Free Chinese Recipes

Ingredients

• 675g/1 1/2lb leg of lamb
• 225g/1/2lb carrots
• 225g/1/2lb potatoes
• 2 medium onions
• 2 leeks
• 4 cloves garlic
• oil for deep-frying
• 4 slices root ginger
• 5ml/tsp peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 7ml/1/2 tbsp salt
• 37ml/2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 90ml/6 tbsp Chinese yellow wine or dry sherry
• 10ml/2 tsp sugar

Serve 6-8

** Free Chinese Recipes **

Method:

1. Cut the lamb into small, thin strips. Cut the carrots and potatoes into small, triangular wedge shaped pieces. Cut the onion into thin slices, and the leeks slantwise into small sections. Crush the garlic.

2. Heat the oil in the deep-fryer. Deep-fly the lamb pieces for 5 minutes and drain them. Deep-fry the potatoes and carrots for 5 minutes and drain.

3. Place the lamb pieces in a casserole. Add the onions, ginger, peppercorns, salt, soy sauce, sugar and half the wine. Pour in water until the solids are covered by 1 1/2 inches.

4. Bring to the boil and insert the casserole, covered, into a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F)/Gas 4 for 2 hours, turning the contents twice. Now add the carrots, potatoes and leeks.

5. Pour in the remainder of the Wine. Turn the contents over a few times. Return the casserole to the oven to cook at 200°C (100°F)/Gas 6 for a further 20 minutes.

6. Bring the casserole to the table and serve with steamed buns, or rice.

Note: The dish is named after Soo Tung-Po, a famous  poet of the Sung Dynasty, but whether he actually invented the dish is not authenticated-though there is no doubt that he did cook some similar dishes.