Recipes by Lee Chan
After making it to the grand final of channel Seven’s My Kitchen Rules in 2011, Lee won a role as a presenter on Coxy’s Big Break, a travel/food show she regarded as a dream job. Lee has gone on to host her own travel/cooking show on National Geographic called Lee Chan’s World Food Tour where she samples the world’s best food as well as serving up dishes of her own. She has also recently started a YouTube channel Lee Chan’s Cravings, a vlog about her favourite places to eat in Melbourne.
You can catch Lee cooking at the Chinese New Year Melbourne Festival on:
• Saturday 28 January at Queen Victoria Market and Queensbridge Square
• Sunday 29 January at Queensbridge Square
• Friday 3 February at Queensbridge Square
• Saturday 4 February at Queensbridge Square
• Sunday 5 February at Queensbridge Square
• Saturday 11 February at Queensbridge Square
Here are five of Lee’s recipes to get you in the mood for Chinese New Year:
Chinese New Year festivities like many other holidays for me, is based around the feasting table. It’s never about the red pocket, although that’s always a nice touch, it’s the aromas that waft out of the kitchen, my mum and my aunties talking loudly and laughing infectiously, the big table with the lazy susan slowly filling up with favourites.
These recipes are a mix of traditional Chinese New Year favourites and ones that invoke nostalgia, like the braised chicken wings with shitake mushrooms, my mum’s signature dish that I would beg her as a kid to make at least once a week. Others are simply a fun way to get the family and guests involved, get their hands a little dirty and have a laugh around the kitchen, because at this time of the year, it really is all about the memories you get to make and keep with your loved ones.
Pork and Chive Dumpling Recipe
Makes: 15 dumplings
Dumpling dough Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
3/8 cup hot water
pinch of salt
Pork filling
70g pork mince 1tbsp chopped chives
1tsp grated ginger
1tsp light soy sauce
1tsp shao xing wine
1 drop of sesame oil
A sprinkle of white pepper
1tbsp Oil for cooking
1/3cup water
Dipping Sauce 1
30mL red vinegar
1/2tsp grated ginger
Method:
1. Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl, make a well in the middle.
2. Pour hot water in a steady stream, mixing with a wooden spoon. Add water in 3 parts to make sure the flour absorbs the water. Flour should become
lumpy.
3. Knead until the flour comes together and becomes smooth dough. Add water one teaspoon at a time if the flour is not coming together. Dough should not be sticky.
4. Transfer dough onto a work surface and knead for 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a zip lock bag and leave to rest for 2 hours or at least 15 minutes. The zip lock bag should steam up.
5. After the dough has been rested, transfer once again to a lightly floured work surface and divide into 3 equal sections.
6. Roll each section into 1inch thick logs and cut in into 5 equal bits.
7. Flatten each bit with your hand until it becomes a disc, use a floured rolling pin to flatten the outside of the disc, rotating the disc until all edges have
been pressed to desired thickness.
8. Add one small tbsp. of filling in the centre being careful not to overfill. Fold the dough in half and pinch all the edges together. This is where you can get really creative and use different folding techniques such as the traditional fan or twist the ends around and secure like ravioli.
9. Once all your dumplings are folded, heat a small fry pan with oil. Once the oil is hot, add dumplings and fry until the bottoms are golden brown. Lower the heat and add water into the fry pan slowly then immediately place lid on top of the fry pan and steam for 5 minutes. Lift the lid and turn the heat back up to crisp up the dumplings before serving.
10. Serve with red vinegar and grated ginger.
Braised Chicken Wings with Shitake Mushrooms
Serves 4
Ingredients
1kg chicken wingettes
70g dried shitake mushrooms (soaked for at least 1 hour, drain and reserve liquid)
30g ginger sliced thinly
1/3cup rice bran oil
1tsp sesame oil
1/3cup shaoxing wine
Salt and pepper to taste
1cup chicken stock
1tbsp corn flour
1/3 cup water for corn starch slurry
Method
1. Wash and pat dry wingettes. Salt and pepper generously and set aside.
2. Heat ½ of the oil in a large heavy base pan. Once the oil is hot enough, add a couple of slices of ginger and let it infuse for 1-2 minutes. Brown the
wingettes in batches, careful not to overcrowd the pan. You may have to do three to four batches. Once brown on both side, set aside and take out the
ginger.
3. Add more oil into the pan along with the rest of the ginger and the sesame oil. Allow to infuse for 1-2 minutes. Add the drained mushrooms, oyster sauce and stir to combine thoroughly. Pour in shaoxing wine and continue to stir through.
4. Cook the wine for 1 minute, and then stir through wingettes.
5. Add reserved mushroom liquid and enough chicken stock to just cover the chicken.
6. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for half an hour on a low heat.
7. Make the corn starch slurry by mixing corn flour with the water and mix well. Add to the chicken and mushrooms, stirring it through. Cook for a further 5 minutes and then take it off the heat.
8. Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, spring onion and steamed rice.
Steamed Oysters, ginger and spring onion
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 dozen oysters
1/4 cup of spring onion, thinly sliced
10g ginger, peeled and julienned
1cup water
2tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1tsp sugar
Method
1. Fill a large wok half full of water and place the bamboo steamer on top. Boil the water on high heat.
2. In a saucepan, add the cup of water, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring a few times. Set aside.
3. Display oysters on a plate without overlapping and evenly distribute spring onion and ginger slices on top of each oyster.
4. Place the plate into a bamboo steamer carefully and steam with the lid on for approximately 5-6 minutes depending on the size of the oysters, careful
not to overcook.
5. Remove the plate of oysters from the steamer and gently pour the sweet soy sauce on top of each oyster.
6. Garnish with any remaining fresh spring onion if any, and serve immediately.
Red Bean Soup (Hong Dou Tong)
Serves 6
Ingredients
375g dried adzuki beans (red beans)
3 pieces of dried tangerine peel
300g rock sugar
Method
1. In a large pot, bring 10 cups water to boil. Add red beans and remove from heat. Soak for 1 hour.
2. Add tangerine peel to beans and bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans break up, about 2 hours.
3. Add sugar, stir to dissolve, and serve hot or cold.
Sesame Balls (Jian Dui)
Makes 15-20 balls
Ingredients
3/4cup brown sugar
1cup boiling water
3cups glutinous rice flour
1cup sesame seeds
2L rice bran oil for frying
Filling
Red bean paste (from Asian grocer)
Method
1. Dissolve sugar in water. Combine flour and baking powder and add dissolved sugar gradually and roll into 1 inch balls.
2. If you want to add the filling, now is the time to do it. Once you’ve rolled the balls, use your thumb to press into them making a dent, spoon red bean paste into the dent and fold the dough back over. You can also just have them plain.
3. Wet slightly and coat with sesame seeds.
4. Deep fry on a low heat (170C) for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. The balls will float, use the back of a metal spatula to press down. The balls
should expand and become a golden brown. Make sure the oil isn’t too hot or you’ll burn the outside leaving the inside uncooked.