Chinese treasures from Chef Jacky Yu

CEBU, Philippines - When the Resorts World Manila formally opened its doors to the public with a four-day celebration, it invited a guest chef to prepare the banquet for visiting VIPS, as well as local and international media.

The guest chef who cooked up a great feast for the celebration was no other than celebrity Chef Jacky Yu.

Chef Jacky Yu was an ex-graphic designer who wanted to cook for a living. Chef Yu, aside from being a celebrity TV chef, is also the author of three cookbooks and the owner of the Xi Yan restaurants in Hongkong and Singapore.

The gourmet multi-course dinner that Chef Yu prepared during the Resorts World Manila celebration included Mustard Greens in Salted Fish and Pickled Vegetables Fried Rice and Double-steamed Chicken Soup with Chinese pear and Bird’s Nest. The recipes of these dishes can be found in Chef Yu’s book Jacky Yu Food Life Attitude and today we are sharing them with you.

Mustard Greens in Salted Fish and Pickled Vegetables Fried Rice

Ingredients:

300g mustard greens

1 salted egg

2 thousand-year eggs

2 ½ cups chicken stock

6 sprigs coriander (with roots)

5 cloves garlic

Seasoning:

¾ tsp sugar

Salt

Ground white pepper

Method:

1. Rinse the mustard greens and cut into pieces. Steam the salted egg until done. Dice it. Finely chop 1 thousand-year egg. Put it into a blender and pour in the chicken stock. Blend until smooth. Dice the remaining thousand-year egg and set aside. Rinse the coriander well. Cut into short lengths. Set aside.

2. Heat some oil in a wok. Deep fry the garlic cloves until golden. Pour in the blended chicken stock. Bring to a boil and put in the mustard greens. Cook until done. Add coriander (with the roots). Add seasoning, diced salted egg and diced thousand-year egg. Stir well and cook briefly. Serve.

Double-steam Chicken Soup with Chinese pears and Bird’s Nest

Ingredients:

38g dried bird’s nest

1 chicken (skinned, about 1.2 kg)

600g lean pork (cut into chunks)

5 Ya-li pears (quartered and cored)

Sweet and bitter almonds

130g lotus seeds

3 candied dates

3 to 4 slices ginger

Seasoning:

Salt

Method:

1. Soak the bird’s nest in water for six to eight hours. Drain and rinse well. Break the bird’s nest down into strands and rinse off the impurities. Set aside.

2. Rinse the chicken and lean pork. Blanch them in boiling water. Put chicken, lean pork, Ya-li pears, almonds, lotus seeds, candied dates and ginger into a double-steamed pot. Fill the pot with water up to 80 percent full. Cover with cling film and put the lid on. Put the pot into a steamer. Bring the water to a boil. Then turn to medium heat and steam for 4 ½ hours.

3. Take the double-steamed pot out. Skim off the oil on the surface. Put in the bird’s nest. Cover with cling film and put the lid on. Steam for 30 more minutes. Season with salt and serve.