Ching’s Fast Food: 110 Quick and Healthy Chinese Favourites. Ching-He Huang

and July their new shell remains soft and delicate.

       PREP TIME: 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes for marinating COOK IN: 4 minutes SERVES: 2–4 to share

      4 frozen small soft-shell crabs, defrosted

      2 eggs, beaten

      200g (7oz) potato flour or cornflour

      600ml (1 pint) groundnut oil

      2 large pinches of sea salt

      2 large pinches of ground black pepper

      1 tsp of dried chilli flakes

      FOR THE MARINADE

      1 tbsp of groundnut oil

      1 tbsp of peeled and grated root ginger

      1 tsp of Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

      1 tsp of Chinese five-spice powder

      ¼ tsp of medium chilli powder

      1 tbsp of clear rice vinegar or cider vinegar

      TO GARNISH

      2 spring onions, finely sliced

      2 red chillies, deseeded (optional) and sliced

      1. To prepare a crab, first cut away the face (this can taste bitter), slicing behind the eyes. Next, lift the flap on the underside of the crab and cut this off. Loosen the top ‘shell’ of the body and lift it up to reveal the gills (plume-like filaments also known as ‘dead man’s fingers’ – there are eight on each side of the crab’s body). These are inedible and should be removed, along with any brown meat. Rinse the crab well and prepare the remaining crabs in the same way.

      2. Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then add the crabs, cover with cling film and leave to marinate for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, potato flour or cornflour and 2 tbsps of water to make a batter.

      3. Place a wok over a high heat and add the groundnut oil. Heat the oil to 180°C (350°F) or until a cube of bread dropped in turns golden brown in 15 seconds and floats to the surface.

      4. Remove the crabs from the marinade and drain. Dip the crabs in the batter and then gently lower into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Deep-fry for 3–4 minutes or until golden and then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Season with the salt, pepper and chilli flakes, then garnish with the spring onions and red chillies and serve immediately.

      Sweet and sour Wuxi ribs

      This dish originates from Wuxi in Zhejiang province. As this borders the neighbouring Shanghai municipality, it means that the dish can be found in many Shanghai restaurants too. The traditional way of preparing the ribs is to braise them slowly in stock for an hour, then add the sauce.

      PREP TIME: 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes for marinating COOK IN: 10 minutes SERVES: 2–4 to share

      600g (1lb 5oz) pork ribs, chopped into 3–4cm (1¼–1½ inch) pieces

      400ml (14fl oz) groundnut oil

      Sea salt and ground white pepper

      1 spring onion, finely sliced, to garnish

      FOR THE MARINADE

      2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

      2 tbsps of yellow bean sauce

      1 tbsp of Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

      FOR THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

      2 tbsps of light soy sauce

      2 tbsps of Chinkiang black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar

      1 tbsp of soft light brown sugar

      1 tbsp of runny honey

      1. Put all the ingredients for the marinade into a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the pork ribs and turn to coat, then cover the bowl with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.

      2. Place a wok over a high heat and add the groundnut oil. Heat the oil to 180°C (350°F) or until a cube of bread dropped in turns golden brown in 15 seconds and floats to the surface. Using a slotted spoon, carefully add the ribs and shallow-fry for 4–5 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Lift the ribs out of the wok and drain on kitchen paper.

      3. While the ribs are cooking, place all the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce in a small bowl and stir to combine.

      4. Drain the wok of oil and wipe it clean, then place back over a high heat. Add the ribs and sauce mixture to the wok and cook on a medium-to-low heat for 5–6 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to a sticky consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper, garnish with the spring onion and serve immediately.

      Crispy sweet chilli beef pancakes

      This is just like crispy duck pancakes but using beef instead of duck. The beef is coated in batter and then fried until crispy. To make a quick and easy sweet sauce, I have used a mixture of light soy, orange juice and shop-bought sweet chilli sauce.

       PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOK IN: 10 minutes SERVES: 2–4 to share

      300g (11oz) beef sirloin, fat removed, very finely sliced

      2 tbsps of cornflour

      600ml (1 pint) groundnut oil

      FOR THE FRUITY CHILLI SAUCE

      2 tbsps of light soy sauce

      2 tbsps of sweet chilli sauce

      Juice of 1 small orange

      TO SERVE

      2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

      ½ cucumber (unpeeled), cut into matchsticks

      2 spring onions, finely sliced lengthways

      12 small wheat-flour pancakes

      ALSO TRY

      If you like, you could turn this dish into crispy beef by adding fried beef pieces to the thickened sauce in the wok, tossing together and garnishing with orange zest.