Braised Pork in Dark Soy Sauces (卤肉）

Today, I am in good mood to cook something more elaborate. My favorite Braised Pork in Dark Soy Sources (卤肉). It is best served with rice. Honestly, it is not difficult to cook this dish. The only issues is time- at least 1 hour. The secret to cook a yummy braised pork to control the fire & long cooking time under the small medium fire for at least 1 hour or more.

Ingredients:

1-1.5kg Pork Knuckles (chopped into pcs that is suitable for braising)

6-8 dried Chinese mushroom (soaked until soft with warm water, cleaned, cut into half)

Some Dried Squid (julienned 鱿鱼丝)- around 1 tbsp

6 cloves of Garlic

2 Dried Chilies

Some Star Anise (2ea)

Some Cinnamon Stick (1ea)

1.5 tbsp Sugar

Some Pepper (whole pepper-half a teaspoon)

1.5 tbsp Oyster Sauce

1.5 tbsp of Dark Soy Sauces

1.5 tbsp Soy Sauces

Water

Salt to taste

Method:

1) Boil a pot of water & blanch the pork knuckles in the hot water for 3-5 mins.

2) Then, rinse the pork knuckles with cool running water. Set aside.

3) Heat 1 tbsp of oil, stir fry the dried squid until fragrant, add in the dried chilies, garlic & sugar. Then add in the star anise, cinnamon stick & whole pepper.

4) Add in the pork knuckles & stir fry until fragrant

5)Add in the soy sauces, dark soy sauces & water enough to cover the pork leg. Add in the mushroom.

6) Braised the meat on medium high fire until it simmer, then turn down the fire to "small setting" & braise for 1 hour or until water reduce. If the water reduce too fast, you can add in some hot water.

7) Alternative, you can cook these in a pressure cooker for 15 mins, then transfer the mat to the normal pot to braise for another 20-30mins. 

Tips: Meat cooked in pressure cooker is not as delicious compared to small fire in regular pot. However, it can be used to shorten the cooking time.

Lastly garnish with some spring onion & it taste super delicious.

Best serve with steamed rice.

Yummy~

Always cook extra for tomorrow. So convenient. Just need to re-heat it.

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Hot & Spicy Korean Rice Cake (Ddeokbokki/Tteokbokki 떡볶이- 炒年糕)

Who doesn't like Hot & Spicky Korean Rice Cake (Ddeokbokki/Tteokbokki)? It is a very easy recipes. Anyone can cook & it is so hard to fail. Love to cook this on a lazy weekend when I don't feel like cooking at all . There are times we felt too tired to cook.  This is a super easy one.

Ingredients (4 pax):

600g Korean Rice Cake 

400ml-500ml Water

1 packet Ddeokbokki Hot Sauces

Some Mix Vegetables -

Bell Pepper

Kimchi

Spring Onions

Cabbages

Onions

Optional : extra ingredient for meat lover: fish balls, meat balls, squids or prawns.

Rice Cakes Hot Sauces

Simple instructions for cooking Korean Rice Cakes:

1) Pour water into a pan to cook together with the rice cakes. Make sure the water cover the rice cakes. Cook for about 4-5 mins over medium high heat. 

Tips: Can add 1 tsp of anchovy powder to cook the rice cake with water. It will taste even better. 

2) To check if the rice cakes is ready for the sauces. After 5 mins, just use a scissor to cut one of the rice cakes. If you can cut it through, it means the rice cakes are ready for the sauces.

3) Pour in the rice cake hot sauces & let it simmer. Stir occasionally. It is getting even more starchy.

 

4) Add in all the mixes vegetables & continue to cook for about 2-3 mins. Stir occasionally.

5) Serve hot immediately.

Tips: For younger kids who can't really stand too much spicy food, please reduce the hot sauces. Instead of using the whole packet, I only use half a packet.

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Easy Fry Eggs with Mushrooms (Bunashimeji)

Eggs! We love eggs. It is super easy to prepare. Can't imagine if I am running of out eggs supplies from my little kitchen. You can use any fresh mushrooms to replace the Bunashimeji. It is one type of Japanese mushroom - small, brown & delicious. Mushrooms are good subtitle for meat actually. They are healthy & low in calories. 

Bunashimeji mushrooms

Recipes (serve 3 pax): 

100g Mushrooms
4 Eggs
1.5 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp of Milk (options - water)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:
1) Cut the mushroom into small pieces. Removed  the root.
2) You don't really need to wash the mushroom. Per the packet instruction, we do not need to wash it & can use it straight from the packaging.
3) If you need to wash any mushroom, please wash it with running tap water & do not soak it.
4) Break the eggs in a bowl & mix with 2 tbsp of milk, add in salt & papper. Mix lightly.
5) Heat the oilve oil in a non stick pan, stir fry all the mushroom over low heat for 2-3 mins.
6) Add in the eggs mixture and fry it over low heat for 3-4 mins each side.
7) Serve hot with rice.

Tips: Use olive oil to pan fry eggs taste super delicious! However if you do not have olive oil, use any type of vegetable oil instead. Enjoy.

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How To Eat Korean Seaweed with White Rice?

 Even as an Asian myself, it is interesting to learn others nation eating culture. I always teach my kid, when you travel overseas, you need to learn to eat like a local. I got these Chongga Korean Seaweed in a can as a gift from a friend travel to Seoul, it tastes so good.

 I find Korean products amazing. It is very practical especially their product made for the local market. Normally we bought the seaweed from local super market in light aluminium pouch. Once open, we really have to finish the whole packet. However, I find these seaweed in a can are more practical, easy to store & compact.  I tried to figure out how to eat it without creating a mess.

1st- Lay a seaweed on top of the white rice with chopstick.

2nd- Position the chopstick at the edge of the seaweed just like you see in the above pictures.

3rd- Pick it up & yummy. 

These are great quick fix on the weekday dinner especially I did not cook any "meat"  cuisine. My daughter will not complain the dinner is too plain. When I don't have time to cook or the fridge is on "out of stock" situation, I will usually serve eggs & vegetables. These seaweed is very appetizing. 

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Fry Mixed Vegetable with Korean Spicy Hot Sauces

Simple & quick vegetarian stir fry for healthier diet. This is great to serve with white rice. Extremely easy. Love the rainbow colour of this dishes. it is good to incorporate different colours vegetable in our diets. It will never go wrong with all sort of varieties of vegetables.

Ingredients (2-3 pax):

Vegetables:

50g Brown mushrooms

50g White mushrooms (or any mushrooms of your choice)

3 Napa cabbages leaves

1/3 Red bell pepper

1/3 Green bell pepper

1/2 Red onion

1 Knob of sliced ginger

2 Cloves garlic

Sauces:

2-3 tbsp Chongga Kimchi Sauce (TOS)

3-4 tbsp of Water

Salt to taste

1 stalk of spring onion cut into inches

1 red chili sliced

 Method:
1) Brown the ginger & onion with 2 tsp of oil in a wok pan.

2) Add in the mushroom & continue stir fry for a min or two.

3) Add in all the vegetables except the chili & spring onion. Stir fry with the kimchi sauces & water, add salt to taste. Reduce the sauces to the consistency that you like. Do not put the lid on. I like mine a little dry with very little bit of sauces.

4) Last in the spring onion & chili. Serve hot immediately.

Tips: For stir fry, try to use the non stick pan because we can reduce the stir fry oil that need to be used to brown the garlic & ginger at the beginning. The result is more or less the same.
Tips: Prefer to use ceramic coated wok pan. It doesn't stick at all.

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Easy Homemade Kimchi with Kimchi Based Sauces

Nowadays, we love to prepare quick & healthy food especially on busy weekdays. This is one of those simple but delicious recipes that you can prepare ahead of time. This Kimchi can be served immediately when you have done mixing it. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Ingredients for :
350g Napa Cabbage (half & wash clean, presoak with 1 tbsp of salt & water fully cover)
3g of salt
40g of  Chongga Touch of Spicy (TOS) kimchi based sauces

Method:
1) Pre-soak the cut napa cabbage in salt water for 1-2 hour, cover the cabbage with water & add 1 tsp of salt. Use a heavy plate to cover the soak cabbage to ensure it is fully soaked. Rinse the cabbage with running water after that.

2) Wear clean plastic disposable glove to sprinkle the salt  evenly on every leaves of the napa cabbage.  Or you can mix the salt & Chongga Kimchi based sauce before apply on the leaves. Hygiene is very important in Kimchi making process. Remember, we need to keep it for quite some time in the refrigerator.

3) Apply the Chongga TOS kimchi based sauces & salt evenly on every leaves.

4) Another option: you can cut the cabbage &amp & mix with the sauces to make Mat Kimchi.





5) Serve immediately or
6) Chilled it in the fridge for future usage.


Tips: You can double or triple the recipes if you family love Kimchi. It runs out fast.
Tips: Fresh Kimchi is good as salad or side dish.
Tips: Aged Kimchi is good for Kimchi Stew (Jjigae).
Once you know how to make this easy homemade Kimchi, you will never have to worry Kimchi shortagee from your fridge. Enjoy~

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Stir Fry Korean Firm Tofu (Dubu) with Minced Meat

Tofu & minced meat is always my 1st choice to cook for the kids. It is easy to eat, they do not need to use too much time to chew. Besides,tofu is another option of healthier plant based protein. I am training my kids to eat "everything" & do not be too choosy on food. They need to learn to appreciate whatever is served on the table. Granny & parents taught us the same idea when we were kids. Got to pass some of these wisdom to them.

I am using Chongga firm tofu for this dishes. Chongga offer two version of firm tofu (or Dubu -豆腐, 두부 in Korean language). 

• Soyrich tofu for stew 
• Soyrich tofu for frying ( I love the frying type)

I like the firm texture of these Korean tofu (口感很好).

Stew Tofu

Frying Tofu

In order to make the tofu taste better, you can fry it 1st See my previous recipes on the fry tofu:

http://fabulouscake.blogspot.com/2012/04/simple-delicious-fried-tofu.html

It is okay if you just use the tofu as it is.

Ingredients (2-3 serving):

150g minced meat (marinated with 1 tsp of soya sauces + 1tsp of corn starch)

1 box Firm tofu (210g)

Few slices of ginger

2 cloves of garlic

Sauces mixture:

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

1 tsp of dark soya sauces

1 tsp of soya sauces

4-5 tbsp of water

Pinch of salt to taste

some spring onion for decoration

Method:

1) Fry the garlic & ginger with the minced meat for 2 mins with 1 tbsp of oil in a wok pan (medium high heat).

2) Pour the sauces mixture & cook the meat for 2-3 mins , then add in the tofu. Lid on.

3) Continue simmer for another 2-3 mins, last in the spring onion.

4) Serve hot immediately  with white rice.

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Easy Fish Ball Soup

Children love fish balls. Fish ball soup are very pleasing even to adult like me. In South East Asia, fish ball is easily available in the wet market (pasar). These fish balls are made from fresh fish. We are very blessed because we got these top quality fish ball direct from a good friend from Sekinchan.

Ingredients (serve 4):
1 pkt/500g of fish ball
half a red onion
300g of homemade Kimchi
2 stalks spring onion cut into inches
4 tbsp/60ml of Chongga Touch of Spicy (TOS) Kimchi based sauces
1 knob of ginger (sliced)
650ml water
Some red chilies (sliced for garnishing)

Method:
1) Mix the water & TOS kimchi sauces in the pot. Let it boils.

2) Put all the ingredients in & let it boil on medium high heat.
3)As the fish ball is very fresh & I do not want to over cook it because it will become rubbery.
You will know the soup is done when the fish balls floats on top.

4) Serve hot & enjoy.

If you do not have homemade kimchi, you can always buy from the store. It is easily available in all super market.

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