Salted Radish Long Bean Salmon (菜脯豆角鮭魚, Coi3 Pou2 Dau6 Gok3 Gwai1 Jyu4)

This recipe was updated on 31 Mar 2015. The Cantonese translation for salted radish was added.

Although the amount of salted radish is small, it adds a major accent to this salmon dish. Salted radish is a preserved vegetable that can be purchased at your local Asian market in various forms, from whole, to pieces, to being shredded. Salted radish not only tastes salty, but there’s also a sweet crunchiness. The one thing that you need to do before cooking this dish is to taste how salty the radish is since it varies from brand to brand (as does the sweetness). Reduce the amount of salty radish used in the dish if it tastes too salty. So far I’ve found the brands from China are less salty than the brands from Thailand.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Salmon (鮭魚, gwai1 jyu4), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 lb.	500 g.	Long beans (豆角, dau6 gok3), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
2 oz.	60 g.	Mimao brand salted radish (菜脯, coi3 pou2) or equivalent, cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Dark soy sauce (老抽, lou5 cau1)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
½ Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
1 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan



Mimao Brand Salted Radish
(菜脯, coi³ pou²)

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare the salmon by removing any bones, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces.
2. Wash and cut the long beans into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
3. Cut the Mimao brand salted radish, or equivalent, into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. The saltiness of the radish will vary from brand to brand, so depending upon which brand you’re using, you may have to reduce the amount of salted radish. The only way to determine if the salted radish is too salty for your taste is to taste one before cooking. In general, the brands from China seem to be less salty than those from Thailand.
4. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
5. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces.
6. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the dark soy sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat and before adding oil. Add the salmon pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the salmon in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Set the salmon aside in a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the salted radish. Stir fry the salted radish and then remove them to the bowl with the salmon.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bowl with the ginger and garlic. Quickly stir fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant before adding more oil and then the long beans. Add some liquid (water, stock, or Shaoxing wine) to facilitate heat transfer and stir fry the long beans. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the salmon back into the wok and stir fry all the ingredients together.
4. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.