< PreviousBAO Noodle ShopBAO Noodle Shop12 13 XIAO CHI – BAO SOHO 小吃 一 包蘇活店 Using good-quality scallops is essential for this dish. We source ours from Henderson Seafood, who provide us with hand-dived scallops picked from the seabed off the Isle of Mull or Brixham, Devon. Eating scallops in the shell like this brings back memories of eating my mother-in-law’s classic Cantonese steamed scallop topped with garlic and vermicelli noodles. The best bit was always slurping the scallop juice mixed with the dressing from the shell while trying to scoop up the last bits of vermicelli. When we first opened BAO Soho, lonely diners would come in and order one scallop, slurp it up, then order another straight away. Yellow bean garlic Rinse the chopped garlic in a fine-mesh sieve, then dry on paper towels and leave it to air for a few hours (this removes the bitterness from the garlic). Put the oil and garlic into a small saucepan and cook gently over a very low heat for 15–20 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and cooked. You want to see small bubbles rising from around the garlic, but you don’t want it to brown or fry (it is similar to making confit garlic). Remove the garlic from the heat, then while still hot, stir in the yellow bean paste, salt and sugar. There will be more yellow bean garlic than is needed for this recipe, but it can be stored in a sterilized glass jar (see page 89) in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Scallop dressing Put all the ingredients into a bowl or jar and mix together with 250 ml water. There will be more dressing than is needed for this recipe, but it can be stored in a sterilized glass jar (see page 89) in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Nori powder Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Put the nori sheets onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until completely dry, then tear into smaller pieces. Put into a blender and blend at high speed to a powder. There will be more nori powder than is needed for this recipe, but it can be stored in a sterilized glass jar (see page 89) for up to 1 week. To assemble Delicately remove the scallops from their shells by lifting each one with your thumb and running a knife through the muscle to release it, being careful not to cut the surface of the scallop itself. Let the scallops come to room temperature before cooking. Keep the shells to serve – wash them thoroughly and then put them into the oven at 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3 for 15 minutes until they dry out. Salt both sides of the scallops. Heat a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat until it is quite hot. Pour a small circle of oil into the centre of the pan and lay the scallops in the oil with the orange coral facing away from you. Pan-fry for 1–2 minutes until the surface is brown and starting to char, then flip them over and cook for another 30 seconds until there is a nice bounce when you touch them. Remove from the pan. Put the cooked scallops back into their shells and pour in some of the dressing until the shell is one-third full. Put ½ teaspoon of the yellow bean garlic on top of each scallop and dust the scallop through to the edge of the shell with the nori powder. To eat, lift the scallop shell up to your lips and slurp the scallop down with all the dressing, then exhale with satisfaction. Serves 4 4 scallops in their shell vegetable oil, for pan-frying salt For the yellow bean garlic: 75 g garlic, finely chopped 50 ml rapeseed (canola) oil 1 tablespoon yellow bean paste 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar For the scallop dressing: 120 ml Sichuan Chilli Oil (see page 229), strained 80 ml light soy sauce 32 ml Chinkiang black rice vinegar 35 ml lemon juice 1½ teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar For the nori powder: 2 sheets nori seaweed Scallops with Yellow Bean Garlic S Tip Yellow bean garlic goes well with so many dishes, so make more if you like. If kept in oil, it will keep for up to 1 month. We often make six times the quantity given here to keep on hand for eating with stir-fried vegetables.12 13 XIAO CHI – BAO SOHO 小吃 一 包蘇活店 Using good-quality scallops is essential for this dish. We source ours from Henderson Seafood, who provide us with hand-dived scallops picked from the seabed off the Isle of Mull or Brixham, Devon. Eating scallops in the shell like this brings back memories of eating my mother-in-law’s classic Cantonese steamed scallop topped with garlic and vermicelli noodles. The best bit was always slurping the scallop juice mixed with the dressing from the shell while trying to scoop up the last bits of vermicelli. When we first opened BAO Soho, lonely diners would come in and order one scallop, slurp it up, then order another straight away. Yellow bean garlic Rinse the chopped garlic in a fine-mesh sieve, then dry on paper towels and leave it to air for a few hours (this removes the bitterness from the garlic). Put the oil and garlic into a small saucepan and cook gently over a very low heat for 15–20 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and cooked. You want to see small bubbles rising from around the garlic, but you don’t want it to brown or fry (it is similar to making confit garlic). Remove the garlic from the heat, then while still hot, stir in the yellow bean paste, salt and sugar. There will be more yellow bean garlic than is needed for this recipe, but it can be stored in a sterilized glass jar (see page 89) in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Scallop dressing Put all the ingredients into a bowl or jar and mix together with 250 ml water. There will be more dressing than is needed for this recipe, but it can be stored in a sterilized glass jar (see page 89) in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Nori powder Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Put the nori sheets onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until completely dry, then tear into smaller pieces. Put into a blender and blend at high speed to a powder. There will be more nori powder than is needed for this recipe, but it can be stored in a sterilized glass jar (see page 89) for up to 1 week. To assemble Delicately remove the scallops from their shells by lifting each one with your thumb and running a knife through the muscle to release it, being careful not to cut the surface of the scallop itself. Let the scallops come to room temperature before cooking. Keep the shells to serve – wash them thoroughly and then put them into the oven at 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3 for 15 minutes until they dry out. Salt both sides of the scallops. Heat a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat until it is quite hot. Pour a small circle of oil into the centre of the pan and lay the scallops in the oil with the orange coral facing away from you. Pan-fry for 1–2 minutes until the surface is brown and starting to char, then flip them over and cook for another 30 seconds until there is a nice bounce when you touch them. Remove from the pan. Put the cooked scallops back into their shells and pour in some of the dressing until the shell is one-third full. Put ½ teaspoon of the yellow bean garlic on top of each scallop and dust the scallop through to the edge of the shell with the nori powder. To eat, lift the scallop shell up to your lips and slurp the scallop down with all the dressing, then exhale with satisfaction. Serves 4 4 scallops in their shell vegetable oil, for pan-frying salt For the yellow bean garlic: 75 g garlic, finely chopped 50 ml rapeseed (canola) oil 1 tablespoon yellow bean paste 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar For the scallop dressing: 120 ml Sichuan Chilli Oil (see page 229), strained 80 ml light soy sauce 32 ml Chinkiang black rice vinegar 35 ml lemon juice 1½ teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar For the nori powder: 2 sheets nori seaweed Scallops with Yellow Bean Garlic S Tip Yellow bean garlic goes well with so many dishes, so make more if you like. If kept in oil, it will keep for up to 1 month. We often make six times the quantity given here to keep on hand for eating with stir-fried vegetables.14 15 BAO DRINKS 包飲品 Sweet Potato Sour This was created with Mr Lyan, Ryan Chetiyawardana, the cocktail bartender and owner of bars Super Lyan, Lyaness and Seed Library, and it is now a BAO classic. The shape of Taiwan is sometimes likened to the shape of a sweet potato, and that was where the idea came from for this cocktail. The sweet potato gives the cocktail a rich mouthfeel, while the flavour of the sweet potato is quite mild. We recommend using a Vitamix or Thermomix to make an extra-smooth sweet potato purée. Sweet potato purée Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the sweet potato and cook for about 12 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, make a sugar syrup. Combine the sugar with 20 ml water in a small saucepan and heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Drain the sweet potato, then transfer to a blender, add the sugar syrup and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, then chill the purée in the refrigerator until cool. Sweet potato pre-mix Combine all the ingredients in a measuring jug (large measuring cup) and mix well. To assemble Put 70 ml of the sweet potato purée, 110 ml of the sweet potato pre-mix, the lemon juice and egg white into a cocktail shaker and shake well to mix. Take off the lid, fill with ice cubes, put the lid back on and shake again. Fill 2 rocks glasses with ice, then strain the cocktail through a cocktail strainer and a fine-mesh sieve into the glasses. Serves 2 For the sweet potato purée: 70 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes 25 g caster (superfine) sugar For the sweet potato pre-mix: 75 ml dry gin 15 ml apricot liqueur 15 ml chestnut liqueur To serve: 30 ml lemon juice 30 ml egg white ice cubes, as needed 14 15 BAO DRINKS 包飲品 Sweet Potato Sour This was created with Mr Lyan, Ryan Chetiyawardana, the cocktail bartender and owner of bars Super Lyan, Lyaness and Seed Library, and it is now a BAO classic. The shape of Taiwan is sometimes likened to the shape of a sweet potato, and that was where the idea came from for this cocktail. The sweet potato gives the cocktail a rich mouthfeel, while the flavour of the sweet potato is quite mild. We recommend using a Vitamix or Thermomix to make an extra-smooth sweet potato purée. Sweet potato purée Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the sweet potato and cook for about 12 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, make a sugar syrup. Combine the sugar with 20 ml water in a small saucepan and heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Drain the sweet potato, then transfer to a blender, add the sugar syrup and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, then chill the purée in the refrigerator until cool. Sweet potato pre-mix Combine all the ingredients in a measuring jug (large measuring cup) and mix well. To assemble Put 70 ml of the sweet potato purée, 110 ml of the sweet potato pre-mix, the lemon juice and egg white into a cocktail shaker and shake well to mix. Take off the lid, fill with ice cubes, put the lid back on and shake again. Fill 2 rocks glasses with ice, then strain the cocktail through a cocktail strainer and a fine-mesh sieve into the glasses. Serves 2 For the sweet potato purée: 70 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes 25 g caster (superfine) sugar For the sweet potato pre-mix: 75 ml dry gin 15 ml apricot liqueur 15 ml chestnut liqueur To serve: 30 ml lemon juice 30 ml egg white ice cubes, as needed 17 Book description With restaurants across London that have quickly achieved cult status, BAO presents an exciting and unique interpretation of Taiwanese food culture. The dishes they create and the restaurants they design look to Taiwanese street food, the late-night grill culture of Tokyo and Taipei, and traditional foam teahouses in Taiwan for inspiration, resulting in inventive takes on classic Taiwanese flavours. This playful cookbook features 100 recipes from across their restaurants and takes readers to the very heart the BAO world, telling their fascinating story for the first time. Sales Points The recipes range from Fried Chicken BAO, Sad Face BAO, and Dan Dan Tofu Noodles, to Chilli Chicken Wings, Fried Prawn Rolls, and Melon Floatini - The book takes readers deep into the BAOverse, revealing the inner workings of the brand, the ideas behind the restaurants and introducing the concepts of the School of BAO, the Lonely Man, and embracing solitude - In addition to stunning photography of each dish, the book includes never- seen-before family snapshots and candid behind-the-screens images as well as sections devoted to baos, drinks, and larder items - This unique cookbook tells the story behind each of the five BAO restaurants – Soho, Fitzrovia, Borough, King’s Cross, and Shoreditch – and explores their individual style of eating and how they are inspired by the team’s travels and Asian culture Author bios Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung and Wai Ting Chung are the brains behind BAO. Brother and sister Shing Tat and Wai Ting were born in Nottingham to parents from Hong Kong, who operated Cantonese restaurants in the city, while Erchen spent her childhood in the Taipei, before moving to the UK aged 14. BAO was dreamed up in 2013 when the trio travelled across Taiwan together and were inspired by the informal street food culture and culinary traditions they discovered. 2 Cooperage Yard Stratford London E15 2UR Phaidon Press Inc. 65 Bleecker Street New York, NY 10012 © 2023 Phaidon Press Limited phaidon.com17 Book description With restaurants across London that have quickly achieved cult status, BAO presents an exciting and unique interpretation of Taiwanese food culture. The dishes they create and the restaurants they design look to Taiwanese street food, the late-night grill culture of Tokyo and Taipei, and traditional foam teahouses in Taiwan for inspiration, resulting in inventive takes on classic Taiwanese flavours. This playful cookbook features 100 recipes from across their restaurants and takes readers to the very heart the BAO world, telling their fascinating story for the first time. Sales Points The recipes range from Fried Chicken BAO, Sad Face BAO, and Dan Dan Tofu Noodles, to Chilli Chicken Wings, Fried Prawn Rolls, and Melon Floatini - The book takes readers deep into the BAOverse, revealing the inner workings of the brand, the ideas behind the restaurants and introducing the concepts of the School of BAO, the Lonely Man, and embracing solitude - In addition to stunning photography of each dish, the book includes never- seen-before family snapshots and candid behind-the-screens images as well as sections devoted to baos, drinks, and larder items - This unique cookbook tells the story behind each of the five BAO restaurants – Soho, Fitzrovia, Borough, King’s Cross, and Shoreditch – and explores their individual style of eating and how they are inspired by the team’s travels and Asian culture Author bios Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung and Wai Ting Chung are the brains behind BAO. Brother and sister Shing Tat and Wai Ting were born in Nottingham to parents from Hong Kong, who operated Cantonese restaurants in the city, while Erchen spent her childhood in the Taipei, before moving to the UK aged 14. BAO was dreamed up in 2013 when the trio travelled across Taiwan together and were inspired by the informal street food culture and culinary traditions they discovered. 2 Cooperage Yard Stratford London E15 2UR Phaidon Press Inc. 65 Bleecker Street New York, NY 10012 © 2023 Phaidon Press Limited phaidon.comNext >