Yield: 1 servings
BASKET GARNISH (OPTIONAL):
1 teaspoon Sesame oil
6 small Crabs
150 g Potato
Cornstarch
Cooking oil
FILLING:
100 g Shelled prawns
100 g Raw chicken meat
100 g Water chestnuts (or canned water chestnuts, or celery)
100 g Soaked sea cucumber (optional)
100 g Mushrooms
SEASONING MIXTURE:
1 tablespoon Chinese yellow wine or sherry
1 tablespoon Cornflour
1 teaspoon Sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Sugar
LEGS:
50 g Bamboo shoots (or carrots)
300 g Pork caul lining (or bean curd skin, or edible rice paper)
100 g Chinese cured ham
10 g Coriander (12 sprigs)
COATING:
4 Egg whites
1 tablespoon Cornflour
2 tablespoons Water
SWEET SAUCE:
1 tablespoon Hoisin (barbecue) sauce
1/2 cup Water
This one might be a bit time consuming, buy there aren’t any really exotic ingredients and, unless you get into garnishing it the way it shows in the book, not too much hassle. These are “mock” chicken legs, a minced mixture of meat and seafood rolled up and deep fried. I’d use the rice paper option for wrappers as they are readily available, at least around here. The basket garnish is an incredibly fussy little number actually woven from strips of potatoes. I’d use the two sieve potato nest trick for that part if I bothered at all. The small crabs that go into the basket really are small crabs, about two inches across the shell. They look neat, but add nothing to the dish aside from that.
Recipe by: Bui Hang Village Restaurant hotel Miramar) UG/F., Princess Wing, Hotel Miramar, 130 Nathan Road, @Tsimshatsui, Kowloon.
Optional basket garnish:
Steam crabs and put aside. Form potatoes into basket shapes. This can be done by peeling them into long strips, which are then interwoven’, and sealed with cornstarch paste. Deep-fry baskets over medium flame until golden.
Slice all filling ingredients at an angle, and cut into diamond shapes (which creates a better texture). Season with seasoning mixture. Slice bamboo shoots into 12 strips each 5 cms long and 0.5 cms wide. Divide pork caul lining into 12 triangular pieces (large enough to wrap “legs”). Cut ham into 24 strips. On to each pork caul lining lay one sprig of coriander, 2 strips of ham, and 1/12 of the diamond-cut filling ingredients. Place one strip of bamboo shoot on top, with half of it left outside wrapping. Fold and mould each filled pork caul lining into leg shape.
Mix coating ingredients with 2 tablespoons water, and coat each “leg” with the paste. Mix Hoisin sauce with water, and simmer till thickened.
To cook:
Carefully slide “legs” into medium-hot oil (sufficient to deep-fry all twelve at same time), with folded “leg” ends facing centre of wok. Deep-fry for 3 minutes, then increase heat a little and continue deep- frying for a further 3 minutes.
To present:
Lay “legs” on a paper doily in serving dish, arranging the potato baskets and crabs as a central garnish. Serve the Hoisin sauce mixture on the side.