CHINESE BRAISED PORK BELLY

Braised Pork Belly
紅燒肉

is a popular dish among the Chinese.

The pork belly melts in your mouth, 

fat but non greasy!

The sweet and savory sauce coupled with the tender meat

is simply irresistible!

It is best served with a bowl of steamed rice

and 

some freshly cut cucumber for the contrast in the texture!

Another way of eating is to add to a plate of boiled beehoon!

Chinese Braised Pork Belly

(A)

500g pork belly, with skin on, cut into large chunks

1 Tbsp cooking oil for frying

(B) 

1 bay leaf

1 star anise

6 cloves garlic, leave it whole with skin intact

1 stalk scallion, use the white part

5 slices old ginger

2 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 & 1/2 Tbsp rock sugar

1 & 1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce

1 Tbsp dark sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups water

Method:

1. heat up 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a frying pan

2. sear or fry the pork belly, to lightly brown all the sides

3. remove from heat and place in the pressure cooker
4. add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the meat is tender.

Note:

If the gravy is too much, cook it over the stove to reduce

STICKY PORK RIBS

糖醋排骨

STICKY PORK RIBS

These sweet and sour sticky ribs are full of flavour.

Yes, the meat almost fall off the bones!

So good that you will ask for more.

Thank you Nellie Bok for sharing this recipe.

Sticky Pork Ribs

500g pork ribs

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

Marinate 

2 Tbsp corn flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp oyster sauce

1/4 tsp chicken powder

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1 Tbsp cooking oil

1 Tbsp cooking oil

175g black vinegar ( adjust to your taste)

75g rock sugar

1 Tbsp dark soya sauce

Boiling water, enough to cover the ribs

Garnishing (optional)

1 tsp toasted sesame seed

cut cucumber

Method:

1. marinate pork ribs with bicarbonate soda for 30 min to soften the meat texture.

2. rinse well with plenty of water, pat dry with kitchen paper towels

3. add the marinate ingredients to marinate for at least 20min

4. heat pan, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil and lightly fry both sides of ribs

5. add the rest of the ingredients & bring to a rolling boil for 2-3 min

6. reduce heat to simmer until tender

7. check constantly & flip for even coating

8. about 35-40min the gravy will thicken and emulsified.

9. adjust the flavour to your liking

10.serve hot with toasted sesame & crunchy cucumber slices

BRAISED SOUR PLUM PORK KNUCKLE

Braised Sour Plum Pork Knuckle

is an appetizing dish to go with steamed rice.

Braised Pork Knuckle
with Sour Plum

Some like to use the soaked plum sold in bottles

but I prefer the taste of dried sour plums.

This one I have added dark soya sauce!

Braised Sour Plum Pork Knuckle
450g pork knuckle, chopped

4 sour plum

1 Tbsp light soya sauce
dash of dark soya sauce for colour ( I added more because my hubby likes it dark)

1/2 tsp sugar, optional

1 Tbsp cooking oil
Either 3 sprigs of spring onions, cut into 1" lengths
           or 1 large onions, sliced

1.  pour boiling water over the pork knuckle pieces to remove smell and dirt.

2.  soak awhile then clean in running water.

3.  heat oil in a pot , add the white part of spring onions to fry

4.  add pork knuckle pieces to fry until shrink.

5.  add sour plum and enough water to cover the pork

6.  bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 30min

7.  add soya sauce and sugar to taste

8.  when meat is soft enough, add spring onions and dark soya sauce if necessary

9.  allow to sit until ready to serve.

Note:
1. Colour should be light, but I have added more because my hubby likes it dark.
    Dark colour will affect its taste!
2. The gravy should have boiled down to just enough to cover the bottom of he bowl.

MINCED PORK WITH POTATO

Minced Pork with Potato

Soft and 'powdery' potato 

and tender minced pork 

in thick gravy is a common dish on our dining table.

It is easy to cook and satisfying.

If you look carefully

there are few slices of ginger among the potato,

making it more flavourful.

Seasoning includes salt, pepper, soya sauce, oyster sauce and sugar.

Dark soya sauce is optional.

FOOCHOW ANGCHOW JIAN BIANG

福州煎饼

FOOCHOW JIAN BIANG

Recently when I was in Kuala Lumpur

my Brother in Law, Doa Ming

brought us to a Foochow Coffee Shop for breakfast.

It was there that I tasted 

a Foochow Bao 

made of angchow chicken.

I love it so much that I started experimenting,

trying to come out with a better version,

hence this

Foochow Angchow Jian Biang.

It is crispy on the outside,

flavourful on the inside.

I love it.

The filling is juicy and delicious.

Here is the recipe if you are keen.

I started by cooking the filling first.

Filling

(A) 1 Tbsp plain flour

       100ml water

(B) 300g chicken meat, cut into cubes

      100g mengkuang, sliced thinly

      1 Tbsp old ginger, minced

      1 plant Chinese Celery

      2-3 Tbsp cooking oil

      1/2 tsp sesame oil

      2 tsp sugar

      2 tsp angchow

      1 tsp salt

      pepper to taste

Method

1) combine plain flour & water & cook to thicken.

     leave aside until required

2) heat up cooking oil, add ginger & fry until fragrant

3) add sesame oil and mengkuang, continue frying

4) add chicken

5) add angchow and the rest of the seasoning and continue cooking

6) some water may be added if it is too dry

7) when chicken is cooked, add the flour sauce to thicken

8) let cool until required

Bread Dough

150g bread flour

40g cake flour

1/2 tsp salt

30g sugar

1/2 tsp dry yeast

30g water

40g fresh milk

10g cream

40g egg

20g butter

1) all ingredients into the bread machine, bread dough cycle 1.5 hours

2) divide dough into 6-8 balls

3) press flat and wrap the filling

4) place on a parchment to proof until double, about an hour

5) heat up a pan at low heat, and place the buns into the pan, cover it

     Make sure the heat is low so that it will not burn. 

6) when the buns turn golden brown, flip over to cook the other side, cover again.

7) serve warm if you want it crispy

BRAISED PORK AND EGG

Braised Pork Belly and Egg

is one of my favourite.

It is easy to prepare

and nice to eat with steamed rice.

The following are the ingredients required:

Pork belly, cut into chunks

few hard boiled eggs

garlic, whole

dried chillies

star anis

and 

cinnamon stick

 IF in a hurry, I just dump everything & some water into the clay pot and stew.

It may be more fragrant if I heat up the pot,
add a little oil to fry the above,
follow by the pork belly.

Sufficient water is added to cover the pork
and bring to a boil.

Once boiled, turn down the heat and let it simmer until tender

Add hard boiled eggs and seasoning:
dark soya sauce, soy sauce, sugar and pepper to taste.

Cover and leave aside.

Heat up again when ready to serve.

FOOCHOW RED CHOW PORK

Foochow Red Chow Pork

is 

a traditional Foochow dish

served during grand feasts like weddings and birthdays!

The pork belly is cut into chunks

and simmered to tender, not soft!

I have almost forgot about this dish

until my hubby requested.

The ingredients are simple and easy to cook.

If you are interested...

Foochow Red Chow Pork

300g pork belly, cut into bigger than bite size

3-4 slices old ginger

3 Tbsp red yeast residue (chow)

sugar, salt & pepper to taste

1/4 tsp sesame oil, optional

1) heat up some oil in a small saucepan

2) add ginger slices and fry until fragrant

3) add pork and toss & turn until the meat shrinks

4) add chow and mix well, add water enough to cover the meat

5) cover and bring to a boil, allow to simmer until meat is tender

6) add seasoning.

7) serve with steamed rice.

Note:

This dish tastes better if a little more sugar is added 

CHINESE STYLE DRY PORK CHOP

Chinese Style Dry Pork Chop

is what we have been eating since young.

It is dry 

with minimum thick sauce in oil.

My mom likes lean meat, so prefers to use pork loin.

As for me and my family,

we prefer some fats so we use pork belly instead.

Nevertheless, these are just as good

because they are all soft, tender and flavourful.

Chinese Style Dry Pork Chop

adapted from beyondnormblog

Ingredients:

500g pork belly, cut into 1cm thick slices

1-2 Tbsp oil for frying

Marinate (mix together)

1 Tbsp corn flour (as tenderiser)

1.5 Tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp dark soya sauce (optional)

white pepper and salt to taste

1. marinate pork slices with marinate mix for at least an hour

2. heat up oil in a non stick pan

3. fry pork slices on both sides till browned and cooked through.

4. if the chopstick can go through the meat, it is done. 

    Do not overcook as the meat as it will be tough!

5. enjoy with steam rice

PORK MEAT BALLS

Meat Balls

The method and ingredients used to make these meat balls 

by the various cooks

are almost the same.

In order that the meat balls are nice and bouncy,

make sure that the meat is processed until it is gluey and comes together.

Minced ginger is recommended

because it adds flavour and crunch!

Ingredients:

500g minced pork, chilled

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp corn flour

1 Tbsp minced ginger

2 ice cubes

Flavoring - either a shake of aromat or 1 Tbsp fish sauce 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp baking powder (optional)

1. all ingredients into the food processor to beat until gluey and comes together

2. take a handful of the batter, squeeze it out through the thumb and the index finger

3. scoop out the ball of meat paste and drop into the boiling water

4. once the meat ball floats, it is cooked.

Meat Balls in thick soya sauce

Meat Balls in Baked Rice

YAM KAU YUK

Yam Kau Yuk

is a popular dish in the coffee shop, or joo chou shop.

These Yam Kau Yuk bowls take long time to steam to perfection. 

The meat should be soft and tender,

whereas, the yam must remain in pieces!

They are usually prepared days ahead and frozen until required.

I love kau yuk.

So whenever I cook this dish,

I will cook an extra bowl to freeze.

Yam Kau Yuk

Spread out to see the pork belly and soften skin attached

Yam Kau Yuk

 can either be done in a slow cooker,

or 

as the first photo, steamed in an electric lunch box.

Yam Kau Yuk

1 pc Pork Belly (2"x 4")
         - lightly fried whole in oil & sliced 1/2" thick
            (can use roast pork belly, no need to fry)

Yam - peeled & sliced 1/2" thick & fried in oil

                            

Other ingredients
1 Tbsp oil
2 shallots - sliced
3 pips garlic - minced

Sauce:
mix together in a small bowl
1 cube red fermented curd, tau joo- mashed
1.5 cup water
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soya sauce
1/2 Tbsp dark soya sauce, optional
pepper


Method:
1) Arrange (alternating) yam & pork slices in a steaming bowl
2) heat oil, fry shallots & garlic until fragrant
3) add the bowl of sauce, simmer awhile
4) pour sauce over the pork 
5) steam or double boil in an electric lunch box 
     or slow cooker for 1.5 hours, until done.

BREAD MACHINE MEAT FLOSS

A specialty 

enjoyed during Chinese New Year

and

As gifts to relatives and friends

This is a simple bread machine recipe 

which requires no fuss at all.

Bread machine Meat floss

400g meat, chicken or pork
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp Fish sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Knorr Aromat or chicken granules

Method:
1. boil meat until cook, let cool & shred into pieces
2. all ingredients into bread machine, JAM cycle
3. check on it every 20-30min to make sure it is evenly spread
4. floss is ready when cycle completes

Note:
I have prepared another version, in chunks!

 The meat is coarsely shredded & marinated before going into the bread maker.

Enjoy!

AH MA'S KIAM BAK

Ah Ma's Kiam Bak

A traditional dish loved by many.

Kiam Bak in Hokkien means salted meat!

As such, many refrain from it because they consider it unhealthy.

For health reasons, we have greatly reduced the amount of salt used.

Koay Ai Tih 

has this traditional recipe to share with us in Facebook,

"Ah Ma's Kiam Bak"

Method

1. clean 1 piece pork belly, whole

2. cook in boiling water for a few minutes until meat is set

3. rub salt on the meat & leave aside to for an hour or so

4. slice meat

5. pan fried with a little oil, until the meat pieces are dry & crispy

6. drain & serve

Note:

I have used less oil to pan fry, so the side is not be as crispy as Koya Ai Tih's.

Nevertheless, it still taste good.

STEW PIG'S TAIL AND PEANUT

Soft and juicy peanuts

in thick, dark porky gravy,

do you like it?

Peanuts take long hours of cooking, 

so normally it is  soaked overnight,
and
boiled until almost done before adding the pig's tail.

Well, what is the ratio?

No fixed ratio, depend on how big is the tail that you bought

and how much peanuts you have in the pantry!

Simply smash a piece of old ginger and add to the boiling stew.
This is a must to remove the smell from the pork.

The rest of the seasoning includes
ground pepper, both dark & light soya sauce, sugar and salt.
Of course, for added flavour you may add herbs like clove, star anis and cinnamon sticks.

To achieve that thick gravy,
opt for long hours of slow cooking.

Enjoy

OYSTER SAUCE PORK BELLY

Chunks of Pork Belly

cooked in oyster or dark soya sauce

is Hayley & Ethan's favourite

The gravy is thick and the pork belly is juicy. 

To achieve the glossy look

and 

the juicy pork,

fry it in the pan until fragrant before adding water

Oyster Sauce Pork Belly

1 long strip of pork belly, cut into chunks

1" old ginger

3 pips of garlic, whole

1. heat up frying pan, and put pork belly, garlic & ginger into a pan, turning often. 

2. fry until fragrant and the pork shrinks

3. drizzle some water around the sides of pan

4. add oyster sauce, dark soya sauce, salt, pepper & sugar to taste

5. cook until done. Run a chopstick into the meat, if it goes through easily, it is done.

6. dish out & serve

Note:
a dash of sugar added will do wonders to this dish.

STEAMED PORK RIBS WITH FERMENTED BLACK BEANS

Steaming is the easiest way of Chinese cooking.

Firstly, assemble the ingredients,

arrange them on a steaming dish,

and 

steam over boiling water.

Once done, the gravy is clear 

and at the same time,

all the goodness has gone into it.

I love cooking this way,

especially in my little Electric Lunch Box.

It saves a lot of work cleaning up of the utensils!

This Steamed Pork Ribs with fermented black beans

is a common dish in Dim Sum Restaurants.

The secret of having the ribs soft & juicy

is the addition of 'wonder powder', 

Corn Starch!

Corn starch is often used in Chinese Cooking

but how many of us really know its function?

It is used as a tenderizer for meat

and

to thicken up the gravy.

Besides this, it makes your food look glossy and appetizing!

Steamed Pork Ribs with Fermented Black Beans

250g pork ribs, chop into bite size

2 tsp corn starch

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp old ginger slices

1 tsp fermented black beans, rinsed

1 red chilli, chopped

Seasoning:

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp shaoxing wine

1/2 tsp sesame seed oil

salt & pepper to taste

1. marinate pork ribs with seasoning and leave aside for 1/2 hour or so

2. mix corn starch & water to marinated ribs

3. arrange ribs on steaming plate, add fermented black beans & ginger slices

4. cover & steam for 30min, or until the ribs are cooked

5. sprinkle chopped chilli on top and serve hot.

PEPPER CORN PIG'S STOMACH SOUP

This Pepper Corn Soup

is popular among the Chinese.

Often times you can order this dish from a coffee shop

which offers simple stir fry dishes. 

It is also one of the popular Confinement Food.

Pepper corn and ginger has been added to expel 'wind' 

If you have a lot of bones left, be it chicken or pig's,

it can be used to cook this soup.

Why bones?

Pig's stomach needs long hours of cooking to soften,

and 

bone needs long hours of cooking to extract the collagen & nutrients.

So, it is just nice to pair them this way.

Of course, if you love to have some meat in the soup,

add it when it is almost done!

There is no exact measurement as how much to put in the soup.

The 2 important ingredients:

pepper corns and ginger, 

both smashed and added to give the extra ordinary taste of the dish!

To clean the Pig's stomach:

1. snip off all fats from the surface of the pig's stomach

2. turn the stomach inside out, wash away the slime under slow running water

3. use a knife to scrap off the remaining sticky substance

4. drain, add 2-3 Tbsp salt & scrub as you would scrub your kitchen towel with your hands

5. add 2-3 Tbsp tapioca starch or corn starch, continue rubbing & scrubbing

6. rinse off the sticky substance & repeat 4 & 5

7. rinse & put into boiling water, cover & turn off heat. Leave aside for 15min

8. can leave to cool or just add tap water to cool down

9. use a knife to scrape off any loose white skin

10. the pig's stomach is now ready for cooking.

HOMEMADE LUNCHEON MEAT

Luncheon Meat 

is 

ready cooked meat.

It can be eaten on its own 

or 

pan-fried with eggs,
can also be used to fry rice or vegetables

I have adapted this recipe from Peng's Kitchen

Homemade Luncheon Meat

350g minced pork,with some pork fats

2 Tbsp cake flour

2 Tbsp corn flour

2 egg whites
1 Tbsp water

Seasoning
1.5 Tbsp light soy sauce, make sure it is really light
1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp 5 spice powder

2 tsp red rice wine lee, mashed with back of spoon

1 Tbsp fresh ginger juice

1/4 tsp white pepper

2 tsp sesame seed oil

1. combine all seasoning with minced pork, mix well

2. add egg whites & stir until mixture binds together
3. add corn flour & cake flour, stir until sticky
4. stir mixture vigorously in one direction for 1-2 min.
5. Add water in between stirring
6. line a steaming bowl with parchment paper

7. pour in the mixture, compact & smooth the top with wet palm 

8. cover bowl with aluminium foil

9. steam for 35min or until cooked through
10. cool before slicing

I used this simple electric lunch box to steam my homemade luncheon meat.

BAK KWA (PORK JERKY)

Bak Kwa

in Hockien is dried meat

is popular during Festive Seasons.

It is a must-have for Chinese New Year

These are sold in bags of 1/2 kg 

or 
boxes of one kilogram each

Nowadays, because of its rising cost,
it is also sold in pieces.

You can see them roasting the slices of meat in front of you

and you tend to believe they are fresh,

never realise that 

many of these were processed weeks ago or even months

Well, these meat slices are really tasty

and you will not stop at one slice!

You can eat it on its own,

with bread,
or as fillings for buns

You can actually make your own
at a fraction of the cost

baked in toaster oven 

1/3 of the recipe

Bak Kwa

400g minced pork
1 Tbsp cooking wine

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Tbsp dark soya sauce

1 Tbsp fish sauce

Glaze:

2 Tbsp maltose dissolved in some hot water (optional)

Or 

Honey or golden syrup

1) combine minced meat with all ingredients
2) stir with a spoon until the mixture turns gooey, takes about 2 min
3) leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, no need to cover

4) spread meat between 2 parchment paper, & roll to 2mm thick

5) peel off the top parchment paper & bake in preheated oven 150’C  for 3-5 min

6) glaze and bake again 3-5min 

7) drain away juice if any & turn over, glaze and bake 3-5 min

6) take care not to burn the meat!

8) when the desired colour is reached, cool on wire rack

Note:
I used my toaster oven to bake the bak kwa on 21Jan 2021 (2nd photo)

SOFT & JUICY PORK RIBS

Soft & Juicy Pork Ribs

take long hours of cooking.

It can be done by My Mind Patch in the Rice cooker

while I choose to do it in a steamer

Both methods require 2 hours of simmering/steaming

& 

finished with thickening of the gravy

The flavouring can be adapted to our liking

whether sweet (most people like the ribs to be sweet )

or spicy (some prefer)

Nevertheless,

the procedure is still the same

with adjustments in ingredients

Soft & Juicy Pork Ribs

600g baby ribs

Marinates:

1/4 yellow onions, julienned

1 clove garlic, smashed with skin on

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce/charsiew sauce

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine

1 Tbsp chili sauce (adjust to your liking)

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp dark soya sauce

1/4 tsp fish sauce (optional)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp fried shallots

80ml water

Thickener: corn flour + water

Glaze: honey

1. marinate spare ribs for 2 hours or overnight

2. slow cook or steam pork ribs for 2 hours, turning 1/2 time

3. remove ribs & drain out excess oil from gravy

4. heat up gravy & thicken with thickener

5. add glaze honey if used

6. serve

FOOCHOW LYCHEE PORK

荔枝肉
Lizhi Rou
a traditional dish in Fujian province
and
 loved by the Fuzhou people

In Fuzhou, Lizhi Rou is presented in various forms,
but
basically these are pork meat balls
 in Sweet and sour sauce.

To make the meat balls look like Lychee
the pork is not minced
but
 cut into small pieces
to
 create the uneven sides when fried,
similar
 in appearance to lychee skin

This dish is bright red in colour.
It gets its colour from their signature, traditional rice wine lees or residue.

To let people know that it is Lizhi Rou
Some lychees are used to decorate the sides of the dish
or
stir in canned lychee before dishing up
(make sure not all the lychee get the red colour)

Until now
I am sure you know how to prepare this dish

Marinate pork pieces with fish sauce, sugar, pepper & salt
not forgetting the most important ingredient,
Wine Lees

Tapioca flour or corn flour
together with beaten egg is used to bind the small pieces of pork
to make into balls

These meat balls are then deep fried
and
then cooked in Sweet & sour sauce.

Oops!
Almost forgot, use some fat so that the meat balls can be tender and nice!

Enjoy!