Neil Perry contributes 2 recipes to our growing collection

Passionate about food and cooking from an early age, Neil is now widely regarded as one of Australia's greatest chefs. Since the opening in 1989 of Rockpool, his flagship restaurant in the heart of Sydney, his ventures have redefined Australian cooking: from Wockpool, Rockpool's younger Asian sister, to the café attached to Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art. Neil Perry has also pioneered restaurant-quality in-flight catering for Qantas - and continues to set the trends in modern Australian dining. Neil's restaurant, Rockpool, was recently awarded 3 hats in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, returning Rockpool to the ranks of NSW's five foremost restaurants. Wockpool was awarded 2 hats.

• WOK FRIED PRAWNS & SCALLOPS WITH BAMBOO
• WOK FRIED TOFU WITH BLACK FUNGHI AND WATER CHESTNUTS

More contributions by Nguyet Tran

• Traditional Vietnamese  Banh Lot

• Banh Lot Accompaniments 

WOK FRIED PRAWNS & SCALLOPS WITH BAMBOO

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 Lge green king prawns
• 4 scallops
• ½ tsp garlic, pounded
• ½ tsp ginger, pounded
• 3 shitake mushrooms, halved
• 6 slices fresh bamboo - cleaned, sliced and blanched in salted boiling water three times, re-fresh in cold water
• 1-2 Tblsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 Tblsp Boy brand yellow bean soy
• 1/2 tsp palm sugar
• 2 Tblsp chicken stock
• 8 Thai basil leaves

METHOD

• Heat a little vegetable oil in a wok until hot. Sear prawns and scallops until almost cooked through, remove from the oil.
• Clean the wok. Heat some more vegetable oil, add pounded garlic, ginger, shitake mushrooms and bamboo.
• De-glaze the wok with Shaoxing wine, add yellow bean soy, palm sugar and chicken stock.
• Add prawns and scallops back to the wok, and toss through Thai basil.

WOK FRIED TOFU WITH BLACK FUNGHI AND WATER CHESTNUTS

INGREDIENTS

• 1clove of garlic, pounded
• 1tsp ginger, peeled, pounded
• 2 Tblsp pickled mustard greens
• 4 water chestnuts, halved
• 1-2Tblsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 Tblsp Chinese black vinegar
• 1Tblsp oyster sauce
• ½tsp palm sugar
• 150ml water or chicken stock
• 1 packet silken tofu- cut into 2cm cubes
• 4 pieces fresh black funghi, torn
• 6 slices of Lebanese cucumber, sliced on the diagonal
• 1 Tblsp shallot rounds
• szechuan pepper, ground

METHOD

• Heat a little vegetable oil in a wok until hot. Add pounded garlic, ginger, pickled mustard greens and water chestnuts.
• De-glaze the wok with Shaoxing wine, add black vinegar, oyster sauce, palm sugar and water or stock.
• Place the silken tofu and black funghi in the wok and cover with a lid; simmer until the tofu is heated through.
• Carefully toss cucumber and shallot rounds through the dish sprinkle szechuan pepper on the top.

SERVES - 4 as a side dish

About Banh Lot

'Banh' means anything to do with flour or dough.  'Lot' means falling or fitting through a hole. So Banh Lot itself means little dough falling through holes. The mixture should have a consistency so that as the dough comes out it will break into little pieces instead of long string. 

Traditionally, Banh Lot has been made with some additives that are harmful for our bodies such as borax etc this chemical has been banned in Australia. I happen to know this chemical because one of my sisters is working in the medical field but I don't believe that the community knows about the ban. Who is going to check the product? Anyway all fish balls or some cakes may contain borax in it so I normally made those myself. 

There are at least two kinds of Banh Lot. 

• Banh Lot for sweet soup
• Banh Lot for cold or chilled desert
• and Banh Lot Accompaniments

Banh Lot for sweet soup (normally served warm or hot)

INGREDIENTS

• 300 grams of tapioca flour 

• 300 mil of water 

• 1 pinch of salt 

• 1 heap tablespoon of sugar 

METHOD

Pour 2/3 of the boiling water and using wooden spoon, test if a dough can be formed without sticking to the spoon.  If it's too dry then add a bit more water in, if too wet then add some extra flour in. Knead for 2 minutes then roll out the dough on a floured board and cut into 0.5 centimetre thick and 6 centimetre long strips. 

Boil 1 litre of water in a saucepan then place these strips in the boiling water for 2 minutes or until the strips float on the surface of the saucepan. Take them out and place them in a cold bucket of water. Drain well. By this stage it is ready to put in soup as condiment. The way to use it is very much the same way with tapioca pearls where any sweet soup that involves sugar and coconut milk can.

Banh Lot for cold or chilled desert

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of rice flour 
• 1/2 cup of tapioca flour 
• 1 pinch of salt 
• 1 heap tablespoon of sugar 
• 2 cups of water (or 1 cup or water and 1 cup of coconut milk). 

METHOD

Mix well then bring it to slow heat and stir until mixture pulls away from sides of pan to form a sticky mixture. Place the mixture in a container or a colander that has round holes (0.5 centimetre) sitting on a cold bucket of water,  press the mixture down the holes using a big spoon going left and right until all the mixture has gone through the holes to make little dough's called 'Banh Lot'. Drain the 'banh lot'  and they are ready to beused.

Banh lot can be served hot or cold.   To serve place 4 tablespoons of Banh Lot in a small bowl add 2 tablespoons of sugar syrup, a tablespoon  of shaved ice and 2 tablespoons of coconut sauce. More sugar or coconut sauce can be added if desired. 

Banh Lot Accompaniments

Dau do banh lot - Means a part from Banh Lot , sugar syrup, shaved iced and coconut sauce there are 2 more things: 1 table spoon of dau do (red bean) and 1 table spoon of mung bean paste. It is a very common desert in Vietnamese restaurant indeed.

Ingredients

• 1 can of coconut milk 
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 heap teaspoon of corn flour

mix well and bring it to the boil (slow heat) and leave it on the stove for 5 minutes. 

300 gr of sugar and 150 mls of water, bring to the boil (slow heat) for 5 minutes to dissolve it. 

Dau do (red bean)

INGREDIENTS

• 300gr of red bean soak overnight. 
• 1 little water. 
• 1 pinch of salt 

Method

Boil the beans in water with 1 pinch of salt for an hour in slow heat or until softens. To test whether beans are ready take one bean out and press using your fingers if you could flatten means they are ready. Drain well. 

Dau xanh (mung bean paste)

INGREDIENTS

• 300gr of shelled split mung bean soak overnight. 
• Some water for steaming 

Method

Steam the beans for 20 minutes until soften. To test whether beans are ready take one bean out and press using your fingers If you could flatten it means they are ready. Smash well. 

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