Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Egg

 

Alright, I guess it's time for some classic homely dishes now. Steamed minced pork is my thing. I've experimented with various ingredients: shrimp paste, preserved olive vegetables, water chestnut, cuttlefish, tofu, you get the picture. Today's dish is probably just another experiment of mine. But it's tasty, nonethless. Enjoy. Oh by the way, it's gorgeous with a bowl of rice.

 

 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

 

 

200g                  minced pork

2                        chinese mushroom, soaked and diced

1                        salted egg (yolk and white separately)

1                        water chestnut, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon      chinese wine

1 dash                white pepper

1/2 teaspoon      sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon   light soy sauce

                          spring onion, chopped (optional)

 

Method:

 

Mix all ingredients (except the salted egg) together. Pour in 1/2 of the egg white and mix well. Place the mixture on a steaming plate and top with the salted egg yolk (flattened by the knife). 

 

Steam on high heat for 9 minutes and garnish with spring onion, if desired.  



Tomato Bruschetta

I've always loved a good nice bruschetta. The sweet tangy taste of those tomatoes coupled with the hot cripsy pungent garlic bread are just about the most perfect combination around, in my opinion. I've had many recipes for bruschetta over the years and it just keeps improving, a little at a time though. You can use cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes or whichever type of tomatoes you can lay your hands on, it really doesn't matter. A combination will be nice, I think.

Serves 2 (sometimes only 1 if you are famished)
Ingredients:

1 packet                     cherry tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes
3 tablespoons             extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 clove                       garlic
1/2 teaspoon              dried italian herbs or just a handful of basil leaves
1                                 baguette
                                   sea salt and black pepper

Method:

Give the tomatoes a good dice. If using large tomatoes instead of cherry tomates, remove the seeds and pulp before dicing.

Add in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive, sea salt, black pepper and the herbs. Give it a good mix and set aside.

Slice the baguette diagonally. Toast them in an oven or grill them on a pan until hot and crispy. Cut off the end of the garlic and rub it onto the freshly toasted bread. The more you rub, the more garlicky your bread gets.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon (or more) of extra virgin olive oil over the bread and serve with the prepared tomatoes.

Chicken and Cheese Porridge

 

I've grown sick and tired of the usual porridge with century egg, minced pork, scallop and all. Don't get me wrong, they are still very delicious to me. But I thought it would be good to try something new and novel. I've tried the popular Deonbokjuk (Abalone Porridge) in Korea, but the one that stays in my head was actually the creamy wholesome chicken and cheese porridge. Contrary to much belief that it will be pretty thick and heavy, a slight hint of cheese actually transformed a rather simple chicken porridge to something a little more...let's just say homely. As much as I would love the recipe from the shop owner, I had to improvise on my own from memory and some imagination. Somewhat different from the original that I've tasted, this is nonetheless good enough to tide me over a cold rainy day.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup                               short grain rice, rinsed and soaked for at least 30 minutes
1                                      chicken carcasse
1 piece                             chicken breast
1 small                             carrot, diced
1                                       broccoli stalk, diced
2 slices                             packet cheddar cheese

Method:

Bring the rice to boil with 2 cups of water. When the water is boiling, add in the chicken carcasse and chicken breast.

Remove the chicken breast after 5 - 10 minutes, leaving the carcasse behind in the pot. Allow the chicken breast to cool before shredding it by hand.

Allow the porridge to cook for another 30 minutes. Add in additional water if required.

Remove the carcasse and add in the diced carrot and broccoli. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Switch off heat and stir in the shredded chicken breast. Serve hot. Add in a slice of cheese to each bowl and stir thoroughly before serving.