MIXED MEAT CASSEROLE
1 min readServes 4–6.
Preparation & cooking time: 25–30 mins.
The Chinese often make harmonious combinations of different ingredients in one single dish and give it a poetic descriptive name. Alternative names for this recipe are ‘Eight-Treasure’ or ‘Precious’. But it is not necessary to have eight different ingredients for this dish – the number eight just sounds good.
4–5 small dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked
2 cakes bean-curd
oil for deep-frying
a few lettuce or Chinese leaves about 300ml (½ pint) stock or water
450g (1lb) assorted cooked meats such as Char Siu, Roasted Crispy Pork,, Roast Duck, Crispy-Skin Chicken or White-Cut Chicken, etc
225g (8oz) assorted shellfish (prawns, scallops, etc)
1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
4–5 small bits fresh ginger root
2 spring onions, cut into short sections
Squeeze dry the mushrooms, discard any hard stalks and thinly shred. Cut each cake of bean-curd into 16 pieces.
Heat the oil in a wok or deep-fryer and fry the bean-curd pieces for 3–4 minutes or until golden, remove and drain.
Line a casserole with the lettuce or Chinese leaves, add about 3–4 tablespoons stock or water. Place the bean-curd and meat pieces in the casserole, add the mushrooms, shellfish, seasonings and the remaining stock, bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat and braise under cover for 10–15 minutes. Serve hot.
