Steamed Fish, egg custard and young pea pods

This evening we had a more traditional Chinese meal with white rice, steamed fish, salted duck egg custard and young pea pods.

The steamed fish was a large piece of ling. It is probably just as well ling comes as large pieces of white fleshed filleted fish because it looks something like a conger eel. The fish is very sweet (in the Chinese sense of the word) and has a texture much like crab and could even pass for the white flesh of scallops if appropriately cut. The ling was steamed with plenty of wood fungus and spring onions. Towards the end of cooking thin slices of ginger and leaves of coriander were added. Before serving it had a liberal sprinkling of sesame oil.

Young peas in the pod - not sugar peas - were fried in fresh garlic and oil. This is an uncomplicated dish and would work just as well with snow peas or with fresh young soy beans. We will try it with any young fresh beans.

The third dish was an egg custard made from regular eggs for the custard and salted duck eggs. I have been unable to find a recipe for this dish. The closest is at ChowHounds Home recipes but that is too complicated. For this dish cut up some salted duck eggs, mix up some regular hens eggs like an omellette, add pepper and salt then pour over the cut up duck egges and steam. Spring onions and other herbs can be added.

A sauce of red hot chillis finely sliced and covered in light soy sauce accompanied the dishes.