BRAISED PORK BELLY

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbs sunflower oil

500g pork belly

35g ginger, chopped into 1cm-thick slices

25g garlic, unpeeled and lightly pounded

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

25g rock sugar

190g dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for 45 minutes and cut into half

2 Tbs light soya sauce

2 Tbs dark soya sauce

1 Tbs Chinese rice wine (hua tiao jiu)

4 eggs, hard boiled and peeled

500ml water

METHOD

1. Heat a wok on high heat and add sunflower oil.

2. When oil sizzles, place pork belly into wok. Fry on all sides for 3 to 5 minutes in total until it turns light brown. Set aside to cool.

3. With the reserved oil in the wok, saute the ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick and star anise for 5 minutes till fragrant.

4. Add lightly fried pork belly into wok and fry for 10 minutes on medium meat. Mix the meat well with other ingredients.

6. Add rock sugar and mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes.

7. Pour light and dark soya sauces and Chinese rice wine into wok and fry for 5 minutes.

8. Add peeled hard boiled eggs into wok on high heat.

9. Pour in 250ml of water and cover the wok to let mixture boil for 10 minutes.

10. Transfer contents into a claypot.

11. Add 250ml of water into claypot and let it simmer for at least an hour. Stir contents occasionally and add water into claypot if the ingredients dry up.

12. Set aside to cool and before serving, slice the pork into 1cm-thick slices and serve with rice.

Serves four to six

Laksa

INGREDIENTS

For the laksa chilli paste

8 candlenuts

100g dried prawns

100g dried chilli

500g shallots, peeled

2 stalks of lemongrass

150ml cooking oil

2 to 3 Tbs sugar

Other ingredients

500g prawns, or more if desired

3 or 4 whole pieces of fishcake, boiled and sliced crosswise

20 quail eggs

Pinch of salt

2 litres of prawn stock, topped up with water if necessary

750ml coconut milk

10 pieces of tau pok (fried tofu puffs), cut into bite-sized pieces

2 to 3 Tbs light soya sauce, or to taste

1kg thick beehoon

500g bean sprouts

Laksa leaves, julienned, for garnish

Sambal or extra laksa chilli paste,to serve

METHOD

1. Soak the candlenuts in hot water until they soften. In a separate bowl, do the same for the dried prawns.

2. Meanwhile, boil the dried chillies in a saucepan over moderate-high heat for about 15 minutes or until they soften. Drain and discard the chilli seeds. Place the softened chillies into a blender and blend till smooth. Set aside.

3. Blend the shallots into a fine paste. Set aside.

4. Slice the lemongrass. Use only the bottom 7.5cm of each stalk.

 Discard the rest. Blend till smooth and set aside.

5. Drain the candlenuts and blend into a paste. Set aside.

6. Drain the dried prawns and blend into a paste. Set aside.

7. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Place all the blended ingredients into the wok and fry for about five to 10 minutes. Add the sugar, stir thoroughly, then turn down the heat. Fry on low heat for another 20 minutes or until fragrant. Be sure not to burn the chilli paste. Set aside.

8. Wash the prawns. Place them in a saucepan and add enough water so that they are all submerged. Boil for about 10 to 15 minutes on moderate heat or until the prawns are cooked and turn pink. Remove the prawns but set aside the prawn stock for use later. Shell the prawns and set aside.

9. Place the quail's eggs in a saucepan of water, add a pinch of salt, and boil for about 10 minutes until the eggs are hard-boiled. Drain, then rinse with cold water. Peel the eggs and set aside.

10. Measure the prawn stock and top it up with water if necessary to get 2 litres. In a large saucepan, bring this stock to a boil. Add the laksa paste, coconut milk and tau pok. Add the soya sauce in small amounts, to taste. Bring to a boil.

11. Blanch the noodles and bean sprouts. Portion the noodles and bean sprouts into bowls, then top with prawns, fishcake and quail eggs. Add laksa gravy. Garnish with laksa leaves and additional laksa chilli paste or sambal if desired.

Serves five.

TENDER BEEF STEAKS WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

500g beef fillets, about 8 to 10 pieces

8 Tbs light soy sauce

2 Tbs dark soy sauce

3 Tbs Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

3 tsp white sugar

A pinch of salt

3 Tbs water

2 to 4 Tbs oil

10 button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 tsp McCormick mushroom gravy seasoning

3 Tbs water

1 tsp cornflour (optional)

1 Tbs water (optional)

METHOD

1. With a meat tenderiser, gently pound each side of the beef fillet.

2. In a large dish, mix the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and water till the sugar and salt dissolve.

3. Coat the beef fillets in the marinade for at least one to three hours. You can also leave the beef to marinate overnight for up to 11 hours in the fridge.

4. Heat oil in a large pan on high heat. Drain the excess marinade from the beef fillets into a bowl and save for the gravy. Fry the meat for about two to three minutes each side. Once cooked, set aside on a serving dish.

5. In the same pan, cook the mushrooms for about five minutes till they soften. Add the excess marinade into the pan.

6. In a small bowl, mix the mushroom gravy seasoning with water and add to the mushroom sauce.

7. If the sauce is not thick enough, stir cornflour into water and add to the gravy.

8. Scoop the mushrooms and sauce over the beef fillets and serve with mashed potatoes and salad.

Serves four

MAKE IT YOURSELF:

www.straitstimes.com

Published on Oct 07, 2012

 SINGAPORE COOKS

Secret to tender beef

Textbook author Joan Fong's beef steak is based on a recipe from The Cathay Restaurant

 By Eunice Quek

PRAWN BALLS

INGREDIENTS

500g of prawns, shelled, deveined and minced (about 1.5kg of prawns, shells intact, will yield 500g of prawn meat)

180g fish meat

100g pork fat, finely diced

Five or six water chestnuts, finely diced

100g white onion, finely diced

Three to four stalks of spring onion, finely chopped

2 Tbs egg white (about 2 eggs' whites)

About 4Tbs tapioca flour, add more if necessary

1 to 2tsp sugar

1 Tbs sesame oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Cooking oil for frying

TO SERVE

Thai sweet chilli sauce

Sweet flour sauce

METHOD

1. Wash, shell and devein the prawns. Chop coarsely and mince only slightly. The meat should not be too fine - it should still have some texture to it. Set aside.

2. Fillet a white fish, preferably a yellowtail. Place the fillet, flesh-side up, skin-side down and, using a spoon, scrape the meat off. Repeat for the other fillet and also scrape off any meat left on the centre bone. Remove any bones or scales from the fish meat. Mince it till fine and smooth. Set aside. Alternatively, you may purchase raw fish meat from the wet market (at a fishball stall), but be sure to reduce the amount of salt should you use this option, as most pre-prepared fish meat already contains salt.

3. In a clean bowl, add minced prawns, fish meat, pork fat, waterchestnut, onion, spring onion, egg white, tapioca flour and seasoning.

4. Mix well and add more tapioca flour if the mixture is too wet. The mixture should form a sticky paste.

5. Using a spatula or your hands, take handfuls of the mixture and throw it back into the bowl with some elbow grease. Repeat this process 10 to 15 times for each handful. This helps to improve the mixture's elasticity, which will, in turn, make the prawn balls more bouncy. You may want to use a basin in order to contain the mess.

6. In a pan, heat oil on high. Reduce the heat to medium when the oil is hot. To find out if the oil is hot enough, place a chopstick in the pan, in an upright position. Small bubbles should immediately form around the part of the chopstick that is in contact with the oil.

7. Drop round spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil and fry for two to three minutes, until golden brown. You may use a small ice-cream scoop (right) or melon baller to form the balls. Each ball should be bite-sized, about 2cm in diameter.

8. When the balls are golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels.

9. If being served as an appetiser or snack, accompany with dipping sauces such as Thai sweet chilli and sweet flour sauce.

Makes about 30 prawn balls, depending on the size.

Lo Mai Fun

INGREDIENTS

1kg glutinous rice
30ml olive oil
100g shallots, thinly sliced
100g dried shrimp, soaked till soft then drained
100g dried mushroom, soaked till soft, drained and thinly sliced
50g dried scallops, soaked till soft then drained
15ml light soya sauce
15ml sesame oil
15ml oyster sauce
15g sugar
salt to taste
pepper to taste
400ml water
100g roasted peanuts
2 stalks scallion, chopped
2 red chilli, chopped

METHOD
1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for one hour. Drain and set aside.
2. To a heated wok, add olive oil and fry the shallots until golden brown.
3. Add shrimp, mushroom and scallops and stir-fry for five minutes.
4. Add light soya sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well.
5. Add glutinous rice and stir-fry for five minutes (above right).
6. Add water, mix well and cook the rice for two minutes.
7. Transfer the rice into a container and place in a steamer for 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
8. Remove the rice from the steamer and top with roasted peanuts, scallions and chilli.

Serves 10
The Straits Times 13/09/2009

Roast Pork

INGREDIENTS

1.5kg pork belly, tell the butcher it is for roasting to get a sufficiently fatty cut

4 tsp coarse sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven, set on roast, to 230 deg C.

2. Score the skin of the pork belly length-wise. The cuts should be about 0.5cm deep and about 1- to 2cm apart.

3. Rub 1 tsp of salt and black pepper on the underside of the pork belly, then turn it over and rub the remaining salt over the skin (right). Ensure that salt is rubbed between each slit in the skin, and if necessary, use more salt.

4. Place the pork belly on a grill rack and roast on the middle tray in the oven for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to brown.

5. Reduce the temperature to 180 deg C and roast for another 45 minutes to an hour until the skin is golden brown.

6. Switch to grill mode and raise the temperature to 230 deg C for seven minutes. Check freq- uently to ensure that the crackling does not burn.

7. Lower to 220 deg C and leave the oven door partially open. Roast for seven more minutes. Tap the back of a metal spoon against the crackling; if it produces a hollow sound, the pork belly is done.

Serves eight


CHILLI SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

10 red chillies

2 bird's eye chilli (optional)

2cm piece ginger

3 cloves garlic

60ml rice vinegar

1 small cube red fermented beancurd, or nan ru in Mandarin

2 tsp sauce from the jar of red fermented beancurd

2 tsp sugar

4 small Calamansi limes, juiced

2 tsp mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

2 tsp soya sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

METHOD

1. Blend chillies, ginger, garlic and rice vinegar in a food processor on high speed until a fine paste forms. Set aside 4 tsp and keep the remaining chilli paste as a condiment for flavouring other dishes.

2. Mix 4 tsp of the chilli paste with the red fermented beancurd, sugar, lime juice, mirin, soya sauce and sesame oil until well incorporated.

Char Siew Bao

CHAR SIEW FILLING

Ingredients

350g pork shoulder

3/4 tsp salt

2 Tbs sugar

3/4 Tbs vegetable oil

3/4 Tbs hoisin sauce

2 Tbs light soya sauce

3/4 Tbs shaoxing wine

110g honey

2 small shallots, finely chopped

1 tsp corn flour

2 Tbs water

1 tsp roasted white sesame seeds

Method

1. Cut pork shoulder lengthwise into 4cm-wide strips. Rinse under running water, pat dry and set aside.

2. Put salt, sugar, vegetable oil, hoisin sauce, light soya sauce, shaoxing wine, 85g honey and shallots together. Microwave mixture on high for 20 seconds. Remove and whisk to mix well.

3. Put pork in a re-sealable plastic bag and pour marinade over the meat, coating the meat evenly. Press out the air, seal the bag and refrigerate overnight.

4. Pre-heat oven to 230 deg C for at least 30 minutes before baking. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and place a metal rack in the tray.

5. Remove pork from bag, pat dry with paper towels and place it on the rack. Reserve the marinade.

6. Roast the pork for 15 minutes before turning it over. Roast another 15 minutes, then remove the tray from oven.

7. Flip the pork over, brush it with honey and put it back in the oven for three minutes. Remove the tray again, turn the meat over, glaze with honey and roast for two more minutes in the oven.

8. Remove the pork from the oven and leave it to rest for 20 minutes before dicing into small cubes. Set aside.

9. Dissolve cornflour in water and set aside.

10. Pour marinade into a non-stick pan and bring it to a boil.

11. Add diced char siew to the boiling marinade and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes.

12. Add sesame seeds and cook for another minute. Add cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce. Stir well, remove from the heat and leave to cool. Set aside.


BUO LUO BAO

Ingredients

300g bread flour, sifted

71/4 tsp milk powder

3/4 tsp salt

60g sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 tsp instant yeast

140g water

105g butter

125g cake flour, sifted

63g icing sugar, sifted

char siew filling (above)

Method

1. Use an electric stand mixer to mix together the bread flour, 6 tsp milk powder, 1/2 tsp salt, sugar, 2 Tbs beaten egg, instant yeast and water for 8 minutes on medium speed.

2. Add 30g butter, softened at room temperature, and mix for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

3. Roll dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size.

4. Put cake flour, icing sugar, 11/4 tsp milk powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 75g butter, cut into cubes and chilled, into a bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.

5. Gradually add 21/2 Tbs beaten egg to the crumbly pastry and mix till well incorporated.

6. Roll this dough, which forms the crust of the bun, into a ball. Place it in a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let it harden slightly.

7. When the bread dough has doubled in size, punch out the air and divide the dough into 10 portions. Cover the dough with cling wrap and leave to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.

8. Remove the dough for the crust from the refrigerator and divide it into 10 portions. Set aside.

9. Flatten one portion of the bread dough into a circle of about 12cm in diameter and scoop 1 Tbs of char siew filling into the centre. Wrap the dough around the filling and seal it. Place the sealed end face-down on a greased baking tray.

10. Flatten one portion of the pastry crust dough, place it on top of a bun and press down lightly to secure the crust. Repeat steps 9 and 10 for the remaining nine portions.

11. Use a sharp knife to score the crust of the buns with a diamond pattern (above, left). Leave at room temperature for 1 hour.

12. Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C for 15 minutes.

13. Glaze the top of each bun with beaten egg wash.

14. Bake the buns for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave them to cool.

Makes 10.