Ching’s Chinese Food in Minutes. Ching-He Huang

ripe red tomatoes, sliced and any hard centres discarded

      1 litre/1³/₄ pints water

      1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder or stock powder

      40g/1¹/₂oz golden needles (dried lily flowers), pre-soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, then drained, or 75g/3oz tinned bamboo shoots

      1 tablespoon light soy sauce

      1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

      1 pinch of ground white pepper

      1 Heat a pan over a medium heat and add the groundnut oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the ginger and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the pork ribs and stir-fry for 2 minutes until browned. As the ribs start to turn brown, add the rice wine or sherry.

      2 Add the carrot, tomatoes and water and stir in the bouillon powder. Simmer, uncovered, on a medium heat for 10 minutes, skimming off any scum on the surface of the soup as necessary.

      3 Add the golden needles or bamboo shoots and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with the soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper and then serve immediately.

      Ching’s Tip

       Golden needles are also known as dried lily flowers and you can buy them from Chinese supermarkets or online. They impart an earthy sweet flavour and their stems provide a satisfying slightly crunchy texture. If you can’t get hold of them, use tinned bamboo shoots instead.

      READY TO EAT IN 20 MINUTE

      Prep time: 5 minutes, cook in: 15 minutes

      Crabmeat sweetcorn soup with black truffle

      Really quick and easy to make, this soup can be dished up in minutes and is the perfect weekday supper, served with a brown bread roll and butter.

      SERVES 4

      1 litre/1³/₄ pints water

      2 x 170g tins of crabmeat in brine

      2 x 200g tins of sweetcorn, drained

      1 large ripe red tomato, sliced

      2 eggs, beaten

      3 tablespoons light soy sauce

      1 tablespoon sesame oil

      2 tablespoons cornflour blended with 4 tablespoons cold water

      1 large spring onion, sliced

      sea salt and ground white pepper

      Chinese black truffle to serve (optional)

      1 Pour the water into a large pan and bring to the boil. Add the crabmeat, sweetcorn and tomato, turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes.

      2 Add the beaten eggs and stir gently to create a weblike pattern in the soup, as the egg whites and yolks start to cook. Season with the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and white pepper, adding more to taste as necessary. Bring to the boil, then stir in the blended cornflour to thicken the soup. Turn the heat down, sprinkle in the spring onion and simmer on a gentle heat until ready to serve.

      3 Ladle the soup into serving bowls, grate some black truffle over the top, if you like, and enjoy!

      Ching’s Tip

       You can dress this dish up to serve at a dinner party by adding fresh crab or lobster meat.

      READY TO EAT IN 15 MINUTES

      Prep time: 5 minutes, cook in: 10 minutes

      Shrimp, crabmeat, dofu & spinach soup

      Very quick, very simple, this is a delicious soup that is also very nutritious. Make sure you use a good-quality vegetable or fish stock.

      SERVES 2 AS A MAIN OR 4 AS A STARTER

      700ml/1 pint 3¹/₂fl oz fish stock or vegetable stock

      200g/7oz shrimps

      200g/7oz fresh firm dofu (bean curd), cut into 1cm/¹/₂ inch cubes

      1 x 170g tin of crabmeat in brine

      150g/5oz spinach

      1 egg, beaten

      1 tablespoon light soy sauce

      a dash of toasted sesame oil

      sea salt and ground white pepper

      1 spring onion, finely sliced to garnish

      1 Heat a pan, add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the shrimps, dofu and crabmeat and stir well, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.

      2 Add the spinach, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper and stir well. Garnish with the spring onion and serve.

      READY TO EAT IN 15 MINUTES

      Prep time: 5 minutes, cook in: 10 minutes

      Grandfather’s egg, mixed mushroom & celery broth

      This is one of my grandfather’s favourite soups—nourishing, comforting and healthy, it is also quick to make. The shiitake mushrooms impart a smoky, earthy flavour, but you can use any mushrooms you like.

      SERVES 4

      1 litre/1³/₄ pints water

      2 celery stalks, finely diced

      2 eggs, beaten

      1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder or stock powder

      60g/2¹/₂oz shiitake mushrooms

      125g/4oz mixed oyster mushrooms

      1 tablespoon light soy sauce

      a dash of toasted sesame oil

      sea salt and ground white pepper

      1 Pour the water into a pan and bring to the boil. Add the celery and cook for 2 minutes, then add the beaten eggs and stir gently to create a web-like pattern in the broth, as the egg whites and yolks start to cook.

      2 Turn the heat down to medium, add the bouillon powder and all the mushrooms and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Season to taste with the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and white pepper and serve immediately.

      Ching’s Tip

       For a slightly thicker soup, you can add some cornflour blended with water to the simmering broth at the end of the seasoning step, if you like.

      READY TO EAT IN 20 MINUTES

      Prep time: 15 minutes, cook in: 5 minutes (plus 10 minutes marinating)

      Yellow bean scallops & chives

      This is an elegant and easy starter to make. The key is to buy fresh, juicy scallops, they make all the difference to the texture and flavour.

      SERVES 2 AS A MAIN OR 4TO SHARE

      12 raw scallops on the shell

      1 tablespoon groundnut oil

      finely