Ching’s Fast Food: 110 Quick and Healthy Chinese Favourites

COOK IN: 10 minutes

SERVES: 4

28 wonton wrappers (7.5cm/3in square)

1 egg, beaten

700ml (1¼ pints) vegetable stock

FOR THE FILLING

250g (9oz) minced pork

1 large spring onion, finely chopped

3 shiitake mushrooms, finely diced

1 tbsp of peeled and grated root ginger

1 tbsp of Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

1 tbsp of cornflour

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of ground white pepper

TO SERVE

1–2 tbsps of toasted sesame oil

Small handful of watercress leaves

1 spring onion, finely sliced

1. Place all the ingredients for the filling in a large bowl and mix together well.

2. To prevent the wrappers from opening up once cooked, brush the inside of each one with some of the beaten egg. Take one wonton wrapper and place a small tsp of the filling in the centre. Gather up the sides of the wrapper and mould around the filling into a ball shape, twisting the top to secure it. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.

3. To make the soup, pour the stock into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the wonton dumplings and cook for 5 minutes or until they all rise to the surface – like floating clouds, as the Chinese might say.

4. Pour the soup and dumplings into serving bowls, allowing 7 dumplings per person. Add a dash of toasted sesame oil to each bowl, scatter over a few of the watercress leaves (letting them wilt in the bowl), finish with a sprinkling of sliced spring onions and serve immediately.

CHING’S TIP

If any filling is left over, make more dumplings and freeze. They can be cooked from frozen for an emergency supper.

Pork rib, turnip and carrot broth with coriander

This is one of my grandfather’s favourite recipes. It is not standard takeaway fare, but there are many takeaway and eat-in restaurants in Taiwan that serve this kind of pork rib soup (pai-gu tang) to accompany salty main dishes. Eaten between mouthfuls of the main dish, it works as a palate cleanser. It is a light sweet broth, the daikon (white radish) adding a slight bittersweetness to complement the meatiness of the pork ribs. When I eat it, it always reminds me of my grandmother’s home cooking. If I had my own takeaway, this soup would be on the menu, no question.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK IN: 25 minutes

SERVES: 4

250g (9oz) pork ribs, cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces

2 tbsps of vegetable bouillon powder or stock powder

350g (12oz) daikon (white radish), sliced into 1cm (½in) rounds, each cut into 6 wedges

2 carrots, cut into 1cm (½in) rounds, each quartered into wedges

1 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

Sea salt and ground white pepper

Handful of roughly chopped coriander

1. Prepare the pork ribs by blanching them in boiling water for 2 minutes and then drain well. Bring 1 litre (134 pints) of water to the boil in a large saucepan and add the bouillon or stock powder, stirring it to dissolve.

2. Add the pork ribs, daikon, carrots and rice wine or dry sherry. Bring back up to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and ground white pepper, add the chopped coriander and serve immediately.

Posh crab and crayfish tail sweetcorn soup

To me, a good takeaway would serve this soup. It may be relatively expensive, but it is so worth it. I usually have a few tins of crabmeat and sweetcorn in my store cupboard and this makes a delicious quick, light supper. If you are entertaining, you can jazz up this recipe by topping it with some cooked crayfish tails and serve with some toasted rye bread and butter. You could also substitute the tinned crabmeat with fresh crabmeat for a treat.

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

COOK IN: 15 minutes

SERVES: 4

2 x 170g tins of crabmeat in brine, drained

2 x 200g tins of sweetcorn, drained

1 large ripe tomato, sliced

2 eggs, beaten

3 tbsps of light soy sauce

1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil

Sea salt and ground white pepper