While caring for Dad in his final months battling the Big C and spending the May half term this year with Mum, a disabled stroke survivor, I enjoyed moments with them shopping, meal planning, and cooking Cantonese dishes following their delicious home-cooking recipes.
In his heyday, Dad was head chef at a prestigious Chinese restaurant in Kensington & Chelsea frequented by Diana, Princess of Wales. Mum, the ever-loving homemaker, thrived in the kitchen and made the most delicious, memorable, and authentic Cantonese dishes.
Every evening, our family sat around the dinner table to a delectable spread comprising soup/broth (starter), rice with at least three separate meat and veg dishes (sharing main), and either fruit or Tong Sui dessert.
Surprisingly, I never learned to cook, although I am a real foodie, and love world food. It was only when Mum and Dad became dependent and needed care that I started experimenting so we could spend precious time together, eat well, and get our essential nutrients.
Here are some of our favourite dishes and recipes.
Family favourites
Spareribs steamed in a black bean sauce & crushed garlic, Shaoxing wine marinade
- wash & chop spareribs into bitesize pieces
- crush garlic and black beans before mixing in with ribs in a semi-shallow serving plate (this is necessary for steaming)
- gently season with salt & pepper, chicken powder, 2-3 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine, and mix well
- place the dish into a large pan of boiling water and steam for 25-30 mins
Slow-cooked Chayote with gently seasoned glass noodle vermicelli
- wash, peel, and slice Chayote
- crush 2-3 cloves of garlic
- first, cook garlic to release the aroma before adding the Chayote to tenderise on low heat for 40 mins, stirring occasionally
- wash a handful of vermicelli before adding to the Chayote and cook until soft (usually about 5-6 mins)
Hainanese Chicken with ginger, spring onion & coriander dip
- wash chicken and submerge it in a pan of boiling water
- bring to a boil and until chicken comes to the surface before turning the heat down to its lowest
- let cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on the size of the chicken
- chop a generous helping of spring onion & coriander. Grate a good chunk of ginger into a dipping plate
- mix all together and season with salt, then heat a small pan of oil until you see smoke rising gently
- carefully pour the oil into the dipping plate to sizzle-cook the ginger, spring onion & coriander
- let the chicken cool down once cooked through before chopping and presenting it neatly on a serving dish
Steamed salmon with a ginger & coriander garnish drizzled with soya sauce and sizzling hot oil
- clean and dry the salmon and place it into a shallow dish
- place as many slices of ginger as you like along the top of each salmon
- place in a pan of shallow boiling water and steam for 10-15 mins
- once cooked, garnish with chopped spring onion and coriander
- heat a small pan of oil until smoke rises gently, then carefully pour the oil over the ginger, spring onion & coriander to sizzle-cook everything
- lastly, drizzle soya sauce over the dish
One pot beef, onion & potato stew (or oxtail with added veggies like carrot and celery)
- to a large pan, brown chopped onion and minced garlic
- add stewing or brisket beef with salt and pepper and cook on a gentle heat until brown
- add chopped potato, carrots, and celery, followed by beef or chicken stock and a little more seasoning
- slow cook for 2-3 hours.
Pork & aubergine hot pot
- prepare ingredients by slicing pork into strips, cutting aubergine into chunky bitesize portions, and crushing 2-3 cloves of garlic
- slowly brown the garlic in a ceramic pot before adding pork, together with a pinch of salt and a dash of soya sauce. For a spicy dish, add 1-2 tbsp of Chilli Soya Bean Paste.
- add aubergine, a sprinkle of chicken powder, and 3/4 cup of water
- bring to boil and reduce to lowest heat on the hob, cover and allow to slow cook for 30 mins
- garnish with chopped red chilli pepper and spring onion before serving it sizzling in the pot
Mapo tofu
- follow the recipe for pork & aubergine (above) but swap out the pork with minced meat/beef/pork and the aubergine for tofu
- stir in green peas until hot before adding the red chilli pepper and spring onion to serve
Chicken & white fungus soup/broth with lotus seed, dried longan, dried red dates and goji berries
- prepare ingredients by washing the chicken and soaking the rest of the ingredients in separate bowls. Be liberal with the water for the Snow Fungus as these expand a lot!
- bring to boil water in a large pan and add the chicken. Scoop out all the froth that rises to the top until the broth is clear.
- drain and add the rest of the ingredients to the soup
- bring to a boil, reduce heat, scoop out any remaining froth, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours. Our family likes this served piping hot.
Chicken breast & wood ear mushrooms steamed in a ginger, soya sauce & Shaoxing wine marinade
- soak wood ear mushrooms about 30 minutes before booking
- wash and slice chicken into strips and marinade with soya sauce, Shaoxing wine, and a pinch of salt
- finely slice ginger into thin strips and add to the marinading chicken. Place into a shallow serving plate.
- drain the water from the wood ear mushrooms and add to the chicken, mix well
- place into a large pan of boiling water, cover, and steam for 30 mins
Next time, I’ll share some of our favourite Tong Sui desserts. From my favourite, Black Glutinous Rice dessert to my Mum’s, Sweet Beancurd soup, and various others including Black Sesame, Taro Sago (Tapioca) dessert soup, and a recent go-to of mine, Sweet Potato & Ginger tong sui.
Meanwhile, get in touch if you have recipes to share, questions, or just fancy a food chat!
