Shredded Potato Warm Salad

INGREDIENTS:

2 Potatoes (any waxy types will do)

4 stalks Celery

1 Carrot

SEASONING:

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

pinch of White Pepper

1 teaspoon White Sesame

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Peel the potatoes; cut them into sticks. Rinse them under running water to get rid of the starch.

2. Cut carrot and celery into sticks.

3. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato; blanch it for 5 minutes. Scoop it out and run it under the tap water to stop the cooking process.

4. Next, blanch the carrot and celery for 5 minutes. Drain well. Run the carrot and celery under running water to stop the cooking process.

5. In a large mixing bowl, add potato, carrot, and celery. Add the seasoning; mix well. Let it marinate for 10 minutes before serving.

Prawn Salad with Enoki and Tangerine

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen Prawns, deveined

2 Tangerines, peeled and divided

1 pack of Enoki, divided into small bunches

4 stalks Celery, cut into bite size

2 cups Baby Spinach

1 handful Hemp Seeds

DRESSING:

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Add about 2 tablespoons of salt.  Add prawns and blanch until they turn orange and curl up.  Drain the prawns quickly and remove the shells.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together until well combined.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the salad ingredients together.  Add the dressing and gently toss to combine.  Serve immediately.

Stir fried Squid with Celery

This is a classic dish in Hong Kong that you can find in a "cha chaan teng" or in homes. The celery should be bright green and crunchy, and the squid should be fresh and al dente.  Some people like to add cornstarch slurry to create some gloss and moistness for the dish.  My mom likes it simple as it is so I also adopted her version.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Celery, hard fibre removed and cut into 2 inches long

10 Baby squids

6 Garlic Cloves

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine

4 Ginger Slices

pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. To clean the squid, remove the head from the body by pulling the tentacles.  Remove the ink sac, beak and the transparent bone.  Rinse the squids.

2. Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil with the ginger slices.  Add squid.  Blanch until they just turn colour and the tentacles curl up.  Quickly remove them to a cold bath.  Set aside.

3. In a clean pan, add oil and garlic cloves.  Let them fry over high heat until fragrant.  Add celery; sauté for about 5 minutes or until it turns bright green.  Drizzle the cooking wine and add a pinch of sugar to flavour.  When the celery just starts to give, add the blanched squid and cook until the squid heats throughly.  Quickly transfer them onto a serving plate.