Poon Choi

Step 1 - Blanch the Napa cabbage

    

Step 2 - Blanch the Shiitake mushroom

Step 3 - Blanch the prawns

Step 4 - Blanch the carrots

   

Step 5 - Blanch the Enoki mushrooms and scallops

Step 6 - Cut and place the tofu and blanch the abalone and broccoli

Poon Choi is a traditional Hakka festival meal which consists of many ingredients layered in an interesting manner in a big pot, preferably a claypot.  It is usually prepared and served during Chinese New Year as the meal signifies abundance and prosperity. However, nowadays it is prepared and eaten at any time of the year. Ingredients to prepare Poon Choi differ from family to family. But the first layer of Poon Choi is usually the Napa cabbage. The other ingredients include prawns, fish slices, scallops, squids, abalone, sea cucumber, tofu, various types of mushroom and tofu. Carrots and broccoli add colour to make it more attractive. The quantity of the various ingredients below may be varied according to one's preference.

Ingredients:

• 8 leaves of Napa cabbage, cut into 3-inch length
• 5 big prawns (White prawns are preferable. However, I used tiger prawns at this particular time.)
• 5 pieces of big fresh scallops
• 5 pieces of abalone (braised ones as the sauce will be used in the soup of the Poon Choi). I have used those brined ones as I have ran out of the braised ones. However, I have kept the braised sauce from earlier cans that I have opened.
• 5 pieces of Shiitake mushroom (soaked overnight)
• 1 packet of Enoki mushroom
• 2 tubes of soft tofu (egg or plain)
• 5 slices of carrots
• 3 broccoli florets
• 4 pieces of shallots, sliced.

Method:

• Boil 2 litres of water in a pan.

• First, blanch the Napa cabbage. Layer them onto the base of the claypot once they have softened.

• Boil the Shiitake mushrooms till they are soft. Arrange them to the side of the claypot.

• Next, boil the prawns for about 8 minutes. Boiling them any longer would render them hard. Arrange them to another side of the claypot.

• Boil the carrots till they are soft. Arrange them in the centre on top of the Napa cabbage.

• Next, blanch the Enoki mushroom. Arrange them to another side of the claypot.

• Next, blanch the scallops and then arrange them to the side of the claypot.

• Cut and steam the soft tofu. Arrange them in the claypot.

• Blanch the broccoli and place them on top.

• Next, preparing the soup:

• Fry the shallots till they are fragrant.
• Remove the crispy shallots leaving the oil behind.
• Pour the water used to blanch or boil the ingredients to the oil.
• Add the sauce of the braised abalone.
• Let the soup boil.
• Season it with salt (if the soup is not salty enough) and pepper.

• Leave the soup in the pan till the Poon Choi is ready to be consumed. Re-heat when necessary and pour it into the claypot.

• The Poon Choi is ready to be served.

Seafood Chowder

According to Wikipedia, Chowder is a type of soup or stew often prepared with milk or cream and thickened with broken crackers, crushed ship biscuit, or a roux. Variations of chowder can be seafood or vegetable. Seafood lovers like me will definitely loves this type of soup. It is versatile as you can add any type of seafood to it. You can serve your chowder with crackers. However, I love to dunk my baguette into it.

Ingredients:

• 25 g butter
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 50 g yellow onion, cubed
• 50 g potatoes, cubed
• 40 g celery, cubed
• 30 g carrots, cubed
• 30 g green peas
• 30 g corn
• 8 pcs blue mussels
• 6 pcs scallops
• 2 squid tubes (30 g)
• 2 big prawns (30 g meat only)
• 50 g salmon, cubed
• 250 g seafood broth
• 300 g cream
• 1 pc bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme, or more
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder, or more
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, or more
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 4 tbsp water

Method:

• Add butter to a pot. 

• When butter has melted, add onions and fry till they are translucent.

• Add garlic and saute till fragrant.

• Add potato, celery, carrot and sweet corn. Stir fry for a while.

• Add seafood broth.

• When the broth is boiling, add bay leaf and thyme.

• Add seafood - black mussel, prawns, scallops, squids and salmon.

• Add cream.

• Add seasonings of salt, white and black pepper powder

• Mix corn flour with water. When the chowder is boiling, add the corn flour mixture to thicken it.

• Serve it hot.

Broccoli with Mushroom and Abalone (Optional Sea Cucumber & Fatt Choy)

A luxurious dish; one doesn't just cook this dish on any ordinary day. It is only on special occasions like birthdays or festive seasons like the Chinese New Year that I cook this dish. It is a very simple dish to cook; the process involves braising the mushrooms, sea cucumber and baby abalones (if they are not already ready to serve) and blanching the broccoli.


Ingredients:

• 18 pieces medium sized Shiitake mushrooms
• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 can of ready-to-serve baby abalone (10 pieces)
• For festive season, add
• 1-2 pieces sea cucumber
• Prepare them 5 days in advance by soaking them till they are about 4 times the size of the dried ones and removing the entrails.
• Fatt choy, the amount depends on you.
• Put them into a sieve and run the tap water onto them.
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp light
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp corn flour plus some water for thickening of sauce.

Method:

• Soak the Shiitake mushrooms for about 3 hours till they are plumped up. Remove the stems.

• Wash and cut the broccoli into florets. Soak them for about 30 minutes.

• Open 1 can of ready-to-serve baby abalones. Separate the abalones from the sauce. Keep the sauce for later use.

• Cut the sea cucumber diagonally about 1 1/2 cm wide.

• Heat up the wok with cooking and sesame oil.

• Saute the garlic till they are fragrant.

• Add the mushrooms and saute the mushrooms till they are fragrant.

• Add the chicken broth and abalone sauce into the wok. Let is boil.

• Add sea cucumber.

• Add the seasonings - light and dark soy sauce, salt and white pepper powder.

• Cover the wok and let the mushrooms and sea cucumber braise in the sauce over very low fire till they are both soft.

• While the mushrooms and sea cucumber are being braised, prepare the broccoli.
• Boil a pot of water and prepare a pot of cold water.
• Add the broccoli florets into the pot of boiling water. Blanch them for about 5-8 minutes.
• Remove the florets and dunk them into the pot of cold water to stop them from cooking further.

• When the mushrooms and sea cucumber have softened, remove them from the sauce.

• Add in the baby abalones to heat up. Remove them immediately once they are hot.

• Add in the fatt choy.

• Let the sauce boil.

• Add the corn flour water to thicken the sauce.

• Arrange the broccoli florets, mushrooms and baby abalones on a serving plate.

• Pour the sauce over them.

• The dish is ready for serving.