chinese feast
I've taken some of my favourite Chinese dishes here & adapted them to suit a budget!
A lot of the ingredients can be kept in your store cupboard & with some clever shopping this whole feast comes in at just under £10!!
The chicken wings can be as spicy as you like & you could even use fresh chiili if you're a real spice fiend!
The 5 Spice Pork is my simpler version of Yuk Sung, a favourite for sharing.
My absolute favourite though are the Sesame Prawn Toasts. They take a little effort but I think once you've tried them you will never get take away again!
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Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings
Sesame Prawn Toasts
5-Spice Pork & Lettuce Cups
sweet & spicy chicken wings
Serves 4 Approx 70p per person
Prep time 10 minutes Marinating time 3-4 hours (or overnight if possible)
Cooking time 35 minutes
Ingredients
8 chicken wings
3 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
50ml olive oil
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder (alternatively use a chopped fresh red chilli!)
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic crushed
Place the chicken wings into a shallow baking dish. Put all the other ingredients into a jug & mix together. Pour the mixture over the wings. Turn the wings over a few times to make sure they get well coated. Cover with cling film & place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight if possible.
Preheat the oven to 170 Fan/190C/Gas 5
Remove the wings from the fridge & transfer to a baking tray lined with foil.
Place the wings in the oven for 35 minutes until dark brown & crispy.
Transfer to a warmed serving dish with a lid. Keep in the warm oven with the Pork while you cook the prawn toasts.
5-spice pork & lettuce cups
Serves 4 Approx 68p per person
Prep time 5 minutes Cooking time 10 minutes
Ingredients
500g pork mince
½ bunch spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1tsp 5-spice
1 tbsp water
1 pack Little Gem lettuce
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the spring onions & cook until soft then add the mince.
When the mince is almost competely browned add the soy sauce, water & 5-spice. Stir well & cook for another 5-6 minutes.
Transfer to a warmed serving dish with a lid.
You can keep this in a warm oven while you cook the Prawn toasts if you like.
Separate the lettuce leaves & trim any rough stalks.
Serve the lettuce with the pork & let your guests fill them themselves.
sesame prawn toasts
Serves 4 Approx 92p per person
Prep time 20 mins Cooking time 8-10 minutes
Ingredients
250g prawns, defrosted if frozen
1 egg white
½ bunch spring onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch of salt
4 slices white bread, medium sliced works well
80g sesame seeds
sunflower oil for deep frying
Place the prawns, garlic, spring onions, ginger, salt & egg white into a food processor & blitz to a paste.
Put the sesame seeds onto a plate.
Cut the bread into quarters diagonally & spread each piece with the prawn mixture.
Take each piece of bread & place paste side down into the sesame seeds. Press gently to ensure they get a good coating.
Place them on a plate or tray while you do the rest.
Fill a large saucepan or wok with sunflower oil no more than halfway on a medium to high heat.
To check the oil is hot enough carefully put a small piece of bread in. If it sizzles & browns it's ready!
Using a slotted spoon VERY CAREFULLY lower the toasts into the oil. 3-4 at a time depending on the size of your pan/wok.
Allow to cook for about 40-50 seconds then CAREFULLY turn them & cook the other side for the same length of time. Lift out with your slotted spoon & place on some kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest.
Serve hot.
