Steamed Clams with Sake and Soy

steamed clams with sake and soy

Doesn’t this photo of these succulent clams make you hungry? If you cannot resist ordering vongole everytime you see it on the menu, you must check out the very simple recipe on The Best Blog Recipes. That’s right! I’m a guest contributor to the blog from February to July. While you are there, check out the other fantastic recipes too!

Kong Ba Pau (Braised pork belly bun)

kong ba pau

Pork Belly. One of my husband’s greatest loves. He loves them served up on the Korean BBQ, in thin strips in steamboat and definitely, he loves them served up this way, in a bun. There are few people I know, who would willingly turn away Kong Ba Pau. There may be the initial hesitation over the layers of fats but the aroma of the braised pork belly will soon win you over. If it makes you feel better, pick the least fatty piece of pork belly and add an extra serving of lettuce. Now that should ease your guilty conscience a little, doesn’t it?

I do not naturally gravitate towards pork belly, but I do enjoy Kong Ba Pau occasionally. In the last two weeks, I’ve prepared this dish not once, but twice for gatherings with family and friends. The first time preparing it, the pork belly was a little drier than I would have liked it, because dear hubby kept the pork braising for 40 minutes (YES 40 minutes) longer than I asked him to. He felt that it was not “braised enough”. He quickly learnt that in cooking, longer does not neccessarily mean better. The second time round, the pork belly was perfectly braised and judging from the response at the dinner table that night, it was well received.

Even though the dish may sound tricky to prepare, it is really very simple. The only trick is to marinate the pork belly well. By well, I mean marinate it for a good 20 to 24 hours. That will ensure that all the flavourings are thoroughly absorbed into the pork belly. Most people preparing this dish will choose to use a large slab of pork belly, braise it and then slice it up for the buns. That works fine. For me, I used frozen sliced pork belly (because that was available readily), braised it for a slightly shorter time than I would a slab of pork belly and saved myself the trouble of slicing. The sliced pork belly also absorbs the marinate better. Both methods work fine – just do whichever works better for you.

Kong Ba Pau (Braised pork belly bun)
 
Serves: 15
Ingredients
  • 2 pieces of pork belly or about 500g of sliced pork belly
  • 2 sticks of cinnamon
  • 2 star anise
  • 15 cloves
  • 10 pieces of garlic, smashed with its skin
  • 10 pieces of shallots, skin removed
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp shao xing cooking wine
  • 2 tbsp of oil
  • 2-3 pieces of small rock sugar
To serve
  • Coral lettuce
  • Leaf bun
Instructions
  1. Wash, clean and dry pork belly.
  2. In a large bowl, marinate pork belly with all the remaining ingredients except the oil and rock sugar.
  3. Cover and keep refrigerated for 18 -24 hours.
  4. In a large claypot with a flat bottom, heat 2 tbsp of oil.
  5. Add the rock sugar and saute the pork belly for about a minute on each side. (If using sliced pork belly, you can skip this step.)
  6. Add in the marinate and 4 - 5 tbsp of water.
  7. Allow the pork belly to simmer in the marinate for about 30 - 40 minutes.
  8. Remove when meat is tender.
  9. Slice and serve hot with lettuce and bun.

Pan-roasted corn and peppers dip

roasted corn and peppers dip

Time flies and we are already into the second week of the new year! It has been a hectic and tiring December and the terrible me could not find any time to settle down to blog after the new blog layout was done. Hopefully now that things at home and at work are more settled, I can find more time to blog! For a change, I thought I’d share a recipe for my favourite dip today. I seldom make dips; I rarely have an occasion for them. My cell group had a post Christmas before New Year gathering though, and I finally found an opportunity to make my favourite dip. The first time I made this was for an office gathering and it received great reviews. This time, people loved it too, so it’s definitely a keeper.

Pan-roasted corn and peppers dip
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups of corn (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 red pepper, cut into small cubes
  • 1 green pepper, cut into small cubes
  • ¾ cups of shredded cheddar
  • ¾ cups of shredded mozarella
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ¾ cup chopped spring onions
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium flame.
  2. Pan roast corn till they char slightly.
  3. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
  4. In the same pan, pan roast cubed peppers till they char slightly.
  5. Set aside to cool.
  6. In a large bowl, combine corn, peppers and the rest of the ingredient. Mix well and season to taste.
  7. Allow the dip to chill for at least an hour to allow the flavours to meld.
  8. Serve with corn chips.

 

Really Good Banana Muffins

banana muffins

How many recipes does one need for banana muffins? Just one really. A really good one. I’ve tried more than a couple of banana muffin recipes in the past years and this banana muffin recipe is definitely a keeper. There are a few tricks for good banana muffins. Firstly, make sure you use over-ripe bananas. When you have a bunch of bananas that are over-ripe and you don’t feel like baking just yet, peel them and freeze them for use later. Don’t throw them away! Personally, I find that the local variety “red meat bananas” make the best banana muffins/cakes/breads. My grandma calls them “ang bah jio”. Second trick – do not over mash the bananas. This gives the muffins a better texture. Lastly, use brown sugar for a more fragrant muffin.

Really Good Banana Muffins
 
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 2 cups plain flour
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup toasted coarsely chopped walnuts
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 large ripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 oz unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a 12 cup muffin tray with non-stick baking spray and centre an oven rack.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, walnuts, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, coarsely mash the bananas.
  4. Add beaten eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla and stir to combine.
  5. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold (I use a whisk) to combine.
  6. Fill each muffin cup till ¾ full.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until muffin tops are golden brown and a tester comes out clean.
  8. Cool to room temperature.

Mee Hoon Kueh (Homemade Pulled Noodles)

mee hoon kueh

When does one crave for a bowl of piping hot mee hoon kueh? On cold days, I’d say, or when one is sick. The latter is what has been happening lately. The whole family has been down and out. I’ve had it really bad – I’m down with my second bout of flu in two weeks. I caught the first bout of flu from my little one, and the second bout from goodness knows where. Office perhaps. While my little one is up and bouncing even though she’s sick, I just want to bury myself under the covers and sleep (which is, by the way, what I’ve been doing almost the whole day.)

So one sickly day, I decided that I would definitely feel better if I had some mee hoon kueh. It would be easy enough to pop down to the coffee shop and buy a bowl, but since I had to feed the sick bub and the not-so-sick husband, I figured I might as well make some. Mee Hoon Kueh brings back memories from my childhood. When I was young, my grandma used to make mee hoon kueh. She made hers a little differently. She would make a thick floury mixture and drop spoons of batter into boiling soup. Saves one the hassle of pulling pieces of dough I guess. The texture of that mee hoon kueh is very different from what I made/is sold outside. The texture of that is somewhat fluffy on the outside and dense on the inside. Not all may like that version of mee hoon kueh.

Mee Hoon Kueh

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Cookie Top Brownies

Cookie Top Brownies

In my humble opinion, there are few desserts that are as charming in their simplicity as brownies. Moist chocolate goodness, in a bar, or a slab, or in a cup, whatever your preference. I used to think that the best brownies were the ones that were oozing chocolate goodness, with bits of nuts in them, the crunch of the nuts contrasting with the soft texture of the brownie. I have since changed my mind about what the best brownies are. The best brownies are the ones I’m about to introduce to you – Brownies topped with Cookie dough, baked to a golden brown perfection. Crisp chocolate chip cookie atop a moist dark chocolate brownie. NOW THAT IS PERFECTION.

Cookie Top Brownies

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Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Sun-dried tomato pesto

I love sun-dried tomatoes. They are rich in flavour and can be used in so many ways. I particularly like them in pastas and salads – that distinct taste of sun-dried tomatoes livens up the whole dish! I usually use sun-dried tomatoes that are steeped in olive oil. If you use the dried ones, you will have to reconstitute them in some water. Do not throw away the water though, use it in your pasta!

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