Pork Satay

• 600g pork leg steak or diced pork, fat trimmed
• 1 large cucumber
• 1 tspn salt

MARINADE

• 10cm piece lemon grass root
• 8 shallots
• 1 tblspn ground coriander
• 1 tspn ground cumin
• 3/4 tspn turmeric
• 1 tspn salt
• 1/2 tspn black pepper
• 2 tspn brown sugar
• 1 tblspn smooth no added salt peanut butter
• 2 tblspn vegetable oil
  

SATAY SAUCE

• 1/2 cup smooth no added salt peanut butter
• 1 fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2.5cm piece lemon grass, chopped
• 1 tblspn polyunsaturated oil
• 2 tblspn salt-reduced soy sauce 2 tblspn brown sugar
• 1 tspn lemon juice I cup coconut milk salt

Cut the pork into bite-size pieces. Peel the cucumber and rub with salt. Set aside.
Pound the lemon grass with shallots to a paste and add the marinade spices, brown sugar; peanut butter and vegetable oil. Rub into the meat and thread onto bamboo skewers. Place in a dish, cover and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.
To make the satay sauce: Blend the peanut butter with a little water Pound the chilli, spring onions, garlic and lemon grass together and fry in the oil until fragrant. Add the peanut butter and the soy sauce, brown sugar; lemon juice and coconut milk. Season to taste and heat through.
Grill satays over a barbecue or under the griller approximately 10-15 minutes, turning often, basting with any remaining marinade. Rinse the cucumber and cut into bite-size pieces. Serve the hot satays on a warmed platter with the cucumber and sauce.
Preparation 20 mins., Cooking Time 15 mins.
Serves 6-8

Pork Plum Kebabs

• 250g pork leg steak
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt-reduced soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon plum jam
• dash of five spice powder
• 4 fresh purple plums
• 1onion, peeled

Slice steak into bite-size pieces and combine with vinegar; soy sauce, jam and spice. Leave to marinate for 2 hours. Cut unpeeled plums in half and remove seeds. Cut each half into 4 thick slices. Quarter
the onion and separate into leaves. Alternate meat cubes with onion and plum slices on skewers.
Grill or barbecue for about 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally and brushing with the marinade, until meat is cooked.
Preparation 15 mins., Cooking Time, 10-15 mins.
Serves 2

Steamed Prawns With Ginger And Soy Sauce

Fresh green harbor prawns are best for this dish.

• 1 bunch fresh coriander
• 5cm piece fresh green ginger
• 2 tablespoons each sesame and vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced spring
• onions
• Light soy sauce or 1 teaspoon salt, to flavor
• 1kg small prawns
• Salt

Wash the coriander thoroughly and cut the roots and stems off, chopping them roughly. Reserve the coriander leaves. Pour 2cm of water in a pan and add the chopped coriander stems. Simmer gently while preparing sauce. Peel and shred the green ginger into very fine slivers. Heat oils almost to smoking point. Remove from heat and add ginger and spring onions. Add salt, if using. Leave to cool 15 minutes and stir in the soy sauce. Pour into several small bowls for serving.
Line one large or several small steamer baskets with coriander leaves and place the prawns in one layer on top. Season with a little salt and cover with more coriander leaves.
Cover with the lid and set to steam over the coriander water over a high heat for 5 minutes or until the prawns turn pink. Remove from heat and transfer to serving platter.
Set prawns on the table for guests to help themselves, shelling the prawns and dipping into the sauce as they like.

Steamed Scallops With Ginger And Spring Onions

• 12 scallops, in shells
• 6-8 spring onions
• 6 slices fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup coriander sprigs
• Extra sprigs of coriander
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Arrange scallops on a rack in a steamer (a large bamboo steamer is ideal, or use a cake rack in a wok with a lid which will fit). Shred spring onions and ginger into thin matchsticks and scatter half over the scallops, reserving the rest for garnish. Cover well with foil or lid and cook gently over a moderate heat until cooked (about 5 minutes). Remove scallops to heated serving dish and garnish with reserved spring onions, ginger and coriander. Sprinkle with soy sauce. Heat peanut and sesame oils in a small saucepan, pour over scallops and serve immediately (if the oil is hot enough there should be lots of sizzling as the garnish half-cooks). Serve immediately.

Steamed Fish Fillets With Ginger And Sesame Oil

• 500g firm white fish fillets
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2cm piece green ginger, cut into thin strips
  
• 2 spring onions, cut into matchstick strips
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1-2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Arrange the fish fillets in one layer in a microwave cooking dish and cover loosely with plastic or microwave wrap. Cook in the microwave on high for three min­utes or until just cooked. Remove from the microwave and keep covered while preparing sauce.
In a small dish heat the vege­table oil and, when very hot, add the ginger and spring onions. Re­move from the microwave and add the sesame oil and soy sauce. Arrange the fish fillets on heated serving plates and spoon over the ginger sauce. Serves 2-4.