Char siu and scallop cheung fun mille-feuille

by Andrew Wong
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Makes at least 4 dim sum
2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

Char siu

  • 500g of iberico pluma
  • 5 tbsp of caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tbsp of Chu Hou sauce
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 5 tbsp of water
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp rosé wine
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp red food colouring
  • 1 tsp ground star anise

Scallop

  • 4 scallops, ideally hand-dived from the Isle of Mull
  • 1 knob of butter
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Cheung fun

  • 300g of rice flour
  • 206g of water chestnut flour
  • 37g of wheat starch flour
  • 37g of potato starch
  • 37g of cornflour
  • 750ml of iced water
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil

Pastry

  • 1 sheet of feuille de brick pastry
  • 100g of salted butter, melted

Sugar syrup

  • 250ml of water
  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 50g of maltose
  • 50g of honey
  • 7.5g of oyster sauce
  • 5ml of dark soy sauce

Dipping sauce

  • 1 tbsp of garlic, chopped
  • 3 tbsp of soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp of red rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp of caster sugar
  • 3 tbsp of chilli oil
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp of fermented chilli bean paste
  • 2 tbsp of water
  • 1 tbsp of wasabi tobiko

Method

1
For the char siu, mix all the ingredients together (apart from the iberico pluma). Trim any silverskin from the pork and use a spiked tenderiser to punch holes into the meat. Flatten the meat with a rolling pin until approximately 1cm thick, then place the pork in the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight
  • 5 tbsp of caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tbsp of Chu Hou sauce
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 5 tbsp of water
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp rosé wine
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp red food colouring
  • 1 tsp ground star anise
  • 500g of iberico pluma
2
The next day, prepare the cheung fun sheets. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl to form a batter, then cover and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
  • 300g of rice flour
  • 206g of water chestnut flour
  • 37g of wheat starch flour
  • 37g of potato starch
  • 37g of cornflour
  • 750ml of iced water
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
3
Prepare a flat, rimmed baking sheet or shallow baking tin which will fit inside your steamer oven, or a large steamer tray. Cut a sheet of baking paper so that it sits neatly within the sheet or tray. Pour the batter onto the paper so that it forms a 1mm-thick film over the paper (you may need to work in batches depending on how big your tray is)
4
Place the tray in a steam oven or a large steamer set to a medium heat and cook for just 1 minute, until the batter solidifies and resembles a thin film of pasta. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully peel the sheet off the baking paper and cut into 5x2.5cm rectangles. You will only need 2 pieces of cheung fun per portion, but any excess can be kept in the fridge and lasts for a long time
5
Preheat an oven to 250°C, or as high as it will go. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and brush liberally with the melted butter, then place the feuilles de brick pastry on top. Roll out until 1mm thick, then brush the top with the remaining butter and place another sheet of baking paper on top. Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the oven down to 180°C/gas mark 4
  • 100g of salted butter, melted
  • 1 sheet of feuille de brick pastry
6
Cut the pastry into 5x2.5cm rectangles, then store in an airtight container. You will need just 3 rectangles of pastry per portion for this recipe, but the rest will keep for a few days
7
Combine the ingredients for the sugar syrup in a pan and gently heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside
  • 250ml of water
  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 50g of maltose
  • 50g of honey
  • 7.5g of oyster sauce
  • 5ml of dark soy sauce
8
Take the pork out of the marinade and sear in a very hot pan until seared and slightly charred all over. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes or until cooked through, then transfer the meat to the sugar syrup, ensuring it is fully coated, and leave to sit for 1 hour
9
Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a pan and gently warm through. Keep warm until ready to serve
  • 1 tbsp of garlic, chopped
  • 3 tbsp of soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp of red rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp of caster sugar
  • 3 tbsp of chilli oil
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp of fermented chilli bean paste
  • 2 tbsp of water
  • 1 tbsp of wasabi tobiko
10
To cook the scallops, season them lightly with salt and pepper and add the butter to a frying pan over a high heat. Once the butter is foaming and golden brown, add the scallops and cook for around 2 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Set aside and cut into very thin discs
  • 4 scallops, ideally hand-dived from the Isle of Mull
  • 1 knob of butter
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
11
Drain the pork from the sugar syrup and cut into very thin slices. You are now ready to assemble the dish
12
Start with a layer of pastry on the base of each plate, then add 2 slices of scallop to completely cover the pastry. Top with a piece of pork, then a piece of cheung fun, followed by another piece of pastry, scallop, pork and cheung fun. Finish with a final piece of pastry and serve with the warm dipping sauce spooned around the dish