It is easy to imagine when visiting the tiny restored shelters down the Clutha River the Chinese miners inhabited with a simple fireplace generally the only comfort afforded, food could hardly be anything more than nourishment and meagre at best. The following recipe is a far cry from the simple nourishment of the 1860s but it represents a feel for Cantonese cuisine.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 trout filleted and cut into 4 portions
1 tablespoon cooking oil, sunflower, canola or rice oil all fine
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
4 small bok choy cut into quarters length wise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

For the sauce:

4 spring onions, white part julienned, green tops finely sliced
A handful of fresh coriander, stalks finely chopped and leaves left whole
6 dried Chinese mushrooms reconstituted in 100ml warm water and sliced
2 generous teaspoons grated ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small red chilli finely sliced
The juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 small red onion, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 cup water

2 teaspoons cornflour

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok, season and sauté the broccoli and bok choy briefly. Place them in a roasting dish.

Season the trout fillets and place with the vegetables.

To make the sauce, combine the carrots, spring onion whites, coriander stalks and mushrooms in a saucepan with the ginger, garlic and all remaining ingredients except cornflour.

Simmer for 15 minutes, then spoon a few tablespoons over the trout fillets, broccoli and bok choy.

Cover with foil and place in your pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.

While the trout is cooking, thicken the remaining sauce a little by whisking in the cornflour mixed with a little water. Simmer for 4-5 minutes.

When the trout is cooked, place onto 4 plates; pour the remaining sauce into the pan to amalgamate all of the cooking juices, spoon over the plated trout.

Sprinkle the sliced green spring onion and coriander leaves over the top.

Serve with steamed rice.

From the book A River Rules my Kitchen, by Tony Smith

Food styling by Deborah Aspray