Gammon is the typical ham style of choice in South Africa for both Christmas and Easter and this is an excellent and quick way of using-up your leftovers. What’s great is that it’s super-speedy and you can have it on the table in under 30 minutes. It also uses one of my favourite vegetables of the moment, choi sum (though you can easily substitute pak choi or even cabbage or long-stem broccoli at a pinch.
Prep time 10 minutes/Cook time 20 minutes/Serves 4
Ingredients:
300g (2/3 lb) long-grain rice
400g (14 oz) leftover cooked gammon joint, cut into chunks
1 tsp Chinese five-spice
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp runny honey
100ml (2/5 cup) orange juice
1 tsp sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
5cm (2 in) piece ginger, peeled and finely sliced
150g (1/3 lb) pack mange tout (snow peas), halved diagonally
200g (7 oz) choi sum, shredded
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Tip the rice into a sieve then wash thoroughly under cold, running, water until the water runs clear. Turn into a saucepan, add 400ml (1 2/3 cups) and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Take off the heat and set aside to steam as you prepare the stir-fry.
Add the gammon to a large bowl and mix with the five-spice powder, soy sauce, honey and orange juice. Season liberally with black pepper and toss to coat the meat.
Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add in the gammon pieces (leave any excess marinade in the bowl; reserve this) and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes, until they begin to turn golden and sticky.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute then stir in the vegetables and toss to combine. Pour over any left-over marinade and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the choi sum begins to wilt and the sauce thickens.
Serve with the rice.
