recipe: char siu turkey, prawn & mushroom special fried rice - Christmas leftovers - classic Chinese

char siu turkey prawn & mushroom special fried rice

chinese classic special fried rice using char siu marinated leftover turkey, red pepper, onions, mushrooms & prawns

IngredientsMakes: 930g (4)

90g		hotdog onions	(recipe below)
20g		veg oil
14g	(4)	garlic cloves
90g		chestnut mushrooms
150g		oyster mushrooms
20g		veg oil
130g		red pepper
100g		carrots
20g		veg oil
220g	(4)	large eggs
310g		boiled basmati rice	(recipe below)
220g		char siu turkey	(recipe below)
130g		cooked large prawns
40g	(4)	spring onions
20g		soy sauce

Method

Prep the turkey and leave it to marinade.

Unless you have some leftover rice put that on next.

Then put the hotdogs onions on to cook in the background.

Peel & slice the garlic & add it to the hot oil to sizzle for a minute, then add the coarsely diced mushrooms & cook until just starting to brown and are still a bit juicy. Put to one side.

Peel & deseed the carrots & peppers & julienne them, cook them together in an oil glazed pan until soft, then put w/ the mushrooms.

Turn out the rice and it steam to remove moisture - it shouldn't be at all wet!

Once all the ingredients are ready get a work good & hot oil glaze it and add the 4 eggs they should sizzle as they hit.

How much you cook hte eggs before adding the rice is up to you I lioke the yolks to be a bit soft still.

Add the rice on top and mix them together.

The add the turkey & peppers carrots & mushrooms mixing them in as you easiets way is to toss them w/ the wok.

At the last minute add the cooked prawns & spring onions to warm them through.

Season generously w/ good quality soy sauce.

hotdog onions

slow cooked thick cut onions - soft & slightly charred

IngredientsMakes: 240g

50g		olive oil
15g		garlic
400g	(3)	onions

Method

Peel the onions, then cut them in half north pole to south & then in thirds.

Keep the thirds in one piece for cooking.

Heat the oil on a medium heat & add the peeled & chopped garlic.

Cook until soft & fragrant.

Add the onions in whole thirds covering the bottom of the pan.

Season, turn the heat down to minimum and place a lid on top.

Cook for about 30mins - checking after 20mins - until they are soft & nicely charred on the bottom.

Carefully turn them over & cook for another 10mins with the lid on.

Put to one side and use when required.

boiled basmati rice

plain boiled basmati rice

IngredientsMakes: 310g

140g		basmati rice
240g		water
2g		salt

Method

Put ingredients in rice cooker, set to white rice.

Fire & forget until needed.

-

Or using a non-stick sauce pan.

Bring to the boil, set to minimum, and place a lid on top.

Check after 15mins then every 5 until ready.

char siu turkey

pimping the leftover turkey w/ char siu marinade for stir fried rice & other things . .

IngredientsMakes: 350g

175g		turkey thigh
175g		turkey breast
2g		chinese five spice
50g		char siu marinade	(recipe below)

Method

Use large - half inch / 1.5 cm - pieces of leftover turkey. It doesn't have to be 50 / 50 - thigh / breast use whatever's available.

Dust the turkey in five spice so they are evenly coated all over.

Pour the marinade over and coat well.

Leave this for 30mins or so however long you need to prep other bits.

Place the mix into a large pan on a medium heat moving occasionally so the reducing marinade sticks to the turkey pieces as it thickens. Once there's little or no marinade left turn it out onto a chopping board to cool.

Slice into bite size pieces & use as required.

Quick note: normally char siu is made w/ pork shoulder & left for a day or two to allow the flavour & colour to penetrate into the meat it's then roasted over a tray of water - to minimised smoke production - & sliced. Since here we're reducing the sauce to stick it onto the meat it's less inportant to leave it a long time.

char siu marinade

marinade to make char siu pork

IngredientsMakes: 98g

25g		brown sugar
5g		red food colouring
20g		soy sauce
25g		hoisin sauce
3g		five spice
20g		honey

Method

Add all the ingredients to a remekin, microwave 800W / 30secs to loosen, then mix well.

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recipe: buttered toasted stollen - German Christmas - Weihnachtsstollen

buttered toasted stollen

German festive fruit loaf, toasted & buttered - & served w/ cheese & port if you're feeling decadent

IngredientsMakes: 120g (4)

108g		stollen	(recipe below)
32g		butter

Method

4 generous slices of stollen toasted & buttered. ~30g each

What cheese? I didn't see any cheese!

But if a little Black Bomber were to appear next to my warm buttery toasted stollen I might well give you a festive hug!

What's this . . . a glass of port . . . : )

stollen

German festive fruit loaf

IngredientsMakes: 532g (1)

100g		dried fruit	(recipe below)
100g		hot tawny port
180g		apple juice
7g		dried yeast
250g		plain flour
30g		blanched almonds
0.2g		ground cinnamon
0.2g		cloves
0.2g		allspice
75g		marzipan	(recipe below)
10g		butter
15g		icing sugar

Method

For the dried fruit I used dried apricots, dried cranberries, saltanas, glace cherries.

Soak the dried fruit in the hot port.

Warm apple juice so it's tepid to the touch, no more than 50C. 34C optimum, 55C+ will kill the yeast.

Stir in the yeast and leave to bloom for 15m.

Mix the apple juice & flour and kneed into a smooth dough. Prove until doubled in size.

Drain the fruit, and stir in the spices & nuts.

Turn out the dough and fold in the fruit & nuts, kneed until homogenous.

Fold in the marzipan in 8 lumps, shape the dough and leave it to prove with a cover on top.

Bake 160C / 20m / 100% then turn down to 130C / 25-30m.

Brush w/ melted butter & dust w/ icing sugar.

This is so lovely toasted & buttered!

dried fruit

mixed dried fruit

IngredientsMakes: 100g

25g		glace cherries
25g		dried apricots
25g		dried cranberries
25g		dates

Method

Look I know the cherries aren't technically dried but they are festive!! So they're going in : )

marzipan

marzipan - classic almond dough

IngredientsMakes: 454g

75g		fine soft brown sugar
2g		vanilla paste
2g		orange essence
50g		eggs
125g		icing sugar
200g		ground almonds

Method

Whisk the brown sugar, vanilla & orange essence into the egg until creammy & smooth.

Combine the icing sugar & almonds until homogenous in a mixing bowl & add the liquid.

Stir until it comes together into a dough, knead until smooth - not much!

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recipe: canelé no4 - Christmas treats

canelé no4

classic french dessert - canelé w/ a dark caramelised crust & a custardy centre

IngredientsMakes: 912g (12)

620g		whole milk
30g		double cream
7g		vanilla bean paste
140g		plain flour
310g		caster sugar
3g		salt
90g		butter
70g		egg yolks
90g		eggs
60g		dark rum

Method

. . . and traditionally beeswax, butter or veg oil spray for coating the molds.

I first came across these at the Exmouth Coffee Company in Whitechapel - great coffee, great food!

I've been meaning to perfect a recipe for canelé for the longest time, I thought they'd make a nice change from Christmas pudding so here it is:

Heat milk, cream & vanilla until just boiling then turn off the heat leave to infuse 30-60m.

Mix dry ingredients, then add the melted butter & work to bread crumbs consistency.

Reheat milk to ~70C add a third and combine to batter, then add the rest of the milk whisk until homogenous.

Then whisk in the egg yolks & rum.

Cover, allow to cool then refrigerate for 24-48hrs - min 4hrs.

Place the mold into the oven while it heats up.

Remove it from the oven once it's up to temp & spray it w/ oil before filling them 4/5 of the way up.

Bake 220C / 12m one shelf down from top, then rotate tray - cool oven - bake 160C / 40m.

You want them dark but not burnt! I accidentally nuked the first batch, took me 4 runs to get them temps & timing just right for my oven! This recipe makes 1.4L batter - just right for this mold.

Makes 12 x 76g canelé. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

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recipe: prawn toast & sweet chiili sauce - Christmas nibbles

prawn toast & sweet chiili sauce

IngredientsMakes: 150g (1)

120g	(4)	prawn toast rounds	(recipe below)
30g		sweet chilli sauce

I do like a bit of decadence at Christmas, and rather than suffer some sad flat little triangle of fried bread masquerading as prawn toast it's nice to make some and pack it with prawn goodness!

prawn toast rounds

sesame prawn toast using tiger baguette rounds

IngredientsMakes: 720g (24)

12g		garlic
80g		tiger baguette
10g		coriander
10g		chives
10g		spring onions
10g		sesame oil
55g		eggs
20g		corn flour
6g		salt
3g		black pepper
250g		prawns
60g		sesame seeds
400g		tiger baguette (half a baguette)

Method

Add ingredients up to prawns to a blender in order. (hardest first gives you a smoother texture)

Adding the prawns last to be able to get them to the desired chunkiness.

Slice the baguette into thin rounds - 2-3mm.

Add a table spoon of mix to each slice in a shallow dome and dip it in the sesame seeds.

Deep fry prawn side down, then turn. Cook until golden.

They come out about ~30g each

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recipe: fast mini sausage rolls - Christmas delights

fast mini sausage roll

succulent and crispy home made mini sausage rolls better than anything you'll get in the supermarket, easy & fun to make

IngredientsMakes: 1216g (32)

20g		butter
2.5g		dried sage
2.5g		dried rosemary
2.5g		dried thyme
160g	(1)	leek
410g	(8)	richmond sausages
400g		sainsburys sausage meat
30g		bread crumbs
55g		eggs
320g	(1)	jusrol puff pastry
2.5g		aromat (or 1.5g salt)
2.5g		black pepper
20g		eggs
10g		water

Method

First things first! No sausage roll is ever going to beat the sausage rolls that my mum's made for time immemorial for the family at Christmas! Home made pastry and everything!

That said . . . this makes 32 bite size sausage rolls ~38g / ~115kcals each but who's counting it's Christmas!

Melt the butter and add the dried herbs.

Add the chopped leaks & sweat off until aromatic, allow too cool.

Combine the leeks w/ the meat, egg, sausages w/o casing, sausage meat & bread crumbs until smoothish, but well mixed.

Unroll the pastry, then cut in two lengthways so you have two long strips.

Dust the surface w/ flour and roll each piece of pastry until its 8-10cm - 3-4inches - wide & about 60-80cm long. It will be quite thin!

Divide the sausage mix into two, roll it into a sausage the length of the pastry & place it on top. Brush and roll.

Cut the giant sausage roll into 16 small rolls per pastry! Or into larger maybe ; ) desired lengths.

Place 16 rolls per tray - bake 180C / 10m.

A lot of oil comes off them, use a tray with a lip!!

Mums Christmas originals! Unbeatable scrumptiousness :)

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