•1 whole fresh fish (mandarin fish, carp, trout, grouper, seabass, or perch), 750 g to 1 kg, scaled and cleaned

•3 spring onions, shredded

•2 pcs ginger, each about 5 cm long, finely shredded

•2 tbsp Chinese rice wine

•2 tbsp white rice vinegar

•1 tsp salt

•1 tsp white pepper powder

•1 cup peanut or cooking oil

Directions:

1.Put sufficient water to cover the fish in a wok and add half the ginger.

2.Bring to the boil, reduce heat and add the fish.

3.Simmer very gently until the fish is cooked.

4.While the fish is cooking, combine the wine, vinegar, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and set aside.

5.When the fish is tender, remove, drain and put on a serving plate.

6.Garnish with the remaining spring onion, ginger and chilli and pour over the prepared mixture.

7.Heat the oil until smoking in a wok and pour over the poached fish. Serve immediately.

“Pork consumption improves sexual activity,” Kirchner informed a surprised gathering of business people at a meeting at the presidential palace.

“This is not a small detail,” she said at the gathering to announce a reduction in the price of pork.

“Besides, some nicely grilled pork is much more gratifying than taking Viagra.”

Kirchner said she ate some roasted pork over the weekend with her husband, former president Nestor Kirchner, at the couple’s retreat in Argentina’s bucolic southern Patagonia region, with “impressive” results.

“We were in high spirits the whole weekend,” she said, smiling.

“I’m a pork fanatic,” she added, “and I’m not saying this just to impress you, or for self-promotion.”

The head of the association of pork producers, Juan Uccelli, on Thursday backed up Kirchner’s claims.

He said that people in Denmark and Japan, where pork consumption is high, “have much more harmonious sexual lives than us Argentines have.”

Argentines are the world’s most voracious beef eaters, with an annual per capita consumption of between 68 and 73 kilos.

•400 g cucumber

•2 tsp oil

•1 tsp very finely chopped garlic

•100 g dried shrimps, soaked to soften

•1 tsp chicken stock powder

•1 tsp Chinese rice wine

•1 tsp sugar

•1 tsp salt

•1 tsp cornflour, blended with water

•1 red chilli, finely shredded for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1.Do not peel cucumber. If using the long, very thin variety, cut in half lengthwise, if using fatter cucumbers, quarter

lengthwise. Remove seeds and cut cucumber pieces on the diagonal into 4 cm lengths.

2.Heat oil in a wok and stir fry the garlic and dried prawns for about half a minute, until fragrant.

3.Add the cucumber and all other ingredients except cornflour and chili.

4.Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, then thicken the liquid that exudes from the cucumbers with cornflour.

5.Serve garnished with chili, if liked.

•4 cups cold cooked rice

•1 cake hard beancurd

•1 tsp black soy sauce

•3 tbsp oil

•3 spears fresh asparagus, or 3 green (French) beans, cut in 2 cm pieces

•1 tbsp salted black beans

•1 tbsp boiled green mung peas

•1 tbsp boiled red azuki beans

•50 g soy beans or mung pea sprouts

•1 tsp salt

•White pepper powder to taste

•3 red chillies, de-seeded and chopped

•3 green chillies, de-seeded and chopped

•3 cloves garlic

•1 medium onion, finely chopped

Directions:

1.Break up the rice grains with a fork and set aside.

2.Cut the beancurd in half crosswise, then shred and marinate with the soy sauce for a few minutes.

3.Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and stir fry the beancurd until crisp. Set aside.

4.Heat 1 tbsp fresh oil and stir fry the asparagus, three types of beans and sprouts over high heat for 1 minute.

5.Add the rice, increase heat to the maximum and stir fry for about 1 minute, until the rice is heated through. Season

with salt and pepper and put on a serving dish.

6.Put the remaining tablespoon of oil in the wok and gently fry the chillies, garlic and onion for a bout 1 minute. Put this

in the centre of the fried rice and surround with the fried shredded beancurd. Serve immediately.

•200g pork tenderloin or fillet, thinly sliced

•1 cup Chinese rice wine

•2.5 cm ginger, finely sliced

•1 tbsp finely sliced spring onion

•1 tsp salt

•Oil for deep frying

•2 dried chillies, cut into 5mm pieces

•1 strip dried ornage peel, about 5cm x 2cm

•1 cup gourmet or chicken stock

•1 cup sesame oil

Directions:
1.Marinate the pork with wine, half the ginger, half the spring onion and salt for 30 minutes.

2.Heat wok and add sufficient oil to deep fry the pork.

3.Scrape off any ginger and spring onion clinging on the pork, then deep fry the meat until golden brown.

4.Drain pork and pour out all but 1 teaspoon of oil.

5.Stir fry the dried chillies until reddish brown, then add remaining ginger, spring onion and orange peel, stirring well.

6.Put in the stock and cook for 1 minute, then add pork and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

7.Taste and add extra salt if desired, then stir in sesame oil.

8.Leave pork to cool in the sauce and drain before serving.

•1 tsp honey
•1 tsp peanut oil
•1 sm chili
•hot seeded and finely sliced
•1 tsp grated ginger root
•1 tsp lemon juice
•1/2 tsp sesame oil
•1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
•1 kg snapper — (2 lb)
•2 spring onions
•cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) pieces

Directions:

Ask your fishmonger to gut and scale the fresh fish you select. Fish belonging to the snapper family is always delicious prepared this way.

In a small bowl thoroughly mix honey, peanut oil, chili, ginger, lemon juice, sesame oil and soy sauce.

Rinse the inside of the fish and pat it dry using a clean towel. Make five or six shallow crosscuts about 1 cm (1/3 in) deep on both sides of the fish. This helps it to cook evenly.

Preheat oven to 400°F-200°F

Brush fish all over with marinade. Place fish in a greased oven dish and cook in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Cover fish tail with a small piece of foil during the cooking if it starts browning too much.

Carefully transfer fish with any pan juices to a serving dish and sprinkle with spring onion.

•250 g eggplant (aubergine), peeled and cut in pieces 8 cm x 1 cm
•Oil for deep frying
•50 g minced lean pork
•2 tbsp dried prawns, soaked and very finely chopped
•2 tsp chilli paste
•1 tsp salted soy beans, mashed
•2 tsp very finely sliced spring onion
•1 tsp very finely chopped soaked dried shiitake mushroom
•1 cup chicken stock
•1 tsp Chinese rice wine
•1 tsp sesame oil
•2 tsp commercial sweet and sour sauce
•1 tsp dark soy sauce
•1 tsp salt
•1 tsp cornflour, blended with water
•Coriander leaves to garnish

 Directions:

1.Deep fry the aubergines pieces in very hot oil for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

2.Pour out all but 2 tsp of the oil and stir fry pork over high heat for 2 minutes.

3.Add dried shrimps, chilli paste, salted soy beans, 1 tsp of the spring onion and the mushrooms.

4.Stir fry for 30 seconds, then add all remaining ingredients except remaining spring onion, cornflour and coriander.

5.Heat, then put in aubergines and cook a further 30 seconds.

6.Thicken with cornflour and serve garnished with the coriander leaves and remaining spring onion.

Sauce:
•3 tbsp tomato paste
•1cup water
•1 tsp salt
•3 tbsp sugar
•2 tsp white rice vinegar
•1 heaped tbsp frozen green peas, defrosted
•1 tsp cornflour, mixed with water

 Directions:

1.Clean and scale the fish. Carefully remove the flesh from both sides of the fish, keeping the head, backbone and tail intact.

2.Leave the skin on the fish fillets but remove all bones carefully. Put the fish fillets, skin side down, on a chopping board.

3.Using a sharp knife, carefully cut diagonal lines across each piece of fish, taking care not to cut right through to the skin.

4.Turn the fish and cut diagonal lines across those already made to form a diamond pattern. Cut the fish fillets into piece about 6 cm x 2 cm and set aside.

5.Heat oil in a wok until very hot. Sprinkle the fish skeleton on both sides with cornflour, shaking to remove any excess.

6.Deep fry the skeleton until lightly brown and crisp, then drain and arrange on a serving plate.

7.Dip the prepared pieces of fish in cornflour, shaking to remove any excess, then deep fry in the same hot oil until crisp and golden brown.

8.Drain and arrange on top of the fish skeleton.

9.Tip the oil out of the wok and add all sauce ingredients, except cornflour.

10.Bring to the boil, lower heat, then thicken with cornflour.

11.Taste and add more vinegar, if liked.

12.Pour sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

Sauce:
•30g cooking oil,
•1 tbsp sesame oil,
•1/2 tbsp soy sauce,
•1 tbsp soybean paste,
•2 tsp white sugar

Directions:
1.Dice tofu and mince shallot, ginger, garlic and chili, set them aside.

2.Heat a pan, add oil when hot, saute the diced shallot, ginger, garlic, dried chili and soybean paste first, then add the meat and fry until cooked, add some water,when it is boiling, add diced tofu, soy sauce, white sugar and cook for 3 minutes,dressing with starchy sauce. Finally, serve them in a dish.

3. Heat the sesame oil and saute the pepper, and then just sprinkle them on the tofu.

Sauce:
Salt, chicken essence, sugar, cooking wine, potato starch

Direction:
1. Strip out the crab meat, clean the vegetable, separate the leaves from the stems and set them aside.

2. Shred the onions and gingers, take a small with water and put them inside, squeeze until they are blending with water.

3. Separate the lean pork and the fat one, shred the lean pork first, then dice, after that, mince.

4. As to the fat meat, shred first and then slice into grains like pomegranate grains.

5. Mix the lean pork and the fat meat, add ginger water gradually, stirring in one direction, so that the meat can absorb enough water.

6. Add salt, chicken essence, some sugar, cooking wine, potato starch, an egg, stirring in one direction until the meat become sticky.

7. Pour in the peeled crab meat, mix thoroughly.

8. Get a pot (earthen pot is preferred), tile a layer of vegetables.

9. Get some meat and roll the meat back and forth between two hands until they are balls. Put the meat balls on the vegetables, and cover a piece of vegetable leaf on each meat ball.

10. Pour into clean water along the side of the pot until it is over the meat balls.

11. Cook until boiled, and then braise with low temperature more then two hours.