No need to reach for the takeaway menu – make these speedy stir-fries from food writer Ching He-Huang instead
Tiger prawn & cabbage fried rice
I love to add cabbage to fried rice as it imparts a sweet crunchiness to the dish and, when paired with wok-fried garlic, it is some kind of wonderful! You can use cooked giant tiger prawns if you want quicker results, but move fast once they are added to the wok, as you don’t want them to turn rubbery.
SERVES 2 PREP 25 mins COOK 5 mins EASY
1 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus 1 tsp 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 200g white cabbage leaves (keep the centre stalk for stock), leaves torn into bite-size pieces 1 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry 3 tbsp vegetable stock 350g cooked and cooled jasmine rice (175g uncooked) 200g cooked tiger prawns 50g cooked frozen peas 1 tbsp low-salt light soy sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce large pinch of freshly ground white pepper 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking and drizzle in 1 tbsp rapeseed oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the cabbage and stir-fry for 1 min. Season with the rice wine, then add the stock to create steam to cook the cabbage. Cook for another minute until the cabbage has softened. (If there is any excess liquid in the wok, pour it into a small bowl and reserve to use as a seasoning later if the rice is a little dry).
2 Return the wok to the heat, push the cabbage to one side and add the remaining 1 tsp rapeseed oil. Add the jasmine rice and fry for 1 min, then add the tiger prawns and peas and toss until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Season with the soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper and toasted sesame oil, and toss together well. Serve immediately.
General Tso’s tofu
Variations of this recipe are found all over the world. It was invented by a Hunanese chef named Peng-Chang Kuei, who cooked at state banquets and official events for the Chinese Nationalist party and fled with them to Taiwan during WWII, where he came up with the dish in the 1950s. Its original flavours were Hunanese – hot, sour, salty and heavy – but when he moved to New York in 1973, he made it sweeter to suit the American palate. The original dish used chicken, but I like it with crunchy fried tofu. If you don’t like frying tofu, use smoked firm tofu instead.
SERVES 2 PREP 15 mins COOK 13 mins EASY V
400g fresh firm tofu, drained and cut into 2.5cm cubes 60g potato flour or cornflour groundnut oil, for frying 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 garlic clove, crushed but left whole 4 whole dried Sichuan chillies 1 mediu
