Eggplant with minced pork ~ 茄子炒肉碎

There are many ways to prepare eggplant and to me, the most fuss free method is to just cut it up, steam and then serve with some garlic oil and a dash of pepper. But today, I want to share with you a more 'complicated' method whereby I pan seared them, mixed in some Korean bean paste, bits of pork and added in some dried chillies to make the dish slightly spicy. This dish pairs well with rice or plain white porridge.

Recipe for Eggplant with minced pork ~ 茄子炒肉碎

Ingredients

2 eggplants, 450 gm, cut into bite size
2 stalks of spring onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
150 gm minced pork
6 dried chillies, soaked to soften and cut
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
3 Tbsp oil

Sauce (Combine altogether)

1.1/2 Tbsp bean paste
1 Tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar

Method

Heat up some oil in a wok, sear the eggplants till brown on all sides.
Dish out and set aside.
With the remaining oil in the wok, add in the garlic, minced pork, dried chillies, stir-fry. Mix in the sauce, stir-fry.
Toss in the eggplants, spring onions, mix well. Fine tune to taste.
Drizzle on the wine, dish out and serve hot with rice.

Mini lime marmalade chiffon cake

These little chiffon cupcakes were made with lime marmalade. Other than orange marmalade I've never come across lime marmalade and so this went into my shopping basket when I was in Perth last. It's slightly more sour than orange marmalade but it's delicious when you have it with butter or peanut butter slathered on a slice of freshly baked bread or toast!

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Braised Pork Belly with Lotus Root 莲藕焖猪肉

This is a very simple pork belly dish cooked with fermented bean curd and young lotus root. I like that the lotus root stays crunchy and blends well with the equally crispy wood ear fungus. A comforting dish to serve with a bowl of hot white rice! Recipe for Braised Pork Belly with Lotus Root Ingredient 300 gm pork belly, cut into bite size 150 gm young lotus root, sliced 4 pips garlic, smashed 20 gm wood ear fungus, soaked, stemmed, cut into strips 2 pices of Nam Yue (fermented bean curd) 1 tsp dark soya sauce 2 tsp Shaoxing wine 3 cups water Salt and sugar to taste Method Saute the garlic with some oil till fragrant, add in the pork belly, stir-fry. Add in the mashed fermented bean curd, mix well and toss in the wood ear fungus. Add in water, dark soya sauce, simmer till meat is tender and cooked and sauce slightly reduced. Toss in the sliced lotus root, ...

Kai Chai Paeng aka Little chicken biscuit

K ai Chai Paeng or 'Little chicken biscuit' was one of my father's favourite item to take away whenever we stopped by Bidor, a small town south of Ipoh on the way to Kuala Lumpur, long ago before the North-South Highway came into existence. Those days, Bidor's famous restaurant, Pun Chun ,was like a half-way house whereby travellers would stop by for their signature 'Ngap thui meen' or duck thigh noodles. Pun Chun restaurant is right in the middle of town along the main road and has been in operation for 70 years and their Kai Chai Paeng were of the thick, doughy type made with lard and some pork but now they also have the thin and crispy version. Another small town, known as Kampar which is nearer to Ipoh is also famous for their thin and crispy version of Kai Chai Paeng. However, I'm not too sure which town is the originator of these 'chickenless', unique but absolutely aromatic 'Little chicken biscuit'.

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