To Cook
Blanch pork ribs pieces in a pot of boiling water for about 5 mins. Remove the pork ribs and set aside. Discard the water.
Fill a soup pot with 1.5L of water, along with all ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow the pot to boil for approximately 10 mins, then turn heat down to the lowest, and allow to simmer for at least 2 hrs, or until the black beans are soft.
Add salt to taste and serve hot.
Seafood
Chinese Stir-Fried Scallops with Baby Bok Choy
To Prep
Rinse the baby scallops under cold water and place on paper towels. Pat dry and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and mix well.
To Cook
Heat a frying pan over high heat. Add in 1 tbsp cooking oil, then the chopped ginger and garlic. Sauté for about 10 secs or until fragrant.
Carefully add the baby scallops and spread them evenly over one layer on the pan to sear on one side.
Sprinkle some salt and stir-fry for 30 secs or until the scallops are half cooked. Remove and set aside.
In the same frying pan, add the remaining oil, then the baby bok choys and stir-fry for about 1 min or until the leaves begin to turn bright green.
Return the scallops to the frying pan. Add the sauce into the pan.
Stir fry for 1 min and serve immediately.
Hoi Sin Stir-Fry Prawns with Ramen Noodles and Chinese Broccoli
To Cook
In a bowl, toss together prawns, oil and sesame seeds until prawns are well coated.
Heat wok to medium heat, add prawns and stir-fry for 2-3 mins. Remove prawns and set aside.
Return wok to heat, add vegetables and stir-fry for 3- 4 mins.
Make a well in the centre of the vegetables and pour in Asian Hoisin; stir until sauce bubbles. Return the prawns to wok and stir-fry for 1 min.
Serve over prepared ramen noodles and garnish with a sprinkle of fried garlic.
Thai Green Curry Barramundi
To Cook
Season the barramundi with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat and brown fish well skin side down 2-3 mins. Turn and cook for a further 2 mins. Remove and set aside. Peel off skin and crisp in a hot oven.
Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the green curry paste, kaffir lime leaves and green chilli stir fry 1 min.
Stir in the coconut cream, stock, sugar and fish sauce cook stirring 1 min. Add the pea eggplants and carrot reduce heat and simmer 6-8 mins.
Add the barramundi fillets to the sauce and continue to simmer for a further 5 mins.
Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves, steamed rice, kaffir lime leaves, lime cheeks and crispy barramundi skin.
Notes: Prawns, Chicken or Mussels maybe be used in place of Barramundi. Pea Eggplants maybe replaced with Okra or Thai apple eggplants.
Grilled Fish with Candle Nut Sauce
To Cook
In a fry pan, heat 15ml of cooking oil over high heat and stir-fry for 3 mins the capsicum, lime leaves, chilli, lemon grass, galangal, shallot, chilli peppers and tomato.
Reduce heat and add in coconut milk, sweet soy sauce and lime juice and simmer for 10 mins so that the sauce thickens.
Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and fry for 8 mins, turning once.
Serve the fried haddock drizzled with 2 large spoon fulls of hot candle nut sauce and sliced lime on the side.
Stuffed Baby Octopus with XO Sauce
To Cook
Marinate baby octopuses with oyster sauce and 4 tbsp. of XO Sauce.
Pan-fry baby octopuses in oil until golden or cooked. Arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle the remaining XO Sauce on the octopus
Use remaining oil to stir-fry capsicum for 1 min. Serve with octopus.
Rice Vermicelli Salad
To Prep
Soak rice stick noodles with boiling water and allow to stand for 10 mins. Drain, then rinse in cold water.
To Cook
Cook prawns, chicken or beef in a pan with a little oil or on a barbeque until cooked. Cool slightly and slice.
Dissolve palm or brown sugar in lime juice in a pan over low heat. Remove from heat, add fish sauce and cool.
Toss meat or prawns, carrots, mint and chilli into the lime sauce mix.
Pile on a plate and top with peanuts and fried shallots.
Squid Flowers with Oyster Sauce and Black Beans
To Prep
Cut the calamari tubes open and clean well. Score the inside using a sharp knife making a criss-cross pattern. Cut into small rectangles, and then drop into boiling water for 30 secs. Remove and refresh in cold water, drain, dry and set aside.
To Cook
Heat a wok and add the oil, then combine in the shallots and ginger. Stir fry for 30 secs then add in the black bean, chilli and oyster sauce.
Combine in the calamari and cook on high for 1 min, fold in the sesame oil, spring onions and serve.
Pad Thai With Prawns (Pad Thai Goong)
To Cook
Blanch prawns in boiling water for 1 min. Drain and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan, add chopped onions and stir-fry on low heat until fragrant. Add Pad Thai noodles and stir-fry until softened, some water can be added.
Add Pad Thai Paste and stir to mix. Push the mixture to one side of the pan. Add 1 tbsp of oil, bring to medium heat and add the eggs.
Wait for 1 min for the eggs to set, then add the prawns; stir-fry until everything is well mixed in the pan.
Add beansprouts and Chinese leek and stir through before removing from heat. Garnish with ground roasted peanut before serving.
Spicy Prawn Salad
To Cook
Grill the prawns for 3 mins on both sides.
Combine chilli paste, juice, sugar and fish sauce
Add the prawns, onion, red onion, lemongrass and mint.
Mix well and garnish with coriander.
Serve with steamed Jasmine rice or with a salad mix.
Fish Dumplings
To Cook
Boil fish until cooked. Drain, cool and blend in a food processor.
Heat oil in a wok and add onion, cook for 1 min.
Add fish, pepper, salt and coriander. Mix well and cool.
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan.
Place on low heat and stir continuously until cooked and thick. Cool until warm.
Coat hands with tapioca flour and knead the mixture, then divide into balls (approx the size of golf balls)
Sprinkle bench and rolling pin with tapioca flour and roll the balls into 5cm round circles, about 2mm thick.
Place filling on one side and fold over to form a semi-circle.
Crimp edges decoratively to seal in the filling.
Steam for 10 mins until cooked (you will notice the dumpling pastry becoming semi-translucent). Serve with salad, coriander and fried shallots.
Hint: These dumplings can also be baked using puff pastry.
Fried Fish with Red Curry Sauce
To Cook
Heat the oil in a fry pan and fry the fish fillets on each side until golden and just cooked through (about 3 mins each side)
Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a clean pan and fry the curry paste in it until fragrant. Add the coconut milk and season with the fish sauce, sugar, sliced chilli and kaffir lime leaf shreds. Simmer for a few minutes to concentrate flavours.
Place the fish fillets on a serving dish and coat them with the red curry sauce. Garnish with the remaining kaffir lime leaf and red chilli shreds.