This is one of those dishes that you crave from Sichuan restaurant, and now you can make it at home。

Serves 3-4,  

• 700g   chicken thighs
• 20g    ginger, thinly sliced
• 30g           spring onion, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoon   Chinese cooking wine绍兴酒
• 1400g  water (twice of the weight of the chicken)
• 1 teaspoon     salt
• 1 cup          ice
• 1 teaspoon     sesame oil 香油
• 2 tablespoon  light soy sauce 生抽
• 2 tablespoon  rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar) 白醋
• 2 tablespoon  Chinkiang vinegar(or balsamic vinegar )镇江香醋
• 5 tablespoon  Sichuan chili oil (separate recipe) 红油
• 1/2 teaspoon   sugar
• 1 tablespoon   roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon   chopped Cilantro for garnish

Method

1. Add chicken thighs and water in a big pot and bring it to boil. Skim the foam from the water, add ginger, spring onion, cooking wine and salt. Turn it to low heat, cover the lid and cook for about 8-10 minutes
2. Turn off the heat and leave the pot on the stove for another 10 minutes
3. Plunge the chicken into iced water for 2 minutes
4. Remove the chicken from the water. Pat dry with kitchen towel
5. Place the chicken on a cutting board with flesh facing up
6. Debone the chicken thighs
7. Flip the chick thighs with skins facing up
8. Brush the skins with sesame oil
9. Gently slice the chicken thighs in 1cm thick
10. Mix light soy sauce, rice vinegar, Chinkiang vinegar, sugar and Sichuan chili oil in a bowl
11. Add 2/3 of the above sauce in a serving plate
12. Place sliced chicken on the serving plate
13. Pour the rest 1/3 sauce on the chicken
14. Sprinkle cilantro and peanuts onto the chicken

Tips

1. Keep the chick stock – it can be stored in the fridge and reused for cooking rice or other dishes.
2. Chicken thighs can be substituted with chicken thigh fillet (leave the skin on) if you are not sure of how to debone the chicken
3. Substitute rice vinegar with white wine vinegar if the former is not available.
4. Substitute black Chinkiang vinegar with balsamic vinegar if the former is not available.

Serves for 3-4,

• 1000g         beef shank 牛键子肉
• 30g              ginger生姜
• 30g              spring onion
• 5g                 cinnamon stick 桂皮
• 5g                 star anise 八角
• 1g                  clove 丁香
• 1cup             dark soy sauce 老抽
• 1/2cup          light soy sauce  生抽
• 1 teaspoon   salt
• 30g               rock sugar冰糖
• 1000g          water (for blanching beef)
• 1000g          water 

Method

1. Cut the beef shank into two big equal pieces
2. Pour 1000g water in a big pot and add the raw meat
3. Bring it to boil for 10 minutes
4. Remove the pot from fire. Rinse the blanched meat well
5. Add another 1000g water in the same clean pot.
6. Add blanched beef and all ingredients (except salt) in the pot
7. Bring the pot to boil for 10 minutes with high heat
8. Cover the pot and leave it on the stove for 60 minutes in low heat (add salt when meat has been cooked for 50 minutes)
9. Remove the pot from the stove and leave the meat soak in the pot for 2 hours
10. Remove the meat from pot and wrap them in a plastic bag
11. Store in the fridge for 1 hour
12. Thinly slice the meat
13. Scoop 2 tablespoons of liquid from the pot, reheat it in a frying pan and pour into the sliced meat. Garnish the plate.

Tip

Only add salt 10 minutes before turning off the heat and the cooking is done.

This is the staple food of my family. I’ve probably made hundreds of loaves of this classic bread for family and friends. So yes, the recipe has been well tested. Its sweet, nutty flavor is delicious with savory dishes. With a bit butter or lashings of jam, it is also a perfect, tasty and healthy breakfast for you and/or kids.

Makes 1 loaf,

• 125g  strong white flour 高筋面粉
• 125g  wholemeal flour 全麦面粉
• 1 tablespoon    dry yeast
• 28g  (or 2 tablespoons)   unsalted butter (softened)
• 1/2 teaspoon    salt
• 70g (or 3/4 cups)  roughly chopped walnuts
• 100g (or 3/4 cups)  raisins
• 175g  water to mix
• 10g   same strong white flour for dusting

Method

1. Add strong white and wholemeal flour together into a bowl.
2. Dilute the yeast in a little warm water, then put with the flour, salt and butter into the bowl and mix well. Slowly add water, mixing all the time, until dough becomes elastic.
3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
4. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover the bowl in a plastic bag.
5. Leave to rest for 2 hours.
6. Take out the dough and incorporate into the walnuts and raisins.
7. Press in firmly. Knead for 3 minutes.
8. Flatten the dough and roll into sausage shape.
9. Place the shaped dough on a lightly floured baking tray and leave to rest for 1 hour. Cover the dough in a plastic bag.
10. Preheat the oven to 200℃.
11. Move it into the pre-heated oven.
12. Bake for 28 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Tips

1.  Toast the walnuts and leave them cool off.
2. Always cover the dough with cling wrap or in a plastics bag when dough resting.

Many dear friends tried this loaf at my home. All of them, kids and adults, love it! It is actually SUPER EASY to make.

Makes two loaves,

• 240g  strong white flour高筋面粉
• 60g   wholemeal flour 全麦面粉
• 3g    dry yeast
• 4g    salt
• 240g  water

Method

1. Combine strong white flour, wholemeal flour, yeast, salt and water in a mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag. Leave the dough in the bowl for 2 hours in room temperature till it doubles in size
2. Tip the dough out. Coat the top of the dough all over with flour. Split the dough in half and gently stretch out each piece of dough a little and place them on the heavily-floured baking tray to rest for a further 20 minutes
3. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220℃
4. Bake for 20 minutes till the beautiful aroma of the bread fills up your entire room
5. NOT ready to eat yet…wait for another 20 minutes till it cools off on the cooling rack
6. Enjoy a plain piece, dip the piece in olive oil, spread butter/cheese or use it to make your favorite sandwich.
7. The same dough makes perfect pizza dough too – just reduce the water to the ratio of 70%, which means 210g water with 300g flour. The ingredients listed in this recipe are good to make two 12-inch pizza. Click here for Homemade Pizza Sauce recipe.