Minced Pork With Tofu and Mushroom

“People who like to cook like to talk about food....without one cook giving another cook a tip or two, human life might have died out a long time ago.” (Laurie Colwin, 'Home Cooking')

  

I love tofu/bean curd. It's so versatile that there's so many things you can cook with it.  This is another convenient and simple dish that needs to be accompanied with a bowl of hot steamed rice. The succulent minced pork combines with the tasty sweet gravy is truly appetising.

Why not add this lovely dish in your next home-cooked dinner!

Feel free to substitute minced pork with minced chicken if you like. Please adjust the measurement below according to your preference.

Minced Pork with Tofu and Mushroom

Ingredients:

- 250gm Minced Pork (season with a dash of white pepper, garlic, soya sauce, sweet soya sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil)

- A handful of shitake mushroom (cut into pieces, if you use dried mushrooms, make sure you pre-soak in water)

-  Some chopped fresh prawn

- 1 to 2 tbsp dried shrimp (Can be substituted with salted fish)

- 1 tbsp chopped garlic

- A handful of spring onion (cut into 1-2 cm)

- 1 block of silken tofu (dice into desired size)

- Water

- Cooking oil

- Cornstrach solution - just mix some cornflour with water (Optional)

Seasoning sauce:

- Soya sauce

- Sweet soya sauce

- Oyster sauce

- Sesame oil

Method:

1) Heat up some cooking oil in wok/pan and add in garlic and dried shrimp.

2) Add in the shitake mushroom.

3) Add in the chopped prawn and stir well

4) Add in the minced pork and strir well, add seasoning sauce according to taste

5) Add the silken tofu, give it a quick stir and allow to cook for 30 seconds, then add some water. Stir well then allow to boil.

6) Add more seasoning sauce until you get the desired taste

7) Add in the chopped spring onion and mix well.

8) Simmer for another 5 minutes to allow the tofu absorb the gravy

9) Optional: Add in some cornflour solution and mix well to achieve a thicker gravy

10) Serve warm with steamed rice. Enjoy!

Steamed egg with Cincalok

Spices add an incredible amount of flavour to what you eat. Cultures all over the world have dishes that excite and stimulate your palate with spices and add heat and taste to everyday ingredients. (Ansary, LifeMojo)

INTRODUCING NYONYA CUISINE

I get this everyday recipe from my "Penang Nyonya A-Ma Secret Recipes" cookbook. This book is a great compilation of some popular Nyonya dishes. I grow up eating lots of food without realising they are actually Nyonya food, I started learning more about Nyonya food when I watched a Singaporean drama called 'Little Nyonya". This show introduced me to the rich history of Peranakan. Peranakan is the term used to describe the descendants of the intermarriage between the early Chinese imigrants and the local malays (in Malaysia and Singapore).

The Nyonya cooking is a result of the combination of Chinese and Malay-style of cooking, which then become the most tasty and exotic food to be found in Malaysia and Singapore. It combines a lot of different herbs and spices to come up with a perfect dish. Nyonya cooking are complicated affairs, often require great patience and excellent culinary skills to prepare.

With no surprise, this Steamed egg with Cincalok is the easiest recipe in the cookbook =p

Steamed Egg with Cincalok
Bottom Layer:

-300 gm minced pork ( I actually used chicken this time)

-6 small red onions and finely chopped

-1 tsbp cincalok

Seasoning:

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp corn flour

Top Layer:

2 Eggs ( I think I will use more next time, so I can get thicker layer of egg on the top)

10 tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pper

 1 tbsp fried garlic oil and chopped spring onion ( I added some into my meat mixture)

Note:

Just make sure you don't be too generous on the Cincalok as the smell is very strong, too much of it will spoil your dishes instead of enhancing it. With the right amount of Cincalok this can be a very appetising dish to go with steamed rice.

Method:

1) Mix ingredients for bottom layer with seasoning. Spread onto a steaming tray.

2)Steam at medium heat for about 7 minutes

3)Meanwhile, mix top layer and pour over steamed minced pork

4)Steam for another 5 minutes at low heat. Open the lid occasionally to avoid bubbles forming on the surface of egg.

5) Remove, drizzle fried garlic oil and sprinkle chopped spring onion on top and serve hot with steamed rice.

I found that after cooking, the taste of the meat is quite similar to the pork spare ribs that you find in Chinese Yum Cha (Dim Sum) restaurant.

Lotus Root Meat Cake

“Men become passionately attached to women who know how to cosset them with delicate tidbits.” (Honoré de Balzac, 1799-1859)

Today, I made Lotus Root Meat Cake, which is quick and very easy to prepare.

This recipe is adapted from a Malaysian cookbook, "Hawker secret Recipes". This cookbook is full of yummy Malaysian hawker style dishes.
Those that grew up in Asia, might have tried this meat cake before. It's delicious and it can be served with steamed rice or if you like, you can have it with bread/bun, just like burger.

Lotus Root Meat Cake

Ingredients:

-300g minced pork

-100g lotus root ( I bought the frozen one from asian grocery)

-1 tbsp chopped spring onions

-1 egg

-1 tbsp corn flour

Seasoning:

-1 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp sugar

-1/2 tsp sesame oil ( if you like the aroma of sesame oil then you can add more)

-1/2 tsp white pepper

Method:

1) Blend the lotus roots in a blender until fine, dish out and keep aside.

2) Mix minced pork are blended lotus root with remaining ingredients and seasoning, stir well until sticky.

3) Form the minced pork mixture into small meat cake evenly

4) Shallow-fry in the preheated sauce pan with some hot oil at low heat until cooked and glden brown on both sides.

5) Dish up and serve hot.

 

I love to have this with chilli sauce. Delish!!!!