Delight In The Law of the Lord

I have been looking for a recipe that is close to a popular Hokkien restaurant's Kong Bak Pau which we all love. There the Kong Bak is meltingly soft, and intensively flavoured. Thanks to my friend A who shares this recipe. Her version is quite close to the flavour but not as light and meltingly tender as the restaurant's. But it is good and better than any other's I have tried.

The cooking of this Hokkien braised pork belly are done in 3 steps.  The pork is first boiled in boiling water for 30 minutes, then it is rubbed with both light and dark soy, and deep fried for a short 3 seconds on each side. The final preparation is to slice the pork and steam for 3 hours till soft and tender.

The deep frying of the pork belly is to seal the soy flavours and to hold the pork so that it stays firm. Take extra care when you fry the pork, the oil will splatter! Have a pan cover ready as soon as you drop the pork into the hot oil. When done, slice the pork and arrange on a plate for steaming. After steaming for 3 hours, it is done and ready to serve. I prefer to leave the pork cool, cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

The overnight preparation allows me to skim the hardened fats away. Steam the pork again just before serving. I could also have cooked the pork longer till the fats are melting but I prefer some bite and texture. Moreover, I don't want it to tear apart into two or three pieces when I'm serving.

The buns are bought from the supermarket. I like my Kong Bak Pau with lots of greens and sliced chillies.


Kong Bak Pau

Ingredients

250g pork belly
1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped
10 lotus leaf buns, steamed for 5 minutes

For the marinade


2 tbsp light soya sauce, or more to taste.
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
20g chopped garlic (I used whole)
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tsp sesame oil
A pinch of 5 spice powder
A pinch of pepper


Method

• Cook the pork belly in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain
• Coat the p[ork belly with the 1 tablespoon of light and dark soy sauce.
• Deep fry the pork belly for 30 seconds until golden brown. Slice the pork belly into 10-15cm thick pieces.
• Add al the remaining ingredients for the marinade to the pork belly. Coat evenly.
• Steam for 3 hours.
• To serve, place a pork belly slice slice and some coriander into each steamed bun.

Note: It is possible to use Airfryer to deep fry the pork.

To be blessed, we must not walk down the road of those who have no fear of God. We must live closely in our relationship with God, delighting and meditating upon His Word.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1-3

He Will Love You

A very Blessed Lunar New Year to all! These two Peranakan dishes, Babi Ponteh and Chap Chye were cooked in advance for the family Chinese New Year lunch. I have cooked them in the late afternoon, covered and chilled in a chiller,  I'm doing this way so that I can be free of cooking some of the dishes on the day itself. Moreover, these dishes just taste better overnight.

When cooking Peranakan dishes, I usually refer to this book, Cooking for the President by Wee Eng Hwa.  I'm very pleased with both dishes I have cooked especially the Babi Ponteh. I have added sea cucumber, an expensive ingredient which I'm cooking for the first time. Recipe below is an adaption from the book with some modifications.



Babi Ponteh
serves 4-6 persons

Ingredients

750g Pork Belly, chunks
20ml oil
30g shallots, pound finely
40g garlic,pound finely
30g light brown taucheo, crushed
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1/2 tbsp thick dark soya sauce
30g gula melaka
4 Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked in hot water, quartered
2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
150g sea cucumbers, approx. Cut to bite size
1 cup water

• Blanch pork in boiling water and marinate with 2 tsp of dark soy sauce for about 30 minutes.
• In a wok, fry shallots in hot vegetable oil till translucent. Add garlic and stir fry till everything is lightly golden.
• Add taucheo and fry till semi dry, intensely aromatic, and color changes, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to very low. Add pork and fry till fragrant. Add the light and dark soy sauces.
• Stir fry for about 10 minutes and transfer to a pot. Deglaze wok with 1/2 cup water. Add gula melaka, mushrooms and mushroom water. 
• Top up enough water to just cover. Bring to  boil. Cover and simmer till pork is tender. 
• Add sea cucumber and cooked for another 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Gravy should be thick.
• Served with sambal belachan.

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. Deuteronomy 7:13

When You Have Eaten And Are Satisfied

In the past, I used to turn off the telly whenever Gordon Ramsay is on. Now, I am one of his biggest fan. I watch and re watch all his shows over and over again.  It started with the Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate cookery course that got me hooked on the man. In this show, he presented 100 recipes that, according to him, you can stake your life on. I'm not sure about the staking part but the show really is filled with cooking tips and techniques, making cooking seems easy.


Episode 1 Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Peppers

The star of this dish is the sweet peppers and onions. It is delicious with the chops. Sweet and sour in taste, it makes a good side to cook for a barbecue party. It goes well with any grilled food.

Having cooked some of his recipes from the show, I am now an ardent fan of Gordon Ramsay! These are some of the dishes here, here from the Ultimate Cookery Course.



Pork Chop with Sweet and Sour Peppers

Ingredients

2 pork chops, about 200g each (4 chops, about 100g each)
olive oil, for frying
2 garlic cloves, skin on, crushed
small bunch of thyme
butter

The sweet and sour peppers
olive oil, for frying
1 red onion, peeled and sliced'2 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp caster sugar
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
small bunch of basil leaves, shredded


Method

• First prepare the peppers. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the onion and peppers.
• Season with salt and pepper, add the sugar and saute over a high heat for 4-5 minutes until soft and coloured. (make sure you can hear the vegetables hissing in the pan. If not, the pan isn't hot enough and you're in danger of boiling the vegetables instead of frying them.)
• Add the vinegar and let it bubble for a minute or two until has reduced and the peppers are soft. Turn down the heat, add the tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Stirin the shredded basil and continue to cook for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Decan into a bowl and set aside to infuse. Wipe the pan clean, ready to cook the pork
• Using a sharp knife, make cuts into the fat of the chops, about 5mm deep and at 3-4cm intervals, making sure you don't cut into the meat. (this will stop the meat from curling up during cooking and will make it cook more evenly.) Season the chops really well on both sides, pushing the seasoning into the meat.
• Place the cleaned-out frying pan over a high heat until hot and add a dash of oil. Add the chops, garlic and thyme and fry for 203 minutes until coloured. Turn and fry for a further 203 minutes on the other side, pushing the thyme under the chops and breaking up the garlic a little.
• Towards the end of cooking time, add 3 knobs of butter and baste the chops with it as they are cooking, to speed up the cooking process and keep the chops moist. (Push the fatty edge of the chops towards the back of the pan to help render the fat.) Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and place with the herbs on top of the chops.
• Transfer the chops to a plate, and rest for 5-10 minutes, spooning over the basting butter now and again.
• Serve the chops on top of the peppers with the resting juices and a little juice from the peppers.

This post is linked to Cook Like A Star 'Gordon Ramsay' hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy kids,

Mich from Piece of Cake and Yen from Eat Your Heart Out

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.
Deuteronomy 8:10

Let The Little Children Come To Me

I have been following Alvin of chef and sommelier's char siew posts from his first recipe to this final recipe. I thank him for his unselfishness for sharing the recipe in his blog. I admire Alvin's dedication in cooking and his determination in perfecting a recipe.

 The butcher has given me a piece of beautiful pork belly and this makes a lot of difference to the taste, texture and appearance. The marinade is simple and meat is quickly grilled to cook. This char siew is very succulent and moist.

Char Siew
Chef and Sommelier


Ingredients

1 kg pork belly strips (sliced into 2-3cm thick ) or (armpit cut) Pork Belly
500ml apple/pineapple juice (optional)

Marinade
200g sugar (180g)
100g oyster sauce
4 tbsp chinese wine
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 pc red fermented bean curd (with a thsp of the red liquid)


Method

• Clean and pat dry the pork.
• Tenderise the pork in apple juice for 3-4 hours. Remove, clean and pat dry. (optional)
• Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and marinate pork over night.
• Heat oven to 240C in grill and fan mode.
• Grill pork strips for 10 mins on each side, allowing the juice to drip into a baking tray below. (if using armpit cut, reduce cooking time to about 8-9 minutes on  each side as these are thinner cuts)
• Meanwhile bring the leftover marinade to a boil for about 5 minutes or until thickens. Brush this sauce onto the pork while grilling until char siew gets nice and charred. 
• When done, rest the char siew and reapply a coat of the thickened sauce to give it a nice gloss.(added some water to dilute the sauce as gravy for rice)
• Slice and serve with noodle or rice, or simply enjoy them with a glass of ice cold beer.

Awana Cookout!

Awana celebrated the end of Term 2 with a cookout event for the children. Each group of children, with the help of adult leaders, prepared food for tea. My group did the decoration for cupcakes. Other groups prepared fruits and marshmallow on skewers, pizzas,pancakes and mini burgers. It was a fun day for the kids and their leaders. They got to eat the food they have made.  Awana breaks for the June holidays and will resume again for Term 3 on 5 July.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

You Alone Are The LORD

Many friends who read my blog are curious to know whether I cook Chinese home cooked food. Of course I do! My daily home cooked foods are very simple but mostly repetitive dishes. There are no recipes and are all eyeball measurement. I can be quite inconsistent sometime and that's one of the reason I don't put these dishes up in the blog.

However, there is this dish that I cook recently which I think is good to put here for future reference. Braised Pork in Soy Sauce is one dish I cook regularly based on estimation but it was a casual remark from my son that I don't do it as well as I used to, prompted me to look for a recipe. I found this recipe from kuali and adapted it with my modifications to suit the family taste.


Braised Pork in Soy Sauce

Ingredients

500g pork, whole (half sliced pork belly and pork shoulder)

Marinade:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar or to taste

4 whole garlic pods with skin on
1 star anise
4cm cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar or to taste
salt to taste
1 cup water(2 cups of water)
4-5 Chinese mushrooms, washed,soaked in hot water till soft
12 quail eggs


Method

• Season pork with marinade for several hours or preferably overnight.
• Heat a clay pot or heavy based saucepan over a medium low heat.
• Put in marinated pork to brown. Add in whole garlic pods,cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves.mushrooms. Pour in half amount of water and cook covered for 5-8 minutes.'Add in dark soy sauce,light soy sauce,sugar and salt to taste. Add remaining water and simmer until the gravy is thick and meat is tender.(add in cook quail eggs)(should the sauce be overly thick, add a little more water.) 
• To serve, cut pork into slices and add gravy to the dish.

Photo credit : Pastor  Eric Kwan

You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and multitudes of heaven worship you. Nehemiah  9:6

Praise To God

 Lena of  Frozen Wings cooked and posted this dish to Asian Food Fest (Hong Kong and Macau) and Amy of  Amy's Baking Diary also cooked this for her children.

In her post, Amy said that it is a dish good for working mother like her. She can prepare this dish in advance for her boys' lunch and put them in the fridge. When they are back from school, they just need to add in the pork cutlets, ,ketchup sauce, cheese topping and leave the dish in the oven to bake. When they have bathed and changed, they can have their lunch. How wonderful!

This is great for me too! I like a one dish meal which I can prepare in advance. This is also good for a house pot luck party.


焗豬扒飯 Hong Kong Style Baked Pork Chop Rice
Adapted from herfrozenwings

Ingredients

3 bowls of cooked rice
2 pieces of pork chop,pork cutlet (I used 8 small pieces of pork loin)
1 tomato, cut into wedges
1 medium sized onion, cut into wedges
2 eggs, lightly beaten (3 eggs)
3 tbsp plain flour ,heaped

1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper for seasoning the meat
oil for frying

Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 of anchovies stock (or chicken stock) (used 1 tsp chicken seasoning + 1/2 cup water)
1 tbsp sugar, or to taste
1 tbsp soy sauce, or to taste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce


Method

• In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
• Pat dry the pork chops and season with salt and pepper, leave for 30 mins.
• In a large pan, heat up 1 tbsp of oil and pour in 1/2 of the beaten egg.
• Scramble the eggs until almost cook through, add the rice and stir fry with a spatula. Add in 2 tbsps of beaten egg into the rice, season with some salt. Transfer the rice into a baking dish.
• In 2 plates, place flour and the balance of the beaten eggs separately. Pour enough oil into a lage frying pan. Dip the pork chop into the beaten egg and then into the flour and fry the pork chop till they are cook through. Drain with paper towels. Cut them into strips and place them onto the baking dish on top of the fried rice.
• Lastly, heat up some oil in the pan and cook the onions till they are slightly softened. Add the tomatoes and, stir and cook till they are softened. Pour in the sauce and let cook for about 2 minutes. Taste and see if more sugar and soy sauce are needed.

• Remove from heat and pour the sauce over the pork chop and fried rice. Scatter with shredded cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 220C for about 15 mins or until cheese is golden brown.

Note: The next time I cook this dish, I will add more sauce and cheese.

Susan Boyle
Listen to Susan Boyle's version of Leonard Cohen's classic "Hallelujah"

Give To The One Who Asks You

Parsley,sage,rosemary and thyme...refrain from the song Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel was playing in my head as I was preparing the marinade for this pork tenderloin. I love this song when I was teenager.. It was probably through this song that I first learnt the names of the herbs in the verse. I don't think I knew they are herbs and their uses then.

However, I am not using all the herbs in the song but the last two, which are rosemary and thyme. And LEMONS! Zest and juice. Dijon mustard and garlic are also added to the marinade, but the way I see it, lemons really, really bring out the best flavor in any dish.

This is a dish that requires minimal effort but produces great result. I am pleased the way the pork turned out, moist and flavourful. Pork tenderloin can be quite dry and most people shun to grill or roast the meat. This dish is a good alternative for my many relatives and friends who do not take beef and lamb.

Herb Marinated Pork

Adapted  from Barefoot Contessa's Back To Basics

serves 6

Ingredients

1 lemon, zest grated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 good olive oil
2 tableespoon minced garlic
11/2  tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoon Dijion mustard
kosher salt to taste
3 pork tenderloin (1 pound each, 454gms each)
freshly ground black pepper

Lemon and Thyme Jus
Recipe source: Own

1 cup chicken broth
1 clove minced shallot
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon roughly chopped thyme
black pepper to taste


Method

Herb Marinated Pork

• Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
• Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat.
• Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown.
• Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 - 15 mins or until the meat registers 137 degrees at the thickest part.
• Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminium foil.
• Allow to rest for 10 minutes./ Carve in 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine) and the thinnest part will be well done.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

Lemon and Thyme Jus

• In the same pan, add minced shallots in a pan and cook until softened. Stir in broth, thyme and accumulated juices, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of pan Simmer until sauce has reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 3-5 minutes. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and season pepper
• Strain, serve, pouring sauce over pork slices.

Note: I cooked one portion of the recipe,  500g of pork tenderloin. This serves approximately 2-3 persons.

This is a versatile dish where you can cook for two or twenty. It can be served hot or cold. Good with leafy salads. Use a meat thermometer to check doneness.

For dessert, I made Fruity lemonade popsicles using freshly squeezed Meyer lemons.

Linking this post to Little Thumbs Up, 'LEMONS' hosted by Grace, life Can Be Simple. Organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy kids and Doreen from My little favourite DIY

Matthew 5:42
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Go, Eat Your Food With Gladness

I have been watching Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course every night and learning his cooking style and cooking tips. I chose to cook this dish, Mini Pork Sliders because he made it so simple and mouth watering. I like his creative way of mixing cooked bacon and onions into the meat patties. He also made a quick barbecue sauce which is very delicious and is a good standby for sandwiches.

These mini sliders are great for parties. They have a smoky flavour from the bacon and paprika along with a sweet and sour homemade barbecue sauce. I cooked these mini sliders for lunch, and also Mozzarella Sticks and Potato Skins as starters. 

Mini Pork Sliders with Barbecue Sauce
Gordon Ramsay Ultimate Cookery Course
makes 6 patties
Ingredients

4 rashers of skinless smoked back bacon, finely chopped'
Olive oil, for frying
1 banana shallot, peeled and finely chopped (local shallot)
1 tsp smoked paprika
500g minced pork

For the barbecue sauce
Olive oil, for frying
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced'

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
6 tbsp tomato ketchup

To serve
mini burger buns/bread rolls
baby gem lettuce leaves, shredded
slices of smoked cheddar cheese
slices of tomato


Method

• First make the barbecue sauce. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic with some seasoning and the sugar, and fry for 5 minutes until softened.
• Add the paprika and stir to combine. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the onion is caramelising, then add the vinegar and let it cook out for a couple of minutes.
• Add the worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup, mix well and continue to cook for about 8 minutes until the sauce has reduced to a dropping consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
• Remove from the heat and set aside.
• While the barbecue sauce is reducing, start preparing the burger mince. Fry the bacon in an oiled pan for about 5 minutes until almost cooked through. 
• Add the shallot and continue to cook for 5 minutes until the shallot is tender and the bacon crisp.
• Sprinkle in the smoked paprika and mix well. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat, draining off any excess fat on kitchen paper.
• Season the minced pork and mix well with the cooked shallots and bacon. Shape into balls the size of golf balls and flatten into patties.
• Heat a large,heavy-based frying pan with a little oil. Season the patties and cook them for 1-2 minutes on each, basting with the juices until cooked through and coloured. Turn off the heat and leave them to rest in the pan. Top each patty with a slice of cheese allowing it to melt slightly.
• Assemble your sliders in mini buns, layered with the barbecue sauce,lettuce and slices of tomato. Any remaining barbecue sauce will keep in the fridge very well. Serve immediately.

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Ecclesiastes 9:7

The Heavens Declare

I thought I am so over Bill Granger but no I am not. He is too good to be forgotten. Here is another one for you, Sticky Five Spice Pork Ribs.

This was shared by Yen and Amy too in Cook for A Star Nov/Dec.

These ribs were seasoned three days ago meant as dinner for three but never make it on the dining table. Now, I am roasting it as I am writing this post. The house is filled with a wonderful roasting aroma and I can't wait for it to be done. This is going to be a late lunch, not proper lunch per se. Just ribs and no sides. 

The ribs are done, they look good with nice colour and charred  bits, Ok, maybe slightly burnt colour, possibly from longer seasoning? Oh, they fall off the bone too! I kicked myself for not cooking some rice. These ribs are Asian flavoured, nice to go with rice.
I had 3 of these ribs above, kept the rest for dinner. I would rate this as good, consider the little effort done . Another keeper for tray bakes, Thumbs Up!


Sticky Five Spice Pork Ribs
Bill Granger

2 kg rack of pork ribs(1.2kg)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablspoons freshly grated root ginger
125ml soy sauce
125mlhoisin sauce
60ml honey
1 tsp five spice powde
2 tablespoons mild-flavoured oil, such as sunflower oil (didn't use)



Method

• Put the pork ribs in a baking dish then place all the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth, or simply stir together in a bowl to combine.(stir)
• Pour all but a few tablespoons of this marinade over the ribs and rub well in then turn ribs meat-side down ready cooking. Put ribs and marinade in a bag and refrigerate in fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 200C, and bake the pork ribs for 40 minutes, then turn them over. 
• Brush with the reserved marinade before increasing the oven setting to 220C and cook for a further 10 minutes, or place on the bbq for the final 10 minutes to finish.

Linking this post to Cook Like A Star 'Bill Granger' hosted by Zoe of Bake for happy Kids,
Mich, Piece of Cake and Yen, Eat Your Heart Out.

I had an enjoyable holiday in China last week. Love the rustic villages, stunning mountains, beautiful valleys, magnificent gorges and, last but not least, skilful traditional folk arts.

The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

See What Great Love The Father Has Lavished On Us

When my late mum was bedridden from illness, my dad cooked for the family. Although I was often away from home, I remember well some of the dishes he cooked for us, and this Steamed Tofu with Century Eggs is one of my favourite. I like this dish simply because I love any food that is made from soy beans.

This tofu dish is incredibly economical, easy and fast to prepare. Every ingredients in this dish can be estimated and you do not need to follow accordingly.

 To prepare for 2-3 persons serving, You need about 70gm of fish paste and 70gm of minced pork.

Mix the pork and fish paste. Add in tofu and mash together with the pork and fish paste. Season with ground white pepper.

Add in 1 chopped century eggs and 1 finely sliced fresh chilli (deseeded). Steam for 5-8 minutes.

Garnish with roughly chopped coriander and fried shallots.

Linking this post to Little Thumbs Up 'Tofu' hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake, organized by Zoe of
Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little favourite DIY.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
1 John 3:1