It's best to start soaking the mush­rooms the day before. Good dried mushrooms have large, thick caps that need time to hydrate fully, or else you will have a hard, dry part in the centre.

Chinese ham is heavily salted then air-dried, so it's dense and flavourful. For the stock, buy the cheaper scraps and bones, but for cooking with the abalone, pick a nice, tidy piece.

The third choice of this series on dried food looks at dried shiitake mushrooms. Its rich umami ... a restaurant in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Uehara offering Chinese home cooking. Midori Kasai is a ...

Soak the Chinese dried mushrooms in warm water to soften them (for 20 to 30 minutes). Squeeze any excess water out of the mushrooms and thinly slice. Finely slice the Chinese cabbage, white radish ...

By Ching-He Huang Celebrate Lunar New Year with steamed sea bass, wok-fried bacon lardons, chestnuts and dried mushrooms—symbolising unity, luck and abundance Prep: 15 mins Cook: 15 mins Easy ...