Steamed pork with rice flour

This recipe is amazing. Sliced pork is coated with rice flour and then steamed. The rice flour absorbs juice and flavor, forming a very tasty wrap. Meanwhile, steamed pork is juicy and tender. This dish has a strong aroma of Sichuan pepper, a little bit spicy; and pleasant smell of star anise.

The key ingredient is rice flour. Add 1/2 cup of rice, 1/2 cup of sweet rice (sticky rice), 1~2 star anise, 1 tsp Sichuan pepper in the skillet, stir under medium power until rice is slightly yellowish in color. Let cool to room temperature and then grind with coffee grinder to obtain coarse flour powder. This rice flour can be preserved in a tightly capped bottle for quite a long period.

Marinade source: 2 tbsp dark soy source, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sesame oil.

Slice 1 lb pork to 2~3 mm thick, rinse to remove blood, dry with paper towel. Marinate sliced pork for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

Evenly coat pork slices with prepared rice flour, place in a container. Then steam for 30 minutes.

If more spicy taste is preferred, drizzle cooked pork with chili oil. For decoration, sprinkle with finely chopped green onion.

Stewed egg with pork

(1) Boil or steam eggs; then peel eggs and gently make some cuts on egg white.

(2) Marinated sauce: 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp salt, 1 pinch of pepper, 1 pinch of five-spice powder.

(3) Marinade pork and eggs in the sauce overnight.

(4) Put pork, egg and marinated sauce in a 5 qt. pot, add a white part of green onion and about 1 liter water (or just over pork).

(5) Cover and cook under medium power, bring to boil.

(6) Reduce heat to low and stew for 1 hour.

Eggs taste marvellous! And the broth can be used to cook noodle, yummo LOL

Let pork cool in the fridge, slice and serve.

Sunset dinner

Dinner got ready at 7h. It's daylight saving time now -- seven o'clock, time for beautiful sunset. Though it says there will be another snowy weekend, I can feel spring is approaching. Having dinner in this warm sunshine really cheers me up.

Look at this pork dices in ketchup, sunshine does improve its color, eh?

Sweet and sour pork dices with peanut

I am very satisfied with my creation of this recipe -- a perfect mate for white rice.

(1) Dice boned pork chop into about 1.5 cm small cubes;

(2) Rinse and squeeze to remove water and blood as much as possible;

(3) Marinade dices with 1 tsp salt, a pinch of baking soda, a pinch of ground Sichuan pepper (optional), and 1 tsp dark soy sauce;

(4) Blend with 1 tbsp vegetable oil before cooked;

(5) Chop green onion;

(6) Prepare sauce: mix 1 tbsp tapioca starch, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup water;

(7) Under medium-high power, stir dices into hot wok;

(8) Reduce power to medium, cover and let cook (the moisture in dices can prevent them from sticking to the bottom when well-covered);

(9) Cook for five minutes or until they are cooked through;

(10) Remove cover, increase heat to high, blend in 1 tbsp dark soy sauce to produce nice color;

(11) Blend in chopped green onion, stir until aroma developed;

(12) Blend in 1/2 ~ 1 cup roasted peanut or cashew (depending on your taste);

(13) Pour sauce in, stir until it gets condensed;

(14) Transfer to the plate and serve immediately.

I like to blend it with white rice -- pork dices taste tender, the sweet and sour sauce provides marvelous flavor, peanut or cashew is more welcome than pork LOL.

Boned pork hock roll

Pork hock is one of my favourites, no matter baked, simmered with soy beans, braised or cooked with soy sauce. One of the popular ways to make pork hock as a main course in festival is boned pork hock roll.

(1) Four pork hocks are boned with sharp knife, reserve bones;

(2) Rinse boned hocks and season with 6 tbsp salt, let stand in the fridge overnight;

(3) Rinse seasoned hocks to remove excess salt;

(4) Divide meat so that it can evenly distribute;

(5) Place some slices of carrots, roll hocks tightly to form tube and tie with kitchen twine;

(6) In a 5 qt. pot, add 2L water, put in rolled pork hock and bones, bring to boil;

(7) Remove foam, add two white part of green onion, two anise stars (optional), two pieces of ginger root and some drops of lemon juice, reduce heat to medium-low, let simmer for about 1 hour or until cooked through;

(8) Transfer rolls to wire rack, let fully cool;

(9) Strain soup through a sieve to remove all solid ingredients including bones -- soup can be used as stock;

(10) Remove twine, and slice hocks and arrange them on a platter, garnish with chopped parsley flakes.

The skin of hocks tastes very chewy, hocks are not greasy, yummo!

Stewed pork

Mmm, our favorite way to cook pork -- only add soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, green onion and ginger; simple but extraordinarily delicious. We serve it with white rice and green vegetables. Really have a good appetite :)

(1) Dice about 3 lb pork shoulder, rinse and strain;

(2) In a saucepot, add 2 tbsp oil, heat under high power;

(3) Add pork dice, stir until pork turns to brown in color;

(4) Add 1/4 cup rice wine or sherry, stir until water fully evaporate and melted pork fat is clearly separated;

(5) Strain to remove melted fat, place pork back to the pot;

(6) In a hot pan, heat under medium power, add 6 tbsp brown sugar, stir until aroma develops;

(7) Blend brown sugar with pork dice immediately;

(8) Add 6 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp salt, 2 cup water, 3 white part of green onion, 3 slices of ginger root, combine well, and bring to boil;

(9) Stew for 1 hour under low power;

(10) Switch to medium power, gently stir while concentrating sauce.

Serve immediately.

For leftover stewed pork, steam but not reheat in microwave oven.

Braised pork chop with cabbage

Most of the time, I cook pork chops in typical Chinese way, that is, simmer them in the mixture of water / soy sauce / sugar/ aniseed / Sichuan pepper / a little bit salt and then thicken the sauce, bringing brilliant color and very good taste.

But this time, I changed my mind after reading Martha's recipe of braised pork chop with red cabbage and leek. I don't like the smell of leek, too strong and irritant. Therefore, I use green cabbage and carrot instead.

I firstly cut pork chop of 1-inch thickness. Tender pork chops with a meat tenderizer. You can also use spine of kitchen knife, or even a rolling pin to tender the meat. Wash the pork chop to remove blood (blood remaining in pork makes it taste bad). Dry pork chops with paper towel and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin.

Then, thinly slice half small head green cabbage and julienne two carrots.

Heat a deep wok over medium-high and add 2 tbsp vegetable oil. When the oil is very hot, place two pieces of pork chop with seasoned side down. Cover the wok so that the oil will not spill. Fry each side for 3 min to give golden brown color. Place the fried pork chop in a plate and set aside.

After all pork chops are done, stir sliced green cabbage in the wok, sprinkle some salt and pepper for taste, add 1/2 cup chicken stock. Bring it to boil and then reduce heat to medium . Cover the wok for 5 min. Add carrot and mix it with cabbage well, cover again, cook for another 5 min.

Place fried pork chops on the mixture of vegetable in one layer, cover and cook for about 5 min or until the instant-temperature of pork chops reaches 145F.

Remove from heat, and serve immediately.

Yummy -- extremely tender meat, soft and tasty vegetable :)