable with your hands. 

    

Ball up the spinach and chop it roughly, then put it in your serving dish. 

Arrange the raw garlic in a small pile in the centre of the spinach.

Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

In a pan heat the oil on a high heat until it is shimmering and starting to smoke. Pour the hot oil directly onto the garlic, which will immediately sizzle. Try to cover all the garlic with hot oil. Mix the oil into the spinach using a fork or chopsticks, then add the rest of the dressing, mixing to coat well. 

Serve as a side dish.

Cold Udon Noodle Salad with Satay Sauce Dressing

Cold Udon Noodle Salad with Satay Sauce Dressing

冷沙爹烏冬面Lěng shā diē wū dōng miàn

serves 2 as a main

1 packet (around 450g) tofu cut into thin slices width ways, deep fried until golden brown, and then slice these slices into strips. See diagram.

½ a cucumber, cut into thin strips, approx. 5 x 1 cm

2 spring onions, cut into very thin strips, approx. 0.5cm x 5 cm

1 bell pepper (not green) sliced into thin strips lengthways.

1 small bunch coriander (cilantro), very roughly chopped, approx. two tbsp.

Udon noodles for two – approx. 200g, cooked according to packet directions and cooled by running under tap/cooled boiled/filtered water

Roasted salted peanuts, additional coriander for garnish (both optional)

Satay Sauce dressing:

¼ cup satay sauce  (look for one without shrimp paste, Yeo’s is usually ok)

1 tbsp lemon/lime juice

½ tbsp. sesame oil

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp chilli sauce, e.g. sriracha

½ tsp soya sauce

In large bowl combine the dressing ingredients. Add noodles, vegetables, coriander and tofu, mix until all elements are well coated. Garnish with roasted peanuts and coriander.

You can adapt this, changing the vegetables to taste, substitute chives or wild garlic for the spring onions. You can also substitute wholewheat/buckwheat noodles for the udon.

Tip: Cut vegetables the same shape and size as other ingredients, e.g. if tofu is triangular in a recipe, cut the bell pepper into triangles. If pickles are sliced, slice the seitan/tofu in a similar shape and size if possible. It looks nicer and things cook more evenly.

Spicy Vegetables With Pickled Mustard Greens with Crispy Noodles

Spicy Vegetables With Pickled Mustard Greens with Crispy Noodles

This is a favourite recipe. The sauce is slightly sweet and spicy and contrasts nicely with the salty sourness of the crisp pickle. The noodles should be crisp and crunchy and then topped with the sauce and served immediately after. You can serve this with rice but noodles work very well.

pan fry your tofu triangles until golden

fried tofu triangles

sliced mustard greens and peppers

vegan noodles

serves 2 as a main

pickled mustard greens

2 tbsp rapeseed/canola oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 spring onions (scallions), chopped into 3 cm pieces

1 tbsp grated ginger

Approx 2 cups deep fried sliced tofu/sliced seitan or mock duck/pre-soaked soya chunks

100g (approx.) sliced pickled mustard greens

100-200g variety of crisp (non-watery) vegetables e.g. bell peppers of various colours, sugar snap peas, mangetout, celery, thinly sliced carrot.

125g/150g thin yellow egg free noodles (sometimes labelled as vegetarian noodles), cooked according to packet directions.

Sauce:

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp soya sauce

½ cup water

2 tsp corn starch

1 tbsp chilli sauce, e.g. sriracha

1 ½ tsp sesame oil

Heat 1 tbsp oil in large cast iron skillet/non stick pan on medium high heat. Fry cooked noodles for a few minutes each side, flipping over when one side is golden brown and crisp. Transfer to baking sheet and keep warm in low oven while you cook the sauce.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok/large cast iron pan on high heat. Fry garlic, spring onion (scallions), ginger for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add vegetables, pickled mustard greens  and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, until vegetables are nearly cooked. Add tofu and sauce and cook for another 2 minutes until tofu is heated through and sauce is thickened and bubbly. Take noodles out of the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Pour vegetables and sauce on to the noodles and serve immediately.

Stir fried Potato Strands Tǔdòu sī 土豆丝

Tǔdòu sī  土豆丝  Stir fried Potato Strands

Areas around China are known for their potato crops (like Idaho), e.g. Dingxi in Gansu Province and in banquets you can sometimes be served whole steamed potatoes to be eaten as they are and savoured. The Chinese also have a novel method of cooking finely shredded potato (“Si” in this case means finely cut strands) and then serving them slightly undercooked, still with a crunchy texture,  either hot or cold dishes, which seems strange to Western tastes but is delicious. Tǔdòu sī is potato, finely shredded, then quickly stir fried with spices and black vinegar. It should taste spicy and tangy with the potatoes still retaining a bite.

I've tweaked this recipe a little as I've found that having green chilli slices rather than dried chillies improves the flavour, however do adapt this to your taste. 

Serves 2 as a side    

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium sized potatoes, very finely cut

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

1 or 2 medium sized green chillies (e.g. depending on how hot they are), deseeded and sliced into long thin strips

2 tbsp chinkiang black rice vinegar (add 1 tbsp first, then gradually add more to taste if needed)

¼ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

Slice the potatoes by hand or using a mandolin. 

Rinsing the potato strips and then adding them to the wok means they steam slightly and don't stick together as the starch has been rinsed away. The green chilli adds a nice flavour as well as heat.

Heat a wok/large cast iron skillet on high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan, fry the peppercorns and chillies for about 1 minute, until the peppercorns are fragrant, stirring rapidly to prevent burning. Add the potatoes, vinegar, sugar and salt, tossing with metal spatula/utensil to keep the potatoes moving in the pan. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes, if the potatoes start sticking, add a little water. Add the garlic and toss for another minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Test one piece of potato. It should retain a bite to it.