Spicy Stir-Fried Pork With Korean Crispy Seaweed

With some leftovers of pork neck cuttings, I decided to make this korean stir fried pork for dinner.  It is so easy to prepare and yet it tastes so good especially sprinkles with lots of crispy seaweed over the spicy meat. The cooked meat doesn't look red as I reduce the gochujang paste but added more of the korean hot pepper flakes. The pork neck cut is tender and juicy.  I always ask for this part of the piggy cut when I visit my regular butcher :) She always recommends me the best part of the piggy :p 

This dish is simple to prepare , all I need to do is to marinate the meat with some korean paste and hot pepper flakes, chopped garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce for an hour or at least 30 mins. Stir fry in hot oil till cooked , before dishing up ,sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and korean  crispy seaweed as garnishings.  I prefer the meat to be drier as I wanted to eat the meat wrapped in roasted seaweed squares. If the the meat is coated with gravy, it will soften the seaweed before it can go into the mouth. 

the longer you marinate the meat, the better the taste

Spicy Stir-Fried Pork With Korean Crispy Seaweed

ingredients:

300 g pork neck or tender loin - cut into bite size pieces

Marinade A
1 to 2 tbsp of gochujang paste - I used only 1.5 tbsp
2 tsp of sugar
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu) - if you like it more spicy you can add more
a dash of ground black pepper
2 tsp of sesame oil
5 garlic cloves - minced
1 tsp ginger, minced

1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp of chopped spring onions
* a few tbsp of water if you want the dish to have a bit of gravy

garnishing
korean crispy seaweed
toasted sesame seeds

Korean roasted seaweed sheets (Kimnori -Original Flavor) as wraps

Method:

1.Marinate the meat pieces with Marinade A for an hour or at least 30 mins.

2. Heat up oil in wok, once oil is hot, add in the marinated meat pieces and stir fried till the meat is cooked.  You can add a few tbsp of water if you want the dish to have a bit of gravy.  Once the dish is ready to dish up, add in chopped spring onion and toasted sesame seeds . Give it a quick stir and dish up.

3. You can serve as a side dish or as a main dish.

Note:  I  wrap the meat pieces with the kimnori seaweed squares.   Crispy and delicious !

Claypot Chicken Rice With Mushroom

It has been quite a while since I last cook claypot chicken rice with mushroom . I remembered the last time I cooked this one dish meal, I used the rice cooker .  Claypot chicken rice is a popular one dish meal among the locals here and are traditionally cooked in a claypot over charcoal stove but many use the rice cooker these days for convenience sake.  I had a sudden itch to cook this one dish meal using my favourite claypot and hence this is what I am sharing today with you my simplified version of claypot chicken rice.  I am not a fan of the chinese sausage /' lap cheong ' so I omitted it and add more chinese black mushrooms instead.

Cooking rice in a claypot over the gas stove can be quite challenging as I am not sure whether the rice will be perfectly cooked through or it can turn out to be too soggy.  Too much water or too little water can be a disaster.  To make claypot chicken rice , the rice has to be well cooked and dry . A soggy texture will not do.  I am glad that I managed to get it right.  I used deboned chicken breast and wings , seasoned with sesame oil, oyster sauce, chinese cooking wine and ginger juice.  I prefer to cook the chicken meat and chinese mushroom first before adding to the rice, as I am afraid that my rice will be burnt by the time the chicken meat is cooked through.  I fried some chopped garlic to make crispy fried garlic and also chopped some spring onions . They are perfect garnishes for this one dish meal.  This claypot rice will taste even better if cooked under charcoal fire but for home cooking , gas stove would be fine for me :)

season the deboned chicken breast meat with

oyster sauce, thick soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, 

chinese cooking wine and ginger juice

leave to rest for 30 minutes before

stir fry till the sesoned chicken meat and 

chinese mushroom are cooked

cook the rice with chicken stock under medium low heat,

and once the rice is almost cooked, put in the

cooked chicken meat and mushroom onto

the surface , spread out and sprinkle the remaining ginger juice

 over the chicken meat. Cover with lid

and continue to cook over low heat 

for a further 15 minutes

once the rice is done, give it a quick stir mix before serving

garnish with crispy fried garlic and chopped spring onion

Claypot Chicken Rice With Mushroom

( for 3 persons)

ingredients:

rice:

2 cups of long grain rice - rinsed and drained

2 1/2 cups / 600 ml chicken stock 

2 chicken breast  - deboned and cut into small pieces

2 chicken wings - each wing cut into 3 pieces 

 ( season the deboned chicken breast pieces and wings pieces with the seasoning for 30 mins)

8 pieces of chinese black mushrooms - soaked and trim off stem, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

Seasoning (A)

2 tbsp of oyster sauce 

2 tsp thick soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper

2 tbsp chinese cooking wine

2 tbsp ginger juice - keep 1 tbsp for use later when rice is cooked

Garnishes:
some chopped spring onions
crispy fried garlic

Method:

1. Season the chicken pieces with  seasoning (A) for 30 mins.
2, Heat up wok, add in a tbsp of vegetable oil and stir fry the seasoned chicken pieces and chinese mushrooms till cooked. Dish up and leave aside.
3. Add 600 ml chicken stock and rice into claypot, boil  rice under medium low heat with lid on until rice is almost cook. Add in the cooked chicken meat and mushrooms , spread them out evenly over the surface of the rice, pour in the remnant ginger juice over the meat and cover lid again.  Cook for another 10 mins. Off heat and rest the rice for 5 mins.  Give it a quick stir mix before serving.  Garnish with crispy fried garlic and spring onions.

My First Post For 2018 - Ramen From Home

Happy New Year to all my readers , friends, and loved ones who have been so supportive of my food blog since the day I started blogging in 2008.  Today, I have turned a packet of instant Ramen for two person into delicious Ramen like those served in Ramen Restaurants by adding pork butt slices , lava egg and roasted seaweed.  Hubby was happy with his first meal of 2018.  Wow, who say packet Ramen cannot beat those from restaurant ! The broth is thick and so delicious, you won't even think it is out of a packet.

To make the pork slices, I used pork butt cut.  Boiled in chinese wine broth with ginger till tender. Chill in fridge and slice them while still cold, reason it gives a clean smooth cut. Then the next thing to do is to make the lava egg , the steps to make a perfect lava egg is taken from here

The rest of the garnishing is some chopped spring onions ( homegrown) and roasted seaweed.  Let me tell you this...this is so delicious that hubby and I can't stop talking about this Ramen that is cooked from home and out of a packet :)  The best breakfast to start the new year.  Hope you guys had a great breakfast too !

my kids from Singapore gifted us a bag full of instant Ramen (Japan)

love them all

 so happy with the pork butt slices and Ramen lava egg

 the thick and aromatic broth is so yummy good

that hubby and I are still craving for second helpings

added the roasted seaweed

and spring onions last

to complete this bowl of deliciousness

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

MAY THE NEW YEAR BRINGS JOY, PEACE, HEALTH

and

MORE HOME COOKING !

Christmas Dinner Is Korean Grill And Hotpot

Wild Boar and I decided to have grill and hotpot for our Christmas dinner. We both love grilled pork belly and to eat them wrapped in lettuce leaf (green coral ) with kimchi and roasted seaweed is truly delicious. Watching too many Korean dramas has greatly influenced my liking for Korean food.  Grilled pork belly wrapped with lettuce leaf into a little parcel ,with kimchi and roasted seaweed is one way of eating grill pork belly and this is the only time where I lose control over my meat intake :p  We simply added a pot on top of our griller and it instantly became a hotpot :)  Thus making our Christmas dinner a wonderful one !

my favourite plate and bowl for grill and hotpot

swiss brown mushrooms, enoki, lotus root, radish 

for the hotpot

chinese cabbage for hotpot

my favourite coral lettuce for the Korean grill,

sweet and crunchy, perfect for wrapping the grilled pork belly slices

beef balls for hotpot

beef tender loin slices marinated for the Korean grill

 lean pork belly slices perfect for Korean grill

bottom left -homemade kimchi - Korean grill

bottom right - roasted seaweed - Korean grill

top left - ginger and onions sauce - hotpot

top right - crispy fried garlic for hotpot

I added fresh pineapple for grill...simply refreshing

after a heavy intake of grilled meat :)

the smell of sizzling meat on grill whets my appetite

roasted seaweed is a must for us to have with Korean Grill

you can wrap grilled meat with roasted seaweed

it is so delicious and addictive

I can eat this everyday if health permits :)

After a heavy intake of meat,  weight lifting is added to my daily work out!

Eggplant Burger

Sunday is a day I will think of cooking something nice for the two of us.  A satisfying SUNDAY. To kill two birds with one stone, I decided to make this for our dinner.  Healthy Eggplant Burger with home sprouted sugar snow peas and homebaked burger buns. Craving to knead is strong and at the same time, the sprouts are ready for harvesting.  

It took me a few hours to make this delicious and at the same time healthy.  Hubby asked why I am making this for dinner, I told him simply because my hands are itchy to knead and my sprouts are ready for harvesting :)  Burger patties made from eggplant !!! For him a meat eater , it doesn't sound exciting for him , for I have a few tins of SPAM  ready for him, in case he doesn't like the vegan style of burger :p  Anyway, this is a to die for burger. The eggplant is so tasty .  I enjoyed two at one go while the hubby had his with slices of luncheon meat.  Hard to convince a meat eater :)  He missed a good healthy burger though :)

I am happy my burger buns turned out so good , shape and texture

the egg plant burger looks like beef burger :)

added cucumber pickles and tomato slices besides the

home sprouted peas shoots

 this added extra nutrients to the burger :)

love to stack up the burger 

Taste awesome... and who say

vegan burger doesnt taste good...

 you dont know what you are missing...this is yummy

good that I have added to my table menu

 the peas shoots taste good, young and tender

and fragrant..nothing beats homesprouted ones

my home sprouted dwarf sugar snow peas shoots

Eggplant Burger

Ingredients 

Makes about 6 burger size patties

2 large japanese eggplant , peeled and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion (or 2 scallions), thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 gr grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup / 3.4 oz / 96 gr almond meal (or gluten-free breadcrumbs)

*use vegan cheese to make them vegan

Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large (preferable non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and salt and saute’ for 5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and saute’ for 1 further minute, until fragrant.

 
Finally add eggplant cubes and saute’ - stirring every now and then - until browned and soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.

 
Transfer to a large bowl and puree/mash with an immersion blender (you can also use a food processor or a blender to do this).
Add cheese, parsley, black pepper and stir until well combined.
Add almond meal (or GF breadcrumbs) ¼ cup at a time and mix with your hands until it reaches a firm consistency and will hold up as patties (you might need to use more or less almond meal).

 
Transfer mixture to the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the almond meal to suck up some of the moisture.

 
Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and with dampened hands form 6 burger size patties.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet you used before over medium-high heat.

  
When sizzling, add patties (in batches if necessary) and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until browned.

Homemade Burger Bun

ingredients: 

210g bread flour
60g plain flour
125ml full cream milk
42g caster sugar
half teaspoon of salt
4g instant yeast
30g beaten eggs 

84g water dough
22g unsalted butter

Recipe for the water dough "water roux":

Cook 125g water with 25g bread flour at medium low heat, keep stirring until it become thicken and no lumps left. If you've a candy thermometer, measure it until the temperature turn to 65C then turn of the heat. Cook it until quite liquid consistency like the baby porridge. Transfer to a clean bowl to cool down. Use only amount required. The rest can be kept in the fridge for 2 to 3 days only. If there is grey mold, throw away.

Method of making the bun :

Place all the ingredients for kneading except the butter until everything come together and become a smooth dough then add in the butter a little at a time.

Let the dough slowly absorb the butter. Gently knead till dough is smooth and not sticking to hand.

Let it proof for 50 to 60 minutes in a clean bowl cover with cling warp.

Divide the dough into even size of 6 portions or any size you like it to be then let it rest for 10 minutes.

Shape the dough into smooth round shape. Prepare some water on a a clean plate and place a kitchen towel on the top. Damp the surface of each dough and run the damp surface around a bowl of sesame seeds. Place the dough on a baking tray and let the it proof for 40 minutes. Bake at 180C for 15 minutes.

Enjoy !

Sambal Prawns With Stink Beans

Stink beans or Petai as Malaysians called them petai.  I started eating stink beans when I was 7 yrs old, and that is the time when I had my first taste of chilli.  Thus anything that is cooked with chilli has become my favourite.  My grandma was the first to introduce me and my brothers to spicy food.  And needless to say stink bean is the favourite of the family.  Whenever there are petai or stink beans sold in the market, be assured that we will be served this dish for our dinner.  That was the only time when the whole family sits together to have our meal.  

My grandma cooked the stink beans in simple style.  Just with dried shrimps and the pounded rempah that consists of serai, toasted belacan, dried chillies, fresh turmeric and shallots.  Simple and yet delicious.  With no assam paste, this taste good too.  Today , I will share my grandma simple sambal prawns with stink beans that can be served as side dish to nasi lemak and fried vermicelli. This is really good and I am sure you will want to cook this simple sambal prawns with stink beans for your family.

I bought 6 papan for RM9 from Tesco

 no worms , so worth it though it could

have been cheaper if I had bought from the orang Asli :p

this is how I cut open the skin of the stink bean,

cut a slit right across vertically and push out the bean

 red onions added for extra oomph

hubby loves red onions in his sambal petai

with just this one dish, I can have second helping

of rice :p

Sambal Prawns With Stink Beans

ingredients:

6 papan / stalks of stink beans - cut open and cut the beans into halves - wash and soak in cold water for extra crunch
1 large red onion - sliced
10 pieces of med sized sea prawns - remove shell, leave the tail intact
1/4 cup of dried shrimp - soak and pound coarsely
4 tbsp of rice bran oil or any vegetable oil
a pinch of salt and sugar for taste
1/4 cup of water

rempah paste for pounding

a handful of dried chilli ( if you want more heat, add more) - soak, and remove seeds
10 shallots
3/4 inch sq toasted belacan
1/2 thumb fresh turmeric
1 stalk of serai - sliced

Method:

Heat up oil in wok,  add in rempah and stir fry till fragrant, add in the pounded dried shrimps and continue to stir fry for another 15 mins till fragrant.  Add in 1/4 cup of water and continue to cook  till the rempah has thicken, add in the, sea prawns,  petai / stink beans and sliced onions, salt and sugar to taste. Continue to stir fry till the  prawns and stink beans are cooked through .  Dish up and serve.

Note: you can keep some in air tight container and serve as side dish for your fried noodles. Can keep a week in the fridge.

 Enjoy !