Spring Onion Pancakes
Making the dough
Place the flour, a pinch of salt and hot (freshly boiled) water into your stand mixer bowl with the hook attachment. Combine at slow speed for 2 minutes. Stop the machine, scrape down your bowl with the spatula, then start again on medium speed and knead for about 6-8 minutes, until a soft dough has formed. If you don’t have a mixer, you can do this in a bowl, using some chopsticks to stir the ingredients, and then once all combined into a sticky dough, knead by hand for 6-8 minutes. Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Making the paste and the filling
In a small bowl, mix the flour, ground coriander, ground ginger, a pinch of salt and the sesame oil, to form a paste, and set aside. Then finely cut your spring onions (using both white and green parts), and set aside separately.
After resting
Portion the dough into 2 pieces, keeping one to use immediately and the other one wrapped back up in cling film while you work on the first piece.
CHEF'S TIP: if your dough is starting to come apart add a little oil in and knead it back together.Lightly flour your worktop, then start rolling the dough into a large circle, about the thickness of a pound coin. Spread 1 tbsp of the sesame oil paste onto the dough before sprinkling on a handful of spring onions evenly across the dough. Tightly roll the pancake to form a sausage shape, then roll it into a spiral (a snail like shape), before gently pressing and rolling it back out into the same initial thickness (one pound coin). Set aside and repeat with the second piece of dough. Set both aside and keep each pancake separate between sheets of baking paper.
Cooking the pancakes Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan large enough to fit the pancake to a high heat. Once at a high heat, cook each pancake for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve hot!
Coconut Rice
Start by washing the basmati rice: cover it with water and mix with your hand to remove any starch, drain and then repeat this 3-4 times until the water is running clear.
In a medium sized saucepan, fry 1 tbsp oil until hot and add the rice, frying it for a couple of minutes.
Add the coconut milk and water, bring to a gentle simmer, stir, add a little salt to season and then cover, place on a low heat and cook for 10-15 mins, scraping the bottom regularly to ensure it doesn’t stick.
Cook until all the liquid has disappeared.
While this is cooking, place a frying pan over a medium heat and fry off your desiccated coconut for about 4-6 minutes, to give it a nice toasted colour.
When ready, remove from the heat and move it onto a small bowl until ready to serve. Be careful it can burn quickly, so always keep an eye while on the stove.
Once the rice is done, serve in a bowl, scattering the desiccated coconut on the top.
Dim Sum
Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan, and when hot add the gyoza and cook until they form a crispy base at the bottom. Move them around to make sure they're not sticking.
Add a cup of water and finish cooking with the lid on, for about 2-3 minutes, until cooked through.
The dumplings and buns will need to be steamed.
Line a steam basket with some parchment paper (prick some holes on it, if not using the proper steam paper).
Place your buns on the steam basket, making sure they are not touching to avoid sticking: on the top layer of the steam basket place the vegetable dumplings, then close with the lid and place on top of a saucepan with hot water.
Steam for about 7-8 minutes until thoroughly cooked. If you don’t have a steam basket, you can use a regular steamer. If you don't have a double steamer, you can cook them in two batches.
Serve hot with some dim sum dipping sauce, chilli oil or dressing of your choice.
Carrot & Radish Salad
Add the rice vinegar, water, sugar, garlic powder and a pinch of salt to a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside Prep your vegetables by peeling the carrot, taking the top and bottom off.
Cut the carrot in half, then in half again lengthwise, and cut into thin slices. Stack all the slices on top of each other and chop into thin sticks.
Chop the ends of your radishes and then slice into thin rounds.
Add your carrots and radishes into your dressing and give it a good mix so that the liquid covers the vegetables evenly. Use your hands to mix together.
Place in the fridge until ready to use When ready to serve, scatter the sesame seeds
