POOR MAN’S LOBSTER

A celebratory dish (when using lobster) that is always served at Chinese New Year, Christmas and weddings. Well, now you can have it whenever you fancy as the monkfish mimics the taste and texture of lobster tails perfectly, and the slippery glass (mung bean) noodles soak up the rich Cantonese flavours of the sauce.

SERVES 4

150g dried glass (mung bean) noodles

600g monkfish, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 egg white, beaten

100g cornflour

250ml vegetable oil 2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, peeled and sliced

1 onion, sliced

6 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths, whites and greens separated

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp chicken stock powder

250ml water

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp Chinese shaoxing rice wine 1½ tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp water

2 tsp sesame oil salt and white pepper

★ Place the noodles in a bowl and pour over boiling water to rehydrate. Once the noodles have softened, drain and set to one side.

★ Season the monkfish with a pinch each of salt and pepper and stir through the egg white. Dredge in the cornflour, then bang off any excess and set to one side.

★ Heat a wok over a medium-high heat, then add the vegetable oil. Once hot, carefully fry the coated monkfish until golden brown and cooked all the way through. This should take

2-3 minutes. Remove and place on a plate or wire rack lined with kitchen paper to drain.

★ Drain off excess oil from the wok and place, with any residual oil, back on the heat. Add the ginger and onion and fry until translucent, then add the spring onion whites and garlic and fry for a further 30 seconds. Add a pinch of white pepper, the sugar and chicken powder and mix well. Then add the water, oyster sauce, light soy sauce and spring onion greens.

★ Once hot, add the rice wine, then give the cornflour mixture a stir and slowly add to the wok, stirring constantly, to thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat and carefully stir in the monkfish and noodles. Finally, drizzle with the sesame oil and serve.