Hakka Abacus Seeds

Name: Hakka Abacus Seeds
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 300 g Yam; 120 g Tapioca Flour; 1 tsp Salt; 1/4 cup Boiling Water; 200 g Pork Belly; 1 Tbsp Corn Flour; 1 tsp Sesame Oil; 1 tsp Salt; White Pepper; 100 g Fresh Black Fungus; 80 g Bean Sprouts; 3 Garlic Cloves; 2 stalks Spring Onion; 1 Red Onion; 2 Tbsp Dried Shrimp; 2 Tbsp Shao Xing Wine; 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce; 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce; 1/2 tsp Chicken Stock Powder; Black Pepper; Chilli; Spring Onion; Crispy Shallots

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Level

moderate

Cooking

60 min

Preparation

50 min

Ingredients

Servings

Yam Dough
Yam cut into 2 cm cubes	300 g
Tapioca Flour	120 g
Salt to taste	1 tsp
Boiling Water	¹⁄₄ cup
Pork Belly Marinade
Pork Belly cut into bite-sized cubes	200 g
Corn Flour	1 tbsp
Sesame Oil	1 tsp
Salt	1 tsp
White Pepper
Stir Fry
Fresh Black Fungus bite-sized	100 g
Bean Sprouts	80 g
Garlic Cloves minced	3
Spring Onion cut into 3 cm strips	2 stalks
Red Onion medium sized, diced	1
Dried Shrimp washed and chopped	2 tbsp
Shao Xing Wine	2 tbsp
Dark Soy Sauce	2 tbsp
Soy Sauce	2 tbsp
Oyster Sauce	1 tbsp
Chicken Stock Powder	¹⁄₂ tsp
Black Pepper to taste
Garnish
Chilli
Spring Onion
Crispy Shallots

How to cook

Marinate the pork belly

Combine pork belly, corn flour, sesame oil, salt and white pepper in a bowl then set aside to marinate.

Prepare the yam dough

Steam the yam for 25-30 minutes until very soft.
Working quickly while still hot, mash the yam into a paste then mix in the tapioca flour and salt.
Add the boiling water 1 tablespoon at a time and knead it until the dough comes together - add more water or flour if needed.
The dough should not be sticky or have streaks of flour when it is ready.

Prepare the abacus

Portion the yam dough into 5g pieces and roll them into balls.
Make the signature indent by pressing the center of the ball with your thumb or index finger.
Heat a pot of water over medium heat until boiling and prepare a cold water bath to cool the cooked abacus.
Cook the abacus in boiling water until they float to top then cool them in the cold water bath to prevent the further cooking as we will still stir fry them.

Start cooking

In a wok over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil.
Pan fry the marinated pork belly until brown and crisp on both sides then set it aside.
In the same pan fry onion, garlic and dried shrimp until the onion turns translucent and fragrant (about 45 seconds).
Deglaze the pan with Shao Xing wine.
Add the drained abacus and pork belly back into the pan and stir fry with dark soy sauce, soy sauce, pepper and oyster sauce.
Remove from heat then add in bean sprouts, black fungus and spring onion - mix to combine, letting the residual heat wilt the vegetables.
Garnish with additional spring onion, crispy shallot and chilli if desired.