DINING WITH EMMA

I'm allergic to sesame but there is barely a recipe in a Chinese restaurant that doesn't include at least a half teaspoon of the seeds or its oil. For five years I've been craving Dim Sum, so I finally decided to make it myself. Without sesame of course!

Who told me to be so bold? Don't get me wrong, each dish turned out better than I'd hoped for, but the time it took to prepare was ridiculous, and I'm quick with a knife! No wonder the Chinese stay so slim. Anyone spending all day rushing around the kitchen would be trim!

Once the vegetables, stocks and fillings are chopped and made, the cooking part is easy, fast and fun. You will be left with a lot of food, so make sure you invite eight or 10 friends over to enjoy all your efforts.

If you do have an ice cream maker, sorbets and gelato are a light way to finish off your Eastern feast. Surprisingly, they take much less time than the rest of the menu!

Emma's Menu

Prawn crackers

Vegetable spring rolls with

plum sauce

Fried shrimp toasts

Shrimp wonton soup

Steamed salmon buns (similar

to char siu bao)

Stir fry fungi and Chinese

broccoli

Lychee sorbet

Green tea gelato

Plum Sauce

1 lb plums, quartered and

seeds removed

1 chili pepper, chopped

5 oz white sugar

4 fl oz rice vinegar

5 fl oz water

1 inch ginger, grated

METHOD

1 Place all ingredients in a pot, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes until plums are soft.

2 Whiz in a food processor until smooth.

3 Cool and serve with Spring Rolls.

Vegetable Spring Rolls

2 tbsps vegetable oil (more for frying)

12 scallions, cut into 1 inch sticks and shredded

4 large carrots, shredded

1/4 large bag of dried fungi, soaked in hot water and sliced

1 bunch Chinese greens, chopped

1 tin bamboo shoots, drained and sliced into thin sticks

2 tsps brown sugar

3 tbsps soy sauce

3 tbsps rice vinegar

1 pack frozen wonton skins (use for the wonton soup as well)

1 tbsp corn flour mixed with water to form a paste.

METHOD

1 Heat the oil in a wok, add the vegetables. Fry for 5 minutes.

2 Stir in the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and 1/2 cup water.

3 Cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are soft and flavourful. Add water if it dries out.

4 When the liquid has evaporated, remove from heat and cool.

5 Place the wonton skins on a clean surface, putting 1tsp of vegetable filling into the middle of each.

6 Roll the skins up, starting at a corner, and seal with corn flour paste.

7 Fold the ends over, sealing with more paste.

8 When ready to eat, fill a sauté pan to half with vegetable oil and heat until very hot. Oil is ready when bread sizzles in it.

9 Add the spring rolls, using a heat-proof spoon or tongs to turn them in the oil.

10 After a couple minutes, once the rolls are golden, remove from oil and place on paper towel.

11 Lightly sprinkle with salt. Serve on a platter with plum sauce.

Serves 8-10

Fried Shrimp Toasts

1 lb shrimps, peeled

1 egg white

4 scallions, chopped

1 inch ginger, chopped

Black pepper

2 tbsps rice vinegar

8-10 slices white bread, crusts removed and made into crumbs

Vegetable oil

METHOD

1 Whisk shrimps, egg white, scallions, ginger and black pepper in a food processor until smooth.

2 Lay the bread out on a baking sheet and spread the shrimp paste thickly, and evenly, over each piece.

3 Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

4 Half fill a sauté pan with vegetable oil, heat until very hot. Oil is ready when bread sizzles in it.

5 Add three slices of the shrimp bread to the hot oil and fry for two minutes, then turn with tongs and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes, until golden.

6 Remove and place on paper towel. Sprinkle with a little salt and cut into triangles.

7 Repeat with remaining bread. Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10