Ba bao la jiang (eight-treasure chilli sauce)
Ba bao la jiang, 'eight-treasure chilli sauce', is a Shanghai banquet dish brought out for the Spring Festival, when eight is the luckiest number and eight different 'treasures' in one bowl wish the table eight kinds of good fortune. Diced pork, prawns, pressed tofu, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, peanuts and green peas are cooked separately and brought together in a thick, glossy sauce of sweet bean paste and chilli: sweet first, then gently hot, with every bite a different texture. The classic recipe adds a spoonful of Shaoxing wine; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of unsalted stock with a few drops of rice vinegar. Serve with plenty of plain rice. Chef's tip: dice everything to the same 1 cm size so each spoonful catches a bit of every treasure.



