Steamed Red Emperor fillet, stir fried Pak Choy and Chinese Omelette

Steamed Red Emperor fillet, stir fried Pak Choy and Chinese Omelette

 Another favourite!

And for dessert......

 

Pak Gor Yee Mai Tong (Warm Chinese soup dessert with ginkgo nuts, barley, bean curd strips & ginger)

Ingredients

Two fillets (generous pieces from the fish market) of barramundi or any soft white-fleshed fish like red emperor fish or coral trout
A splash or two of Chinese cooking rice wine
Sesame oil
Handful of small chillies
4 cloves garlic
Half of brown onion or some shallots
Spring onions
Chopped coriander
3 knobs of ginger
More or less of 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
Vegetable oil
Cracked pepper to taste

For the topping:
Firstly, chop 3-4 small chillies (depends how hot you would like). Chop finely or slice about 4 cloves of garlic, and slice thinly, in shreds, about 4 cm knob of ginger. Slice some shallots too and leave aside.
For the paste:
Blend the rest of the small chillies, garlic, half of brown onion and 2 knobs of ginger (or more) in a food blender. You can opt to add some finely chopped lemongrass too. Add a few dashes of vegetable oil until paste looks a little glossy.
 
Method
1. Place the fish fillets in a deep steel plate (cake tin or similar) that fits in your wok. This steel plate are sold in most Asian groceries eg Yuen's Market. you can purchase the stand for the plate too. 
Add the Chinese rice wine, a couple dashes of sesame oil, some vegetable oil, cracked pepper on the fish.

2. Place a steamer steel stand (you can purchase this in an Asian grocer) in your wok. Add some water in the wok, at the height of the steamer stand.

3. Place the plate or tin on the stand and place the wok cover over it. Steam the fish for at least 20 minutes.

4. While fish is cooking, fry the topping that you have prepared with some vegetable oil. Fry the blended paste too. You can omit the paste if you prefer less ingredients on your fish. It will still taste lovely. Leave aside.

5. Keep an eye on the amount of water in the wok, make sure it's not too little. When fish is cooked (you can check this with flaking a bit of the thickest part of the fish - usually in the middle). If it's white and flaky and not slimy, it is well done.

Tip: When opening the wok cover to check the fish, you can drip some of the steam from inside the wok cover into the fish (this moistens the fish).

6. Turn off the fire. Spoon your blended paste all over the fish and spread it evenly. Cover the fish for another minute to let the paste sit in and warm a little.

7. Take the plate out from the wok with kitchen mitts or towels. Be careful, as it will be HOT.

8. Sprinkle the fried topping over the fish, crack some pepper and garnish it with chopped spring onions and coriander.

9. Lastly, drizzle it with the soy sauce and a little splash of sesame oil (optional) over and around the fish. Add a little more pepper, serve and enjoy! You could also add some fried shallots (ready made). They are sold in the Asian grocer to add some crunchiness to the dish.

Bon appetite!

To make the Pak Gor Yee Mai Tong, you can purchase these ingredients from Wing Hing Chinese Herb Food & Acupunture Centre on 197 Wickham Street (Brisbane Chinatown) or any Asian grocer who stocks Chinese groceries.

Ginkgo nuts

Barley

Bean curd strips

Ginger (Or any fruit & vege shop)

Raw sugar

Method

1. Boil about one quarter cup of barley in the pot with around 5 cups of water. More water if you want to add more barley.  Add a tiny knob about 2 cm of ginger, peeled and pounded slightly with a pestle or the flat surface of your cleaver (if you have one).

2. Once it's almost cooked, add some raw sugar (just enough to give it a hint of sweetness). Add about 1-2 tablespoon or less and adjust it accordingly to your taste. Try not to overdo it.

3. Add about a handful of ginkgo nuts (they may come in vacuum packet, which have already been peeled) or you can get them in its shell. Ask the grocer over the counter for this. The shell is quite hard, so, the pestle will also do the job in cracking it. Only crack it lightly without flattening the nut, enough to open and peel it with your fingers.

4. Simmer them until the barley is cooked, but not too soft. Add the dried bean curd strips. Break them in pieces. They are sold in a packet, if not sure, ask the shop assistant for this and mention that you are making a dessert soup. Stir fries or hot pot dishes will require thick dried bean curd strips or different forms of tofu, firmer ones.

5. Give it  quick stir and turn the fire off. The bean curd cooks quickly and do not need much heat. Serve and enjoy!