Steamed Minced Pork With Salted Egg Yolk

I am still mildly amused when people in the other parts of the world ask me about the winter weather in Singapore. So I guess, as well known as we would think this little red dot on the world map is, there is still very little understanding about the country... at least nobody will wonder about winter in Hawaii, for example. (however, we do have many proud attributes that have been associated with us... I can roll out the list in a heartbeat but that's for another occassion.)

We do not have the priviledge to experience the wonders of changing seasons. Day in day out, we are bathed in warm summery humidity with spurts of showers and rain storm thrown in for a good tropical measure. Compared to our friends living in temperate zones with distinct seasonal weather changes, we really ought to have less wardrobe woes. However, most of us will still have a section in our wardrobe where we have our fair share of sweaters, throw-overs, shawls and jackets...technically irrelevant garment pieces for our weather where temperature averages around 30 degrees celsius and rarely dips below 25 degrees celsius. Ironically, these apparently irrelevant pieces of warm clothing have become indispensable in our tropical climate- not to protect us against natural weather conditions but against air-conditioned interiors such as offices, department stores, cars, trains and of course our own bedrooms - (where I use a down feather quilt blanket... whatever for? you may ask... well....) where temperature can be a chilly 17 degrees celsius.
The weather in Singapore has been scorchingly hot for the last 2 weeks. Interspersing this with sudden quick showers and running in and out of chilly air-conditioned rooms, I fell ill with a stubborn cough and sore throat that just refused to heal.

It is during these times, that I yearn for something comforting and warm for my meals. For 3 consecutive nights, I had white rice porridge for dinner. The soft soupy rice is easy to swallow and easy to digest. Paired with slightly salty savoury dishes, this has traditionally been the most economical and homely way to serve a meal. The dishes that are served with white rice porridge are traditionally very humble food like preserved salted eggs, pickled vegetables, fried tofu with bean sprouts and fried omelette with pickled radish.

The steamed minced pork patty is possibly one of the more luxurious accompaniments to white rice porridge in my parents' time. I believe every family has their own steamed minced pork patty recipe. This recipe featured in Singapore celebrity chef, Sam Leong's  A Taste Of Home, is titled 'My Grandmother's Steamed Minced Pork Petites with Salted Egg Yolk'. Compared to my mother's version, Sam Leong's Grandmother's patty has more depth and dimension - thanks to the addition of minced coriander stems which gives the dish a subtle punch. The chopped water chestnuts also gave this otherwise meaty patty a refreshing crunch. Served with the homemade soy sauce, this becomes an addictive dish perfect with rice or porridge.


Recipe (From Sam Leong's A Taste Of Home)
Minced Pork
Minced Pork shoulder           400g ( do not use lean minced pork as this would yield a tough and dry patty)
Minced Pork fat                    1 tbsp
Coriander stems                    30g minced
Water chestnuts                    3 peeled and minced
Salt                                      1 tsp
Sugar                                   1 tsp
Light soya sauce                   2 tsp
Egg white                             1
Ground pepper                     Pinch
Sesame oil                           dash
Corn oil                               to coat cups/bowl
Salted egg yolk                    4
Homemade soya sauce        200ml
Spring onion                        1 minced

Method :
1. Combine all ingredietns except for corn oil and salted egg yolks, homemade soya sauce and spring onions, in a mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Apply some corn oil on the inside of 4 small ramekins or pudding molds. Put a salted egg yolk inside each mold/ramekin. Fill the mold with minced meat mixture from (1).
3. Steam the minced meat in a steammer for 40mins or until minced pork is cooked.
4. Turn molds over into a serving plate and the meat will slide out. Serve with homemade soya sauce and garnish with chopped spring onion.
Homemade Soya Sauce
Cooking oil                          1/2 tbsp
Ginger                                  2 slices
Spring Onion                        1 cut into short lengths
Coriander leaves                   2 sprigs
Chicken stock                       100ml
Light soya sauce                    1 tbsp
Dark soya sauce                    dash
Rock sugar                            10g

Method:
1. Heat the cooking oil in a hot wok.
2. Fry ginger and spring onion until fragrant.
3. Add the rest of the ingredient and cook until sugar is all melted and mixture just begins to boil.
4. Cool down and store in fridge.

Steamed Egg Custard With Minced Meat Sauce- 肉燥蒸水蛋

Those who had caught my earlier post on Braised Mince Meat Sauce may remember how proud and pleased I had been over the dish. It was definitely the most versatile dish I have made thus far and it tasted amazing! Encouraged by the success over the dish, I went on to make a second batch of the meat sauce a few days after I published my post. This time, I had made a bigger batch,separated them into 5 smaller portions and kept them frozen in the chiller. As a result of that convenient arrangement, I get to cheat a little for today's post and prepare dinner in less than 15mins...

Steamed egg custard is a dish I remember my mother cooking very regularly during my younger days. She would normally steam it plain and serve it with soya sauce drizzled over the top. Other times, she would also steam it together with minced pork which is another tasty dish by itself.  My mother by any standard is not considered a good cook - possibly because she has no one to coach her in the kitchen. My grandmother, I was told, passed away when my mother was still very young. I vaguely remember my father telling me that when they first got married, my mother was rather ignorant about the ways around the kitchen. Hence, I have to admit that her steamed egg custard is hardly a winner, by general standard. Very often, they were overcooked and tasted somewhat bland but whatever it was, we still liked them as kids. Hence very very much later, when I had my first Chawan Mushi (Japanese steamed egg custard) in a Japanese restaurant, I was really blown away by the smooth silken, wobbly texture of the egg custard. Till this day, I still order the Chawan Mushi every time when I dine in a Japanese restaurant.

Compared to my mother, I am much more lucky - today, there are many more ways than ever to access cooking tips and recipes. The countless cooking programs on TV, the wide selection of cookbooks available in bookshops, the comprehensive as well as fancy cooking classes and last but not least, the avalanche of food blogs out there that makes you feel like you are surrounded by a gargantuan team of  cooking mothers, grandmothers, and peers guiding you to become a better cook, literally, everyday. Everybody now, can potentially cook a good meal, it is just a matter of whether you are bothered enough to do it.

I am not sure if my mother knew that there is a Golden Rule for steaming egg custard. I first learnt about this golden ratio over a TV cooking program when I was working in Guangzhou,China many years ago. The magic numbers stipulated by the Golden Rule is 1,3,7. One can of Swanson's Chicken stock (about 400ml), 3 eggs and 7mins steaming. This ratio has never failed me since. Recipes may vary a little with more or less liquid or eggs depending on how firm you prefer the custard to be. Chinese steamed egg custard tends to have a firmer texture while the Japanese Chawan Mushi is more tender.
After getting the right mixing ratio, the next challenge would be to master the intensity of the heat to ensure a silken smooth finish. Overly strong heating yields 'pock marks' on the surface of the custard. I normally steam my egg by leaving the lid of the steamer slightly ajar.



For today's variation, I had spooned some Braised Minced Meat Sauce over the steaming custard when the surface has set. I can't describe the sense of satisfaction I felt when I removed the cover of the steamer to reveal a silken smooth custard that reminds me of the soft, spotless complexion of a chubby baby....


I had also prepared a simple side dish which is made up of shredded iced cool cucumber topped with the Braised Minced Meat Sauce.


Recipe :

Egg Custard
Seasoning
Salt                       1/4 tsp
Chinese Wine        1 tbsp
Pepper                   Dash

Egg                        3
Chicken Stock       400ml

Braised Mince Meat Sauce (Recipe Here)

Method:
1. Boil water in a pot. Break eggs into a bowl and lightly beat with a fork, carefully not not create too much bubbles.
2. Add seasonings to the beaten egg. Stir well to incorporate.
3. Add chicken stock and stir well to incorporate.
4. Using a filter, pour the egg solution into bowls.
5. Steam over high heat for 30s, reduce heat to medium and continue to steam for 5mins.
6. Spoon Minced meat sauce over the set custard in the steamer and continue to steam for another 2 mins.
7. Serve immediately while hot.

Chrysanthemum Shumai - 菊花烧卖

Rushing through another minced meat dish before I leave again. I believe, this will be a recipe most will appreciate- simply because it's preparation is so simple and yet it looks like it belongs to a high end Dim Sum restuarant.

Even the name sounds a tad more refined and beautiful than the usual fare we turn out in the humble home kitchen. Aptly called the Chrysanthemum Shumai, the petal effect is achieved by coating the minced meat with shredded shumai wrapper instead of just wrapping the filling like a normal dumpling.

Shumai,everyone should know, is the staple steamed meat dumpling served at all Dim Sum restuarants. The Chinese love to eat their Shumai's with soya sauce or black vinegar. We from Singapore and Malaysia would usually have it with Chilli sauce. The Japanese take theirs with yellow mustard and I recently learnt that the Philippinos take their Shumai with Calamansi sauce.

I ate mine today with a Yuzu Pepper paste (the pint sized dollop in the photos) which I bought in Japan earlier this year. A little spicy with the citrusy tang of the Yuzu, it went really well with the prawn and pork based mince in this shumai dish.

For the fun of it, I documented my prep steps again to share with you...


1. Sautee chopped onions with a little oil until it turns fragrant and transparent.
2. Mix all ingredients together and mix well.
3. Let mixture marinate for 30mins.

4. Cut Gyoza wrappers into strips.
5. Lay the wrapper strips on a tray.
6. Shape marinated mince into balls and place on the bed of wrapper strips.
7. Coat each ball with wrapper strips.
8. Place each coated ball on a piece of baking paper (I used small paper squares used for Chinese Pao, steamed buns)
9. Steam over boiling water for 9mins.
10.Serve immediately while hot.





Recipe: (Will make around 10-12 balls, depending on the size of the ball)
Filling:
Minced Pork 150g
Prawns (peeled & chopped) 50g
Diced Onions 60g
Diced Mushroom 1 dried shitake mushroom soaked in water

Seasoning
Salt, Sugar, Sesame Oil 2/3 tsp each
Chinese wine, Spice water 1 tbsp each
Beaten Egg 1/2
Corn Flour 2 tsp

Shumai/Gyoza Wrapper 24 pieces

Juicy Meat Balls

You've probably noticed that I love to work with minced meat. The pack of minced pork is possibly the most versatile ingredient I have in my fridge... after the trusted eggs, of course. After the last successful attempt at braised minced meat sauce, I decided to make more and stock them in the freezer. After the stock up, I was actually left with a balance of some 200g of minced pork which I had to consume before I leave for my week-long business trip.

Taking every cooking opportunity now to experiment with new recipes, I decided to try out a deep fried meat ball recipe I saw in a Japanese cookbook titled ' The Basics Of Chinese Cooking' - as silly and hilarious it may sound but sometimes, I truly think that it could be helpful to refer to a non-native interpretation of the familiar. It is in these interpretations that we sometimes discover important things/steps that could have already been taken too much for granted by the native writers. When I flipped through this cookbook at cafe book store, 25 Degrees Celsius, When I saw this recipe, I knew immediately that the writer behind the recipes is authentic - for one simple reason - this is the first time, I have seen instructions given in a cookbook to add water to minced meat.  It is common practice to add water to minced meat/ meat after marination to retain the soft and juicy texture of the meat - this is a practice most of our grandmothers / mothers would have been doing. However, I think it has occured to very few of them to pass this 'trick' down - possibly because it is so insignificant. I have made it a habit to do this when I prepare sliced beef/ pork, burgers and other minced dishes. When I first learnt about this 'trick' many years back, I was elated because it made me realise that one does not need to use fatty pork all the time to get a soft juicy pork dish.

This recipe exceeded my expectation when it went a step further to use ' Spiced Up Water' to 'hydrate' the pork. Below, I have documented my first step by step illustration of the preparation. Quick and easy to prepare, the results are impressive. Goodbye to tough and dry meatballs. These meatballs, as illustrated by the cross section photo of the meat ball above, is 'fine-crumbed' , tender and juicy.

(Edith, I am thinking of making this for the event you are planning.... paired with an onion gravy. What do you think? )



1. Soak Spring Onion and sliced ginger in water and rub with hands to infuse water with the flavours. This is effective in removing 'porky' smell of the minced meat.

2. Add seasonings and egg. Blend well.

3. Slowly add the infused 'spice water'. Stirring well to incorporate water into meat.



4. Mix well with hand until minced meat turns into a gluey paste.

5. Shape mince meat into balls.

6. Heat enough oil in a wok, deep fry meat balls over low heat until golden brown.


Recipe :

Minced Pork 200g
Spiced Water
Spring onion 1 stalk
Ginger 3 slices
Water 50ml

Seasoning
Salt 1/4 tsp
Soya Sauce 1/3 tsp
Sesame Oil 1/3 tsp
Pepper 1/8 tsp
Corn flour 2 tsp

Braised Mushroom Meat Sauce 香菇卤肉燥

Too busy to prepare dinner, yet again? Here's the uber versatile meat sauce to the rescue! When paired with  steamed white rice, you get one of the staple Taiwanese dish, Braised Meat Sauce Rice (肉燥卤肉饭). Just as most overseas Singaporeans would crave for Char Kuay Teow when they are away from home, most Taiwanese I know would long for Braised Meat Sauce Rice when they have been living abroad for extended period of time.

The meat sauce, once prepared, can be split into portions and frozen for up to a month. As and when required, these can be defrosted in the microwave oven and voila, you have a delicious and flavourful sauce that can be used to accompany rice, noodles, blanched vegetables etc... the possibilities are endless and limited only by your own creativity.

I love eating Braised Meat Sauce Rice(卤肉饭) when I am in Taiwan but 2 issues continue to bug me :

1. The Taiwanese BMSR is served with very little meat sauce over the rice. It always leaves me with a sense of insuffeit.

2. My colleagues had warned me that delicious as the dish may be, one needs to consume this with restrain as the dish  is loaded with so much fat that it makes little piggy looks like an anorexic model. This revelation immediately brought the food whimp out of me.

The traditional Braised Meat Sauce uses one of the most fatty portion of the pig, which is the cut near the neck of the pig. Rich in tendon,the grind from the neck(some say the fat/lean ratio is 7/3) allows the meat to braise over long period of time without turning into mush.

In addition, pig skin is also added to the braise to thicken it with its natural collagen.

Preparing this at home, allows me to modify the recipe to make it a little more healthy.



Below is my modified recipe but I have to admit that I am sure about the exact quantity of the seasonings  used. I just seasoned according to taste. That, in my opinion, is the essence of Chinese cooking- it is not about a 2 teaspoon of sugar or 1 tspn of salt - it is about tasting with your tongue and recognising the flavours....and by doing that, my minced meat sauce turned out to be seriously good. If I can achieve this, so can you!



Recipe :

Minced Pork 300g (I used 80% lean pork, 20% belly pork)
Dried Shitake Mushroom 3 pieces
Red Shallots 30g
Chicken Stock 100g (with extra)

Seasoning
Oyster Sauce 1 tbsp
Dark Soya Sauce 20ml
Light Soya Sauce 30ml
Rock Sugar 1/2 tbsp
White Pepper 1/4 tsp
5 spice powder 1/4 tsp
Chinese Wine 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Season minced pork with light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, a little sugar,sesame oil and a little corn starch. (all seasonings not stated in recipe)

Soak shitake mushroom in water and dice into small cubes.

2. In a heated wok, add 1 tbsp oil, fry sliced shallots until brown and crispy. Strain out the fried shallots. Retain the oil in the wok.

3. Heat the shallot oil , fry mushroom until fragrant.Add minced meat and stir fry until 70% cooked.

4. Add all seasoning. (adjust qty according to taste)

5. Add chicken stock and simmer on low heat for one hour. Add crispy fried shallots. Continue to cook another 10 mins. Turn off heat and if possible leave the minced meat over night.

6. Heat up again before serving.If a thicker texture is preferred, thicken with a little potato starch solution.

Pan Fried Ginger Pork - 豚のしょが焼き

There was an article in the papers last week reporting that stocks of Japanese Kurobuta (black hog) and Japanese Wagyu Beef in Singapore are running low.  Following the break out of foot and mouth disease in Japan in April, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore has put a ban on the import of these premium meat.

I am a big fan of Kurobuta which refers to the rare Berkshire Black Hog bred in Japan. It is the Wagyu equivalent for Pork. I still remember when I saw it many years back at the local Japanese supermarket, I was fascinated by the even marbling of the pork and subsequently, when I had the chance to taste it, I was quite impressed by how tender and flavourful it was. The best way to enjoy a prized meat as such would be to season it simply with salt and pepper and grill it. However, due to its rather expensive price tag, (S$4-S$5/100g) these are normally sold at the local supermarkets here minced or sliced thinnly in Sukiyaki or Shabu shabu cuts - not exactly the best cuts for grilling.

I was lucky to chance upon some US Kurobuta on sale last week. Choosing the Sukiyaki cut for more bite, I couldn't wait to cook this.
One of my favourite Japanese Pork recipe is the very accessible Pan Fried Ginger Pork.  Extremely simple and quick to make, this dish goes beautifully with steaming hot white rice. It is so flavourful that one runs the risk of having too much white rice with it. In addition, the grated ginger really lends a warm and comforting feel to the dish.

Of course, one does not need to use Kurobuta Pork for this but I do like my pork to be sliced very thinnly for this dish and the Sukiyaki cut would be my choice. So here's for all who needs to cook a quick,easy and tasty meal.


Recipe :

Pork (Sukiyaki Cut)                 250g
Sake                                        1tbsp

Grated Ginger                          1tbsp
Grated Garlic                           1tsp
Mirin                                        1tbsp
Japanese dark Soya Sauce       1tbsp
Sesame Oil                               1tsp
Sake                                        1tbsp
Sugar                                        1/2 tsp

Method :

1. Marinate pork with 1tbsp of Sake and leave for 10 mins.
2. Mix all the other ingredients together and mix well with a fork.
3. Heat a frying pan and add 1/2 tbsp of oil. Fry marinated pork until pork changes colour.
4. Add the sauce mixture and let simmer for about 5 mins.

Hainanese Pork Chop - 海南猪排

I am a Hainanese, that minority Han tribe that hails from the Southern Chinese Island known as the Hainan Island.(The Chinese would call it the Hawaii of China. I wouldn't know, I have never been to either Hawaii or Hainan Island) There are enough Hainanese who had migrated to Singapore to make this quite a well known clan - after the main stream clans such as the Cantonese, the Hokkien and the Teochews.. After all, no visitor to Singapore must leave the island without trying the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice!

We used to stereotype the different races who had migrated to Singapore. The Indians thrived as money changers and textile dwellers in Singapore, the Hokkiens and Teochews ran the staple commodity business e.g. salt, flour, rice, the Hainanese - coffee shop owners, cooked for the ang mohs(expatriates from England, Switzerland etc who were residing in Singapore). I don't know how it came to be like this but ever since I was young I already noted that among my relatives, there were quite a number of good cooks - one was running the kitchen at the local Swiss Club, another was house keeper and cook to a wealthy English man living in a sprawling mansion at Bukit Timah...I hear similar stories from my Hainanese colleague whose mother was a cook and housekeeper to the western expatriates.

As a result of which, we became the 'priviledged' kids who knew what beef stew was,ate pork chop with fried potatoes wedges and frankly speaking, grew up with the best Chinese Curry Chicken.

The Hainanese Pork Chop is one of my favourite childhood dishes. I would remember my mum asking me to pound the Cream Crackers (we don't use bread crumbs to coat the pork chop) while she tenderised the pork chops with the back of a cleaver.



I was pleasantly reminded of this dish when I was poring over Madam Neo's cookbook for the Soon Kueh recipe. While my mother used to prepare a tomato ketchup sauce, Madam Neo's version is soya sauce based but looked equally good. I decided to give this a try yesterday for lunch... and no regrets. I am happy and very satisfied.



Recipe (from Madam Neo 梁怡树夫人's 温馨佳肴） :
Pork Chop   314g
Oil               1 tbsp
Butter          1 tbsp
Oil for deep frying
Cinnomon Stick 2.5cm long
Onion         115g
All purpose flour 1 tsp
Jacobs/Kong Guan / Julie cream cracker 140g pound into powder
Green peas 55g

Marinate
Egg 1
Sugar 1/4 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Pepper To season

Seasoning for Sauce
Chicken stock 225 ml
Chicken seasoning 1/2 tsp (optional)
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Dark Soya sauce 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method
1. Mix all marinate ingredients together.
2. Flatten and tenderise pork chop with back of cleaver or tenderiser.
3. Place (2) into (1) and let marinate for 30mins.
4. Sauce : heat a wok and add butter and oil. Add cinnamon and onion rings. Fry until onion is fragrant and turn transparent. Add flour and stir fry for another minute. Add the Sauce seasoning and simmer on low heat until thicken.
5. Heat enough oil in the wok to deep fry pork chop.
6. Place cream cracker crumbs on a shallow plate and coat marinated pork chop evenly with cracker crumbs. Deep fry the coated pork chop until golden brown. Remove and place on an oil blotter.

7. Slice deep fried pork chop and top with sauce and green peas.