Bok Choy, Fried Shallots and Spring Onion Pancakes

FOR 4 SERVES:

• 400 g shallots
• 500 ml sunflower oil, plus 2 tbsp for frying
• salt
• 12 cucumbers or 1 courgette
• 8 baby bok choy
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cm piece of root ginger
• 50 g cashew nuts, salted
• 6 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 6 tbsp sesame oil

FOR SPRING ONION PANCAKES:

• 48 round dumpling wrappers, frozen (for steaming)
• 4 spring onions
• 2-3 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp salt

• Defrost the dumpling wrappers.
• Peel the shallots and with a mandolin slice them into thin rings of about ½ cm.
• Pour at least 2 cm of sunflower oil into a wok. Heat the oil and check the temperature with a bit of shallot: the shallot should start to ‘dance’ immediately. Fry the shallots golden brown in 1 minute. Remove from the pan, drain on a sheet of paper towel and season with salt.
• To make the pancakes slice the spring onions into thin rings. Place a wrapper on a chopping board and coat with a little sesame oil. Season with salt and add a few spring onions. Cover with a second wrapper and press well. Coat with some sesame oil and add a few spring onions. Repeat until you have a stack of 6 wrappers. Use a rolling pin and flatten the stack to a pancake that is about 2 cm wider. Make 8 pancakes in total.
• In a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and fry the spring onion pancakes golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate and cover with tin foil to keep warm.
• Quarter the cucumbers or courgette lengthways. Cut the baby bok choy in half. Peel and chop garlic and ginger. Chop the cashew nuts into small pieces.
• In a small bowl mix sweet soy sauce with the sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of water. In a wok heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the bok choy and cucumber or courgette and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add the soy and sesame sauce and cook for about 1 minute.
• Sprinkle the vegetables with cashews and shallots and serve with the spring onion pancakes.