Ugly Duckling & the Swan - Recipes: Steamed Meat Cake and Salmon with Black Bean Sauce

In the food world, the story of the Ugly Duckling and the Swan is also often played out. There are just some dishes which do not stand up particularly well presentation-wise, but are nonetheless delicious. Take the Chinese steamed meat cake, which is a staple in most Chinese homes. Simple ingredients, clean in taste, it used to be one of the dishes I would ask for as a kid when I was sick. Unfortunately, it also happens to look...well, like a pale, diseased lump of clay. I promise you however that it tastes much better than it looks.

Ingredients:
500 g of minced pork, with a little fat
1 tbsp tung choy (preserved vegetable) or spring onion, minced
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsps sesame oil
2 tsps Shao Xing wine
Dash pepper
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp corn starch

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water

Combine minced pork with the seasoning ingredients and mix well with your hands. Press mixture into glass pie or steaming plate. Add in egg and pour in water to cover. Steam over high heat for about 10-15 minutes. Serve hot

And then you have dishes such as pan-fried salmon, with its lovely pink colour and crsip skin. Garnish it with a couple of springs of coriander and the whole thing looks pretty elegant and dinner-party ready. Seems rather unfair doesn't it, that some dishes are just "born beautiful" (haha), regardless of the chef.

I made a black bean garlic sauce to accompany the fish.

Ingredients:
Sesame oil to glaze
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsps minced spring onions
3 tsps sherry or Shao Xing wine
1 tbsp black bean garlic sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsps sugar
1/4 cup water

In the same pan used to fry your fish, drain off excess oil and drizzle sesame oil to glaze the pan. Stir fry ginger, garlic and spring onions until fragrant, add wine, black bean garlic sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Add water and boil for a couple of minutes until the sauce reaches the consistency you like. Serve over fish or on the side.