6 large cabbage leaves 2 dried mushrooms 30 grams straw mushrooms 30 grams silver sprouts 3 water chestnuts 1/4 carrot a little dried fungus a little black moss Seasoning: 1/2 teaspoon rice wine 1/4 teaspoon salt Cornstarch Mixture: 40 ml water or liquid from the reconstituted mushrooms 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch Sauce: 40 ml water (or stock if desired) 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1/2 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce (available in Asian markets; it uses mushrooms instead of oysters) pepper to taste a few drops sesame oil 1 - 2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

Parboil cabbage leaves in the wok in boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes. This will help the filling stick to the cabbage. Move the leaves around with chopsticks so they will soften. Drain well. Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for between 20 - 30 minutes. Save the soaking liquid to use if desired. Cut off the stems. Soak the black fungus in warm water for at least 15 minutes. Rinse and trim the stems and cut off any stiff parts. Soak the hair moss in warm water for 20 minutes and drain well. Wash the water chestnuts and peel. Wash and scrape the carrot. Rinse the silver sprouts and the straw mushrooms. Shred all the ingredients. Mix together the seasoning ingredients, adding 2 tablespoons of the reconstituted mushroom liquid if desired. Prepare the cornstarch/water mixture and the sauce. Heat oil in wok. When oil is ready, add the mushrooms, fungus, hair moss and silver sprouts, carrots and water chestnut and stir-fry on high heat. Add the seasonings with the mushroom stock. Add the cornstarch/water mixture, and 1/2 of the sauce and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Divide the cooked filling into 6 portions. Lay out a cabbage leaf and place a portion of the filling on the end. (If necessary, cut off the stiff rib of the leaf and place a small piece of cabbage over to cover.) Roll up the cabbage tightly and trim off the ends if necessary. Continue with the remaining rolls. Steam the cabbage rolls on high heat for 5 minutes. Heat oil in wok and when ready, add the rest of the sauce. Heat and pour on top of the cabbage rolls. Serve hot.

Cut asparagus on the diagonal into 1-2 inch pieces. Blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain and set aside. Wash and slice mushrooms. Set aside. Mince the garlic. Rinse the black beans well. Mix garlic and beans together. Set aside. Mix together the rice vinegar, tamari, starch, sugar, and sake. Set aside. Fill a glass with water and set handy next to the stove. Put a skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, dump the garlic mixture into the pan. Stir fry for one minute, adding water as the mixture begins to stick -- add just a little at time. Add the asparagus and stir fry for 10 minutes (or until asparagus is just shy of being crisp-done), again adding water just as needed. Add mushrooms and stir fry for 2-5 more minutes. Add the vinegar mixture (giving it a last stir to make sure starch is well mixed), stir until evenly coated and sauce thickens. Serve immediately.

Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat wok or large skillet over high heat. Add oil and turn pan to coat bottom and sides. Add beef cubes. Stir fry for 2 minutes or until brown. Add vegetables and water. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add sauce and stir until well-blended. Reduce heat to medium. Cover pan and cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve while hot.

1. Place the bones and trimmings together with onion, carrot and chicken stock cube in 1200 ml (2 pints) water. Bring to boil and cook for 30 minutes. Strain and put aside. 2. Cut each fillet of sole in half by slicing lengthwise. Tie each fillet loosely into a knot and poach in stock until tender. 3. Cook the mushrooms in the oil until tender, add the prawns and stir for 2 minutes. 4. Add the dry white wine and lemon and take from the heat. Add the spinach and bring the stock again to boil. Add the rest of the ingredients 5. When ready to serve ladle the soup into bowl and top with bean sprouts.

Ask your fishmonger to gut and scale the fresh fish you select. Fish belonging to the snapper family is always delicious prepared this way. In a small bowl thoroughly mix honey, peanut oil, chili, ginger, lemon juice, sesame oil and soy sauce. Rinse the inside of the fish and pat it dry using a clean towel. Make five or six shallow crosscuts about 1 cm (1/3 in) deep on both sides of the fish. This helps it to cook evenly. Preheat oven to 400°F-200°F Brush fish all over with marinade. Place fish in a greased oven dish and cook in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Cover fish tail with a small piece of foil during the cooking if it starts browning too much. Carefully transfer fish with any pan juices to a serving dish and sprinkle with spring onion.

Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken cubes, mixing with chopsticks and adding the cornstarch last. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 - 20 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, mix together the dry sherry and light soy sauce and set aside. Heat the wok and add oil. When the oil is ready, add the chicken cubes and stir-fry on medium heat, stirring quickly to ensure that the chicken does not stick to the wok, until it turns white. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside. Clean the wok with a paper towel and add one tablespoon of oil. When the oil is ready, add the cashews and stir-fry them for about 1 minute. Add the chicken, and the sherry/soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry the dish for about another 2 minutes. If you don't like raw spring onions, you can add them to the dish at this time. Otherwise, remove the dish from wok, garnish with spring onions, and serve.

Cook noodles or pasta. Skin the chicken, cut into pieces. Wash broccoli and break into small stalks. Combine salt, browning, and sherry in a bowl, mix well. Heat oil in wok, add ginger, stir fry 1 minute. Add chicken, stir fry 1 minute. Add sauce mixture and broccoli, bring to boil, stirring, reduce heat, cover and simmer 3-4 minutes, adding more stock if necessary. Add nuts, serve on noodles or pasta.

In a wok or large flat skillet, heat enough oil to cover the bottom. Fry minced garlic (or garlic powder) with finely diced white part of onions for approximately 1 minute. Add grated cauliflower and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add soy, ginger, diced green onion tops, and pre-cooked cubed meat or baby shrimp. Stir to mix well and brown a bit. Push mixture to one side of pan. Add more oil if necessary and scramble eggs in empty side of pan until done but still moist. Stir eggs into "rice" mix and remove from heat.

In a 2-quart 2 litre microwave-safe casserole dish, combine green beans and broth granules. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, slice white bulbs of scallion into rings and mine garlic. In small bowl, combine ginger, soy sauce and SPLENDA. Add scallion rings and garlic. Set aside. Remove green beans from microwave and uncover. Pour sauce over beans and stir. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and sesame oil until sauce coats the beans and serves immediately.

1. Peel the aubergine if you hate the skin, or leave it on if you like the texture and think it looks pretty. Cut lengthways into oblong pieces about the size and length of 2 fingers side by side. 2. Boil 1 cm (1/2 inch) of water in a wide frying pan, then add the aubergine and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, until aubergines are softened to your satisfaction, and very little water remains (about 7 minutes for me). 3. Remove the aubergine to a bowl, then heat another 1cm water in the pan. Add garlic, ginger and hoisin sauce, then simmer briskly for 10 minutes, stirring and adding more water as needed. 4. Add the soy sauce and spring onions to the pan, then add the cooked aubergine, with a little more water if needed. Cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring to coat the aubergine with the sauce. 5. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes. Place in a bowl, mix in the marinade ingredients and marinate for about 30 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the green onions and garlic. Combine the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sherry and chili paste in a bowl and set aside. Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the marinated chicken. Stir-fry briefly on high heat, then add the garlic and green onion. Add the remaining ingredients and combine (total cooking time should be about 5 minutes). Serve hot with rice. Cook's Notes: I make Garlic Chicken at home as a main dish, so the ratio of meat is higher than many Chinese recipes. Sometimes I will even use 500 grams of chicken breasts, adjusting the seasonings slightly and stir-frying the chicken in two batches so as not to overcrowd the wok. I like to serve this dish with Stir-fried baby corn and rice, and perhaps a bit of green onion and fresh tomatoes for garnish.