3 To finalize the dish, heat clarified butter in a saucepan. Add onion and stir-fry over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add ham and cook for 2 minutes. Add all the vegetables and herbs and season with salt and pepper, stirring to mix well and heat the vegetables through.
4 Transfer the ham and vegetables to 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 poached eggs, 2-3 tablespoons of the hollandaise sauce and a dollop of sweet sambal. Serve with toasted French bread, and garnish with a sprig of parsley, if desired.
Note: To make hollandaise by hand, simply pour the hot lemon mixture into the eggs while whisking continuously by hand. Repeat with the melted butter. To save time, you could make the sweet sambal a day or two in advance and refrigerate it until needed, or use purchased sambal. To make poached eggs, use an egg poacher or bring a skillet of water, with a few drops of vinegar added, to simmering point. Carefully crack open the eggs, a few at a time, into the water. Simmer very gently until set, about 2-3 minutes, then remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining eggs.
Chicken congee with Taiwan-style accompaniments
3 quarts (3 liters) light chicken stock
5 oz (150 g) chicken breast
1/2 cup (1 00 g) short-grain rice
2 tablespoons very finely sliced scallion (spring onion)
1 1/2 tablespoons very finely julienned young ginger
2 tablespoons crisp-fried garlic slices (see Note), or 1/3 oz (1 0 g) dried rice vermicelli, deep-fried until crisp
Liberal sprinkling of white pepper
Condiments
1 century egg, coarsely chopped
1 salted duck egg, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons canned salted cabbage, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons pickled radish (tang choy)
3 tablespoons canned braised peanuts
1 large red chili, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 squares fermented red bean curd, halved
1/2 cup (60 g) flaked canned dace fish with preserved black beans
Millions of Chinese around the world start the day with comforting congee or rice porridge, a simple gruel of rice and water eaten with various condiments. The Taiwanese version is more "soupy" than most types, and this recipe has more flavor, thanks to the chicken stock. Taiwanese congee is also distinguishable by the large range of often-salty accompaniments. It is not essential to serve all these, but the more you have, the more delicious the result. This congee is equally good as a light lunch.
1 Put the chicken stock and chicken breast in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer very gently until the chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken, cool, then shred.
2 Add the rice to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring. Partly cover the saucepan and simmer, stirring from time to time, until the rice has broken up and the stock reduced to a thick mixture, about 1 hour. Divide between 4 bowls, then add the shredded chicken, scallion, ginger, crisp-fried garlic, and pepper to each bowl.
3 While the rice is cooking, put as many of the condiments as desired in separate small bowls and serve with the hot congee for adding according to taste.
Note: To make crisp-fried garlic slices, fry sliced garlic in oil over medium heat until golden brown. Do not over-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Store in a dry, airtight jar to preserve their crispness. Most Asian stores sell cans of braised peanuts, salted cabbage, and dace with preserved black beans, plus jars of red bean curd; pickled radish is generally available in plastic packs.
Black rice pudding
1 1/2 cups (375 g) black glutinous rice, washed and drained
1/2 cup (125 g) white glutinous rice, washed and drained
3/4 cup (185 ml) thick coconut milk
Syrup
6 cups (1 1/2 liters) water
1/2 cup (125 g) sugar
2 tablespoons chopped palm sugar
1 pandan (screwpine) leaf, raked with a fork and tied, or pandan essence to taste
1 teaspoon salt
Served with deep-fried bananas with hazelnut filling and a cup of strong black coffee, this black rice pudding is an indulgent way to start the day.
1 Place both lots of rice in a bowl, add hot water to cover and leave to soak, 30 minutes. Drain. Line the rack of a steamer with a damp kitchen cloth. Spread the rice evenly on top and cover the steamer. Place the steamer over a wok of boiling water, adding boiling water every 10 minutes, and steam until the rice has swollen and is slightly soft, about 45 minutes. If liked, the steamed rice could be refrigerated overnight.
2 To make the syrup, put all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the steamed rice and simmer, stirring from time to time, until the rice is very soft and the mixture has reached a porridge-like consistency, about 1 hour. Add more water if required to stop the rice from becoming too dry. Remove the pandan leaf and serve warm with a jug of thick coconut milk for adding to taste.
Note: An alternative, and slightly easier, method to cook this dish is to omit the steaming altogether and to put the washed and drained rice in a pan with water to cover by about 1 1/4 in (3 cm). The rice is simmered until slightly soft, the syrup added to the pan and cooking continued until the right texture is achieved.
Deep-fried bananas with hazelnut filling
8 finger bananas, or 4 large bananas
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Hazelnut filling
2 tablespoons finely chopped palm sugar (or soft brown sugar)
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup (70 g) finely ground hazelnut meal, toasted in a dry pan
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Scant 1/2 cup (50 g) confectioners' (icing) sugar
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
Batter
1 cup (125 g) flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons superfine (caster) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
3/4-1 cup (185-250 ml) water
In this more sophisticated version of Balinese pisang godoh—bananas dipped in batter and deep-fried—you fill each banana with a sweet hazelnut-chocolate mixture before dipping it in batter and deep-frying it. You can use either sweet finger bananas or regular large bananas.
1 Prepare hazelnut filling by heating the palm sugar and water in a small saucepan, stirring. Simmer 2 minutes to reduce the volume to 2 tablespoons. Pour into a bowl and stir in all the other ingredients, mixing well. Set aside.
2 To prepare the batter, put all ingredients except water into a bowl, stirring to mix. Make a well in the center and stir in the water to make a thick batter. Set aside.
3 Peel each banana and make a deep lengthways cut in each. Spoon in about 2 teaspoons of the hazelnut mixture and gently squeeze the banana to close.
4 Heat oil in a wok. When very hot, dip each banana in batter to coat well, then carefully add to the oil. Deep-fry until the bananas are golden brown all over, 2-3 minutes. Drain