Fried ribs and mushrooms

Salt and pepper dishes! Probably the most internationally famous are the Cantonese sort of these, but they're a style that you can see throughout the country.

HOW TO MAKE THE SALT & PEPPER MIX

* Whole Sichuan peppercorns -or- white peppercorns, ~1/2 tbsp
* Salt, ~1/2 tsp
* MSG, 1/4 tsp

Over a medium-low flame, toast the peppercorns for about three minutes until fragrant (and if using Sichuan peppercorns, until the peppercorns have a slight oily sheen to them). Transfer to a mortar, pound into a powder. Pass the powder through a fine mesh sieve to catch the bits that aren't broken down enough - you should have about 1 tsp of powder in the end.

Toast the salt and also pound that into a powder. If your MSG is the sort that's larger crystals, also pound that into a powder as well.

The final ratio of the mix will be 1 tsp toasted and pounded peppercorns, 1/2 tsp toasted and pounded salt, and 1/4 tsp MSG.

SALT & PEPPER MUSHROOMS

This dish is originally a Sichuan dish, and goes great with the Sichuan peppercorn version of the salt & pepper mix.

* Oyster mushrooms, 500g
* To marinate: salt, 1/4 tsp; sugar, 1/2 tsp; soy sauce, 1/2 tsp
* Starch coating: cornstarch, ~3 tbsp and rice flour, ~3 tbsp (the rice flour can be subbed with additional cornstarch)
* Oil, for deep frying
* Salt & pepper seasoning from above (it should be ~1.75 tsp)

Wash your mushrooms, then blanch for about three minutes. Remove, let them cool down. Once they're cool enough to handle, squeeze out the liquid that's in the mushrooms. Pat dry. Mix with the ingredients from the marinade.

Immediately before frying, mix the mushrooms with the starch. Get a wok of oil up to ~180C (or until bubbles are rapidly forming around a pair of chopsticks), and drop the mushrooms in one by one. Fry until they've released their moisture and feel obviously 'hard' if you pulled a pair of chopsticks through them, ~7 minutes.

Remove the oil from the wok. Wipe with a paper towel. Over a medium-low flame, combine the mushrooms with the salt & pepper seasoning in the wok.

SALT & PEPPER RIBS

This dish is originally a Cantonese dish, and goes great with the white peppercorn version of the salt & pepper mix.

* Pork ribs, cut into ~2 inch sections, 1kg
* For the alkaline soak: sodium carbonate -or- kansui, 1 tsp; enough water to submerge the ribs
* To marinate: salt, 1/2 tbsp; soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp; liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine,1/2 tbsp
* Starch coating: cornstarch ~3 tbsp and rice flour ~3 tbsp (the rice flour can be subbed with additional cornstarch)
* Oil, for deep frying
* Garlic, 1 clove, minced
* Salt & pepper seasoning from above (it should be ~1.75 tsp)
* Optional: mild chilis -or- bell pepper, mix of green and red (for looks)

Soak the ribs with the alkaline solution for one hour. Then drain, and leave the ribs running under a trickle of running water for 5-10 minutes, jostling every so often.

Remove the ribs, and move to a towel/rag. An old t-shirt is perfect. Wrap the ribs and *really* make sure you've dried them out. I like to also pat dry with a paper towel for good measure. Transfer to a bowl, marinate the ribs.

Immediately before frying, coat the ribs with the starch. Fry the ribs at 145C for about 5 minutes, or until a chopstick can poke through. Remove, crank the temperature to ~195C, give a second fry for ~30 seconds.

Remove the oil, wipe down the wok. Medium low flame, fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the ribs, mix. Add the seasoning, mix. Add the optional chilis, mix.