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.
Steam
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.
Steamed Pork Spareribs Rice with Black Bean Sauce
To Prep
Place spareribs into a bowl and mix in marinade ingredients. Combine well and leave to marinade for 30 mins.
Place rice into a bowl suitable for steaming. Drizzle in oil and stir to mix well. Pour in water and place the bowl of rice into a bamboo steamer. Steam for 15 mins.
To Cook
Once ready, put marinated spareribs on top of the rice in a single layer. Steam for another 15 mins until spareribs are cooked.
Remove from heat and garnish with spring onions. Serve hot.
Chinese Steamed Rice Cake (Pak Thong Koh)
To Begin
In a large bowl, sieve in rice flour. Mix in salt until well combined. Add water into the flour mixture and stir with whisk until well combined.
Prepare the syrup by putting in sugar, pandan leaves and water into a pot. Bring to a gentle boil for 5 mins. Stir occasionally and ensure it does not get burnt. Discard the pandan leaves and slowly pour the syrup through a sieve into the rice flour mixture. Stir often to obtain a smooth mixture without lumps.
In a separate bowl, put in yeast and dissolve it with water. Set aside for 5 mins until it bubbles. Then, pour the yeast into the rice flour mixture and stir to mix well. Add oil and mix well. Cling wrap the bowl and set aside at warm temperature for at least 2 hrs until the mixture bubbles.
Lightly oil a 20cm stainless steel plate. Prepare a steamer and bring water to a rolling boil. Stir the rice flour mixture well and pour into the plate. Place the plate into the steamer and ensure it is levelled. Cover the plate with aluminium foil and steam for 20 mins. To test if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake. It is ready if the toothpick comes out clear.
Remove the plate from the steamer and remove the aluminium foil. Allow the steamed rice cake to cool before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Crispy Chicken and Prawn Gyoza
To Prep
In a bowl, combine salt, ginger and garlic with the minced chicken. Mix well. Add chopped prawns and mix to combine. Add white pepper, sesame oil, soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine. Mix well.
To Cook
Fry a teaspoon of filling in a hot pan and taste. Adjust filling mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Place a rounded teaspoon of filling into the centre of a dumpling skin. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Fold the dumpling wrapper in half and press around the edges to seal. Alternatively, you may want to pinch a small portion of the edges together to form a pleat. This will help seal the edges and prevent the filling from falling out during cooking. Continue to form 4-5 pleats.
Heat a fry pan with a drizzle of oil. Add dumplings to the hot pan in a single layer and fry for 3-4 mins until deep golden brown. Add 50ml of water and cover with a lid. Allow to steam for a further 5 mins or until water has evaporated.
Serve immediately with soy sauce, vinegar and ginger.
Steamed Red Bean Buns (Dao Sha Bao)
To Prep
Combine sugar, yeast, oil and warm water in a bowl and gently stir to mix. Allow to rest for 10 mins. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Pour all ingredients into a mixing bowl and knead until a smooth, non-sticky dough is formed. Kneading by mixer using a hook will take about 2 mins while hand kneading will take about 10 mins. Lightly oil a bowl and place in the dough. Cover with cling wrap and allow to rest for 1 hr in warm temperature so that the dough will double up in size.
Meanwhile, split the red bean paste into 12 equal portions and shape them into balls.
Once the dough has risen, punch the dough down in order to release any air bubbles. Fold and knead the dough a few times and then reshape it back into a smooth ball. Dust some flour on your working bench. Cut the dough into 2. Keep one dough covered with damp cloth and roll the other into a log. Cut the log into 6 equal sizes and shape them into smooth balls. Store the smooth dough balls on parchment paper and keep covered with damp cloth. Repeat with the other dough.
Using a rolling pin or your palm, flatten one dough at a time. The centre of the dough should be slightly thicker while the edge should be rolled out thinner. Put one ball of red bean paste in the middle of the dough. Gather and pinch the edges to seal the bun. Repeat with remaining dough and red bean paste balls. Place all buns in a large tray and cover with damp towels. Allow to proof for 15 mins. To know if they have proofed, gently press the side of a bun. If the indentation stays, they are ready.
To Cook
Using a large, clean towel, wrap the lid of your steamer and tie with a string to secure the towel in its place. The towel helps to prevent water droplets from dripping back to the bun. If steaming with bamboo basket, the wrapping step is not required. Steam buns over boiling water for 10 mins. Remember to space the buns out a little as the buns will expand once steamed.
At the end of the steaming time, turn of the heat and allow to rest for 5 mins in the steamer without opening the lid. Serve fresh from the steamer. To store them, simply keep them in individual zip lock bags and freeze once they have cooled down. Steam them straight from the freezer.
Steamed Rice Rolls with Sweet Sauce
To Prep
In a large bowl, combine all the flour ingredients. Pour in oil while using your other hand to slowly knead. Then, gradually pour in water while continuing to knead and mix, getting rid of any lumps until a smooth, watery batter is obtained.
To Cook
Prepare a steamer over high heat. Using a rectangular tray, lightly brush it with oil. Slowly pour in a thin layer of batter to cover the tray. When the water is boiling, place into the steamer and steam for 3 mins or until set.
Remove from steamer and allow to cool for 2 mins. Tilt the tray and gently scrape off the layer while rolling into a long log. Transfer to a plate that has been lightly coated with oil. Repeat Step 2 and 3 with remaining batter. Slice the rolls just before serving.
Mix sauce ingredients into a bowl and pour over steamed rice rolls. Garnish white sesame seeds.
Steamed Pork with Rice Powder (Fen Zheng Rou)
To Prep
In a bowl, mix pork belly slices with marinade ingredients. Set aside.
To Cook
In a pan over medium heat, place in rice, peppercorns and star anise. Fry until lightly browned. Then, pulverize the mixture using a food processor until fine.
Add the fine rice mixture to the marinated pork. Mix well.
Line the base of a heat proof steaming plate with lettuce leaves and then layer with potato cubes. Spread out the pork belly slices on top of the potato cubes. Steam over high heat for 30 mins.
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with spring onions. Serve.