METHOD

1. Soaking rice and mushrooms: Rinse glutinous rice 3 times with running water. Cover with water and soak for 2 hours, then strain. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 2 hours, strain mushrooms and reserve the mushroom liquid. Soak dried prawn in room temperature water for 15 minutes and strain.

2. Preparation of ingredients: Finely slice shallots, immerse in cooking oil, and begin process of frying over med-low heat, stirring every 5 minutes for a total cooking time of about 20 minutes. Once golden brown, strain from oil. Finely mince ginger, fine chop spring onions, slice of Chinese goose liver sausage.

3. Sauté clay pot rice ingredients: In a medium sized pot, heat the oil on medium heat and sauté drained mushrooms, minced ginger, chopped spring onions, dried prawns and sliced goose liver sausage for 3 minutes until aromatic. Add strained glutinous rice into the pot and sauté for another minute before removing from heat.

4. Steaming the clay pot rice: In a steamer or a rice cooker, combine the clay pot rice mix, crispy fried shallots, oyster sauce, dark soy and 300ml mushroom liquid. Stir well to combine, and steam for 20 minutes. Fluff once with a fork, then keep warm for 10 minutes. Place remainder of goose liver sausage whole, into rice cooker to cook during this period.

5. Garnish: Whilst the rice is cooking, prepare your garnish. Finely slice remainder of spring onions. Combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan over medium heat. Chop garlic shoots into 3cm-lengths before adding to pickling liquid when it comes to a simmer. Remove from heat for 5 minutes, before straining. Char garlic shoots with blowtorch or blister in a hot frying pan to colour them.

SERVING

Slice the goose liver sausage and layer over glutinous rice. Garnish with spring onions, coriander leaf and charred garlic shoots, and serve with a glass of Wolf Blass Gold Label Cabernet Sauvignon.

METHOD

Prepare the braised beef cheeks

1. Mash the fermented bean curd in a bowl, then stir in the soybean paste, soy sauce, brown sugar, Shaoxing wine and water, until smooth.

2. In a large pot, heat up the sesame oil over a medium heat. Sauté the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Pour in the prepared sauce. Add the beef cheeks, and pour in more water if necessary, to cover the beef cheek cubes just over halfway. 

3. Bring the stew to a boil. Then cover the pot and simmer very gently for 2-3 hours, until the beef cheeks are tender, and a fork can easily flake the meat apart. When the braised beef cheeks are ready, press down on the cubes of meat and gently shred for a thicker sauce consistency. 

 Prepare the Hakka Abacus

1. Steam the sliced yam for 20-25 minutes, until very soft. Place in a large bowl, and mash until smooth.

2. Add the tapioca starch, rice flour, sugar, and salt, and stir to combine roughly. Pour in the hot water bit by bit, until you have a dough that holds together but isn’t too soft. It shouldn’t be sticky. Use as much water as is needed and stop when the dough has come together smoothly.

3. Pluck off a small ball of dough and roll it into a smooth sphere. Then using your thumb and forefinger, pinch down to create dimples on the top and bottom of each bead. Set aside under a damp cloth to prevent drying out. Repeat with the remaining dough.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Drop the abacus in and boil them until they have floated at the surface of the water for 20 seconds. Remove the abacus, and rinse under cold water. Toss with vegetable oil to prevent sticking before setting them aside. 

SERVING

Prepare your final dish by adding the abacus seeds to the braised beef cheek sauce. Cook the abacus seeds over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. The abacus will absorb some of the sauce, so add more water if needed. Proceed to put together your herb salad by chopping the Chinese celery and coriander leaves. Grate the mandarin zest onto the herbs and toss it all together with the sliced red onion. Finally, juice the mandarin over the herb salad to bring it all together.  

Combine the Hakka Abacus and braised beef cheek with the herb salad and serve with a glass of Wolf Blass Gold Label Cabernet Sauvignon.