蛋炒饭 （Stir-fried Rice with Egg）

Basically, you may add anything you like to stir fry with rice. However, good quality stir-fried rice has some principles:

1. good colour contrast: green (peas, e.g.), yellow (stir-fried eggs, e.g.), orange (carrots, e.g.), pink and red (ham, pepperoni, e.g.).

2. meat and vegetable contrast: pepperoni, ham, gammon, peas, bamboo shoots, carrots, e.g.

3. texture contrast: for instance, tender stir-fried eggs and crunchy carrots.


4. flavour contrast: for example, meaty ham and fresh bamboo shoots.

5. do not use watery vegetable.



Based on these principles, you can use any local food you man find. Here is a simple egg and vegetable stir-fried rice for two.

Ingredients:
1. A bowl of cooked rice (better cold and hard, preferably the rice left the day before);
2. A medium size carrot, chop to small cubes;
3. 2 tbsp of peas, cooked;
4. several broccoli stems (about half amount of the carrot), chop to small cubes. This is a substitution of bamboo shoots.
5. 2 garlic clovers, crashed and chopped.
6. a spring onion, chopped.
7. 2 medium size eggs, beat and blend well in a bowl.
8. salt, sugar and light soy sauce.

Method:
1. add a tbsp of vegetable oil (any vegetable oil mentioned in my blog means corn oil, sun flower seeds oil; mixed vegetable oil, etc, excluding olive oil for its extremely high boiling point) in a wok, warm up to medium hot. Pour in the eggs, stir fry till cooked, then put them back to the bowl.

2. after clean the wok, add a tbsp of veg oil and warm it up to medium hot. Add in the carrot cubes, broccoli stem cubes, stir fry for 10 to 15 seconds.

3. add in the rice, stir fry for 10 to 15 seconds. Turn the flame down to low heat, then put the lid on for 15 seconds; open the lid, put in the garlic and spring onion, stir and blend well, then put the lid on for another 15 seconds. Open the lid again, add in the stir-fried eggs, 1 and 1/2 tsp of salt, a tsp of sugar and a tbsp of light soy sauce, stir well and then put the lid back for 15 seconds.

Serve with meat or fish.

红油鸡丝（Chicken/Turkey Salad for Boxing Day）

原料：
1、400 g冷鸡肉，撕成条或丝，也可切片；
2、5个突尼斯甜枣，剁碎；
3、2 tbsp熟花生，研碎；
4、1 tsp熟芝麻；
5、2 tsp香油；
6、1 tsp白糖；
7、 2 tbsp生抽；
8、盐适量；
9、2 tbsp红油。

制作：将上述材料拌匀即可。不喜食辣，可不用红油。



This simple recipe suits Boxing Day, dealing with the cold roast turkey/chicken.

A chicken salad for 2 people
Ingredients:
1. 400 g cold roast turkey/chicken, tore apart or sliced;
2. 5 dates, chopped;
3. 2 hilled tbsp of roasted peanuts, crumbled;
4. 1 tsp of roasted sesame seeds (optional) ;
5. 2 tsp of sesame oil;
6. 1 tsp of sugar;
7. 1 tsp of salt;
8. 2 tbsp of light soy sauce;

Method:
Blend all the ingredients together.

Tip:
1. can use raisin or other dried fruit instead of dates;
2. add 1 tbsp of chilly oil if you fancy hot food;
3. can use poppy seeds instead of sesame seeds;
4. can use olive oil instead of sesame oil, though the flavour is different.

韭菜盒子 （Chinese Pie）

馅料：韭菜、炒碎的鸡蛋、切丁的虾仁，加盐，糖，1tsb白葡萄酒，打入一个生鸡蛋拌匀。

1、用面粉，加冷水，和成如耳垂般柔软的面团。通常是两份面粉，加将近一份的水，这要看面粉的吸水性，比例并不固定。面团要揉10分钟，再饧20分钟。

2、将饧好的面团揉3分钟，搓成长条，然后切成乒乓球大小的剂子。将剂子擀成皮，要小于2 mm薄。皮不一定非要圆形不可，方形也可以，只要对称就好。

3、在皮的一半铺上馅料，然后把另一半折过来，按压封口即可。

4、平底锅烧中温，在盒子的一面刷上植物油，刷油的一面朝下铺在锅底，盖上锅盖烙2-3分钟；然后在另一面刷油，翻过来继续烙2-3分钟，熟透即可。




The dough:

Making a soft dough: 2 cups of plain flour, 1 cup cool water (the water is approximate amount, it is up to the variety of the flour; the dough should be as soft as your earlobe), knead for 10 minutes, leave for 20 minutes.

Filling:

Chopped garlic chives (250g), crumble eggs (4 eggs), chopped shrimps/prawns (50g), salt, pinch of sugar, a tsp of white wine, a fresh egg. Well blended.

The pie:
1. Making the skin: knead the dough for 3 minutes before rolling and stretching it to a rolling pen shape, and then cut/divide it to about 8 small dough. Each dough is about a ping pang ball size. Work on a piece of small dough with a rolling pen, roll it to a thin pie skin(less than 2 mm). The shape of the skin can be round, can be square; the point is it must be symmetry.

2. Put the fillings on half of the pie skin, then fold the skin, squeeze and seal the edge with fingers.

3. Brush one side with veg oil, then put this side down on a warmed fry pan. Put the lid on and fry for 2-3 minutes. Brush the top with veg oil, turn it over, and then fry with the lid on for another 2-3 minutes.

Tips:

1. Traditionally, when eating, the pie is dipped in a sauce mixed with vinegar, soy sauce, crashed garlic (or English mustard sauce), chilly oil. It is up to what you like.

2. The filling has many combinations: chopped spring onion with pork mince, chopped onion with pork mince, chopped onion with cod etc.

3. The size of the pie varies, it is up to you.