Jeyuk Bokkeum (Korean Stir Fried Spicy Pork) 韩式辣炒猪肉

A few weeks ago we happened to have popped into a chain supermarket that sells different kinds of imported groceries. We always like to hang around places like this because we can find so many things that we used to eat/use when we were in the United Kingdom especially snacks and some cooking ingredients from other countries. We actually went there for the bread flour (it is not easy to find bread flour in Malaysia) and we bumped into this Korean goods corner. I found this hot and spicy Kalbi Marinade and the picture on the label reminds us the grilled black pork in Jeju Island, South Korea. My husband was so excited and we got it home and made this spicy stir fried pork. This was the first time I used the sauce and I remember I saw red pepper paste and other ingredients on the label so I believed I do not have to add too much flavour into it. It is spicy, sweet and very hot! We liked it so much but I know I should reduce the marinade next time to avoid sausage lips after eating this XD

Ingredients: 
300g Pork belly (about 1inch wide but thinly sliced)
1 1/2 tbsp of Hot and Spicy Kalbi Marinade (I added 3tbsp and it was fiery!!)
1/2 Onion (wedged)
2 cloves Garlic (sliced)
1/2 stalk Leek (cut into 1/2 inch wide)
100g Oyster mushrooms (washed and roughly sliced - they shrink after cooking)
some Cabbage Kimchi (roughly chopped) - optional
2tbsp Sesame oil
3tbsp water
A pinch of salt

Steps:
1. Add the marinade into the pork and stir well. Leave it aside for at least 20 minutes.
2. Heat a pan at medium heat. Add sesame oil and followed by onion and garlic. (Sesame oil get burnt easily so do not wait too long)
3. Stir fry the onion for a few seconds and add the pork (including the marinade) into the pan. Stir fry until the pork is crispy on the outside.
4. Add kimchi, leek and mushroom and stir fry a little (do not reduce the heat).
5. The heat and ingredients dry up the pan in second. Add water from the sides at this stage together with a pinch of salt and stir fry until the sauce is reduced to the maximum. 
6. Remove from heat and ready to serve with steamed rice or wrap with fresh lettuce the Korean way of eating. Enjoy! 

Dry Pork Curry (干咖喱猪肉）

It was a lazy weekend and I decided to cook a dish that we can actually finish the whole plate of  rice with it. Curry pork came into my mind and it was really easy both in preparation and cooking. The sauce is so thick like what I wanted it to be and the spiciness was enough to heat up every single cell in the body! We loved it though because it goes really well with rice and the flavour can easily spice up your taste buds in seconds.  

Ingredients:

200g Pork (with bone or boneless, cut into big chunks)

1 Onion (sliced)

1tbsp Minced garlic

1tbsp Minced shallots

1tbsp Minced ginger

1tbsp Curry powder (I used Baba's, Adabi is less hot in my opinion)

1tbsp Chilli powder (reduce to suit personal taste)

1tsp Turmeric powder (optional)

2tbsp Coconut milk powder

4tbsp Evaporated milk

500ml Water

1/4tsp Sugar

1/2tsp Salt (adjust to personal taste)

3tbsp Cooking oil

Steps:

1. Heat a pan at medium heat. Add cooking oil into the pan and followed by onion slices. Stir fry the onions until they are softened. 

2. Add garlic, shallots, ginger and fry until fragrant.

3. Make a well in the middle of the pan and add curry powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder. 

4. Stir gently for 10-15 seconds until fragrant (it is right when your nose starts to feel itchy!)

5. Add in pork and stir fry until the meat turns into white colour on the outside.

6. Pour the water into a large bowl and stir in the coconut milk powder until no lumps. Pour the mixture into the pan from sides. Stir well and bring it to a boil. Continue simmering with lid on for about 20 minutes.

7.  Remove the lid and add the evaporated milk. Stir well and continue simmering without lid for 10 minutes or until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.

Ready to serve ^^

Tips:

• This is a healthier version of curry because only small amount of coconut milk is added. If you like a richer flavour you can always swap the evaporated milk at the end with a thick coconut milk mixture - mix 3tbsp of coconut milk powder with 6tbsp of water OR add 40ml fresh coconut milk straight away.

• The powdered spices can absorb plenty of oil but do not bother to add gallons of oil. You will get a better fragrance if you keep frying. The main point is keep stirring to make sure they mix well in the pan and not getting burnt. 

Kare Katsu (Japanese Curry with Pork Chop) 日本咖喱猪扒饭

Japanese curry is one of my favourite because of the tangy gravy which goes very well with any ingredients and most importantly white rice. There are choices of mild, medium and hot (or extra hot on some brands) for the curry cubes. I always go for mild or medium because Japanese curry is not meant to be hot in my opinion. You can add any vegetable into the curry and that will create a nutritious meal! I like it with tonkatsu (fried pork chop) too! When the crispiness of the pork chop meets the marvellous thick curry sauce, mmm...you will only know how it feels when you eat it. 

Fried Pork Chop

Ingredients: (serves 2)

2 Pork loin (1-1.5cm thick)

2tbsp Plain flour

1 egg

4-5 tbsp bread crumbs (Nama panko)

salt and pepper for seasoning

3 tbsp cooking oil

Steps:

1. Remove the thick fat at the edge of the pork loins. If your loin is too thick you can cut horizontally from the non-fat side and stop before the fat edge to form a butterfly chop. Make a few cuts on the meat and pound it for 30 times to make a tender texture. Season the meat with some salt and pepper on both sides.

2. Prepare three dry plates. Add plain flour on one plate, one beaten egg on the second plate, and bread crumbs on the third plate. 

• Place the meat in the flour and make a thin layer of flour covering both sides of the meat. 
• Dunk it into the egg and flip over to cover the other side with egg. 
• Transfer the meat to the third plate and make sure both sides of the meat are covered with bread crumbs.

3. Heat a pan and add in the cooking oil. Add in the pork chop and fry on a medium heat for about 2 minutes on one side or check and flip when it is golden brown. Fry until both sides are golden and place it on kitchen towel to remove excessive oil. Do the same to the rest of the meat.

Japanese Curry

Ingredients: (serves 2)

50g Chicken breast (diced)

1 Potato (diced)

1/2 Carrot (diced)

1 Onion (diced)

1 clove Garlic (minced)

2 cubes Japanese Curry cubes (I used S&B medium hot curry cubes)

200ml water

1/2 tsp Oyster sauce

1 tbsp cooking oil

soy sauce and sugar to taste

Steps:

1. Heat a pot at medium heat and add the cooking oil. Add the onion and garlic. Fry until fragrance and add the chicken. Stir fry until the meat turns white. 

2. Add the carrot, potato and oyster sauce. Stir well.

3. Pour in all the water and bring to boil. 

4. Add the curry cubes into the stew and stir gently until the cube is completely melted to form the sauce. 

5. Continue simmering until the vegetables are all soften and you get the thickness of gravy you like. 

6. Add some soy sauce and sugar to taste. 

7. Prepare some of hot steamed rice on a plate, place the fried pork chop (cut into strips) at one side, scoop some curry and pour over the rice and pork chop. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Oreo Ice Cream Cake (Quick Recipe) Oreo雪糕蛋糕

It was my husband's birthday and I was at my parents' home where I could neither find an oven nor baking tools. I had to make a cake out no matter what because that is the only thing my husband has requested when I asked him what he wants for his birthday. I thought of making a non-bake cheese cake and I could not even find cream cheese in the small town which made me worried. Finally I came out with an idea about making an ice cream cake with the memory I had for 'How to make Oreo Ice Cream Cake Recipe' video by Laura and added some of my creativity *wink*

I did not make it from scratch. I bought a plain butter sponge cake from the bakery, a tub of ice cream, some wafer sticks and a packet of Oreo chocolate biscuits. It turned out quite nice but my husband complained it was a little too stiff. Don't worry I found ways to make it better. Lets see how I make this and the improving tips are at the bottom ^^

Ingredients: (7inch mould/container)

1 round butter sponge cake

1 packet Oreo chocolate cookies

2 packets chocolate wafer sticks

1 tub (about 1.2 litre) vanilla ice cream (I used vanilla with cashew, chocolate and caramel)

Steps:

1. Get the ice cream out of the fridge and let it stay at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes (this is in hot Malaysia, stay longer if it is winter at your place). Transfer the whole tub of ice cream into a large bowl and and give it a good stir.

2. Put all the Oreos into a freezer bag (I have removed the cream filling, you can skip this if you like them) and crush the cookies using a rolling pin or empty bottle until you get a fine cookie crumbs texture.

3,4. Add 3/4 of the cookie crumbs into the ice cream and stir to mix well.

5. Line the mould/container with a large piece of cling film to make sure it covers the bottom and sides of your cake and make sure you can pull the cake out of the mould easily later. Cut the butter sponge cake according to the size of your mould/container and cut horizontally into 3 layers. Lay the bottom layer in your mould.

6. Arrange the wafer sticks around the edge to form a fence and try to avoid gaps. (I used some oreos because I ran out of wafer sticks, so make sure you buy enough wafer sticks :P)

7. Pour the 1/3 of the ice cream mixture over the cake.

8. Add on another layer of cake and repeat step 7. Do the same for the last layer and even the ice cream surface. 

9. Sprinkle the remaining cookie crumbs evenly onto the surface and cover the mould/container with cling film/container lid. Send the cake into the freezer and freeze for 4-6 hours. 

Tips:

• Make sure the cake layers are about 1/2 inch thick (I sliced it more than 1/2 and it becomes too stiff when it is frozen).
• Make sure you line the cling film higher than your cake at the sides to ensure easy removal and not causing a mess when you try to cut the cake.
• Soak the chef's knife in hot water for a few seconds and shake off the water before you cut the cake. 

Steamed Minced Pork with Tian Jin Preserved Vegetable (Nanny's Recipe) 冬菜蒸肉饼（奶奶的食谱）

Tian Jin preserved vegetable is one of the most important ingredients in our kitchen because when you have nothing much in the fridge, you can make a big pot of yummy soup with some meat and preserved vegetable. Add this into the porridge (or congee) can easily enhance the flavour and it is so commonly used in many Chinese dishes. Steamed minced pork with preserved vegetable is one of my favourite mum's food and I can easily finish the whole plate of rice with this single dish.

The main ingredients of the dish are simple including minced pork, finely chopped preserved vegetable and seasoning. The common method is to combine everything, place in a plate to form a 1/2 to 1 inch thick meat cake and send it into the steamer. My mother like to make us our granny version which needs a little bit of frying before sending it into the steamer which pretty well keeps the juice and flavour in the meat after steaming. Here you go the recipe and you better prepare more steamed rice tonight just in case.

Ingredients:
(serve 3-4 people)

200g Minced pork

3tbsp Tian Jin preserved vegetable 

1tsp Oyster sauce

1tbsp Light soy sauce

1tsp Sesame Oil

1tsp water

1tsp corn flour

1/4tsp White pepper

a pinch of salt

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1tbsp Cooking oil

Steps:

1. Soak the preserved vegetable in a bowl filled with about 200ml water for 15-20 minutes. Rinse at least 3 times to remove dirt. 

2. Pat dry the vegetable and chop into fine pieces.

3. In a large bowl add in the minced pork, chopped preserved vegetable, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of water, corn flour, white pepper and salt. Stir to mix everything together with a spoon. 

4. Press and shape the meat mixture into a half inch thick disc according to the size of your plate. 

5. Heat a pan with medium heat, add in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add in garlic and fry for about 10 seconds. 

6. Place the meat cake over the garlic and fry until it is lightly golden (beware do not burn the garlic) one side and turn it over. Try to scoop the whole thing including the garlic when you over turn it. 

7. Lightly oil the plate (steel plate is preferable as it is better in transferring the heat)  surfaces and place the meat cake on it (garlic side faces up).

8. Send it into the steamer and steam for 20-22 minutes over high heat. Remove from heat and serve hot.

before and after steaming

Tips:

1. Do not add any water to the meat cake after frying and before sending it into the steamer. Juices and excessive fat will come out naturally from the meat after steaming and that is the best sauce for your rice.

2. Do not over fry the meat to prevent drying out. Just check when the meat turn white and lightly golden then it is the best time to turn it over.

Steamed Durian Cake (蒸榴莲蛋糕)

Yes I know it is durian again, I might drive those durian haters crazy but yeah when it is the season you can smell durian everywhere. I made the durian ice cream the other day and people keep sending some free durians. We could not really finish all and my mother kept nagging there were two left in the kitchen. She said "go make some more ice cream or we will have to chuck them away which is a waste!". Although the ice cream was ace but we have had it enough so I tried to google some recipes for durians. 

Eventually I found this steamed pumpkin cake recipe which I think might work for durian as well! I modified the recipe a little and it turned out really nice. Not as strong flavour as the ice cream but it's really soft and yum. If you have bought some low quality durian or you have extra durians at home like me, you can make this. It is fairly easy and you can actually get the ingredients so handy!

Ingredients: (12inch baking tin)

5 Eggs

300g Castor Sugar

1tsp Salt

500g Durian paste (durian seeded and mashed with fork and spoon or blended in a processor)

200ml Whole milk

250g Vegetable oil

500g Plain flour

4tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Bicarbonate Soda

Steps:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, sugar and salt and whisk to mix everything together. When the mixture becomes thicken, add in durian paste and milk. Mix well.

2. Add vegetable oil into the mixture and whisk until incorporate. 

3. Sift all the dried ingredients (flour, baking powder and soda) into the mixture and whisk until everything combined. Use a spatula to stir and fold everything together (in case some ingredients are stuck at the sides or bottom).

4. Line the baking tin with baking paper or lightly oil the surfaces. Pour the batter into the mould and even the surface with spatula.

5. Send the cake into a steamer or a wok with boiling water. Steam the cake for about 50 minutes at high heat. Do not open the lid for checking until at least 40 minutes steaming. Therefore please make sure the water level is enough for the long steaming time. 

6. Check if the cake is cooked using toothpick or skewer to pierce into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean then the cake is cooked. Remove the cake from the steamer and let it cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Homemade Durian Ice Cream Recipe（榴莲冰淇淋食谱）

I don't normally like durian but during the season you can smell durian everywhere in Malaysia. We did not even need to buy durian cos friends and neighbours would just give us some and there are too many this time so I made this ice cream. They are super yummy!! For those who dislike durian...please love this for the ice cream's sake LOL

Ingredients:

700g Fresh durian flesh (about 3 medium size durian)

4 Egg Yolks

90g Castor sugar

400ml Whole milk

5tbsp Milk powder (any brand, I used Nespray)

400ml Whipping cream (dairy)

Steps:

1. Open up the durians, seeded and beat the flesh in a processor/mixer to make durian paste.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 45g of sugar. 

3. In a sauce pan, add in milk and milk powder, stir well until the powder is dissolved. Add in the egg mixture and cook over low heat. Stir continuously until the mixture becomes thicken and fluffy. This takes about 15-20 minutes. Do not over cook or boil it. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

4. In a large bowl, add in whipping cream and the remaining 45g of sugar. Beat with a hand mixer or whisk until soft peak is held. 

5. Add the durian paste and cooled custard into the cream mixture and gently stir everything together. 

6. Pour the mixture into a container until 3/4 full, lid on and send it into the freezer.

7. Get them out of the the freezer after 1 hour and stir (I used spoon) from the edges to the centre to make sure it gets set evenly.

8. Stir again after every 30 minutes for 3-5 times and keep frozen for at least 4 hours before serving.