Easy

Squid stir-fried with mangetout

Fresh squid has an intense sweet flavour, which is further enhanced by combining it with fresh, crispy mangetout in this dish. Seasoning is kept light, with the Szechuan peppercorns adding a subtle but clean citrus flavour. This dish goes well with stir-fried chicken dishes.

Serves 4 with side dishes

250g squid, cleaned
1 tbs olive oil
1 green chilli, chopped
2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion
250g mangetout
2 tsp shoyu or tamari sauce
1 tbs Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

Cut the squid into slices and score with a criss-cross pattern (this makes them curl up when they are cooked, and the grooves help trap the sauce).

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over a high heat until hot. Add the chilli, peppercorns, garlic and onion and stir-fry over a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat to high, add the squid slices and stir-fry quickly for 1 minute then remove from the pan. Toss in the mangetout and stir-fry for 1 minute and then return the squid to the pan. Stir to mix, add the shoyu sauce and rice wine or sherry and stir-fry for a few seconds. Serve immediately.

Easy

Prawn fried rice

This fried-rice recipe is a version of a very popular dish - special fried rice. This recipe doesn't include eggs or pork, instead it contains prawns and vegetables.

Serves 4 with side dishes

1 tbs olive oil
500g fresh prawns, peeled and de-veined
50g shiitake or button mushrooms, halved
1 courgette, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
50g green beans, cut into 2.5cm pieces
500g hot boiled rice
2 tsp shoyu or tamari sauce
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 spring onion, thinly sliced, to serve

Heat the oil in a nonstick sauté pan and stir-fry the prawns for one minute over a high heat. Remove and set aside. Add the mushrooms, courgette, carrot and green beans and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Stir in the hot rice and shoyu sauce, season with pepper and mix thoroughly. Return the prawns to the pan and stir-fry the rice mixture for a couple of minutes. Serve sprinkled with spring onions.

Easy

Mussels with basil and black bean sauce

An oriental version of moules marinière, this fragrant and spicy dish is great on a cold night, or you could serve it as a lunch with some noodles.

Serves 4 with side dishes

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1kg mussels, scrubbed and debearded
60ml fish stock (see recipe below or buy a good one)
1 tbs black bean sauce
1 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
large handful of fresh coriander leaves
large handful of fresh Thai basil leaves

Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the pepper, chillies and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add the mussels and stir to mix, then add the stock, black-bean sauce and rice wine. Cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes until the mussels have opened. Toss in the coriander and basil leaves and transfer the mussels to a larger dish, discarding any that have not opened.

Serve straight away.

Easy

Fish stock

Makes approximately 1.8L

500g fish bones
250g leeks
250g onions
250g celery
250g carrots
2.5 litres water
handful of herbs -parsley, coriander etc
2 bay leaves
1 tbs white peppercorns

Wash the fish bones and put them into a large saucepan. Peel and roughly chop the vegetables. Add the water and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to simmer. Remove any scum that rises to the top. Add the vegetables, herbs and peppercorns and cook, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours. Leave the stock to cool slightly, then strain into a container. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Easy

King prawns with ginger & spring onion

In Cantonese cuisine spring onions and ginger are classic accompaniments to fish and shellfish dishes. This recipe is a quick, easy weekday supper dish.

Serves 4 with side dishes

1/2 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3-4 slices fresh root ginger, peeled and shredded
400g large raw prawns (with shells) de-veined
2 tsp shoyu or tamari sauce
2 tbs dry sherry
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tbs vegetable stock
2 spring onions, shredded into 1.5cm lengths, to serve
cornflour paste: 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbs water

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan and fry the garlic and ginger for a few seconds. Add the prawns and stir-fry for about a minute until almost cooked. Season with shoyu sauce, sherry, sesame oil and pepper and add the stock. Stir in the cornflour paste to thicken the sauce. Sprinkle with spring onions and serve.

Easy

Oysters with black bean sauce

Oysters are often deep-fried in batter, which is delicious but high in fat. This low-fat version is pan-fried. The oysters' natural flavour is enhanced by the garlic.

Serves 4

1 tbs olive oil
4 thin slices fresh root ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbs black bean sauce
24 oysters, shucked
4 spring onions, sliced diagonally
1 tbs Chinese rice wine or sherry
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan or wok over a high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds until browned. Stir in the black bean sauce, then add the oysters. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the oysters over a high heat for about 30 seconds. Remove the lid and add the spring onions, rice wine and sesame oil. Stir and serve.

Easy

Sweet and sour prawns

1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh root ginger
150ml vegetable stock
150g plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tbs tomato ketchup
1 tbs white-wine vinegar
1 tbs light muscovado sugar
500g fresh or frozen raw prawns,peeled and de-veined
150g canned pineapple chunks, drained
150g green pepper, chopped
1 spring onion, chopped lengthways
cornflour paste - 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 6 tbs water or stock

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan, add the garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato ketchup, vinegar and sugar and bring to the boil. Add the prawns, cook for one minute, then add the pineapple chunks and green pepper. Bring the mixture back to the boil and thicken with the cornflour paste. Sprinkle with spring onion and serve immediately with boiled rice or thin egg noodles.

Easy

Steamed trout with black beans

Serves 4 with side dishes

1 tsp fermented black beans
2 slices fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
1 tsp shoyu or tamari sauce
1 tsp olive oil
375g trout fillets, cut into pieces
1 tbs roughly chopped coriander, to garnish

Pour about 5cm of water into a wok, place a metal or wooden rack in the wok and bring the water to the boil. Meanwhile, rinse the beans in water to remove excess salt and mash lightly with a fork. Mix in the ginger, garlic, spring onions, shoyu sauce and olive oil. Place the fish pieces in a heatproof serving dish and thoroughly stir in the black bean sauce mixture, to ensure that all the fish pieces are coated.

Set the dish on the wok rack, cover the wok and steam over a high heat for 6-8 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Sprinkle with coriander and serve immediately.