Top chef Neil Perry shares his at-home Chinese cooking class

Celebrity chef Neil Perry has offered a cooking class to teach amateur cooks how to recreate their own Chinese feast at home.

The 64-year-old shared his practical cooking tips and tricks on social media after he revealed he was flipping 200 burgers a day to keep his restaurants afloat amid Sydney’s ongoing Covid-19 lockdown. 

‘One of the things I love about Chinese cooking is it’s all about sharing, it’s about great flavours and hitting the table at the same time as steamed fish and side dishes,’ the restaurateur said.

‘You just graze away, you drink and you talk and you have fun. And it’s just one of the great ways to enjoy lots of different flavours.’

Celebrity chef Neil Perry (pictured) has offered his ultimate cooking class to teach amateur cooks how to recreate their own Chinese feast at home

Over the weekend, Perry revealed he's flipping 200 burgers a day and has been forced to mortgage his house to keep his restaurant empire afloat amid Sydney's ongoing Covid lockdown

Over the weekend, Perry revealed he’s flipping 200 burgers a day and has been forced to mortgage his house to keep his restaurant empire afloat amid Sydney’s ongoing Covid lockdown

Neil Perry’s go-to ingredients for Chinese cooking 

Star anise

Cinnamon stick

Yellow rock sugar

Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine) 

Sesame oil 

Two types of soy sauce – light and dark

Chinese dark vinegar

Chilli oil

When it comes to Chinese cooking, his go-to ingredients include star anise, cinnamon stick, yellow rock sugar, shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine), sesame oil, two types of soy sauce – light and dark, Chinese dark vinegar and chilli oil.

‘Yellow rock sugar helps with the colour and sweetness. Chinese cooking wine gives [dish] a warmth and a depth while sesame oil is flavour of the orient,’ he explained.

‘There’s two types of soy – light and dark. Dark soy is actually younger, more multi and a bit funky but sweeter because it has a dark caramel added to it. Soy sauce colour comes from caramel.’

For fresh ingredients, he uses ‘aromatics’ like spring onions, ginger and garlic.

To make the chicken salad, he poached a chicken breast in a pot of water with salt, shaoxing water, spring onions and garlic.

‘We put a whole breast in the poaching liquid, simmer it gently for 12 minutes, we turn it off, we let it sit for about 18 minutes, we take it out and end up with this beautiful chicken,’ he said.

The 64-year-old made five different Chinese-style dishes - including a steamed fish, 'stir-fried' lettuce, braised pork, chicken salad and a prawn salad

The 64-year-old made five different Chinese-style dishes – including a steamed fish, ‘stir-fried’ lettuce, braised pork, chicken salad and a prawn salad

His go-to ingredients include spring onions, sesame oil, salt and sugar for balancing flavours

His go-to ingredients include spring onions, sesame oil, salt and sugar for balancing flavours

Once cooked, he shredded the chicken into a bowl – and set aside. To make the dressing, he grated a ginger and a couple of cloves of garlic.

In a bowl, he added a tablespoon of sugar, two tablespoons of vinegar, two tablespoons of light soy, and 90g of chilli oil.

‘So we’ve got the ginger and garlic mixed up… we have some pretty big flavours in here – the sweetness from the sugar balances it out,’ Perry said.

‘Then you’ve got the vinegar, this is just cracking stuff, you’d love it. Then light soy, about the same amount as vinegar and chilli oil.

‘Don’t think of it as a Western salad dressing. This is a sauce, so we want this to be really saucy when it comes down on the plate. So when we’ve got rice, we’re throwing our dressing on the rice and the rice is a vehicle for all those great flavours.’

In a mixing bowl, he combined the shredded chicken and sauce until it’s coated.

Perry plated the dish, topped with raw sliced cucumbers.

‘The cucumbers are a really important part. You have this creamy chicken, a hot spicy dressing and then you’ve got this cucumbers that’s crunchy and fresh,’ he said.

‘The texture cucumbers add is just unbelievable.’

For the next dish, Perry used a deep plate to assemble the ginger and shallot fish so he could steam inside a steamer for 10 to 12 minutes

For the next dish, Perry used a deep plate to assemble the ginger and shallot fish so he could steam inside a steamer for 10 to 12 minutes

For the next dish, Perry used a deep plate to assemble the ginger and shallot fish so he could steam inside a steamer for 10 to 12 minutes. For those with an oven, Perry said you just steam it covered with foil at 180 degrees Celsius for 12 to 15 minutes.

He made a bed of Chinese cabbage wombok, followed with three cut up spring onions, a barramundi fillet, and topped with julienne spring onions and ginger.

Perry seasoned the dish with soy sauce, shaoxing, sesame and sugar. 

‘This is a fantastic technique for steaming fish. It is one of the greatest ways to have fish. It’s just phenomenal,’ he said.

‘We pour the soy sauce all over, sesame oil straight over, shaoxing wine – you can’t do ginger and shallows without Chinese cooking wine. And we sprinkle sugar over it – it just helps with the balance of saltiness.’

By steaming the fish in a deep plate, he said the flavours of the dish would stay ‘moist’ and home cooks can enjoy the flavoursome sauce with their rice.

After the fish has steamed, he topped the dish with two spoonfuls of hot peanut oil.

‘That’s fragrance, it’s amazing, it’s just the most beautiful flavouring,’ he said.

Perry also made a 'stir-fried lettuce' dish, which he insisted was his 'favourite vegetable in the world'. In a hot pan with peanut out, he sautéed the garlic, and added the roughly teared up lettuce leaves, shaoxing wine and sesame and a pinch of pepper

Perry also made a ‘stir-fried lettuce’ dish, which he insisted was his ‘favourite vegetable in the world’. In a hot pan with peanut out, he sautéed the garlic, and added the roughly teared up lettuce leaves, shaoxing wine and sesame and a pinch of pepper

Perry also made a ‘stir-fried lettuce’ dish, which he insisted was his ‘favourite vegetable in the world’.  

In a hot pan with peanut out, he sautéed the garlic, and added the roughly teared up lettuce leaves.

‘Give garlic a rough chop, throw it in a pan, shaoxing wine and sesame, tiny pinch of pepper and it’ll blow your mind,’ he said. 

Perry also served his dishes alongside braised pork and a fresh prawn salad.

Over the weekend, Perry told The Sydney Morning Herald’s Private Sydney he and his team have resorted to making 200 burgers a day and doing takeaway orders to keep his business afloat.

The restaurateur was due to open his new swanky eatery, Margaret, in Sydney’s Double Bay but was forced to postpone due to strict Covid restrictions.

‘I’ve mortgaged the house on this, though the bank has been pretty good… so far,’ he told the publication.

‘I had some pretty dark moments in the first few weeks but at least this way, we’ve got the team together, the music is playing and there is a sense we are moving… I’m just not sure where to though.’

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