To Cook
Heat up a pan and lightly roast peppercorns until aromatic. Transfer to a grinder and ground into powder. Mix Chinese 5-spice powder and salt together with grounded peppercorns.
Rub the ducks with the marinade, thoroughly massaging into the skin. Place a wire/cooling rack on parchment paper and put the ducks on top of the rack. Loosely cover the ducks with parchment paper and leave inside the refrigerator to marinade and dry out for 48 hrs.
Remove the ducks from refrigerator and rub Shaoxing wine all over. Scatter ginger and spring onions onto a steaming plate and rest the ducks on top. Steam over boiling water for 1½ hrs, checking water levels occasionally and refill as needed.
Transfer the ducks on a cooling rack placed over a parchment paper and let them air dry for 3 hrs.
Combine starch solution ingredients in a bowl. Rub the starch solution all over the duck and allow to dry for 10 mins. In a wok or deep-fryer, heat up oil enough to almost cover the ducks. Carefully put the ducks in and fry until evenly browned both sides. Remove and place on kitchen towels to drain off excess oil. Serve hot.
Steam
Steamed Barramundi Fish with Preserved Radish
To Cook
Rinse and clean the fish fillet and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the fish with sesame oil. Place the fish on a plate and steam over rapid boiling water for about 8-10 mins, until the fish is cooked.
Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
In a pan, heat up oil over medium high and sauté garlic until just it turns slightly brown. Scoop 1 tbsp of hot oil and pour into the small bowl of sauce mixture. Then put in preserved radish into the pan with the remaining garlic and oil. Mix in dark soy sauce and fry until crispy and fragrant.
Remove fish from steamer and discard any water secreted from the fish after steaming. Pour sauce mixture over the fish and top with the fried crispy radish and garlic. Garnish with coriander and chillies. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Stir Fry White Bok Choy with Dried Shrimps and Yam
To Cook
In a small bowl, soak dried shrimps in warm water for 30 mins. Place yam cubes on a plate and steam over boiling water for 25 mins until softened. Remove and set aside.
In a wok, heat up oil over medium high heat. Add dried shrimps and stir fry for 1 min then add in garlic and continue to stir fry until fragrant and shrimps have softened, about 2 mins. Add bok choy and stir fry until slightly wilted. Dish out and set aside.
In the same wok, add yam, fish sauce, chicken stock and white pepper. Bring heat to medium low and let it simmer until the yam has become very soft and the gravy has reduced. The sauce should also turn out slightly thickened. Do a taste test and add another 1 tbsp of fish sauce if needed according to your taste. Stir well. Toss the bok choy, garlic and dried shrimps back into the wok and mix well for about 1-2 mins.
Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with chopped red chillies if desired. Serve hot.
Sweet Potato Onde Onde
To Prepare
Steam until soft and mash the orange and purple sweet potatoes separately.
Add half of the glutinous rice flour to the purple potatoes and the other half to the orange potatoes.
Add 1-2 tbsp water to each potato mixture.
Roll the dough into small balls and make a hole in each one. Add the palm sugar, seal the sugar in and roll into smooth balls.
Heat up water in a pot and cook once the water is simmering. The onde onde are cooked after approximately 3 mins or when they rise to the surface.
Cover the onde onde in grated coconut and prepare to serve.
Steamed Wombok with Dried Scallops
To Cook
In a large bowl, lightly mix the wombok strips with the garlic. Season with some salt to taste.
In a small bowl, mix the chicken stock with the water.
Scoop out the wombok mixture onto the plate you are using for steaming. Place the scallops on top. Pour the chicken stock and water mixture on top.
Steam at a medium-high heat for approximately 30 mins, or until the food is cooked to the desired consistency.
Serve while hot with rice.
Homemade Fried Spinach Tofu
To Prep
Salt chopped spinach and set aside for 15 mins. Using clean hands, squeeze out liquid from the spinach. Then place the spinach on a square / rectangular baking tin lined with baking paper. Leave aside.
Beat eggs and slowly whisk in soy milk. Then whisk in chicken stock powder. Pour the egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the baking tin. Place the baking tin into a steamer and steam for 10 mins over medium heat. Remove and leave to cool for 15 mins.
To Cook
To make the sauce, heat oil in a pan and cook the Shimeji mushrooms until lightly browned. Then add in sugar, soy sauce and pepper. Mix well. Pour in thickening mixture and allow to cook until the sauce thickens.
Cut the tofu into squares or rectangles. Deep fry until lightly browned. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon over the mushroom sauce. Serve hot.
Steamed Eggs with Dried Scallops
To Cook
Soak dried scallops in warm water until softened. Then, tear them into thin strips. In a wok or steamer, steam scallops over high heat for 15 mins.
Crack two large eggs into a bowl. Add 250ml water, sesame oil and salt. Whisk and pour into a steam-proof dish. Sprinkle ⅓ of the steamed scallops into the egg mixture.
In the wok or steamer, steam the egg mixture on high heat for 3 mins. Then, turn off the heat and let it sit for 20 mins. Do not remove the lid.
Carefully remove the steamed egg. Sprinkle the remaining steamed scallops on top and garnish with spring onions. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Steamed Wombok with Fried Garlic
To Cook
Place the wombok on the steam plate you are using. Season with salt to taste. Add the chicken stock.
Steam on medium-high heat for approximately 30 mins, or until the food is cooked to the desired consistency.
In a pan, add some cooking oil and stir-fry the garlic until browned and crispy. Set aside.
Plate the wombok and garnish with the fried garlic. Serve with rice.
Vegetarian Steamed Tofu with Black Bean Sauce
To Cook
Heat cooking oil in a pan. Stir fry the garlic, ginger, soybean paste and fermented black beans until fragrant. Then add seasonings ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn heat off.
Arrange sliced beancurd on a plate. Drizzle the prepared sauce over the bean curds. Place plate in a steamer and steam over high heat for 7 mins.
Remove and sprinkle with spring onions and chilli.
Chinese Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
For the Soup Jelly
Add the pork rinds to a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until rinds become slightly transparent before removing from pot and rinsing to remove any impurities.
Cut rinds into smaller strips and then add to a pot with the slices of ginger, spring onions, Shaoxing wine and enough water to cover. Cook for about 90 mins before allowing to cool down. Transfer to a blender, then blend for 30 secs.
Strain blended mixture to remove any large pieces before pouring into a container and allowing to set.
For the Dumpling Fillings
Soak minced ginger with spring onions in ½ cup of water for 10 mins before combining with minced pork in a large bowl. When mixing the water and meat, pour water in a quarter at a time to ensure that the water is well incorporated.
Add soy sauce, salt, oyster sauce, sesame oil and sugar, and mix well before setting aside for 30 mins to marinate.
Mince the soup jelly and mix in with the dumpling filling.
For the Dumpling Wrappers
Add the flour and water into a mixing bowl and knead until the dough becomes smooth but is still stretchy. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 20 mins.
Dust your working surface with flour and knead dough again for 5 mins before rolling it into a long cylinder.
Cut the roll into smaller sections and form balls of dough weighing 5g each. Roll out these balls into round wrapper shapes about 6.5-7 cm in diameter, to be folded.
Note: Ensure any pieces of dough that aren’t being handled are covered by a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.
To Make the Dumplings
Place a dumpling wrapper in the centre of your hand and place 1 tbsp of the dumpling filling into the centre.
With your right thumb and middle finger under the wrapper and your forefinger on the top, lift the edge and pinch it to make a pleat. Use your left hand to gather more dough, then pinch with your index finger. Continue doing this all the way around, making sure your thumb never leaves the first pleat.
Pinch the top to seal the dumpling.
To Cook
Set up a bamboo steamer with perforated paper steamer liners over a wok filled with water. Heat the water on high.
Once the water has boiled, place dumplings into steamer with adequate room between each dumpling. Close lid and allow dumplings to steam for at least 8 mins.
When the dumplings are done, carefully remove them from the steamer and serve with freshly julienned ginger and Chinese black vinegar.
Korean Chicken Feet (Dakbal)
To Prep
Combine chicken feet, sea salt and soju and massage for 1 min. Let sit for 10-20 mins.
Drain and wash the chicken feet in cold water at least 3 times.
To Make Sauce
Combine all Sauce ingredients and blend well with a hand blender. Set aside.
To Cook
Prepare a steamer, place the chicken feet in a steam liner and steam covered until they are tender, about 1 hr.
While the chicken feet is still hot, transfer the chicken feet into a mixing bowl and mix well with the sauce. Cover and let sit in the fridge to cool completely, at least 2 hrs.
Heat some oil in a pan on medium high, pan fry the chicken feet about 4-5 mins each side until they are well heated and slightly charred.
Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle sesame seeds on top as garnish. Serve.
Steamed Fish Fillet with Fragrant Preserved Mustard
To Prep
In a bowl, mix the fish fillets with the cooking wine, set aside.
To Cook
Heat some oil in a wok, add in the minced meat and stir fry until the meat changes colour.
Add in the preserved mustard and stir for another 1-2 mins until the meat is cooked. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Prepare a steamer with boiling water. Arrange the fish fillets onto a serving plate, top with the meat mixture. Place the plate of fish in the steamer and steam on medium high heat for 3-5 mins or until the fish is cooked.
Remove from heat and garnish with coriander. Serve immediately.