Boiled Dumplings (水餃) with Szechuan Red Oil Sauce

Dumplings are one of my favourite food. Pan fry, boiled, steamed, deep fry.... I love all forms of dumplings and can never have enough of them. Making them is not difficult at all, especially if using pre-made wrappers. All that is required is to chop some vegetables. marinade the meat and let the wrapping commence. 

Making your own wrapper is an entirely different story. My partner and I learned how to make dumplings from scratch and they really do taste different. The wrapper has more textured, or perhaps they taste better because it usually takes over 2 hours just to make a just a dozen... 

Wherever possible we would purchase free range belly pork at the butcher and has it minced fresh. The result is quite remarkable. Pre-minced meat usually is more watery which dampen the wrapper so they don't keep the shape as well. More importantly there is a different in taste and quality. I would recommend giving this a go.

The veg that goes in the dumplings is usually Chinese chives, which is widely available in Asian supermarkets and has a distinctive garlicky taste to it. Alternatively pak choi or cabbage is just as good although lacking the garlicky flavour. 

Now the marinade. The meat is usually marinaded in light soy, sesame oil, ground white pepper,  chicken powder and Shaoxing wine. Mix all the ingredients together until the meat becomes a little sticky before mixing in the Chinese chives or any kind of vegetable of your choice. 

Here are the 3 different ones I've made recently. The sauce that goes on top is Szechuan Red Oil Sauce. I don't always follow the exact recipe, especially the coriander bit as it doesn't always make it on to the shopping list!

Szechuan Red Oil Sauce

First you need to make some infused dark soy sauce:

100ml dark soy
100ml water

1 tsp of sugar

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 star anise 

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine

1. Place everything but Shaoxing wine in the frying pan and bring to boil then let it cook on low heat for 10 minutes. 

2. Take it off the heat and mix in the Shaoxing wine.

Now the Szechuan Red Oil Sauce:

1 tbsp Szechuan pepper oil

1 tbsp of chilli oil (add more or less depending on personal taste)

1 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped

1 tbsp of spring onion, chopped

1 tsp of sesame oil

2 tbsp of the infused dark soy sauce (as above)

1. Mix all everything but the spring onion and coriander together.

2. Add the spring onion and coriander just before serving.

3. Pour over the dumplings and enjoy.

Beef congee (牛肉粥)

Congee is especially comforting and cleansing when I feel under the weather or when overindulge. There are so many kind of congee, chicken, fish, pork, beef or better still, plain ones. The congee recipe remain largely the same but mix in with different ingredient.

Serves 2

180g of rice

150g minced beef

1/2 cube of organic chicken stock cube

Dash of sesame oil

1.2L water
1 tbsp of mirin
Pinch of white pepper

1. Season the rice with a pinch of salt and a dash of sesame oil. Soak in cold water for at least a couple of hours before cooking (preferably overnight as this process helps to breakdown the rice).

2. Bring the water to boil, stir in the rice. Turn the heat up and keep staring for 5 minutes.

3. Bring the heat down, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, marinate minced beef with mirin, salt & white pepper.

5. Back to the congee base. Turn the heat up, break up the chicken stock cube and add, stir for 10 minutes. This is a very important step as it helps to break up the rice. If the consistency becomes too think, add some boiling water to dilute.

6. Take the congee base off the heat, stir in the minced beef, keep staring and break up the lumps.

7. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. 

Slow-braised beef tendon & beef shin in chu hou sauce (柱侯蘿蔔炆牛筋牛腱)

Early autumn is definitely in the atmosphere. There is a slight breeze when the wind blows and length of daylight is reducing for sure. It is again time for a change of our diet, and to opt for something more warming and comforting. 

I have decided to make one of my all-time favourite dishes this weekend: slow-braised beef tendon & beef shin in chu hou sauce. The combination of the tender beef shin, the nourishing texture of the tendons mixed with the flavoursome and versatile chu hou sauce is truly inviting. 

450g beef tendon

300g beef shin

300g mooli, thickly sliced 

200g chu hou sauce

4 tbsp of Shaoxing wine

500ml of boiling water

3 cloves of garlic, crushed 

1/2 tbsp of palm sugar

1 1/2 tbsp of dark soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp of light soy sauce

2 piece of dried citric peel

1 star anise 

1. Boil a kettle full of water, blanch the beef tendon & shin and drained. 

2. Heat a tbsp of oil in casserole dish, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chu hou sauce, both soy sauce and cook until the aroma is released. 

3. Pour in the water, bring the mixture to boil and add the dried citric peel, palm sugar & star anise.

4. Add the tendon & shin, cover and bring to boil then reduce to low heat and cook for 1 hour.

5. Add the mooli and cook for further 30 minutes or until tender. 

6. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables.

Note: It tastes even better the next day! 

Szechuan 'Mala' Chicken (麻辣雞)

I love spicy food. The spiciness often helps to lift a dish up with a nice kick. Szechuan is renowned for its spicy food with an unique twist - spicy & numbing. A typical Szechuanese dish must consist chilli and a form of Szechuan pepper, this could be peppercorns, pepper oil, pepper powder etc Chilli gives the spiciness and Szechuan pepper gives the numbing/ tinkling sensation to the tongue and lips. If you have never experienced the tinkling sensation in the mouth whilst eating I would highly recommend trying this 'mala' chicken dish.

'Mala' literally means 'numbness and spiciness' and it usually used to described a cooking paste, which can be bought in most Asian supermarket. I made my own paste in this recipe and it is actually very straightforward. It can be kept in the fridge for a few weeks and it is fabulous for noodle dishes. In this recipe I will also share a tip in how to make sure the chicken stays succulent. 

Mala Paste 

This paste is of moderate heat. Please adjust the portion of spices in accordance to personal taste.

20 g fragmented black beans

30g chili bean paste

30g garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground sand ginger powder 

1 tsp ground chilli powder

1 stp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp of Szechuan peppercorns 

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp of salt

100ml water

A dollop of mayonnaise 

1. Lightly toast the Szechuan peppercorns on a frying pan then crushed using a pestle and mortal.

2.  In a bowl, mix in all the ground spices including Szechuan pepper powder and add the water. Mix well. 

3. In a mini food chopper, put in the garlic, fragmented black bean and chilli bean paste and blitz until smooth.

4. In a frying pan, squirt a dollop of mayonnaise and add a splash of oil. Heat until the mayonnaise dissolved. 

5. Now add the garlic & black bean paste into the frying pan and cook for 8 minutes on a low heat. You will need to keep folding the paste so it doesn't stick or become overcook. 

6. Pour in the spice powder water and fold in the 2 mixtures, follow by the sugar.

7. Cook the paste for a further 5 minutes and take it off the heat. 

Szechuan 'Mala' Chicken

Serves 4

1kg skinless free range chicken legs and thighs 

6 slices of fresh ginger

1 chilli, halves

2 garlic

5 stalks of spring onions 

3 shallots, halves

1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine

3 tbsp of mala paste

1. In a shallow frying pan, heat some oil and add in the shallots, half of the spring onions, chilli, garlic and ginger. Cook for a few minutes so the aroma releases into the air.

2. Add in the chicken and cook until they're lightly golden on both sides. 

3. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and follow by the mala paste made earlier (can be shop bought if preferred). 

4. Smother the chicken with the paste. Bring it all to boil, put the lid on, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 8 minutes.

5. Turn the heat off, leave the lid on and let the remaining heat to steam the chicken for a further 8 minutes.

6. Now, cook the chicken with high heat for 2 minutes before serving. 

Fantastic with rice and some veg. The mala paste should allow another serving, so perhaps try it with some minced pork next and serve it with noodles as a quick, mid week supper.

Simply Nigella's Asian-flavoured Beef Short Ribs (with a twist)

I love watching most cookery programmes and there are a few chefs I idolised, with Nigella Lawson being one of them. I have been religiously following her latest series on BBC and there are lots of excellent new recipes I am interested in trying out.

So, with so many recipes to choose from, where do I start? I had a family gathering last week and what a great excuse to try out the Asian beef short ribs. So effortless and can be pre-cooked the night before! 

Waitrose sells some delicious Aberdeen Angus beef short ribs at £6.99 per kg which I was tempted in purchasing; in the end I opted for what the local butcher has to offer instead. They were some well-hung beef from Twyford and just the look of them I know they will come out gorgeously delicious. This is a rack of ribs rather than short rib pieces. I've been reassured by the butcher that it cooks better this way. If you haven't got a big enough roasting tray/ pot then it cut up pieces will do just fine.

As the title of this post suggest, the recipe originates from the Simply Nigella series and I would not pretend otherwise. However, I did make some small adjustment to it. The key ingredient to the recipe is hoisin sauce. It is so easy to get all kinds of what used to be exotic ingredients in general supermarket nowadays it really does make life easier. The one I have gone for is the trusted Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce. 'Hoisin' actually means 'seafood'. However, turn the jar around to the ingredients list you will see there is no sign of any sea creatures but mostly made up of fermented bean paste! I do love languages. 

Here is the finished masterpiece and my God it was divine! 

Serves 6 - 8

2.6kg beef ribs

1 jar of Lee Kum Kee Hoisin sauce

500ml water 

1 tbsp of light soy

1 tsp of dark soy

1 tsp of sesame oil

125ml of Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry as an alternative)

1 pinch of ground white pepper

1 tbsp of Chinese five spice

4 gloves of garlic, crushed

10 whole dried chillies, chopped

Some freshly ground Sichuan peppercorn 

1 bunch of fresh coriander, chopped

2 fresh red chilli, chopped (or use 1 tbsp of crushed dried chilli flakes) 

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/ gas mark 2. 

2. Place the ribs in a large, deep roasting tin.

3. Mix together all the above mentioned ingredients (apart from coriander & fresh red chilli) and pour over the ribs.  

4. Cover the roasting tin with foil, ensure the edges are securely sealed and place in the oven for 4 hours.

5. Once cooked, take the roasting tin out and leave on the side to cool. 

6. Transfer into a large tupperware or any type of container then leave in the fridge overnight. This is so the flavour can enhance and the fat solidify to the top.

7.  Before reheating the meat, remove the harden fat at the top and transfer the content into a ceramic ovenproof dish and cove with foil (I used the largest Le Creuset stoneware dish here).

8. Preheat the oven to 200C/ mark 6 and cook for 1 hour.

9. Scatter the chopped coriander & chilli on top before serving.

For the dinner, I served the meat with steamed rice and spinach. Much to my surprise here were leftover for lunch the next day. The sauce was so intensely rich I cannot resist to make a noodle soup dish out of this. The next morning I reheated the meat in the oven and boil some udon in just boiling water. When the meat and udon are ready, I dish up the udon with piece of meat sitting on top. I then anoint the dish with 2 tablespoon of the meat juice follow by the udon water. Boy oh boy it surely made a tasty noodle soup broth, and a lighter way of serving this beautiful dish too.

Chicken Wings with Potatoes (薯仔雞翼)

There is an old saying: 'The closer to the bone, the sweeter the meat'. I've been converted to that belief ever since I was a child, and it stems from my mother. She taught me how to eat a boney fish without chocking; tackle spareribs so all the meat comes off the bone and enjoy chicken wings. I love chicken wings and I consumed a lot of them when I was a child. Since I became more aware of animal welfare I now only consumed high welfare chicken wings, and Waitrose Duchy Organic Free Range Chicken Wings are like godsend. They are so meaty and flavoursome, I only wish other supermarkets would follow suit.

This is a very simple dish, and the key is to let the chicken wings marinade for long enough. 

Serves 2

Waitrose Duchy Free Range Chicken Wings 800g
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp of palm sugar
1 thumb of ginger, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp of light soy
1 tsp of dark soy
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of ground white pepper
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp of oyster sauce
1 tsp of corn flour

1. Marinate the chicken wings with both soy sauce, sugar, white pepper and sesame oil for a few hours or overnight.

2. Prepare the potatoes.

3. Heat up some oil and fry the ginger and garlic until browned.

4. Brown the chicken wings on both sides and add a splash of Shaoxing wine.

5. Add the diced potatoes. Dissolve the corn flour with some cold water and a splash of light soy, pour in with the chicken and diced potatoes. Add in the palm sugar.

6. Cover the meat and potatoes with just enough water and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

7. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables of your choice.

Clams with black bean, garlic and chilli

Fancy a quick, delicious and slightly exotic dinner? This recipe has all of that combined into one. Yes, really. 

There is this misconception that cooking selfish requires a lot of preparation or time, which is a myth. If given the choice I would love to have selfish for dinner every night of the week. Those delicate oysters, delicate lobster, juicy mussels, and flavoursome clams! 

I was in Waitrose midweek last week and spotted these Big Prawn Company's 'Big & Juicy Delicious Clams' in their frozen aisles.  

It was already 18:30 when I was in the shop and as usual, I was hungry and can scoff down anything that puts in front of me. In my mind I wanted a healthy-ish light dinner if I were to be eating later than usual. At the same time these juicy looking clams are such a temptation.... and suddenly I know exactly what I will do.

Serves 1 (can probably be 2 if there is another dish also)

1 box of frozen white clams

A handful of fermented black beans (widely available in most Oriental food shop)

2 cloves of garlic

1 red chilli 

A splash of Shaoxing wine (or dry cherry)

1. Finely chopped the black beans, garlic and red chilli.

2. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan.

3. Cook the finely chopped ingredients over a medium heat until the aroma is released but not burnt.

4. Now stir in the white clams. 

5. Stir fry them a little, add a splash of Shaoxing wine then put a lid (or a plate) on to let it steam for a few minutes on high heat.

That's it, done. Now you have a delicious plateful of clams. I served mine with a bowl of steamed rice and honestly, it filled me with joy! 

Vermicelli Noodles with Minced Pork, Dried Shiitake Mushroom (狗仔粉)

This is a variation of the popular Hong Kong street snack 狗仔粉(Gou Chai Fun), which translates as   'Dog Tail Noodles'. Since I am no great noodles maker, instead of making my own dog-tail-like noodles with rice flour, I've replaced it with vermicelli instead, with the meat mixture remains true to the authentic taste. 

This type of street snack was very popular in the 80s and was a type of peasant food before the WWII, to fill the hungry bellies of the poor. 

Serves 2

800ml chicken stock

300g dried vermicelli noodles

250g minced pork

Handful of dried shrimps, finely chopped (available on oriental supermarket)

4 dried shiitake mushrooms (soak in water until double in size and diced)

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp of white pepper 

1 tsp of sesame oil

Handful of preserved parsnips (available on oriental supermarket)

1 tsp of chilli powder 

1. Soak the vermicelli noodles in water until soft. 

2. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and cook the dried shrimps and dried shiitake mushrooms until the aroma is released. 

3. Mix in the minced pork, add in the seasoning (oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil) and cook until the meat is brown.

4. Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to boil and cook the vermicelli as per instruction printed on the packaging. 

5. Mix the preserved parsnips with the chilli powder. 

6. In a large soup bowl, serve the noodles soup, layer the meat mixture on top and sprinkle with chilli preserved parsnips. 

If you prefer, layer the soup bowl with some green such as spinach.

Sesame Minced Pork (麻醬肉蓉)

A simplistic dish with sesame sauce and sesame oil being the key ingredients, it is well worth a try especially as a mid-week dinner, best to accompany by plain noodles or steamed rice.

Serves 4

500g minced pork (I used Blythburgh free range)

1 banana shallot, minced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 courgette, sliced

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp cornflour

4 tbsp sesame paste

2 tbsp sesame oil

Pinch of sugar

1. Marinade the pork with light soy sauce, sesame paste and cornflour for 30 minutes.

2.  In a frying pan, fry the shallot and garlic until golden. Note: It might be tempting to use sesame oil at this stage to enhance the flavor. Nonetheless, it has a low smoke point which burn easily, and will develop a bitter taste when burnt.

3. Add in the minced pork and ensure it is cooked properly. Season to taste.

4. Take the meat off the heat and mix in the sugar and sesame oil.

5. In the same frying pan, pan fry the sliced courgette until cooked then mix in with the meat.

Great to serve with rice or plain noodles.

Beef Tendon & Beef Shin Curry (咖哩牛筋牛腱)

Beef tendon, an uncommon ingredient in the West but praised in the East, is what connects muscle to bone. It is very tough and chewy and therefore requires slow cooking, proper slow cooking! Once it is cooked (properly!) it becomes soft and gelatinous, melt-in-your-mouth like. Low in fat and packed with collagen (yes ladies, if eat regularly, this stuff is more effective and economical than Creme de la Mer!) I am definitely not a chicken-breast and white meat only eater but more of a 'Nose to Tail', make-use-of-most-parts-of-animal type. Offal, tail, trotters, feet, cheeks etc you named it I have probably tried it. Is there a bottom line? Well, it depends. If it is nicely cooked then I would probably give it a whirl.

Tendon is not widely available in UK supermarkets, perhaps butcher will have them if you asked in advance. I got mine from the frozen compartment of an Asian supermarket and it does clearly labelled the origin as UK, which gives it a bit of reassurance that it was not horse tendon (I hope!). To enhance the overall texture and flavour, I also bought some shin of beef from the butcher. Brasing steak will do just fine as well.

Serves 4

300g beef tendon, diced into big chunks

300g shin of beef, ditto

60g plain flour, seasoned with salt & pepper

3 medium potatoes, diced into medium chunks

2 large onions, cut into wedges

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp Garam Marsala

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp chilli powder

5 cardamom pods

3 cloves

1 star anise

1 bark of cinnamon stick

Dash of dark soy sauce

500ml boiling water

1. Coat the tendon and shin with seasoned flour.

2. In a casserole dish, heat some oil and brown the tendon and beef all around on a fairly high heat. Leave them to cool on a plate.

3. In the same dish, toast the cardamon pods, cloves & star anise lightly until their aroma fills the air but not burnt.

4. Add in the onion wedges, tendon, shin and rest of the spices. Cook in medium heat for 15 minutes. Make sure everything is evenly coated with the spices.

5. Pour in the boiling water so it just covers everything and place the cinnamon stick on top. Cover and bring it to boil then turn the heat down and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Turn it down to the lowest heat and leave to cook for 5 hours or until the tendon is jelly like. Alternatively, transfer the content into a slow cooker and leave to cook for 5 hours.

7. Serve with steamed rice and seasonal vegetable.

Chinese Kitchen - Ma Po Tofu (麻婆豆腐)

This is one of my favorite Szechuan dish. Like most Chinese food, this dish is simple and quick to cook, fantastic to serve with steamed rice and steamed seasonal vegetables.

Serves 4

500g free range minced pork 

250g firm tofu, equally diced into cubes

1 tbsp fragmented black beans 

4 tbsp chili bean paste (I prefer using Lee Kum Kee)

A thumb of fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 glove of garlic, crushed

3 stalks of spring onions, sliced

2 tsp cornflour 

Cold water

1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for colouring)

Pinch of ground white pepper

1 tbsp oyster sauce 

Light soy sauce, to season

Basmati rice, steamed (enough to serves 4 people, depending on appetite)

1. Prepare and steam the rice using a rice steamer/ pot on the hob.

2. In a deep frying pan, heat some oil and one it is hot enough, cook the garlic, fragmented black beans and ginger enough to infuse the oil but not burnt. Now brown the pork.

3. Stir in the chili bean paste and cook the meat mixture with medium heat for 10 minutes.

4. In a bowl, mix the dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, enough cold water and cornflour together to form a paste-like sauce. 

5. Pour the sauce into the meat,  add the tofu and cook together for another 10 -15 minutes.

6. Sprinkle the spring onions on top couple of minutes before serving.

7. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables of your choice.

Chinese Roasted Pork Belly (燒肉)

Mmmmm.... a piece of well seasoned and crispy roasted pork belly is a fantastic treat. Ok, it is not the leanest cut of meat (hence it is a treat!), but meat with layered of fat is often more succulent and flavoursome.

This recipe is very simple and when it is crackling away in the oven, your kitchen will soon be filled with the delicious smell of the marinate.

Serves 2

500g pork belly
1 tbsp Chinese 5 Spice
1 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp salt
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
pinch of ground white pepper

1. In a bowl, mixed in all the spices and wine.

2. Pat dried the pork belly with kitchen towel (especially the skin if you fancy some crispy crackling)  and rub the marinade all over.

3. Leave the meat to absorb the marinade overnight.

4. Next day, heat the oven up to 220 degree. Ensure any excess moisture is dried up before putting the meat into the oven.

5. After been in the oven for 20 minuets at 220 degree, reduce the temperature to 200 degree and carry on cooking for a further 40 minutes.

And voilà! Best to serve it with some chilli dipping sauce or Hoi Sin sauce.

Bamboo Steamed Pearl Balls (珍珠球)

Although this is a 'traditional' dim sum dish, but I must confess I have never came across them at any of the dim sum restaurants I've visited in the past (or I was just too busy crunching spring rolls...!) I first found out about these delicious bad boys from an article in a free Chinese newspaper I picked up from a  Chinese supermarket in my area.

These dainty Pearl Balls are rather effortless to make and are perfect size for starters or party nibbles.  There are so many variations of Pearl Balls' recipe out there, it is hard to pin down one that is the most 'authentic' (if there is one?). Each cook has his/her own twist and so long the two key ingredients are there then all is well. As a true believer of 'you are what you eat', I always use free range or organic meat in all my recipes. The price of free range and organic produce has come down in recent years. It may come as a surprise, but I found local butchers offer a more competitive price than supermarket chains.  It is definitely worth spending the extra pound or two if possible, as these meat is definitely more flavorsome and of better texture than the battery farmed meat. One of the butcher I use stock up free range pork from Blythburgh, Suffolk (http://www.freerangepork.co.uk/). All their pigs and piglets spend their lives living outdoor, breathing in fresh air and only take shelter when they need it. Because these piggies spent their lives roaming around outdoor, there is much less fat from the meat in comparison to their battery farmed counterparts. For 500g of free range pork shoulder minced, it was approximately £3.50; a middle price range supermarket chain offers 500g lean pork minced at £3, not a huge difference in price but definitely a huge difference in quality.

Makes about 2 dozen

150g glutinous rice, soaked overnight in cold water and drained

500g minced pork (preferably free range)

3 dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked overnight in cold water, finely diced

Handful of dried shrimps, finely diced

2 stalks of spring onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Thumb size fresh ginger, finely chopped

Splash of light soy sauce

Splash of Shaosing rice wine

Splash of sesame oil

Pinch of Chinese 5 spice

Pinch of ground white pepper

Salt to taste

1. Drained the soaked glutinous rice and Shiitake mushrooms.

2. Finely chopped and diced all the ingredients and mix them with the minced pork along with the seasoning and spices.

3. Layer the bamboo steamer with a sheet of greaseproof paper.

4. Use hands to roll the pork mixture into ping-pong ball sized ball, then roll the meatballs in the bed of glutinous rice until it is evenly coated with rice.

5. Place the balls in the prepared bamboo steamer. Ensure there is enough space between them so they do not touch each other.

6. Fill the wok with enough cold water and place the bamboo steamer on top (with the lid on).

7. Have the hob on high heat for 20 - 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Do check the water level periodically to ensure the water has not evaporated.

And here we have some mouth watering Pearl Balls!

Chinese Sausage and Dried Shiitake Mushroom Rice (臘腸飯)

Rice has always been a comfort food for me, especially when I am feeling tired and grumpy. Contrary to popular belief, rice is actually very easy and quick to cook, which makes a perfect mid-week supper. My parents always use a rice steamer when cooking rice, and yes it is very convenient especially if there are quite a number of people around for dinner. Nonetheless, cooking rice in just a saucepan is equally simple, if you know how. Nothing tastes more disgusting than pre-steamed rice that comes in a sachet, not only are they not sticky like proper steamed rice, they also taste like plastic. I know this because I had the privilege of sampling this kind of product when I was at boarding school, where the boarders have no facilities to cook (apart from using the microwave, which was allowed) and were desperate for some comfort food.

And there is the good ol' Boil in the Bag rice. This type of product is sold to consumers as 'convenient' and 'great for portion control'. I mean, how challenging could it be to measure a portion of rice really? Will Boil in the Bag pasta be available on the market next? OK, enough ranting and perhaps it's time to talk about this comforting rice dish instead.... There are quite a few Chinese sausage varieties, and the most common and popular ones are Lap Chang (臘腸) and Run Chang (膶腸). Both of these sausages are dried and hard, look similar to chorizos, but look can be deceptive.

I used Wing Wah Lap Chang in this dish and for those who are not familiar with Wing Wah, it is a famous Hong Kong-based food manufacture, with quality guaranteed.

Serves 2

A handful of dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked with lukewarm water till soft then sliced

2 Lap Chang, halves

Leek, thinly sliced

Basmati rice, enough for 2 (tip: 1 ramekin full per person)

Light soy sauce, to taste

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

To garnish: chopped spring onion

1. Put the rice on in accordance to rice cooker's instruction. 

2. Place Lap Chang and Shiitake mushrooms into the rice cooker when the rice is half cooked.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and pan fry the leeks until soft. Take it off the heat.

4. Once the rice is cooked, take the Lap Chang out have the, thinly sliced.

5. Season the rice with light soy sauce and mix in the Lap Chang.

6. Serve on a plate (or bowl) with leek and garnish with spring onion.

Enjoy!