Pandan/Screw-pine Leaf Pork Chop 香兰叶猪排

Pandan/Screw-pine Leaf Pork Chop 香兰叶猪排

 Recipe source :  Doris Choo

I made pork chops by using pandan leaves to twine round the pork pieces,  then securing the loose ends with toothpicks. This may not be the correct way to wrap them, but then I wonder whether there is a "correct" way of wrapping the pork pieces?

The wonderful aroma from the pandan leaves wafted throughout the kitchen while frying the pork chops. From the aroma, I knew there and then that the pork chops are gonna be good! In fact, my family found them finger-licking good!. 

Ingredients

450g pork chops
A bunch of pandan leaves for wrapping
Toothpicks
Oil for deep frying

Marinade Ingredients

1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp five-spice powder
2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp ginger juice
60g shallots, smack with the sides of a cleaver
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar

Instructions

 
1.  Cut the pork chops into thin slices.
2.  Stir the marinade to blend all ingredients together. Marinate the pork slices overnight in the refrigerator.
3.  Clean the pandan leaves and wipe dry.
4.  Wrap the pandan leaves round the pork slices.
5.  Secure loose ends with toothpicks.
6.  Deep fry in hot oil until done.

 

 

I am linking this post to Joceline Lyn of Butter. Flour & Me

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

The ingredient for September is "pandan"

Pork Curry 咖喱猪肉

Pork Curry 咖喱猪肉

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


I know there are plenty of curry recipes out there, all equally good and awesome. But I noticed that most of these curries require a wide variety of spices and/or herbs. 

I grew up eating this curry cooked by my late mother. I love its simplicity. This curry uses only a few basic ingredients yet the resulting flavour is very spicy. Later when I married SK, I learnt that my late father-in-law cooked curry almost the same way as my mother. My late father-in-law's method is even simpler. He did not even mince the shallots and garlic, he just chopped them up. Yet, his curries are wonderful. 

Looking back, I had a great time bonding with my mother while pottering around the kitchen and I realised now that I had a great time, too bonding with SK's father while helping him in the kitchen. It is no wonder that some people said the kitchen is the heart of the family!

Ingredients

950g pork shoulders, cut into chunky pieces
150g minced chilli
200ml thick santan (coconut milk)
25g meat curry powder
100g shallots, finely chopped
50g garlic, finely chopped 
6 tbsp cooking oil
1000ml water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Instructions

1.  Heat wok until hot. Add cooking oil.
2.  Add chopped garlic and shallots and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
3.  Add minced chilli and keep stirring the chilli paste until well mixed.
4.  Add  4 tbsp santan to the chilli paste and keep stirring.
5.  Then add in the curry powder and mix evenly and fry until oil oozes out.
6.  Add in the pork pieces and fry them well to coat the pork pieces with the curry mixture.
7.  Add in water and the remaining santan and cover the wok with a well fitting lid.
8.  Cook for about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure the pork pieces do not stick to the bottom of the wok.
9.  It is ready, when the pork is tender and the curry has thickened.
10.  Add salt and sugar to taste.

 Note :  This pork curry goes very well with Nasi pandan or screw-pine rice 

X Files : Last Day of the Chinese 7th Month a.k.a.Ghost Month

X Files :  Last Day of the Chinese 7th Month a.k.a.Ghost Month

Date :  4th September 2013
Lunar Calendar :  Last day of the Chinese seventh month.
Time of incident : 7-00A.M. (the sky was slightly dark as a result of the rainy season)


Dear readers,

Do you believe in ghosts?
Do you believe in supernatural occurrences which defy explanation ?
If you do, then keep on reading. 

It happened this morning, on the last day of the Chinese seventh month. The Chinese believe the seventh month is the ghost month.  

YS was walking to his class after his father dropped him off near the school gate. As he was approaching his class he saw Ah Hor and KPL walking side by side in front of him. Before YS could call out to them, YS's other friends came up from behind and they headed to the toilet together. 

YS is in Class 3G whereas Ah Hor and KPL are in Class 3E. During the recess, while YS was busy digging into his food at the canteen, Ah Hor came and tapped him on his shoulder. YS turned to look back and saw it was Ah Hor. Then YS asked Ah Hor where KPL was. Ah Hor replied that KPL was absent from school today!

YS was shocked and he turned pale. Then he asked Ah Hor whether he walked on the left side while going up to his class and Ah Hor confirmed that was the case and he was alone this morning and there was no one beside him.

Before YS could explain further, another friend, KJ chipped in saying that he saw KPL pacing up and down the foyer this morning.  However, another friend, Tommy confirmed that KPL was absent because both he and KPL came in the same school bus and that KPL was not in the school bus this morning. 

After YS came home, he called KPL who confirmed that he did not attend school this morning.

So who is this "KPL"  who seemed to be visible to just YS and KJ only?
Is "KPL" the doppelganger, getting a last kick out of scaring some unfortunate humans before heading home as the gates of Hades close at midnight, tonight ?

Nasi Pandan (Screw-pine Rice)

Nasi Pandan (Screw-pine Rice)

Recipe source :  Adapted from Woman's Weekly

I stumbled upon this recipe while waiting for my turn at the hairdresser's. I jotted down the recipe on a tiny piece of credit card receipt, which was the only piece of paper I had at that moment.  I am glad I did that. This rice dish turned out great! It is infused with the rich aroma  from  the pandan leaves as well as the coconut milk. Both ingredients complimented each other. 


I adapted the recipe as the original portion is too much for my family. Furthermore, I put all the ingredients into a rice cooker instead of steaming it  in a baking tray over hot boiling water. 

I cooked pork curry to go with this fragrant rice. We had  a very satisfying dinner.  

Ingredients

8 pandan leaves (screw-pine leaves)
1/3 tsp salt                    ( original recipe used 1/2 tsp )
200ml water                 ( original recipe used 250ml )
100ml santan (coconut milk)
150ml water
2 drops pandan green colouring     ( I did not use this )
250g rice                      ( original recipe used 340g )

Instructions

1.  Wash rice and set aside to drain.
2.  Blend together the pandan leaves, salt and 200ml water. Sieve to extract juice.
3.  Put washed rice, pandan juice, santan and water into a rice cooker.
4.  Switch on the rice cooker and let it cook until done.


Instructions for the original recipe :

1.  Line a baking tray with banana leaves and put all ingredients into the tray. 
2.  Steam for 30 minutes.

Pandan rice with pork curry at the back

I will post the pork curry later in a separate post

I am linking this post to Joceline Lyn of Butter. Flour & Me

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

The ingredient for September is "pandan"

Pandan, host by Butter. Flour & Me

Pandan, host by Butter. Flour & Me

Killer Club Sandwich (Ree Drummond)

Killer Club Sandwich (Ree Drummond)

Recipe source :  Ree Drummond

The moment I came across this club sandwich, I wanted to try it out. YS and I love eating club sandwiches. The last one we ate was at a hotel and that burnt a hole in my pocket.  Club sandwiches don't come cheap and not all restaurants have this in their menu. 

Ingredients ( makes 2 sets )

6 slices wholemeal bread, toast until golden brown
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp basil pesto
1 tbsp tomato paste  ( original recipe used sun-dried tomato pesto )
1 packet bacon, fry until crispy and drain on paper towel
150g pineapple glazed ham
150g turkey ham
2 tomatoes, sliced    ( original recipe used avocados )
4 slices cheese
2 pieces lettuce

 Turkey ham and pineapple glazed ham 

 Streaky bacon

 Packaged basil pesto

Instructions

1. Mix 1 tsp of basil pesto with 1 tbsp of mayonnaise. Set aside to be used as a spread for the toast.
2  Mix 1 tbsp tomato paste with 1 tbsp mayonnaise. Set aside to be used as a spread for the toast.
3  Ree's blog shows a detailed step-by-step guide on assembling the sandwich.

YS snapped this photo just before biting into it

I am linking this post to "Cook Like A Star" 

 

Hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out, 

Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Mich from Piece of Cake 

Egg Noodle With Shimeji Mushrooms 白玉灵兰菇炒面

Egg Noodle With Shimeji Mushrooms 白玉灵兰菇炒面

Recipe source :  Doris Choo

As I was browsing through the shelves of  a supermarket, a sales promoter offered me shimeji mushrooms which were on promotion. The sample she offered me was cooked in sesame sauce. The promoter said it is very easy to cook this type of mushroom. She further told me that it'll taste just as great stir-fried in oyster sauce. I was looking for something to cook noodles and I thought to myself, "why not?". 

The package comes in twin packs and they are said to be rich in vitamin B2, D, niacin, fibre, potassium and amino acids. They were neatly packed and looked very fresh. The simple recipe provided inside the package mentioned about cooking these mushrooms with pasta.  So coincidentally that was what I had in mind, except that I had planned to cook them with home-made egg noodles instead. 

White bunashimeji

Bunashimeji

I used the same recipe for  home-made egg noodles, but this time round, I used the noodle maker to cut them into flat thin strips as shown in picture below.

 Flat home-made egg noodles

Ingredients

250g home-made egg noodles
20g ginger, grated
2 tbsp garlic, chopped
2 stalks spring onion, cut into short sections
2 stalk Chinese celery, cut into short sections
150g bunashimeji mushrooms
150g white bunashimeji mushrooms
2 tbsp oyster sauce
3/4  tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp cooking oil

Instructions

1.  Prepare the home-made egg noodles as described in my previous post and blanched them in boiling water accordingly. Rinse and drain dry.
2.  Heat wok until hot. Add cooking oil and saute the chopped garlic and grated ginger until fragrant.
3.  Add mushrooms and stir them quickly. Add oyster sauce, sesame oil, and water.
4.  Stir briskly and add in salt before the water dries up.
5.  Add in the spring onion and Chinese celery
6.  Toss in the par-boiled egg noodles and mix them up evenly.
7.  Dish up and serve hot.

Yum-Yum!

 

Cream Puffs With Curried Minced Pork Fillings 咖喱肉碎泡芙

Cream Puffs With Curried Minced Pork Fillings 咖喱肉碎泡芙

Recipe source :  Adapted from Ellice Handy

I always admire photos of cream puffs and used to drool over them. I have not attempted to make any as I thought making cream puffs was very difficult. Do you know what finally spurred me to make this batch of cream puffs? 

Well, I was in the office the other day, when a colleague offered me a cream puff. All the ladies tried the cream puffs offered and they were good! Mind you, the one who offered the cream puffs was a guy and he boasted that he made them all by himself the night before. We all knew this guy can't cook but then he managed to make cream puffs. He claimed it's his specialty! As we savoured his cream puffs, he taught us how to make them but then he declined to give us the recipe which he claimed was his wife's.      
                                                                                                                                                              
I looked up my old recipe books and came across recipes by Ellice Handy. Both the cream puffs and curried minced pork were in her cookbooks but they were featured separately. Ellice Handy mentioned that one can fill up the cream puffs with either sweet or savoury fillings.  I mixed and  matched her recipes and came up with this version. 

I remember Jasline is hosting a Choux Party this month. Great timing!
 

Ingredients

(  make 30 cream puffs )

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter ( 125g )
1 cup sifted plain flour
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Method

 
1.  In a saucepan, heat water to boiling, then add salt and butter.
2.  When butter is melted, add the flour, all at once. Stir well with a wooden spoon till the mixture forms a  ball and leaves the sides of the pan.
3.  Remove pan from heat and cool mixture slightly.
4.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, breaking the mixture after each addition and beating hard till the mixture is smooth.
5.  Add baking power and continue beating.
6.  Use two teaspoons, form teaspoonful of mixture and place them on slightly greased baking trays, space a little apart.
7.  Bake at 200 degree C until well risen and golden brown.

Ingredients for Curried Minced pork

300g minced pork
2 tbsp Quaker oats
2 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp chopped shallots
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp soy sauce
1/3 tsp salt

Method

 
1.  Heat wok and saute chopped shallots until fragrant.
2.  Add minced pork and stir-fry to break the lump.
3.  Add curry powder, Quaker oats and water.
4.  Stir-fry until almost cooked and add flour to thicken.
5.  Dish up and cool before stuffing into the cream puffs.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #34 : Choux Party!

hosted by Jasline @ Foodie Baker

And I'm sharing this with :
Cook-Your-Books #3 hosted by Kitchen Flavours