To Cook
First prepare the pork by adding to vigorously boiling water for 10 minutes, then discard the boiling water. Then remove any impurities from the pork.
In a large pot, add the blanched pork, shark fin melon, red dates, dried scallops and dried mussels to 2L of water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about an hour.
Add the goji berries to the soup and allow to simmer for at least another hour.
Season with salt to taste. Turn the heat back up and bring the soup to a boil before turning off the heat. Serve hot.
Vegetables
Chinese Radish Soup
To Cook
First prepare the pork by adding to vigorously boiling water for 10 minutes, then discard the boiling water. Then remove any impurities from the pork.
In a large pot, add the blanched pork, cut white radishes, carrots, red dates and dried scallops to 2L of water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about an hour.
Add the dried cuttlefish to the soup and allow to simmer for another hour.
Season with salt to taste. Turn the heat back up and bring the soup to a boil before turning off the heat. Serve hot.
Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup
To Cook
Rinse all herbs under running water.
In a large pot, bring 2L of water to boil, add the chicken and all of the herbs.
Turn down heat to low and let simmer for at least 2 hours. Remove all froth on the surface of the soup.
Season with salt to taste, turn the heat back up and bring the soup to a boil before turning off the heat. Serve hot.
If herb ingredients are not easily obtained, there are pre-packed Premium Chinese Chicken Herbal soup mix available at Asian grocery stores.
Filipino Long Beans with Pork (Adobong Sitaw with Pork)
To Cook
Heat oil in a skillet or pan over medium heat. Add in sliced pork belly and sear until lightly browned and its fats begin to render (juices oozing out). Put in onions and garlic and cook until fragrant and translucent.
Pour in vinegar and leave to boil without lid. Then, mix in soy sauce and water. Put on the lid and simmer until pork is tender and sauce has reduced slightly, about 10–15 mins.
Add long beans and mix well, cooking for 5 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot over steamed rice.
Filipino Stir Fried Noodles (Pancit Bam-I)
To Cook
Boil 2 cups of water with pinches of salt and cook chicken breast. Dish out once cooked through and reserve the pot of water. Allow chicken breast to cool then, shred the chicken into thin slices.
Put pork into a small bowl and marinate with soy sauce and vinegar for 15 mins. Heat some oil in a wok and stir fry the pork for 3 mins. Dish out, allow to cool and slice the pork thinly.
Slice Chinese sausage into small pieces and stir fry in the same wok at medium heat until cooked through in its own oil. Dish out and set aside.
Add about 1 tsp oil into the wok and stir fry shrimp until pink. Remove the shrimp, leaving the remaining oil in the wok. Chop the shrimp into smaller pieces and set aside.
Now in the same wok, saute garlic and onions in the leftover shrimp oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant. Put in shredded chicken and sliced pork and stir fry for 1 min. Then, add in bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, snow peas and cabbage, cooking and stirring for about 5 mins. Add about 1 cup of chicken broth saved earlier, soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix well and simmer for 10 mins.
Meanwhile, soak rice noodles in cold water and cut them into half. Also soak mushrooms in warm water for 2 mins before slicing them. Then, mix in rice noodles and mushrooms into the boiling broth and allow to cook for 5 mins. Finally add the canton noodles, stirring constantly and allow to cook for 10 mins until softened. Throw in chinese sausage, ground black pepper and soy sauce to taste. Simmer for 5 mins.
Serve the stir-fried noodles with calamansi or lemon and sprinkle with some spring onions.
Filipino Pork in Coconut Curry (Bicol Express)
To Cook
Heat oil in a pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for few seconds until fragrant. Then, add in onions and cook until translucent.
Put in shrimp paste and stir for a few seconds. Add pork and saute until lightly browned.
Pour in coconut milk and water and gently simmer for about 15 mins. Then, add in coconut cream and chillies, and simmer for another 20 mins or until pork is tender.
Add salt and pepper according to your taste. Serve hot over steamed rice.
Deep Fried Chilli Peppers (Dynamite Lumpia)
To Prep
Mix together minced pork, garlic, spring onions, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
Make a slit across the length of one side of each finger pepper from the stem to the tip. Gently remove the seeds and pith under cold running water. Drain thoroughly.
Gently fill each finger pepper with pork mixture. Place single layers of spring roll wrappers on a flat surface. Put one stuffed finger pepper on each lumpia wrapper. Fold both side ends of the wrapper to enwrap the pepper (stem exposed). Roll tightly from bottoms up and dab the top end with water to seal. Repeat until all spring roll wrappers and pork mixture are used up.
To Cook
Heat about 4cm oil in a skillet at medium high and deep fry the lumpia in batches until golden brown, turning as needed.
Dish out the fried lumpia and drain excess oil by laying them on a tray or dish with paper towels.
Prawn and Vegetables in Coconut Milk (Ginataang Kalabasa, Sitaw At Hipon)
To Cook
Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Put in onion and garlic and cook until softened. Stir in fish sauce and cook for 1 min.
Add in coconut milk and chilli, simmer on low heat for 5 mins. Throw in the squash and cook for 5 mins before adding the long beans, cooking for another 5 mins.
Finally, add in shrimps and cook for until pink, about 5 mins. Add salt to taste.
Serve hot over steamed rice.
Filipino Meat Spring Roll (Lumpiang Shanghai)
To Prep
Put together chicken, spring onions, water chestnuts, carrots, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Then, place single layers of spring roll wrappers on a flat surface in the shape of a diamond.
Scoop roughly 2 tbsp of the meat mixture and place them on the centre of the spring roll wrapper.
To fold the wrapper, start off by folding the bottom pointed end of the sheet towards the filling. Then, fold both side edges of the wrapper inwards. Tightly, roll from the bottom up into a log. Dab the top pointed end of the sheet with water to seal. Repeat until all spring roll wrappers and meat mixture are used up.
To Cook
Heat about 3cm oil in a pan and fry the lumpia in batches, turning when needed until crispy and golden brown.
Dish out the fried lumpia and drain excess oil by laying them on a tray or dish with paper towels.
Auspicious Chinese New Year Pen Cai
To Prep
Soak and prepare all ingredients in advance and based on the time required.
The Broth
Heat the oil in a large heated pot over medium heat.
Add chopped garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add in chicken stock, mushroom, fish maw, cabbage, white radish and all other seasonings required for the broth.
Bring it to a boil over medium high heat then lower the fire to simmer for 30 mins.
Cooking and Blanching the Ingredients
Cook and blanch those ingredients that need to be cooked in the broth (Can be done in batches or add the ingredients that need to cook into the pot all at once and remove from the pot when done)
Estimated Time (Varies based on size): Prawns and Scallops about 3 mins, broccoli about 15 to 20 sec, Carrot about 2 to 3 mins, lobster tails about 3 mins
Remove cooked items from the broth and set aside for layering later. Turn off the heat of the broth while layering.
Ingredients that do not need to cook in broth: Roast pork, roast duck and fat choy
Layering the Auspicious Pot
Start with Napa Cabbage, dried beancurd skin, fish maw, fat choy and white radish.
Arrange mushroom, scallops, lobster tails, prawns, roast meats, broccoli, carrots, goji berries to fill the top layer.
Finishing and Thickening of Broth
Bring the broth back to boil.
Add Hua Tiao Wine and allow it to boil for a min.
Mix the corn flour and water in a small bowl
Slowly pour in the corn flour mixture into the boiling broth and stir while adding.
Ladle the broth over the pot of layered ingredients
3 Veg Tempura
To Prep
Add 125g Obento tempura batter mix to 180ml of cold water and whisk through, do not over mix. Heat oil in a large saucepan.
Dust ingredients in flour, shake off excess. Dip vegetables in batter, drain excess then coat them in panko bread crumbs.
To Cook
Deep fry in batches, until golden. Drain on paper towel.
Serve tempura immediately with dipping sauce.
A Healthy New Year Bowl
To Begin
Make the dressing by whisking the ingredients together in a small glass.
Grate the ginger and finely chop the small onion.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the ginger and small onion in a little oil until softened, then add the tofu, continuing to cook while breaking down with the back of a spoon until it has browned.
Arrange the salad ingredients in a bowl. Top with cooked tofu, chilli, lime wedges and seeds. Serve with the dressing on the side. Serves 1.