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Dan Hong's dinner party menu: $40 for six people

Dan Hong's Asian-themed menu is full of bold flavours and textures and versatile ingredients.

Chilled tofu with fried egg and chilli.
Chilled tofu with fried egg and chilli.Jennifer Soo

Entree: Chilled silken tofu with a salad of cabbage, coriander and spring onions with a fried egg and chilli soy dressing

1 packet silken tofu

¼ head savoy cabbage, finely sliced into thin strips and washed

3 long green spring onions

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½ bunch coriander, washed and roughly chopped

1 long red chilli, finely sliced

6 free-range eggs

fried spring onion for garnish

Dressing

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6 tbsp sugar syrup

100ml chilli oil

100ml sesame oil

200ml rice wine vinegar

250ml soy sauce

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1. Whisk the sugar syrup, chilli and sesame oils, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce in a bowl to make the dressing and set it aside.

2. Slice the tofu into one-centimetre pieces and divide among the six plates, then sprinkle on a little dressing.

2. Place the cabbage, spring onions, coriander and chilli in a bowl and add a few tablespoons of dressing until well coated. Top the tofu with this mixture.

3. In a hot pan, fry the eggs sunny side up and place one on top of each salad. Serve immediately.

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Main: Chicken pho

1 free-range chicken, about 1.5kg

10 whole star anise

150g ginger, roughly chopped

2 onions, peeled and halved

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5 long green spring onion (white part finely sliced, green part left whole to put in stock)

fish sauce, sugar and salt to taste

1 packet dried flat rice stick noodles

½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped

200g beansprouts

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1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

1. Place the chicken in a pot and cover it with water. Bring to the boil, skim off any impurities and turn down to a simmer. Add the star anise, ginger, onions and green part of the spring onion. Simmer for three hours, skimming every now and then to keep the broth clear.

2. Remove the chicken and leave it to cool slightly. When it is cool enough to handle, remove and gently shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Reserve for later. Discard the skin and bones.

3. Strain the stock, season to taste with fish sauce, sugar and salt, and set aside.

4. Soak the noodles in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain them.

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5. Have a pot of water boiling when you are ready to serve. Put the noodles in the water and cook until soft (only a few seconds), then drain and divide into bowls.

6. Top the noodles with shredded chicken, chopped coriander, spring onion and beansprouts.

7. Bring the seasoned broth up to the boil and pour over the noodles. Serve immediately with a lemon wedge.

Dessert: Lychee and ginger granita with pineapple and coconut cream

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2 tins lychees in syrup

25g fresh ginger

½ pineapple, peeled and diced

200ml Kara UHT coconut cream

1. Put the lychees, syrup and grated ginger into a blender and blend until liquidised. Place the mixture in a shallow tray in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, check it and stir with a fork, scraping any ice crystals from the outside and bottom. Repeat this three or four times until the texture becomes snow-like.

2. To serve, divide the granita between six bowls and top with pineapple pieces. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of coconut cream on top and serve immediately.

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