Dongpo Ro (Red Cooked Pork Belly)

 

INGREDIENTS:

500g pork belly – cut into 3” by 3” cubes

2 stalks scallions – lightly bruised with the back of knife

1/2” ginger – peeled and sliced thinly

4 cloves garlic – peeled

 

Sauce ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Shao Xing wine or Chinese rice wine

1/8 cup rock sugar

3 cups water.

 

 

METHOD:

1). Boil 1” of water in pot and scald the pork pieces evenly on all sides. (for about 1 minute). Drain pork and set aside.

2). Heat oil in a pot large enough to fit all the pieces of pork in one layer.

3). Fry scallions, ginger and garlic until fragrant then add the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil.

4). Place pork pieces skin side down into the pot and bring to a boil.

5). Cover pot, lower heat and simmer in low heat for 1 hour.

6). After 1 hour, gently turn the pork pieces over to skin side up and continue to simmer for another 2 to 3 hours.

7). The pork is ready when it is soft and tender to touch. Gently place pork pieces in one layer on to a plate, strain sauce and pour over the pork. Serve hot.

 

 

Notes:

The recipe above is the authentic way of cooking Dongpo Ro but if you prefer a spicier sauce, you can add 1 piece of star anise and/or 3 pieces dried mandarin peel to your sauce ingredients.

If you prefer a darker coloured sauce, you can add a 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, kicap manis or hoisin sauce.

You can add 2 tablespoons oyster sauce for an umami flavour.

You can also add 2 tablespoons of Chinese black rice vinegar, balsamic or red wine vinegar if you prefer a hint of acid in the sauce to counter the heaviness of the fatty pork.

Serve hot with udon noodles, rice, or steamed buns.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is England’s favourite restaurant food. It is also my favourite type of chicken curry and makes the best comfort food when served with long grain rice on a rainy day.

 

INGREDIENTS:

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into 1'” cubes

4 green chillies

2 cloves garlic – peeled

3 stalks coriander (separate the leaves and chop for garnishing, keep the stems and root)

1/2” piece ginger – peeled

1 medium sized white onion – peeled

3 tablespoons garam masala

3 tablespoons chili powder

pinch of turmeric powder

1 can whole tomatoes (250 grams) – diced and keep the the juice

1 cup thick natural flavoured yoghurt

1 cup heavy cream

salt to taste

 

METHOD:

1). Blitz green chillies, garlic, coriander stem and root and onion.

2). Marinate the chicken with the mixture and 1/4 teaspoon salt for at least an hour.

3). Place chicken pieces on top of oven rack and grill in the oven for 8 minutes. Make sure you place an aluminum lined oven tray below the rack to catch the juices that will flow from the grilled chicken pieces.

4). Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot and sauté garam masala, chili powder and turmeric until fragrant.

5). Add grilled chicken and the juices collected from the oven tray to the pot and stir fry for 1 minute.

6). Add canned tomatoes and yoghurt. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the gravy is thick.

7). Add heavy cream and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.

8). Add salt according to taste.

9). Garnish with chopped coriander leaves before serving.

Serve with fluffy long grain rice.

Mak Kimchi

I got this authentic mak kimchi from a Korean friend’s mom and I love it because it only takes about two hours to make and it lasts for at least 4 months! You can have it plain with rice, make soups, and my favourite of all, Kimchi Fried Rice. It’s always a good standby when guests drop by unexpectedly for dinner and it’s too late to prepare an extra dish. Kimchi will even transform your instant ramen noodles into an appetizing, spicy meal.

Authentic homemade mak kimchi ferments naturally on its own thus giving a smooth, spicy and sour taste unlike the sometimes overwhelmingly sharp tasting ones you get from the grocery stores. When the kimchi is new, it is crunchy and sweet. Its taste changes over time to a pungent and appetising  sour pickle,

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 head wong buk [napa cabbage) – quartered lenghtwise, discard the core and cut into 2” pieces

1 daikon radish – julienned

1 carrot – julienned

2 leeks – sliced

2 scallions – chopped

10 chives – cut into 1 1/2” length

1/4 cup salt

 

Sauce ingredients:

10 cloves garlic – peeled

2” ginger – peeled

1 1/2 to 2 cups kimchi pepper flakes

1 cup fish sauce ( I use nam pla )

1 large white onion

1 1/2 cup sweet kimchi paste (recipe below)

 

Sweet kimchi paste:

2 cups water

1/3 cup glutinous rice flour

5 tablespoons sugar.

Mix all ingredients well in a mixing bowl, making sure that there are no lumps and transfer to a saucepot.

Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, keep stirring for 3 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick and and shiny.

Leave to cool.

 

METHOD:

1). Soak wong bok in water mixed with 1/4 cup salt. Mix and turn the wong buk every 30 minutes. Soak for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

2). Rinse wong buk under running water to wash away the salt solution.

3). Drain and gently squeeze out excess water from wong buk.

4). Blitz all the sauce ingredients in a food processor and transfer to a big mixing bowl.

5). Mix in all the vegetables and make sure that all the veggies are evenly coated with the kimchi sauce.

6). Pack the kimchi into a clean container and press make sure there are no air bubbles trapped inside the kimchi.

7). Cover and leave in a cool dark place for 36 hours and then store in the fridge.

8). The kimchi will be ready to be eaten after 4 days.

 

Note: Serve kimchi with a sprinkle of sesame seed oil.