Healthy appetites
Dr Wynnie Chan has made a career of trying to help people eat more healthily. She received a degree in nutrition from King's College, London, works as the nutrition consultant for the Britain-based Chinese National Healthy Living Centre and British Nutrition Foundation and contributes articles on diet and nutrition to publications. Now in Hong Kong, Chan recently published Fresh Chinese, in which she updates traditional Chinese dishes to make them healthier and also gives a nutritional analysis for each recipe.
Sesame salmon with shredded vegetables (below)
500 grams thick salmon fillets, skin removed
1 tbsp gomasio salt (sesame salt)
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tbsp raw sesame seeds
1 large leek, shredded
2 large carrots, shredded
125 grams sugar peas, shredded
Preheat oven to 240 degrees Celsius.
Put salmon fillets in a foil-lined roasting tin and sprinkle with gomasio salt, lime juice and sesame seeds. Cook at 240 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes, or until the salmon is just cooked and the sesame seeds are toasted.
While the salmon is cooking, toss together the shredded leek, carrots and sugar peas and arrange on serving dish. When the salmon is cooked, place it on the vegetables and pour over the juices from the roasting tin. Serves four with two other main dishes.
Stir-fried bok choi with shiitake mushrooms (top right)
1/2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
500 grams bok choi, halved lengthwise
20 fresh shiitake mushrooms, halved
1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
3 tbsp vegetable stock (see below)
1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
Heat the rapeseed oil in a non-stick saute pan over a high heat until the oil is piping hot, swirling it around to cover the base of the pan. Add the bok choi a handful at a time, stirring occasionally. Cover the pan and cook for two to three minutes, or until the bok choi leaves have wilted slightly. Transfer to a serving plate. Return the pan to the heat and add the shiitake mushrooms. Stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce or tamari, rice wine or sherry and the vegetable stock and stir to mix. Add the cornstarch paste slowly, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened. Pour the mushrooms and sauce over the bok choi and serve immediately. Serves four with two other main dishes.
Lettuce wraps (below)
6 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large shallots, sliced
2 slices fresh ginger, chopped
2 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced
8 canned water chestnuts, diced
50 grams canned bamboo shoots, diced
150 grams carrots, diced
1 heaped tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp Japanese soy sauce or tamari sauce
350 grams silken firm tofu, diced
150ml vegetable stock (see below)
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
4 spring onions, sliced
50 grams toasted walnut pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
2 heads romaine lettuce
Put the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and put a plate on top to keep the steam in. Set aside for 20-30 minutes or until soft. Drain the mushrooms, discard the stalks, squeeze water from the caps and chop them roughly.
Heat the oil in a wok or non-stick pan over a high heat until piping hot. Add the garlic, shallots, ginger and chillies and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and carrots and stir-fry for about five minutes, then stir in hoisin and soy sauce or tarmari and season with black pepper. Add tofu and stir gently to mix, then pour in vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water. Push the vegetables to the sides of the wok and pour the cornstarch/water into the middle. When the sauce starts to thicken, stir into the other ingredients and mix well. Toss in the spring onions and walnuts.
To serve, spoon some of the mixture into a lettuce leaf and fold into a neat parcel. Serves four to six as a starter.
Spare ribs (right)
1 kg lean pork spare ribs
1.2 litres hot vegetable stock (see below) or meat stock
4 tsp cornstarch mixed with 4 tbsp water
For the marinade:
1 tsp five-spice powder
2 star anise
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed
2 large shallots, chopped
1 heaped tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce or tamari
6 slices fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
6 spring onions, chopped
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 orange, cut into wedges
Mix together the marinade ingredients and rub into the spare ribs. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 240 degrees Celsius. Line a roasting tin with a large piece of foil. Put the spare ribs and marinade into the tin and pour over the hot stock. Cook at 240 degrees Celsius for one hour, then turn the ribs over. Reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius and cook for 45 minutes, or until the ribs are brown. Remove the ribs with a slotted spoon and place on a serving plate. Pour the liquid from the roasting tin into a small saucepan and thicken with the cornstarch paste, stirring until the sauce is thick. Pour over the ribs. Serves four.
Vegetable stock
Chan suggests freezing the stock in small amounts so you can have some on hand whenever you need it.
1 kg Chinese leaves (aka Chinese cabbage or
wong nga bok)
1 kg leeks
1 kg carrots
1 kg onions
4 slices fresh ginger
4 bay leaves
4.5 litres water
Put the washed vegetables in a large saucepan with the ginger and bay leaves. Add the water and bring to the boil. Lower heat, cover the pan and simmer for two hours. Leave the stock to cool slightly then strain, pour into a container and refrigerate. It keeps in the fridge for two days; for longer storage, freeze the stock.