Chinese BBQ Pork in Steamed Bun

After Cyclone Marcia hitting us making a big mess, Autumn is here! My little niece and nephew from Malaysia were overjoyed looking at the flood water and brown ocean as one of the highlight of their Aussie trip after staying at home for two days due to the bad weather. Our home became instantly so quiet after the visitors gone home. I am sure my little niece and nephew would have grown so much when I see them next time!

People were crowding at the street stall selling this bun at one of the night market I went to recently. Most of the people were enquiring rather than purchasing it. Maybe this is something new for them, a bit like a hamburger but not quite. The Chinese bun is steamed rather than baked. I actually like it more than the BBQ pork buns you get at Yum Cha. There is more pork and extra sauce and the vegetable making it a healthier option. You can substitute Chinese BBQ pork with Chinese roast duck for this recipe.

Chinese BBQ Pork in Steamed Bun

Ingredients:
Chinese BBQ pork, store bought or make your own
Chinese Steamed Buns, available at Chinese grocery store, I got them from Sunnybank Plaza
Hoisin sauce
Lettuce and Cucumber

Cut BBQ pork into thin slices, fill bun with layers of salad, top with BBQ pork then drizzle good amount of Hoisin sauce over. Enjoy!

Pork & Bean Enchiladas

There is so little I have known about Mexican food.  We make nacho, taco and tortilla quite a lot but that's probably what I have been up to.  Last year, I went to a Mexican themed party hosted by my dear American friend, she used her Mexican relative's recipes making a range of food including some chilli black bean and that was quite interesting.  I found that this enchiladas recipe from the newspaper using only kidney bean.  I modified it a bit adding pork and avocado & sour cream topping to suit my family's taste. I add the topping because it is quite dry with the mince and bean and I have to say that I love the taste of coriander in this dish.

Pork & Bean Enchiladas
(make 5 rolls)

Ingredients:
520g pork mince
200g tinned red kidney beans
500g tomato pasta sauce
1 onion, finely cut
3 garlic gloves
2 tablespoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
grated cheese
salsa sauce
avocado
lite sour cream
fresh coriander
salt & pepper
5 Mission sun-dried tomato & basil wraps or any tortilla wraps

Method:

1. Heat oil in pan, cook onion and saute until onion starts to soften.  Add garlic and pork mince and cook till it changes to brown colour.  Add cumin, chilli powder, 1 cup of pasta sauce and 1/2 of the coarsely mashed red kidney beans. Simmer on low for a few minutes then add the rest of the whole beans.  
2. Divide the filling into 5 portions.  Fill the tortilla wraps with the filling and roll up, place the end downward.  Arrange tortilla into a baking dish, spread the rest of the pasta sauce over and sprinkle with grated cheese.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown in a preheated oven at 180c.
4. Mix the diced avocado with salsa sauce.  Cut the enchiladas half and arrange onto the serving plate. Top with avocado salsa mix and sour cream.  Sprinkle with some fresh coriander and serve with green salad.

Marmalade Glazed Ham and Christmas Feast

Merry Christmas and I hope everyone has a great time with their family and friends.

My challenge for this Christmas is to cook up a traditional feast to overcome my fear of cooking big chuck of meat.  I made this glazed ham and roast a whole stuffed turkey on Christmas Day.  I made the dessert of cream burlee and chocolate meringue terrine on Christmas Eve.  Then I started cooking at 6.30am on Christmas Day making the pumpkin pies, cooked the ham, roast vegetables, mashed potatoes, make the dips, make the fruit salad, heat up the bread rolls, cook the corns and finally roasting the turkey at 9.30am.  I get my kids to help me prepare the appetizer and the feast is all prepared by 12 noon.  My sisters also brought a lot of food along so we just sit and chat and eat the whole day!  And we have SO much left-over that could last for a couple of days or weeks!

So I've done it and I have less fear for cooking big chuck of meat.  My next challenge will be roasting rolled pork loin or leg of lamb.  Then I may claim myself as no fear in the kitchen!

Marmalade Glazed Ham


one leg of ham
whole cloves, to decorate
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
pineapple pieces

Method:

1. Cut the rind about 10cm from shank end of leg.  Run your thumb around edge of rind just under the skin to remove rind.  Carefully pulling rind from widest edge of ham and continually to pull away from the fat up to the cut.  (I did that a day ahead and reserved the rind to cover the cut surface to keep it moist during storage)
2. Score fat by making shallow cuts diagonally in both directions at 3cm intervals, carefully not cut through the fat.
3. For the glaze: stir in the orange juice with the marmalade in a saucepan then add the sugar and stir till sugar is dissolved.
4. Place the ham onto the baking dish, brush with half of the glaze.  Cover shank end with foil.  Place some pineapple at the bottom.  Roast, uncovered in a pre-heated 180c oven for 40 minutes.  Push a clove in centre of each diamond shape and roast a further 40 minutes or until brown all over, brush ham with remaining glaze during cooking.
5. Cover ham with foil and rest before serving.  Serve hot or cold.

Steam Boat

Having steam boat in winter is the best thing to keep you warm and entertain with family and friends.  You need a portable gas stove, a pot with your choice of soup base, different kinds of seafood, fish balls, meat, tofu, vegetables and noodles.  Then every thing is cooked at the table, nice and hot straight from the pot to your mouth with every one crowding at the table, standing or sitting.  In Hong Kong, there are restaurants specially cater for steam boat.  When I was a kid, we only had this in winter.  Nowadays people are having it all year round with the air conditioning on during summer.  You can see how much Chinese love steam boat.

My kids love this as they can cook whatever they want for themselves.  I have used two soup bases, laksa and miso this time to suit my family's taste.  For me, it's the best food to have in winter.  What's your winter favourite?

Pork Chop Roll Vietnamese Style

After the post of pork burger, I have readers visit my blog searching for the recipe of pork chop burger.  Pork chop burger is another famous dish in Macau.  I missed the chance to taste it when I visited there last time.  It was featured in Hong Kong's cooking and travel show, the bun supposed to be crusty on the outside and soft inside, and the meat should be tender.  It would be something I have to try next time when I'm in Macau.

As I have no idea of the taste of Macau's famous pork chop burger, I could only make something that I can manage.  I find this vietnamese style bread roll in the supermarket which is perfect to work with pork chop, then I get an idea to create this pork chop roll.  I marinate the pork chop with lemon grass and fish sauce to give it a strong favour.  A little of dijon mayonnaise and tomato sauce are just enough to give it a kick.  Delicious!
  
Pork Chop Roll Vietnamese Style
(serve 2)

Ingredients:
2 Crusty Vietnamese Rolls
2 pork loin chops
tomato, sliced
butter lettuce
red onion, sliced
dijon mayonnaise
tomato sauce

For the marinate:
1 teaspoon garlic mince
1 1/2 tablespoon lemongrass powder
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3-4 teaspoons raw sugar

Method:

1. Trim off excess fat from the pork chop.  Remove the bone as you don't want to bite onto the bone.  Use a meat mallet to pound pork thinly.  If you don't have a meat mallet, you can use the back of the knife pounding.  This helps to tender the meat.
2. Mixed the marinate in a small bowl and season the meat with the marinate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat pan with 1/3 oil, pan fry the pork until brown and well cooked on both side.  Half the pork chop vertically.
4. Butter the bread roll, fill it with lettuce, tomato, onion, pork chops and the sauce.

pounding the pork chops

absorb excess oil with kitchen paper

a cross-section look of the bun

Hong Kong Style Baked Pork Chops and Rice

My post of Baked Portuguese Chicken and Rice has become a popular post.  So I think you may like to read another popular dish from Hong Kong's cafe that also has the western influence, the Baked Pork Chops and Rice.  This dish takes me back to the memory of my senior high school day in Hong Kong.  We had extended lessons 2 or 3 days a week in the afternoon to prepare for the open senior test.  My lunch money was enough to order a set lunch that included soup of the day, a hot meal and a drink.  I loved the company having lunch with my friends.  We talked about the movies stars, study, fashion, lots of giggles....and the Baked Pork Chops and Rice was my favourite dish.  I like the crusty rice at the side and the combination of the egg, cheese mixed with the tomato sauce is so tasty.  I have added more vegetable into the dish and I find the closest taste that link to my memory is to use a tin of tomato soup for the sauce.            


Hong Kong Style Baked Pork Chops and Rice
(serve 4-6)

Ingredients:
6 pieces of pork loin chops
6 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup baby peas
1/4 cup corn kernels
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup plain flour mixed with 1 cup water for batter
salt and pepper

For the sauce:
1 teaspoon garlic mince
1 small carrot, sliced
1/2 cup onion, cut into 1cm x 1cm cube
1/2 cup green capsicum, cut into 1cm x 1cm cube
1 tin of 415g tomato soup
shredded cheese

Method:

1. Marinate pork chops with salt and pepper for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok or a large pan, add beaten eggs, diced carrot, onion, and corn.  Stir for half a minute, then add the cooked rice and keep stirring until it is well mix.  Season with salt, pepper and sugar.  Place the cooked rice into a casserole dish.
3. Dip the pork chops into the batter and fry into hot pan with sufficient oil. Cook until both sides are browning but not fully cook.  Lay the chops on top of the fried rice.
4. Heat a little oil in pan, add garlic, onion, carrot and capsicum and stir for a minute.  Then add a tin of tomato soup and turn the heat down.  Let it simmers for a few minutes.  Pour the sauce over the rice and sprinkle some cheese over the top.
5. Bake the pork chops and rice in a 230c preheated oven for 20 minutes or the cheese is getting brown.  Cover it with the lid, turn the oven down to 180c.  Bake for a further 30 minutes until the sauce is well absorbed into the rice and the vegetable is tender.   

Pork Burgers with Caramelised Onion and Crumbed Mushroom Salad

I tried the crumbed mushroom salad when I was dinning at a steak house a while ago.  It was served as a vegetarian meal and I was quite surprise how nice it tasted. (only if you like mushroom)  The restaurant used button mushroom and I gave it a change using portabello, the giant mushroom.  The mushroom is very meaty so you don't need a lot of it.  It goes nicely with the pine nuts and salad.  What a way to have the fungus!  And the burger, I don't think burger franchise will make enough money if they don't sell pork burger in Hong Kong.  Many Chinese prefer pork than beef in their diet but you can hardly find a place selling pork burger in Australia.  You can see the cultural differences from that point of view. 

Pork Burgers with Caramelised Onion and Crumbed Mushroom Salad
(serve 4)

Ingredients:
4 burger buns
250g pork mince
1 slice of stale bread
1 large onion
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon corn flour
freshly cracked black pepper
breadcrumb
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra sugar
BBQ sauce

Crumbed Mushroom Salad:
2 portabello mushroom, thickly sliced
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon parmesan cheese powder
breadcrumb
80g leafy mix
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Cut the bun and spread with butter. Set aside.
2. Soak the stale bread with some water and mesh into the mince.  Add in 1/4 cup finely chopped onion, salt, soy sauce, sugar, corn flour and pepper.  Mix well with your hand to form 4 patties and crumb them with breadcrumb.
3. Mix the cheese powder into 1/2 cup breadcrumb and crumb the mushroom with egg then set aside.
4. Heat enough oil in pan and cook the petties and mushroom until cooked and golden colour.  
5. Then cook the rest of the onion, sliced till it is soft.  Add the balsamic vinegar and extra sugar to it until it is caramelised.
6. Put some leafy mix at the base of the bun, top with the meat patties, caramelised onion and BBQ sauce. 
7. Mix the olive oil and vinegar with salt and pepper.  Pour over to the mushroom salad.  Serve the burgers with salad.

Spaghetti Meatballs

We are a bit tired of spaghetti bolognese, and the kids keep asking to have meatballs for dinner.  I don't have much success in making meatballs as it always turn out very hard and it is quite time consuming to pan fried the balls.  Then I use the method in making Chinese steamed patty for the meatballs.  It is a much easier way to cook and the meatballs is tender and soft.  To increase the fibre intake, I choose to use wholemeal pasta in this recipe although the plain one tastes smoother.  Making this dish reminds me of the nursery song, "On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese, I lose my poor meatballs when somebody sneezed.......so if you eat spaghetti all covered with cheese, hold on to your meatballs and don't ever sneeze."  Ah-chee!

   

Spaghetti Meatballs

(serve 4)

Ingredients:

280g lean pork mince or veal mince

2-3 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cornflour

5 tablespoons water

For the sauce: 

1 medium onion, cut into small pieces

1 small carrot, cut into small cube 

1 small zucchini, cut into small cube

3-4 button mushroom, cut into small pieces

1/2 medium red capsicum, cut into small pieces

500g bottle pasta sauce

3/4 packet of 500g wholemeal spaghetti

1 tablespoon garlic

fresh basil and oregano leaves, chopped

250g water (1/2 of the pasta sauce bottle)

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

Methods:

1. Marinate the pork mince with the herb, salt and pepper.  Add the corn flour and water and mix until it is all combined and feels light.  Let it stand for 30 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in the saucepan, add the onion and garlic, stir for a minute.  Then add the rest of the vegetables and cook till it is becoming soft.  Pour the pasta sauce into the pan and add the water, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Roll the mince into meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball, drop it into the cooking sauce.  Make 16 balls.  Let it cook for another 20 minutes.  Do not stir as it will break the meatballs.  Add the chopped basil and oregano leaves over the sauce. 
4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti following the packet direction, drain and arrange the cooked pasta on to 4 serving plates, leave a well in the middle.
5. Pour 4 meatballs with sauce onto the pasta and sprinkle some parmesan cheese over.