Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Coconut Juice

I cook with pork belly at home about 2-3 times a month, and last night, I tried out a new recipe for a Vietnamese version of braised pork using coconut juice. I was a little intrigued by the use of this new ingredient, but the dish turned out delicious with the subtle sweetness of the coconut juice coming through the soy and fish sauce flavoured broth. As I didn't have fresh coconut juice, I substituted it with Ayam Brand canned coconut juice instead. This dish will be a family favourite from now on! Here's the recipe:

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Coconut Juice

(Adapted from SBS Food)

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly (not too fatty), cut into 3 cm cubes or slices
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 shallots (small brown onion bulbs), finely chopped
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar (or substitute with white sugar)
2 stalks green/spring onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ white onion, finely diced
3 cups young coconut juice (not milk or cream!)
1 cup water (or just enough to cover the pork)
8 hard boiled eggs, peeled
Coriander, to garnish

Method

Combine pork belly, garlic, shallot, fish sauce, soy sauces, oyster sauce, pepper, sugar and green/spring onions. Add to marinade. Marinate pork for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Heat vegetable oil in heavy based pan and brown onion. Remove pork from marinade and add to the pan and seal over high heat. Add coconut juice, marinade and water.

Bring pan to the boil and skim surface. Simmer for 2 hours (or until tender) on low heat (skimming occasionally) and add eggs just 15 minutes before serving. Add salt to taste if necessary. Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed Jasmine rice.

Muhammara Sauce

Muhammara with mint

Try making this delicious Middle Eastern dip that is a combination of roasted red peppers, walnuts and the all-essential ingredient, pomegranate molasses. I bought the molasses at the local fruit market which sells an array of gourmet foodstuff. If you can't find it, you can always make your own (recipe here) using pomegranate juice, lemon juice and sugar. It has a tart and acidic taste that lends a beautiful flavour to the dip.

I decided to make a batch of this sauce after having tried some Kataifi prawns with Muhammara sauce at Kazbah a few weeks ago. It has a slightly sweet, spicy and nutty flavour, and it tasted so good that I had to google it to see what it was made from. I found a few recipes and they looked quick and easy to prepare, with the exception of having to buy or make the pomegranate molasses. They are great as a dip with some pita chips, bread, crackers etc. I also made an mashed egg and muhammara sandwich, which was yum! And of course, I grilled some fresh prawns and served them with the sauce. You can also serve them with steak, chicken, vegetables and practically anything you can think of. Try it! Here's the recipe:

Muhammara Recipe

(adapted from Epicurious)

A 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained*

2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine

2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper / chilli flakes

1/2 - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

* Or take 1 large red pepper and grill it in the oven for 25 minutes until the skin is charred or blistered. Place in a ziploc bag to cool (about 20 minutes) before peeling. 

Method

In a food processor blend together the peppers, the bread crumbs, the walnuts, the garlic, the lemon juice, the pomegranate molasses, the cumin, the red pepper flakes, and salt to taste until the mixture is smooth and with the motor running add the oil gradually. Transfer the muhammara to a bowl and serve it at room temperature with pita bread, crackers, meats, etc.

Grilled prawns with Muhammara sauce

Quick and Easy: Tomato Tortilla Soup

 

This simple tomato soup served with crisp fried tortilla strips is absolutely yummy and so easy to prepare. It's basically canned crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. I added some frozen corn kernels to it as well, and had it with a dollop of sour cream. Great for keeping hungry tummies warm and happy on cold winter days. It was also a good way to use up the extra flour tortillas that I had after making tortilla pie last week.

The recipe I used is adapted from Rachel Ray. I chose not to blend the soup together with the tortilla.

Tomato Tortilla Soup

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used a pinch of cayenne pepper)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• One 28-ounce can crushed/chopped tomatoes    
• A handful of sweet corn kernels (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin    
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1/2 lime / lemon
• Seven 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into strips and pan-fried in olive oil until browned and crisp    
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and crushed red pepper and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add cumin and fry briefly. Then add the chicken broth and the tomatoes and their juice, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add the salt, lime juice and corn kernels and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Garnish with fried tortilla strips and serve.

Food Memory: Baked Beans and Spam

Crisp caramelized slices of luncheon meat (or Spam) with baked beans in a light tomato sauce.
Can it sound any better?

Food memories aren't always all happy and good. Some of you might be cringing at the thought of "baked beans and spam??". Well, at least I did when I first came across this dish which was served to me (meaning "plonked onto my compartmentalized food tray alongside some rice and other dishes") when I was staying at a hostel during my high school days. I was thinking "Gee, does throwing together two types of canned food really count as a dish?". It reminded me of dog food. It was a chunk of luncheon meat (the kind in the cylindrical Maling can) that had been quartered and mixed through with baked beans in tomato sauce. I must say I had never seen anything like it before, but then of course, it was my first time being away from home, and having been pampered with delicous home-cooked meals until then, this was pretty alien to me. My roommate, on the other hand, thought that it was "nice" and couldn't understand why I didn't think so. I was still skeptical about it.

It didn't take more than a few weeks of hostel dinners before I realised that I would be eating it more often than I expected. Or maybe the cooks figured that baked beans and luncheon meat would be a treat for us. After all, they are imported ingredients, and maybe to them, fusion food. Literally. I guess I sort of got used to it after a while. It started to grow on me and I actually kind of liked it. Anyway, I always looked forward to the "Friday Dinner Specials", especially the chicken rice which was always such a treat for us. There's my one and only positive food memory from hostel life.

Well, if you're a fan of baked beans and spam, then you will love this dish. Being two of Z's favourite foods, his face and eyes lit up with joy when I showed him what's for dinner. Perhaps this is a good way to prepare him for life in boarding school if or when it happens.

Supplemented the meal with stir-fried chinese cabbage and oyster mushrooms.
Sprinkled some crispy fried diced spam over the top for colour :)

Food Memory: Steamed Egg Custard with Pork and Salted Egg Yolk

It has been a while since I last had this dish. My mum used to make this for lunch at home and we would eat it together with a hot bowl of porridge (congee). Actually, I never did like it when I was little, but as I grew up, I slowly learnt to appreciate and enjoy the rich and creamy taste of of the salted egg yolks against the soft and silky egg custard. However, whenever I go back home to visit and ask my mum to cook this, she refuses to for the pure reason that it's TOO SIMPLE! :)

I decided to make this for dinner because firstly, it's easy to prepare, and secondly, I had some duck's eggs leftover from the other day when I cooked the crab. Most of the time, when I cook steamed egg, I would use one egg with 1/2 cup water, seasoned, and place it in a small bowl which I would then pop into the rice cooker on top of the rice, about 15 minutes just before the timer for the rice goes off. It will come out perfectly set and dear H will be the one who finishes the whole bowl. It's also a good way to help "moisten" the rice especially when there's no gravy or sauce in the other dishes. Well, this time, I used 3 eggs, so I had to steam it in a wok instead, but over very low heat. The water should be just simmering, otherwise the eggs will overcook and you'd end up with dry and hard "honeycombed" eggs instead.

Here is the recipe, which I have sort of conjured up based on memory:


Steamed Egg Custard with Pork and Salted Egg Yolk

Ingredients

3 tbsp minced pork
2 salted duck's eggs, boiled and yolks removed and chopped
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cup water
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
Dash of pepper
1 tbsp vegetable/peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Some chopped spring onions or frozen mixed vegetables for topping (optional)

Marinade:
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
Dash of pepper
1/8 tsp sesame oil

Method

Combine pork with marinade and leave for 20 minutes.

Fry garlic in 1 tbsp oil until garlic turns light brown and crisp. Dish out and put aside.

Combine beaten eggs with water, soy, salt, pepper and stir until well mixed. Pour into a steaming tray or glass pie dish. Take 3 tbsp of this mixture and stir it through the pork until the mince is well dispersed. Add this to the rest of the egg mixture and spread the mince evenly. Sprinkle with salted egg yolk. Steam over simmering water on low heat for 15 minutes or until egg is just set. Take care not to overcook. If frozen vegetables are used, add this to the egg just before it completely sets and continue to steam until cooked. Remove from steamer and drizzle the garlic oil over the egg. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.