Fried Rice With XO Sauce

Ingredients:

2 bowls cooked rice
2 eggs
1 bombay onion - diced
1/2 small carrot - diced
2 pieces ham - diced
1 cup cabbage - shredded

Seasonings:
Salt & pepper to taste
3 - 4 tabsp XO sauce

Chopped spring onion

Method:

• Scramble the eggs, dish out and set aside.
• Heat pan with oil, saute the onion, follow by the carrot, ham and cabbage.
• Stir fry till cook and well mixed.  Add in the rice and mix well.
• Add in seasonings.  Dish out and sprinkle spring onion.

Sweet Cucumber Relish

Spread the relish over tuna and mayonnaise on homemade pumpkin bread

 Ingredients:

(A)
1 kg small cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 large white onion

(B)
2 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (Heinz brand with 5% acidity)
1 tabsp celery seed
2 teasp mustard seed

2 tabsp salt

(C) Mixed
2 tabsp cornstarch
2 tabsp water

Method:

• Use food processor to chop (A) till fine.  Soak in salt for 4 hours then drained.
• Boil  (B) to dissolved sugar.  Add in vegetables and bring to a boil.  
• Turn down the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add (C).  Pour into cleaned dried bottles.  Keep in refrigerator.  Yield 4 bottles.

Tip:
Leftover pickling syrup can be used in dressing cabbage salad.

Pan-Fried Scallops with XO Sauce

 Ingredients:

• 8 scallops (fresh or frozen), about 160 gm - blanch in hot water for 1 - 2 mins., 
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 160 gm green beans - blanch, cut into 3 ins length
• Spring onion - cut into 3 ins length
• 1- 2 tabsp minced garlic
• 4 Tbsp water or chicken stock
• 2 - 3 Tbsp homemade  XO sauce or store bought
•  salt & sugar, to taste
• red chilli, finely chopped, for garnish, optional

Method:

• Heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Pan fry scallops over medium-high heat, until both sides are lightly brown, each side for about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat oil and sauté garlic over medium heat until fragrant.  Add the green beans. Quickly stir fry. Pour chicken stock and stir fry well. Cook until the beans start to turn soft. Add XO sauce and scallops and spring onion.  
• Stir to combine well. Cook for another 1 minute. Add seasoning.  Serve immediately.

Braised pork belly with egg and Tofu

 Ingredients:

600 gm of pork belly, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp of five spice powder
100 gm tofu puffs
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Seasoning:

2 tabsp light soy

1 tabsp dark soy

1 tabsp oyster sauce

1 cup water +/-

 rock sugar to taste

3 tabsp cooking wine or Mirin

(A)

8 garlic cloves - leave whole

2 ins length cinnamon stick

2 star anise

1 tsp of Sichuan peppercorns (Fah Chiew) (optional)

Method:

• Heat up a pot or a big clay pot, add oil and saute  (A) till fragrant then add pork belly. 
• Add seasonings, bring the pork belly to a boil then simmer till pork is soft.
• Add tofu and the hard-boiled eggs. Dish out and serve hot with steamed white rice.

XO Sauce

Ingredients:

(A)
200 gm Dried shrimp - soaked then grinded fine in blender
100 gm Kum Wah Foh Tooi (Ham), finely minced

(B) Blended:
200 gm Shallots,
10 Garlic cloves,
150 gm Fresh red chillies or more if prefer spicy

(C)
225 gm Dried scallops
2 tabsp brown sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

• Soak the dried scallops in  water till  softened such that they break apart when gently pressed.  Reserving the juices. Finely shred the scallops. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy pan over medium high heat. Fry (B) till fragrant, add (A) stirring constantly, and their reserved juices. Turn heat down to medium. Continue to fry for about 30 minutes, stirring constantly. Lastly, add in (C).  The finished condiment should be aromatic.
• Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
• Store in fridge or freezer.  Thaw before using.

Note:
Use XO sauce to fry rice & mee hood or any kind of noodles.   Add in last before dishing out. Serve over soft silky tofu.