Threw easy fakeaway dishes for Chinese New Year – including 15 minute meal that only needs six ingredients

IT’S Chinese New Year on Wednesday January 29, and it’s the Year of the Snake.

This means a time for personal growth and a shedding of old habits, – and that means it’s time to shake things up in the kitchen, too.

Kwoklyn Wan is a real wok star in the fakeaway department, having grown up helping at his family’s Chinese takeaway (FYI, he’s the brother of fashion guru Gok Wan!) and going on to produce countless cookbooks.

His latest cookbook, Chinese Made Easy (£22, Quadrille) is out now, and is full of delicious, achievable dishes.

From classic faves like fried rice and moreish banana fritters, to steamed buns, curries and noodles, your chopsticks will be quivering in anticipation.

So, fire up the wok and get celebrating!

Sam Folan

Braised Black Pepper Beef

Serves 2
Prep time 5 minutes, plus 20 minutes marinating
Cooking time 1 1⁄2 – 2 hours

Ingredients:
*450g-500g beef brisket, cut into 2.5cm cubes
*2tbsp vegetable oil
*1 large onion, sliced
*3 cloves garlic, crushed
*1 green pepper, sliced
*1tbsp cornflour (mixed with 2tbsp water)

For the marinade:
*1⁄2tbsp fish sauce
*1⁄2tbsp ground black pepper, plus extra for dressing
*3tbsp oyster sauce

For the sauce:
*350ml beef stock
*1tbsp light soy sauce
*1⁄2tbsp dark soy sauce
*2tbsp Chinese rice wine
*1tbsp brown sugar

Method:
1 Add all the marinade ingredients to a bowl and spend 1 minute massaging them into the beef. This will help break down some of the muscle fibres, making the beef even more tender. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
2 Place a heavy saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the oil and the marinated beef. Once browned on all sides, remove the beef and set aside.
3 In the same pan, add the onion and cook until browned, then add the garlic and green pepper and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
4 Now add the ingredients for the sauce, de-glaze the bottom of the pan and return the browned beef to the pan. Once the sauce begins to come up to the boil, reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for 1.5 hours, or until the beef is super tender. (If your sauce begins to evaporate during this time, add more beef stock.)
5 To finish, give the cornflour mixture a stir and slowly pour it into the sauce, stirring at the same time. Once the sauce thickens, switch off the heat. Serve on top of steamed rice with a final sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

Sam Folan

Golden Egg-Glazed Rice Bowl

Serves 2
Prep time 2 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients:
*5 eggs
*3tbsp vegetable oil
*200ml cola
*1⁄2tbsp light soy sauce
*1⁄2tbsp dark soy sauce
*1tbsp oyster sauce
*350-400g cooked white long-grain rice
*5 spring onions, finely chopped (greens and whites separated)

Method:
1 Crack the eggs into a bowl.
2 Place a wok over a high heat, then add the oil and, once hot, add the eggs but do not stir them, as you want whole, crispy fried eggs. Once the eggs are crispy on one side, flip them over and cook until crispy and cooked all the way through. Reduce the heat if they are cooking too quickly.
3 Remove the cooked eggs and cut them into bite-sized pieces, then place half of the chopped eggs back into the wok over a medium-high heat, along with the cola, light and dark soy and oyster sauce. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the liquid has begun to reduce by a third. 4 Now add the cooked rice and mix well, then add the spring onion whites and stir. Continue to cook until the rice is piping hot. Switch off the heat, then add the remaining cooked eggs and fold them through the rice. Transfer to serving bowls and top with the spring onion greens.

Sam Folan

Banana Fritters

Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients:
*Groundnut oil for deep-frying
*260g self-raising flour
*1⁄2tsp bicarbonate of soda
*4 bananas, peeled and halved
*130g plain flour

To serve:
*6tbsp golden syrup
*4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Method:
1 Heat enough oil in a wok or deep-sided saucepan so you can deep- fry the bananas, to 170°C.
2 Sift the self-raising flour into a large bowl, add the bicarbonate of soda, then 360ml water, and mix to form a smooth batter.
3 Lightly dust the bananas in plain flour, then dip into the batter to coat and carefully drop into the oil.
4 Deep-fry for around 6-8 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
5 Divide between four plates, drizzle over the golden syrup and add a scoop of ice cream to serve.