Hakka Pork Belly (酶菜扣肉)

A traditional Hakka style dish...

Hakka pork belly

Ingredients

• 250g pork belly
• 1 stalk spring onion
• salted preserved vegetables
• 1 tbsp cornflour

Marinade

• 1.5 tbsp dark soy
• 2.5 tbsp light soy
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 1/2 tbsp black bean paste
• 5 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 slices ginger

Sauce

• 1 tsp light soy
• 2tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp rice wine

Method

• Boil pork belly, drain, cool and slice.
• Mix marinade ingredients together, add sliced pork and soak.
• Soak the preserved vegetables in water, drain and slice.
• Heat oil in claypot, add spring onions.
• Add preserved vegetables and sauce.
• When vegetables have softened, add pork.
• Dissolve cornflour in some water, add to pot.
• Cook until pork is soft and tender.

Black Pepper Beef

Yet another classic dish...

black pepper beef

Ingredients

• 500g beef, thinly sliced
• 2 small carrots
• 2 small brown onions
• 1 green capsicum

Marinade

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice wine
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp black pepper

Sauce

• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp garlic, finely diced
• 2 tbsp black pepper
• 4 tbsp water

Method

• Mix marinade ingredients together. Add beef and marinate in the fridge overnight.
• Mix sauce ingredients together.
• Heat oil in pan, add onions and saute until slightly caramelized.
• Add beef and brown.
• Add vegetables and sauce, simmer for around 5 minutes or until sauce begins to bubble.
• Serve with rice.

Lemon and Garlic Fish with Cheesy Rice Bubbles

I had plenty of Rice Bubbles leftover from the last time I made chocolate crackles and thought I'd try and incorporate them into a savoury dish as an experiment. I adopted this recipe.

The result? Beautiful crunchy topping for baked fish.

lemon and garlic fish with cheesy Rice Bubble topping

Ingredients

• 250g bream fillets
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 3/4 cups cereal
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
• Grease the base of a casserole dish with butter and arrange fish fillets in a single layer.
• Drizzle the lemon juice over the fish. 
• Add garlic, tomato, zucchini, salt, pepper and sugar.
• Top with Rice Bubbles and tasty cheese.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust starts to turn golden brown.

Char Kwai Teow

Another adaptation of a Malaysian recipe off Poh's Kitchen - Char Kwai Teow.

char kwai teow

Ingredients

• 2 packets fresh rice noodles
• 2 Chinese sausages, sliced
• 1 capsicum, chopped
• 1 stalk spring onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1.5 onions, sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten

Marinade

• 400g beef, sliced
• 2 tsp shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp light soy
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• 2 tbsp light soy
• 2 tsp dark soy
• 1 tsp sugar

Method

• Fry Chinese sausage in a little oil. When sausages start to confit, add onions and garlic. Saute.
• Add capsicum and carrots, saute until carrots start to soften.
• Add rice noodles, sauce and extra soy sauce if needed.
• Scramble eggs into noodles (you can also scramble eggs separately and then add them here).
• Served garnished with spring onions and shallots.

Chocolate Crackle Nests

Having been rostered on to supply afternoon tea on the day before the Easter, I decided to make chocolate crackles with an Easter theme. This recipe is a simpler version and instead of using copha, uses Mars Bars to give it a stickier and more caramel taste.

chocolate crackle nests

Ingredients

• 3 cups Rice Bubbles
• 200g Mars bars
• Cocoa powder or dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp cream
• Easter eggs (one for each crackle nest)

Method

• Melt Mars Bars, cream and dark chocolate over a pot of boiling water. Mix well.
• Stir through the Rice Bubbles.
• Immediately spoon mixture into patty pans and form a small well in the centre.
• Place an Easter egg into the centre of each nest.
• Chill in fridge overnight.

Chorizo and Bean Salsa

An adapted version of a recipe from Poh's Kitchen...

chorizo and bean salsa

Ingredients

• 1 chorizo, sliced
• 1/4 capsicum, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 400g mixed beans, drained
• tomato sauce, to taste
• salt and pepper
• chilli powder (optional)

Method

• Fry chorizo in a little olive oil.
• Add onions and saute until they start to soften.
• Add capsicum and beans, saute for a few minutes.
• Add salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste.
• Simmer until sauce reduces and thickens.
• Serve with toast.

Spring Onion Pancakes

My take on a traditional Chinese snack...

spring onion pancakes

Ingredients

• 4 stalks spring onion, chopped
• 2 cups plain flour, sifted
• 2 cups water
• 2 tsp salt
• drizzle of sesame oil

Method

• Mix flour and water until it comes together into a batter-like consistency.
• Add salt, spring onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. Mix well. 
• Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• Heat frypan on low heat, spray with oil.
• Add 1 tablespoon of batter at a time, allowing it to form small circles.
• When the pancakes no longer stick to the pan (when the pan is lightly shaken), flip them.
• Fry until the pancakes are golden brown, then drain on absorbent paper.
• Serve warm

Lemongrass Pork and Fried Egg on Rice (Com Suon Trung)

A traditional Vietnamese dish...

com suon trung

Lemongrass Pork

• 250g pork fillet
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp garlic, chopped
• 1.5 tbsp lemongrass powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp oil

Nuoc Cham

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced

Method

• Combine sugar, garlic, lemongrass, pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, lemon juice and oil.
• Slice pork and cover with marinade ingredients for at least 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in frypan.
• Fry pork until caramelized and edges start to crisp.
• Serve over rice with fried egg and nuoc cham.

Cantonese Egg Tarts

A traditional yum cha dessert...

egg tarts

Tart Crust

• 220g plain flour
• 80g caster sugar
• 150g butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt

Egg Custard Filling

• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pinch salt

Method: Tart Crust

• Sift flour and sugar into mixing bowl.
• Add in butter, egg and salt.
• Mix with hand mixer on lowest speed (or whisk by hand).
• Once dough starts to come together, turn it onto a floured surface and roll it into a log.
• Cut the log into 20 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten.
• Place dough into muffin well, press and shape some walls.

Method: Egg Custard Filling

• Pour all custard ingredients into a pot and set over the lowest heat (less than 50 degrees celsius).
• Stir custard in one direction with a whisk until all the sugar has dissolved.
• Sieve the custard through a strainer. Cool and set aside.
• Skim off foam and solid particles.

Method: Assembly

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
• Pour custard into tart shells to about 80% full.

ready for baking

• Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.
• Custard should be firm and jelly-like when done.
• Cool for 30 minutes, then lift out of the muffin pan with a butter knife. (We used patty pans, which made it easier to remove).

The original recipe we used made more than four times the amount of filling required, so I have reduced the ingredients to the appropriate ratios. In order to finish off the filling, we used some store made shortcrust pastry. The results were not as great as the homemade tart crust, which was sweeter and more crumbly in texture.

Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)

A classic spicy Sichuan stir-fry...

kung pao chicken

Ingredients

• 500g chicken thigh fillets, diced into bite-size pieces
• 12 dried chillies, soaked (optional) then shredded
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 3 slices ginger, finely diced
• 1 small red capsicum, chopped

Marinade

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Seasoning

• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1.5 tbsp dark soy
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method

• Combine marinade ingredients, add chicken and marinate for 1 hour (or overnight).
• Heat a little oil in a frypan and brown chicken. Remove from heat.
• Adding a little more oil to the pan, fry up the garlic, ginger and chillies.
• Add the chopped onion and capsicum.
• Add chicken, peanuts and seasoning.
• Fry until all ingredients are coated evenly in the seasoning.
• Serve with rice.