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Stir-Fried Mussels with Black Bean and ChilliServe as a starter for 4 or as part of a banquet for 4–6 The mussels we have in Australia are of such high quality, yet are inexpensive and readily available, visually beautiful and delicious to eat. I am obsessed with them! Like mushrooms, mussels are a wonderful vehicle for flavour – it is as though mussels and black bean and chilli sauce were meant for each other. 40 live mussels Scrub, de-beard, rinse and drain mussels. Put mussels in a wok with 1 1/2 cups of cold water. Place over high heat, cover, and steam until shells open. As mussels begin to open, immediately remove from wok with tongs and place in a bowl. Discard any mussels that do not open. Drain water from wok and wipe clean with kitchen paper. Remove seeds and membranes from pepper. Cut into strips 1.5 cm (3/4 in) wide, then cut each strip into squares. Heat peanut oil in the cleaned wok until surface shimmers slightly. Stir-fry spring onions, ginger, garlic, red chilli, onion, black beans and pepper for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add mussels and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Pour wine or sherry around sides of the wok in a circular motion, then stir in stock or water, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and bird’s eye chilli and stir-fry for 3 minutes to create a rich sauce. Finally, add vinegar and coriander and serve immediately. |
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Steamed Fish Fillets with Ginger and Spring OnionsServe as part of a banquet for 4–6 I could eat this dish every night of the week! It is so healthy, light and clean-tasting. The most important thing is to buy the freshest and best-quality fish fillet – the recipe is so simple and refined, the fish is allowed to speak for itself. Suggested fish for this recipe include bar cod, blue eye, snapper, King George whiting, Murray cod, barramundi, mahi mahi, cod and sea bass. 4 x 100 g (3½ oz) firm white-fleshed fish fillets Place fish in a shallow heatproof bowl that will fit inside a steamer basket. Pour water and wine or sherry over fish, then sprinkle with half the ginger. Place bowl inside steamer and position over a deep saucepan or wok of boiling water and steam, covered, for 5–6 minutes. Cut Chinese cabbage leaf into 4 squares and slip inside steamer. Cover and steam for a further 2–3 minutes, or until cabbage has warmed through and fish is just cooked. The flesh should be white; if it is still translucent, cook for another minute or so. Remove cabbage from steamer and arrange on a serving plate. Using a spatula, carefully remove fish from steamer and place on top of hot cabbage. Pour any liquid left in the bowl over fish, sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with combined soy sauce and sesame oil, then sprinkle with remaining ginger and half the spring onion. Heat peanut oil in a small frying pan until moderately hot, then carefully pour over fish. Sprinkle fish with remaining spring onion, coriander and pepper, and serve immediately. |
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Home-style Fried Eggs with Oyster Sauce and ChilliServe as a starter for 4 or as a meal with steamed rice for 2 This dish was inspired by Mrs Jang, my uncle Jimmy’s mother. Thank you, Mrs Jang, for feeding my two brothers and me for all those years with these scrummy eggs! I have had these on the menu in my restaurant since we opened; they are a Billy Kwong signature dish. The whites are all crunchy and golden brown, while the yolks remain bright yellow and runny – it’s all about texture, texture, texture! 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil Heat oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Crack eggs into a small bowl, then pour into hot oil. After 1 minute reduce heat to medium, allowing the underside of the eggs to become firm and crisp – the yolks should still be runny at this point. Carefully slide a spatula under the eggs, then pour off and discard the oil. Replace eggs and cook for a further minute to become crisp. Gently remove eggs from wok and drain off any excess oil before easing onto a plate. Drizzle eggs with oyster sauce and garnish with pepper, spring onions and chillies. Serve immediately. |