Stir-fry Potato Strips ( 炒土豆丝)

Ingredients:

4 (about 300g) potatoes, cut into thin strips
60g carrot, cut into thin strips
50g Sichuan preserved vegetable, cut into thin strips
65g red capsicum, cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 shallots, chopped finely
2 dried chilli, cut into half and soaked to soften 
1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 sprig of coriander leaves,cut into 2 cm lengths

Seasoning:
1 tbsp black vinegar or to taste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste

• Soak potato strips in a bowl of cold water for about 5 - 10 minutes and rinse to wash away the starch.  Repeat three times.  Drain well.
• Heat oil in a wok until hot, toss in the Sichuan peppercorns.  Discard the peppercorns immediately once they smell aromatic.  Toss in the dried chillies and chopped garlic and shallots and fry under medium-low heat until fragrant. 
• Add in potato and  carrot strips together with Sichuan preserved vegetable and stir fry on high heat for about 5 minutes.  If they begin to stick to the wok, add a little water. Add in seasoning  and keep frying until the potato strips no longer taste raw but still a little crunchy.  Lastly toss in the red capsicum strips and drizzle in sesame oil.  
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Before serving, sprinkle some toasted sesame over the potato strips.

Black Beans Pork Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

350g pork spare ribs
2 tbsp dried fermented black beans, rinsed and mashed a little
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 shallot, chopped finely
small knob of ginger, chopped finely
1 dried chilli, soak to soften, cut into big chunks
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
pepper
1 tbsp cooking oil
spring onions, garnishing
1/2 tbsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water, to thicken sauce

Marinade:
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
pepper

• Wash and pat dry the pork ribs, add in the marinade and mix well.  Set aside for at least 1 hour. 
• Heat oil in a wok and saute chopped ginger, shallot, garlic and dried chilli until aromatic.  Toss in fermented black beans and fry for about a minute.
• Add in pork ribs and fry until light brown. Add in dark and light soy sauces and sugar.   Pour enough water to cover the ribs.  Bring to the boil and lower heat to simmer until ribs are tender. Add in pepper.  
• Thicken sauce with cornflour mixture, stir well.
• Garnish with chopped spring onions.  
• Serve hot with steamed rice.

Hakka Yong Taufu (客家酿豆腐)

Although I am a Hakka, I don't really know very many Hakka dishes, so when asked to name one Hakka dish, no doubt the classic Hakka Yong Taufu instantly comes to mind.  The Hakka versions of Yong Taufu has more depth of flavour with the addition of minced pork and salted fish or dried shrimps as well as minced garlic - which distinguishes Hakka Yong Taufu from the Cantonese version which only uses fish paste as filling.  I am sure every family, Hakka or not, has their own version of Yong Taufu.

I like to use semi-soft taufu which are often too soft and delicate to cut into triangles and stuffed with filling.  So I adopted the 'open-face' method - which I scooped out a little cavity in the taufu and stuffed with filling.  The stuffed taufu is then pan-fried until slightly crispy on the outside but still maintain its softness on the inside; and then braised.  Besides taufu, a variety of vegetables can be stuffed with the fish and meat paste, eg okra, bitter gourd, eggplant, chillies, tofu puff, etc.

It is indeed time consuming to make this laborious Yong Taufu but is well worth the effort.

The 5 steps to making Hakka Yong Taufu from scratch:
1.   Prepare fish paste
2.   Prepare Hakka Taufu stuffing (fish & minced pork paste)
3.   Stuff taufu
4.   Cook the stuffed taufu (pan-fried and then braised)


Prepared fish paste:
1 Spanish mackerel tail (yield about 800g flesh)
1 egg white
1.5 tsp salt
2.5 tbsp tapioca starch
4 tbsp cold water

• Fillet the fish.  Using a metal spoon scrape the flesh from the skin of the fillet as well as from the bones.
• Place the flesh and all the ingredients except water into the food processor and PULSE until fine, adding water gradually.  Process until the fish paste comes together and turns light colour.
• With wet hands gather the fish paste together and keep 'throwing' it onto the chopping board   or a large mixing bowl until it becomes firm and shiny (wet your hands so that the paste won't stick).

(At this stage, you can make fish balls or stuff the paste into taufu or vegetables)

Prepare Hakka Yong Taufu stuff (fish & meat paste):

800g fish paste

500 minced pork

70g dried shrimps, finely chopped or processed in the food processor)

50g garlic, finely minced

3 tsp pepper

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

3 tsp salt

0.5 tbsp tapioca starch

• Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
• Throw the fish & meat paste onto the chopping board (or mixing bowl) until it is firm.
• The paste is then ready to be stuffed into taufu (or any vegetables you prefer).

(Leftover fish & meat paste can be frozen)

Stuffed Taufu:
Use a sharp paring knife to cut a square on the taufu (do not cut too deep).  Use a teaspoon to carve out the taufu to make a crater-like hole and fill the hole with the fish and meat paste; smooth the surface with wet hands. (Reserve discarded taufu for later**)

Cook the stuffed taufu:

Ingredients for sauce:

3 cloves garlic, minced finely

2 shallots, minced finely

1 tbsp fermented soy bean paste

1 tbsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp light soy sauce

sugar & salt (adjust to individual taste)

approx 2 cups of chicken stock or water 

1 tbsp cornstarch + 1.5 tbsp water - for thickening of the gravy

coriander leaves - for garnishing

• In a frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Place the stuffed taufu with the stuffing side down and fry in batches until brown and crisp (about 2 min on each side).  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain the oil.
• With a little oil in the pan, saute garlic and shallots until aromatic.  Add in the fermented soy bean paste and sugar, stir quickly before adding chicken stock, oyster sauce and soy sauce.
• Arrange all the stuffed tofu in frying pan and pour in sauce.  Cover and let simmer under medium heat for about 10 min (do not over cook the tofu).
• Thicken sauce with cornstarch mixture.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

** Mashed taufu with fish and meat paste:

• Mash the discarded taufu chunks.  Add in fish and meat paste and combine well.
• Make the paste into small patties and fry in hot oil.
• Patties can be braised together with the yong taufu or eat them on its own with chilli sauce.