Farmhouse Stew 家乡焖 猪肉

Farmhouse Stew 家乡焖 猪肉

Recipe source :  Chopsticks Recipes ~ Chinese Casseroles

This is the first time I am using soy bean to cook a savoury dish although there were times I used soy bean to boil soup. But then it was different because the beans used for boiling soup were usually discarded. 

This farmhouse stew used soya bean as one of the main ingredients together with meat and gluten puffs. Make sure the soy beans are thoroughly cooked until soft. I prefer them to be soft which taste better.

Ingredients

500g pork belly
160g soy bean, soaked until soft, about 4 to 5 hours
160g gluten or bean curd skin
80g tung-choi
2 slices ginger
2 shallots
1 bulb garlic
1 tbsp oil

Seasonings

1 tsp wine
1 cup stock
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Method

1.  Clean and wash pork belly. Dry thoroughly and cut into large pieces.
2.  Drain the soaked soya beans.
3.  Cut glutton into pieces or leave them in long pieces ( it's up to you )
4.  Soak tung-choi for a while and squeeze dry.
5.  Shred ginger, slice shallots and garlic.
6.  Heat casserole with 1 tbsp oil.
7.  Fry ginger, slice shallots and garlic until fragrant.
8.  Put in pork pieces and sprinkle with wine. Stir well.
9.  Add soya bean, tung-choi and glutton.
10. Pour in stock and cook for 20 minutes till soya bean is soft.
11. Add seasonings and adjust taste.
12.  Serve in casserole.

I am linking this post to Mich from Piece Of Cake

who is hosting this month's Little Thumbs Up

 

The theme for October 2013 is Soy beans

The event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids  and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

I am also linking this post to Cook-Your-Books #5



hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours

Silky Soy Curd With Longan

Silky Soy Curd With Longan

Recipe source :  Booklet titled "Vegetarian Malaysia" distributed together with Flavours Magazine


An easy way of making "Tau Foo Fah". So refreshing to have this well-chilled on a hot sunny day. I should have doubled the ingredients to make more!

Ingredients

1 cup thick soya milk, unsweetened
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 tsp agar-agar powder
3/4 tbsp sugar, or to taste
1 tin longan in syrup 
 

Method

1.  Combine soya milk, evaporated milk and agar-agar powder in a pot over medium flame.
2.  Bring to a boil and lower heat. Stir until agar-agar is dissolved. ( About one minute )
3.  Add in sugar and cool slightly before straining into bowls.
4.  Leave to cool further before chilling in the refrigerator.
5.  Add in longans and syrup to the soy curd before serving.

Very refreshing dessert

I am  linking this post with Little Thumbs Up

 

The theme for October is Soy Beans, hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake

Organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

I am also linking this post to Cook-Your-Books #5



hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours

Stir-Fried Ridge Gourd With Shrimps & Black Fungus 角瓜炒黑木耳

Stir-Fried Ridge Gourd With Shrimps & Black Fungus 角瓜炒黑木耳

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


Ridge gourd is also known as luffa or loofah. It is reported to be low in saturated fats and cholesterol, high in dietary fibre and rich in vitamins and minerals. 

This is how my mother used to cook ridge gourd. However, she used "wan yee", a type of black fungus which is thinner in texture than the black fungus which I am using. Serve this with hot steaming rice. Very appetising!

Ingredients

515g ridge gourd 
150g shrimps, shelled and with veins removed
30g dried black fungus, soaked until soft and cut into small pieces
1 large onion, about 200g, cut into wedges
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
a dash of pepper
3 tbsp cooking oil
1 Chinese rice bowl water

Instructions

1.  Heat wok and add cooking oil.
2.  Add in onion wedges and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add shrimps followed by ridge gourd and black fungus.
3.  Continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes, add in water. Let simmer until the water is almost dry.
4.  Add in salt, sugar and pepper. Mix well.
5.  Ready to serve. 

Tonjiru

Tonjiru

(豚汁)

(豚汁)

(豚汁)

Recipe source : adapted from  Marc Matsumoto's  "No Recipe"



I was trying out a Japanese soup yesterday which was adapted from Marc's No Recipe. I chose this soup because it had meat and a variety of vegetables and konnyaku all in one dish. I was intrigued when I noticed konnyaku was listed as one of the ingredients. I just wanted to try it out and find out for myself how it tasted to have konnyaku in a soup. 

Well, it was sort of like a crunchy jelly except that it was not sweet because now it was cooked in a savoury soup instead. However, when combined with the rest of the ingredients in this broth, it became a refreshing change from the norm.

This is my second attempt at cooking Japanese dishes and I am beginning to get hooked on mirin and sake!

Ingredients

600g pork belly, cut into thick pieces
2 stalks of spring onion, chopped the white parts and sliced the green parts
1 inch piece of ginger, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup sake
2 litres water
20g konbu
160g burdock
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
250g konnyaku
315g taro, peeled and cut into thick slices
1/4 cup yellow miso

miso

Put the pork belly into a cold pan, and turn on the heat to medium. The pork should release some fat as the pan heats up so you shouldn't need to add any oil. Once some oil has rendered out, add the white parts of the scallions and ginger and fry until the surface of the pork is cooked and a brown crust has formed on the bottom of the pan. - See more at: http://norecipes.com/blog/tonjiru-recipe/#sthash.18ezdPeR.dpuf

Instructions

1. Put the pork belly into a cold pan, and turn on the heat to medium. The pork should release some fat as the pan heats up so you shouldn't need to add any oil. Once some oil has rendered out, add the white parts of the scallions and ginger and fry until the surface of the pork is cooked and a brown crust has formed on the bottom of the pan.

- See more at: http://norecipes.com/blog/tonjiru-recipe/#sthash.18ezdPeR.dpufyellow miso

konnyaku

 

taro

konbu

 cooking sake

 burdock

 carrot

Instructions

1.  Place pork belly into a large pot and turn on the heat.  Dry fry the pork pieces to release some of the lard. 
2.  Add in ginger slices and the white parts of the spring onion and stir the pork pieces. Continue to fry until the pork pieces turned slightly brownish.
3.  Turn up the heat and add in 1/4 cup of sake. Stir and fry until the sake dries up.
4.  Add water and konbu and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam. Cover lid and turn heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
5.  Meanwhile, fill a bowl with water and add 1 tbsp of vinegar to it. Peel the burdock and slice into pieces and soak the pieces in the vinegar solution.
6.  After 30 minutes, remove the konbu and ginger pieces. Skim off excess fat and scum floating on the surface.
7.  Add in burdock pieces, carrots, konnyaku and taro. Turn up heat to medium-high and boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
8.  Once the vegetables become tender, turn off the heat and add miso to taste.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  #1 Oct 2013 : Japan

hosted by Alan from Travelling-Foodies

 

I am also sharing this post with Little Thumbs Up

 

The theme for October is Soy Beans, hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake

Organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

Instructions

1. Put the pork belly into a cold pan, and turn on the heat to medium. The pork should release some fat as the pan heats up so you shouldn't need to add any oil. Once some oil has rendered out, add the white parts of the scallions and ginger and fry until the surface of the pork is cooked and a brown crust has formed on the bottom of the pan.

- See more at: http://norecipes.com/blog/tonjiru-recipe/#sthash.18ezdPeR.dpuf

Stuffed Tofu Soup 酿豆腐汤

Stuffed Tofu Soup 酿豆腐汤

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


I have been boiling lots of soup lately. The weather was so hot and we really need lots of soup to wash down the food. This is not the type of soup which requires long boiling time. This can be quickly done with tofu, minced pork and shrimp stuffing. I added amaranth greens for a healthier and a more balanced diet.


Just sharing a simple home-style cooking of tofu. 
 

Ingredients 

2 blocks of soft tofu
150g minced pork
100g shrimps, shelled and with veins removed
150g amaranth greens
750ml chicken stock
750ml water
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Amaranth greens

 Minced pork

shrimps

Marinade for Minced pork

1/2 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tsp wine
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soya sauce
dash of pepper

Instructions

1.  Chop the shrimps and mix them with minced pork. 
2.  Add in marinade ingredients to the minced pork and chopped shrimps. Mix well and set aside.
3.  Cut the tofu into smaller blocks. Scoop out some tofu to make a small hollow for stuffing.
4.  Sprinkle some cornflour into the scooped out hollows of the tofu.
5.  Fill the hollows with marinated minced pork mixture.
6.  Place chicken stock and water into a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil.
7.  Add in the stuffed tofu pieces and amaranth greens.
8.  Let the pot of soup come to a boil again.
9.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

I am linking this post to Mich from Piece Of Cake

who is hosting this month's Little Thumbs Up

 

The theme for October 2013 is Soy beans

The event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids  and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

Buta Kabuni (Pork Belly & Turnips)

Buta Kabuni (Pork Belly & Turnips)

Recipe source : Adapted from  Marc Matsumoto's No Recipes


I used sengkuang as the closest alternative to turnips to make this Japanese dish. The rich aroma from the meat, turnips and the sauces wafted through my kitchen as they simmered in the pot. The cooking smelled so delicious that my salivary glands worked overtime, anticipating the great feast to come. 

We were not disappointed. The pork belly tasted wonderful, infused by the rich gravy from mirin and sake. The turnips were sweet and slightly crunchy and were infused by the rich gravy and sauces.

I really love the gravy which was so richly flavoured. In fact I like the gravy more than the meat itself! This is a wonderful Japanese dish!

Ingredients

2 tbsp niboshi or anchovies
1 inch piece of ginger, sliced into 1/4 inch thick
6 cloves garlic, crushed             ( original recipe used 2 cloves )
1 Chinese rice bowl water         ( original recipe used 1 cup )
1/4 cup mirin
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp sake
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt

600g pork belly                       ( original recipe used 1 lb )
2 small turnips, peeled and cut into thick pieces  

 

 

Instructions

1.  Cut pork belly into slices of 1 cm thick. ( original recipe instructed to cut the pork belly into thick chunks of 1 inch thick )
2.  Wrap anchovies in a piece of cheesecloth and tie to make a satchel.
3.  Add satchel along with ginger, garlic, water, mirin, sugar, salt, sake and soy sauce into a medium-sized pot.
4.  Heat pot over high heat until it comes to a boil, turn down heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
5.  Remove satchel of anchovies. Add in pork belly and cook for 15 minutes. 
6.  Add in turnips and cook until the turnips are tender, about 15 minutes.

Note :  

1) Original recipe simmered the thickly-cut  pork belly for 2 hours before adding turnips and cook for a further 30 minutes until the pork belly and turnips are tender. 
2) For my dish, I cut the pork belly into 1 cm slices, therefore cooking time was reduced to only 15 minutes before adding turnips to simmer for another 15 minutes. 
3) This is because I prefer some bite to the pork belly and I prefer the turnips to be slightly crunchy instead of tender. 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  #1 Oct 2013 : Japan

hosted by Alan from Travelling-Foodies

 

Soya Bean Caramel Pudding 豆奶焦糖布丁

Soya Bean Caramel Pudding 豆奶焦糖布丁

Recipe source :  Y3K magazine Issue 40, 1/2 - 2008


It took me some patience to slowly stir sugar over a slow fire to make the syrup but it was worth every bit of the effort. This sweet caramel pudding was superb! My presentation here may not look nice but let me assure you that the taste is fantastic! 

Chill them well and you really get yourself some sweet indulgence! 

Ingredients 

100g soya beans, soaked overnight
800 ml water
 6 rectangular foil cups

Ingredients For Syrup

125g sugar
75 ml water

Ingredients For Pudding

100 ml fresh milk
130g castor sugar
6 eggs

I started off using these aluminium cups which I found to be too soft. It could not hold its own shape.

After steaming, the pudding were too soft and wobbly to handle. 

So we use spoons to eat the caramel pudding as they broke up when I inverted them onto plates. 

  This type of rectangular aluminium trays saved my day.

Measurement : 13.5cm X 9cm

These are much sturdier and can at least hold its own shape. 

 These rectangular trays have depth so the inverted caramel pudding look much more presentable by comparison. 

 Instructions

1.  Place the soaked soya beans and water into a blender to blend mixture. Use a muslin cloth to strain to extract 700ml of soya milk.
2.  Place sugar for syrup into a small pot and stir over low heat until sugar turns yellow. Add in water and simmer until thick syrup is formed. Spoon the syrup into the foil cups.
3.  Beat eggs lightly. 
4.  Boil fresh milk and sugar for the pudding together. Let is cool slightly, then add in the beaten eggs. Use a sieve to strain this mixture.
5.  Add the beaten egg mixture and the soya milk together. Pour this mixture into foil cups.
6.  Steam them over boiling water for 15 minutes. Uncover the lid a few times to release steam.
7.  Cool pudding. Refrigerate them once they have cooled down. 

I am linking this post to Mich from Piece Of Cake

who is hosting this months Little Thumbs Up

 

The theme for October 2013 is Soy Beans

The event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids  and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY