Braised Mushroom Meat Sauce

When I saw this recipe at Kokken69, I knew I had to try it!

A meat sauce over a bowl of steaming hot rice ... hmmmm!

I prepared this dish in the afternoon, and served it for dinner in the evening, alongside with some blanched vegetables. Great for those days when you need to be out and have to rush home to prepare dinner! And the sauce is so versatile. You can always save the extra for another day, to be poured over a bowl of noodles. I used some of the extra to frying an omelette! Isn't that great?

300g Minced pork

3 pcs Dried Shitake Mushrooms (I used fresh shitake mushrooms)

30g Red Shallots (I used 1 large red shallot)

100g Chicken Stock (I didn't measure. Just enough to cover the meat in the pan)

Seasoning

1 tbsp Oyster Sauce (I used vegetarian stir fry sauce)

20ml Dark Soy Sauce (I used 1/2 tbsp)

30ml Light Soy Sauce (I used 1 tbsp)

1/2 tbsp Rock Sugar (I guess you can replace with caster sugar)

1/4 tsp Five-Spice Powder

1/4 tsp White Pepper

1 tbsp Shaoxing Wine

• Marinade minced pork with a little light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch. I used about 1/2 tsp of each. Adjust the amount accordingly to taste.
• Soak dried shitake mushrooms in water.
• Drained and diced into small cubes.
• In a heated wok, add 1 tbsp of water.
• Fry sliced shallots till browned and crispy.
• Remove from oil and set aside.
• Heat the shallot oil and add the diced shitake mushrooms.
• Fry mushrooms till fragrant.
• Add minced pork.
• Fry till 70% cooked.
• Add seasoning.
• Add chicken stock and simmer on low for about an hour.
• Add crispy fried shallots. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat. If possible, leave the meat overnight in the fridge.
• Heat up before serving. Add a little cornstarch mixture if you prefer a thicker sauce.

I did not measure the amount of chicken stock used. I just add enough to cover the meat. So if your chicken stock is salty, you may want to reduce the amount of sauces used in the seasoning and the marinade.

Tank, the Triceratop!

Meet Tank, the Triceratop from PBS Kids' Dinosaur Train! Ok, he's supposed to be a blue triceratop in the show, but I'm not keen to use food dye, hence the yellow triceratop made with cheese slices =)

Darling son YW is going to the Geology Museum today, to learn about rocks and fossils, and dinosaurs. When I showed him his lunchbox this morning, he said "This is Tank!". In the lunchbox, he gets rice, fried with eggs, carrots and canned mushrooms, plus a little oyster sauce. The extra ingredient which the boys were looking forward to ... Bak Kwa! Bak Kwa is similar to Beef Jerky, but softer in texture.

With Chinese New Year just around the corner, I made a batch of Bak Kwa yesterday and reserved half of it for today's lunch. Frying the rice didn't take up too much time. Cutting and putting together the triceratops took up as much time as frying the rice, if not a little longer! Oh well, as long as the boys bring home an empty lunchbox, I'm happy!

The different stages of making the Bak Kwa.

• Marinade the minced pork and leave it overnight in the fridge.
• Place a sheet of parchment paper on a overturned cookie sheet.
• Spread the meat as thinly as you can on the sheet of parchment paper.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 250F for about 15 minutes, or until the meat is cooked, but not browned. Remove and let cool.

• Cut up the cooled sheet of cooked meat into smaller slices.
• You can pack them into a ziploc bag and store in the freezer for later use. Or you can continue to go on to the next step to broil or bbq them.

• Put the slices on a sheet of parchment paper in a baking tray.
• Spread some honey on the slices if you like it sweet.
• Place the rack on the second or third level from the broiler, depending on your oven.
• Keep an eye on the pork slices, as they browned really fast!
• Turn the slices over.
• Remove when it is sizzling and starts to brown.
• Let cool on a rack. The slices will turn a darker color upon cooling.

Bak Kwa from my kitchen! The little one came running into the kitchen as the slices were sizzling under the broiler and said "I smell something good!" =) They happily "chewed" on a small slice I gave them later, and asked for more when they finished! They were happy and satisfied when I told them that they would be having the Bak Kwa for lunch the next day.

SPAM Musubi

My boys love eating SPAM, the western version of Luncheon Meat, and they love sushi too! They get to have sushi for their lunch regularly, but not SPAM. SPAM appears in their meals when Mom is extremely exhausted, ill or there is no more ingredients in the fridge for preparing meals.

This is the Hawaiian version of the Japanese Onigiri. I found this recipe from House of Annie. With the temperatures going up to a high of 33 degree Celsius, and feeling like 38, I just don't feel like cooking! I have only 30 minutes to prepare lunch, after bringing the boys home from their swimming class. Hubby dear had a meeting to attend in the afternoon, and had to be out immediately after lunch.

Ok, I'm finding all sorts of excuses to make this =p

But seriously, this is a no-fuss meal, and it's so easy to prepare!

To feel less guilty, I replace the original SPAM with the less sodium type, and use soy sauce that has less sodium =)

• Cut SPAM into pieces (not too thin).
• Do not discard the can. To be use as a mould for later.
• Heat up a pan. No oil is required.
• Put the slices of SPAM onto the heated pan.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of soy sauce with 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.
• Drizzle the mixture onto the slices of SPAM.
• Heat the slices for a couple of minutes.
• Flipped over, and again, drizzle the soy mixture onto the side facing up.
• Heat for a couple of minutes.
• Remove and set aside.
• Using the SPAM can, scoop some rice into it and press the rice down. Put a slice of fried SPAM on top of the pressed rice.
• Invert the can onto a broad nori strip.
• Wrap the nori strip around the rice and SPAM slice.

What about the vegetables?

I had some leftover strawberries from baking the Fruit Pastry Cake. I cleaned and cut them up and threw them into the mixing bowl of lettuce trio. WOW! They instantly brighten up the bowl of salad! Mix some honey and mayonnaise together, and you get your salad dressing =)

The cold salad went very well with SPAM Musubi, on a very hot and humid day! The boys love their lunch! Both the musubi and salad were gone in seconds! Tasty!

Pork Floss Sushi

Remember the pork pieces I use for cooking soups?

I used them to make sushi for the kids' lunchboxes!

Since the pork/chicken floss was fried the day before, all I needed to do in the morning was to blanch/microwave the vegetables ... broccoli and carrots!

1. Mix the blanched/microwaved vegetables with the fluffed rice.

2. Add sushi vinegar and mix well.

3. Cool the rice a little before using.

4. On a rolling mat, place a sheet of nori, shiny side down.

5. Spread the rice on the nori sheet, covering 3/4 of the sheet.

6. Spread the pork/chicken floss onto the rice.

7. Roll tightly and cut.

8. Pack or serve.

Alternatively, if you don't like broccoli or carrots, you can use spinach!

Blanch the spinach, drain, let cool, and squeeze out the excess water. Cut the blanched spinach into smaller pieces. Store in an air-tight container, keep in the refrigerator for use the next morning. Simply mix the refrigerated spinach into the fluffy hot rice, add sushi vinegar, mix well, and let cool the rice before using. You don't even need to blanch any vegetables in the morning! Just mix, cool, and roll!

I prefer chicken floss to pork floss, as I find it easier to cut the sushi "log" . Either one, it is a good way to use up the meat in soup. YUM!

Quick Fix Burger

Darling sons had early dismissal at 11.30am today. Lunch would be at home and had to be a quick fix meal. Hubby dear and I need to attend darling son KW's play, "Stone Soup", in his classroom in the morning. He played one of the soldiers who cooked the stone soup. Maybe I should ask him to cook "stone soup" for our next meal =p

Since I had only half an hour to prepare lunch, I settled on having a Quick Fix Burger. Simple ingredients ... cheese, lettuce, omelette, and bacon.

Bacon is definitely not an healthy ingredient for daily consumption, but a once-in-a-long-while-luxury item. You can bake the bacon while frying the eggs, or fry the bacon in a heated pan without adding any oil. I tried to pile as much lettuce as I could, onto the sandwich thins, and added a slice of cheese. The lettuce was mixed with a little mayo plus honey before putting onto the sandwich thins.

And remember to add a glass of milk to the meal ... we were stuffed by the end of lunch!

叉烧 .. Char Siew!

I was at the Asian Mart when I spotted this bottle of familiar sauce staring at me ... Lee Kum Kee's Char Siew Sauce! Char Siew! How I miss the Char Siew Rice back home! You are guessing right ... the bottle of sauce went home with me =)

There are many kinds of pork being sold at the supermarket. I am no expert in identifying the various parts of the pork. My mom will tell me 五花肉 is the best part of the pork. I have absolutely no idea what 五花肉 is, and what to look for when I'm at the supermarket! What I did was to try buying the different parts ... Country Style Pork Ribs, Shoulder Steak, etc. I use them for brewing soups, and if darling son KW likes the texture of the pork, it means that the pork is very tender. So far, our favorite cut of pork is Country Style Pork Ribs. And I use this cut of pork to make Char Siew!

1.2 lbs Country Style Pork Ribs

2-3 tbsp Char Siew Sauce

• Clean and dry the pork ribs.
• In a Ziploc bag, mix the pork ribs with the Char Siew Sauce.
• Leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
• Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
• Remove the pork ribs from the bag and place them in the baking tray.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Cover the baking tray with Aluminium Foil and bake till the pork ribs are cooked through.
• Remove the Aluminium Foil and brush some honey on the pork ribs.
• Broil till the ribs, turning them occasionally, till they turned a little crispy.
• Remove and slice.
• Serve with a bowl of warm rice.

Itadakimasu!

Pork Floss?

Pork, pork and more pork!

What do you do with the pork used in brewing soups?

Whenever I have a pot of soup for dinner, I will try to cook less meat for that meal. Each of us will try to eat a little of the pork from the soup, except darling son YW. No, he is not a fan of pork. Even when he was just a little fellow in my womb. I felt nauseated whenever I ate pork, or just smelling it, be it cooked or raw. The only pork dish he eats is ... Bak Gwa!

Hence, there is always a little pork left sitting in the pot of soup. Sigh!

It doesn't taste good when eaten the next day, as there is no more soup left.

It is a waste to throw it away!

This is what I do with the leftover pork.

Fry it such that it resembles pork floss!

• Shred the pieces of pork.
• Add five-spice powder, sugar, soy sauce. Mix well.
• Since the meat is already cooked, you can take a piece and taste.
• Adjust the seasoning according to your taste.
• Heat up a frying pan. No oil is needed.
• Pan fry till the shredded pork turned golden brown and dry.

Ok, I should not call it pork floss, as it looks far from the original. But it does go very well with steaming hot rice, and a side of blanched vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli. Sometimes, I will eat it with bread ... butter the bread and scoop a big spoonful of fried pork onto the bread, fold and eat! Yum!

Tau You Bak!

Say it in Hokkien ... 豆油肉！
Translated, it means ... Soy Sauce Pork!

What is so special about this dish, since it involves only soy sauce, pork and some other simple ingredients?

Each of us has a special dish in our heart ... a dish that reminds us of our mother, and our childhood. This is "The Dish" for hubby dear.

My mother-in-law used to make this dish very often for the family, when hubby dear was still a kid.

On this New Year's Day morning, while the meat stewed in the pot, the aroma from the kitchen brought warmth and sweet memories of his childhood, of the love a mother puts in cooking a dish for the family ....

Recipe from Lily's Blog.

1 lb Belly or shoulder pork

10 cloves Garlic, with skin on

1 Star Anise

1 tsp Crushed Peppercorns.

1.5 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

3 cups Water

• Wash the pork and cut into 1 inch pieces.
• Blanch the pork in boiling water.
• Rinse with cold water, set aside.
• Combine star anise, crushed peppercorns, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and water. Bring to a boil.
• Add in pork and let the pork simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes before adding the garlic cloves.
• Continue to simmer until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened.
• Continue to simmer if you want the sauce to be thicker.
• Add salt to taste.
• Turn off heat and add the hard boiled eggs (shells removed) to the pot.
• This dish is best eaten the next day, to allow the flavors to develop.

Hubby dear cooked this dish in the morning, and we had this for dinner on New Year's Day evening. Eat your bowl of hot steaming rice, served with a generous spoonful of sauce from the dish ..... Mmmmmm .....

.. traveling thru' the time tunnel, back to Mom's little kitchen ..

Ribs with Sweet Sauce

I was in an adventurous mood today, and since it was the day for grocery shopping, I decided I would do a new dish tonight .... Ribs with Sweet Sauce!

Ok, the sparerib pieces I bought didn't have much bones on them. But lots of fats. I spent quite some time removing the fats, and was wondering if it was alright for me to use them for the intended dish. Well, when you are feeling adventurous, you are most willingly to give everything a try! So I followed the instructions and deep-fried the pork pieces till they browned. Then I did the sauce. I realised after frying the pork pieces, that I did not have a lot of meat for the sauce prepared! There was enough meat for the family dinner, but adjustments had to be made to the sauce. As rock sugar caramelized when subject to heat, I ended up with a coat of slightly sweet and sticky sauce on the pork pieces. It was delicious! If I had used caster sugar instead of rock sugar, I don't think I will get the same sauce =)

600g Spareribs

6 tbsp Black Vinegar (Maybe can substitute with Worcestershire sauce)

1 tbsp Rice Wine (I used Shaoxing Wine)

1 tbsp Dark Soy Suace

5 tbsp Rock Sugar

• Wash the spareribs and dry them.
• Heat up a pan of oil and deep fry the spareribs till golden brown.
• Drain and set aside.
• Heat the seasoning in a pan till the rock sugar melts.
• Stir occasionally.
• Add the deep fried spareribs.
• Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, or till the gravy is almost dry.

This dish was a welcomed change from the usual chicken dishes. Darling son YW is not a fan of pork ... was that why I felt like vomiting whenever I eat pork when I was pregnant with him? He was able to chew the small pieces, but found the bigger pieces too tough. I guess I had to go with the ribs, not just meat pieces, for this dish ... Will try to get them for this dish when I cook it the next time! As for black vinegar .. I don't really like buying a bottle of black vinegar just for one dish! Luckily it was a small bottle. I will have to look for more dishes that use black vinegar as a seasoning. I would like to try Worcestershire sauce to replace black vinegar the next time .. if it works, then all I need is a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, since I use this sauce more than I use black vinegar.

Bak Kwa!

I'm sure most people will agree with me ... Chinese New Year is not complete without Bak Kwa! It's like Mid-Autumn Festival is not complete without carrying lanterns and eating mooncakes. Since we can't find/buy any Bak Kwa in the woods, I will have to find a way to make some!

I got the recipe from Lily's Blog.

Thank you Aunty, for the wonderful recipe!

1 kg Ground Pork
11/2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
11/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 cup Sugar
1/8 tsp 5-Spiced Powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/2 tsp White pepper (I use only 1/4 tsp)
1 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Rose Wine (I use Shaoxing Wine)

• Season pork with marinade for at least 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 175F.
• Oil the underside of a baking sheet.
• Spread a portion of the seasoned pork, as thinly as possible, over the baking sheet.
• I cover the underside of the baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the pork on the parchment paper instead.
• You can also put the pork, spread thinly on asheet of parchment paper, onto a baking tray/grilling pan to bake. Some fluid may be released while baking, and the tray is good for containing the fluid. You don't want the fluid to drip onto your heating element in the oven.
• Bake for 10 minutes, or till the pork is firm to the touch.
• Adjust the temperature or time, depending on your oven.
• The pork is not supposed to be browned when done. Just firm.
• Remove from oven, and let cool.
• Cut into pieces.
• The meat is now ready for Grilling (using broiler), or to be wrapped in foil and freeze!
• For grilling, brush a little honey onto the pieces of baked pork.
• Broil for a couple of minutes, and turn the pieces over.
• Do not leave the pieces of pork under the broiler for too long or they will be burnt.

I am really grateful to this kind lady. She is very generous and shares many asian recipes in her blog. Without her recipe and step by step explanation, I will not be able to make any Bak Kwa for this new year. The boys were very excited. They kept coming into the kitchen and asked if the Bak Kwa were ready, ha ha. They had it as their snack that night, and I packed some for their lunchboxes the next day.

We received an envelope containing some Chinese New Year decorations in our mailbox during the first week of Chinese New Year. It was from Hubby's friend. The kids were excited as their papa opened the envelope containing the decorations.

The lantern does make the house look more festive =)

... and ... I am looking forward to Spring!