Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas Recipes

Book

Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas
by Anika Denise

Have Congee rice porridge for breakfast with Goldy, Little Chan, and Mr. and Mrs. Chan.

Then, wish your neighbors Kung Hei Fat Choi (on Chinese New Year) with homemade Turnip Cakes.

Cook

Goldy's Congee

Complexity: Easy, just requires patience while simmering.
Time: 2 hours.

Ingredients

¾ cup/150 grams sushi rice
2 ½ quarts/2.5 liters chicken stock
Salt
Soy sauce, for serving
Thinly sliced spring onions or scallions, green parts only, for serving
Finely chopped fresh ginger, for serving
Sesame oil, for serving

Directions

Rinse and drain the rice.
Put the rice in a pot with the chicken stock and bring to boil. Give the rice a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking, then lower the heat and half-cover the pan. Simmer gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the grains have burst open and you have a thick congee. Keep an eye on the pot to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. Toward the end of cooking, when the stock has become integrated with the rice and is the consistency of oatmeal, season lightly with salt to taste.
Serve the congee with a sprinkling of soy sauce, spring onion and ginger and a few drops of sesame oil to taste.

Cook

Turnip Cakes

Complexity: Involves several steps and cooking methods.
Time: 75 minutes.

Ingredients

3 cups shredded daikon radish (you can shred with a food processor or hand grater)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons dried shrimp (optional)
1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), finely sliced
2 green onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups rice flour (don’t use glutinous rice flour - will make your dough gooey)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground white pepper

Materials

Square or rectangular baking dish with ½” - 1” depth (8” x 12” works well)
Large wok or deep roasting pan
Steaming rack or oven-safe plate or bowl

Directions

Put the shredded daikon radish in a pot. Cover with water (about 3 cups) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.
While the radish is cooking, heat some oil in a small saucepan. Add the shrimp, Chinese sausage, and green onions. Brown for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and add the cilantro.
Drain the radish, but don’t throw away the water. Put the radish in a large measuring cup and add the radish water to make 3 cups. Place in a large bowl. Add the rice flour, salt, sugar, and pepper. Mix well. Add the Chinese-sausage mixture and stir. Pour into baking dish.
Put 3 cups of water in the large wok or deep roasting pan. Place a steaming rack in the water, or place an oven-safe plate or bowl upside down over the wok or pan. Set the baking dish on top of the rack, keeping it slightly above the water.
Bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and steam for 30-35 minutes. Check water level during steaming and add more water as needed to keep pan from drying out. Once the turnip-cake batter has thickened to a Jell-O-like consistency, remove it and let it cool.
Cut the turnip cake into squares. Heat some oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the cake squares on both sides until they’re brown and crunchy. Enjoy!