No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

Pig's trotters refer to the pig's hoofs and calves.   In  Chinese cuisine, trotters are one of the most frequently eaten parts and there are many ways of cooking them.  The trotters and pig's skin are rich in collagen, have a lower fat content and can be converted into gelatine during cooking.  It can help to prevent skin wrinkling and delays the aging process of the skin.  These braised pig trotters are moist, tender and flavourful being braised in a slightly sweet and savoury sauce.  This dish pairs very well with plain white rice. Braised Pig Trotters ~  紅燒豬手 Ingredients 800 gm pig trotters, cut into bite size 6 star anise 4 cloves of garlic with skin  3 to 4 dried chillies (soaked in hot water to hydrate) 2 ginger slices 20 gm rock sugar or piece sugar 2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce 2 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (I used rose wine) 1 small cinnamon bark white part of spring onion ...

This is a comfort dish and can be easily found in economy rice stalls.  Quick and easy to prepare, it's versatile as it marries well with either rice or plain porridge.  I ran out of ideas of what to cook and since I had the ingredients, thought of just putting them to good use. Minced Pork with Potatoes  ~  马铃薯焖肉碎 Ingredients 350 gm potatoes, sliced 100 gm minced pork 1 tsp chopped garlic 2 tsp tau cheong/bean paste 1/2 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water Bit of light soy sauce and sugar to taste Method Season the minced pork with the sesame oil and a bit of salt. Saute the chopped garlic with a bit of oil in a pan, add in the tau cheong and fry till fragrant. Toss in the seasoned meat, stir-fry.  Add in the sliced potatoes and water.  Let it simmer for a while, close the lid and let cook till the potatotes are soft.  Consistency of sauce is as desired. Add in cornflour thickening, fine tune to taste, dish out. ...

I am not an ardent fan of 'Nam Yue', '  南乳 ' b ut after seeing some recipes using this ingredient, I half heartedly gave it a try and I was amazed that this dish tasted so good.  'Nam Yue' is fermented beancurd made with a concoction of red  yeast ' 紅麴 '', hence the red colour. It can be an acquired taste and like I said before, I wasn't keen initially.  Let the flavours of the sauce infuse into the trotters and the dish will taste much better the next day.  You can serve this with plain rice or  noodles which I think will be just as satisfying. Braised pig trotters with nam yue  ~ 南乳焖猪手  Ingredients 600 gm pig trotter, chopped into chunks 1 piece nam yue (fermented beancurd) 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce 10 gm piece sugar 2 Bay leaves 2 star anise 3 slices ginger 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 onion, sliced white part of spring onion Method Wa...

If you are a fan of Bittergourd  苦瓜 like me, you will relish this dish. This is a nutritious, easy to cook Chinese dish which you can easily prepare at home using 'sections of bittergourd stuffed with seasoned minced pork. The gourd will be soft after steaming but it is still firm in texture and there's the juicy broth for you to go with rice. Steamed Stuffed Bittergourd with Minced Pork  ~  酿苦瓜  Ingredients 160 gm minced pork 40 gm shitake mushrooms, hydrated, stemmed and diced 1 shallot, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 medium size bittergourd Seasoning for the minced pork 2 tsp oyster sauce 2 tsp Shaoxing wine 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp light soy sauce 1/4 tsp salt 3 tsp cornflour 1/4 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt Dash of pepper Method Cut the bittergourd into 3/4 inch sections.  Scoop out the seeds, place the bittergourds in a bowl rub with some salt and set aside for about 20 mins.  (This is to extract some bitte...

This is a quick fix for dinner.   It takes only about 3 minutes to cook the pork chops but again if your chops are quite thick, you will need to add more minutes.  I blanched some cabbage and carrot and cooked the onions before pan-frying the chops.  Drizzle on some honey and it's ready to eat! Garam masala pork chop  ~   印度香辛料猪排 Ingredients 4 pieces about 400 gm boneless pork chop 1 tsp garam masala 3/4 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp smoked paprika A dash of pepper Honey to drizzle Vegetables of your choice Method Lightly tenderise the meat with a meat mallet. Marinate the meat with the above ingredients for about an hour. Heat up some oil in a non-stick pan.  Pan sear on one side for about 1 minute, flip, then cover with lid and turn to low heat to cook the other side for another minute or two.    Drizzle some honey over the chops and serve with a salad of your choice.

Mui Choy is preserved mustard greens and there are two types, one is salty while the other is sweet.  There are many ways of cooking mui choy with pork belly.  Instead of braising, you can steam it with minced pork but here I am using only the sweet mui choy and I braised the pork belly with it.  This is a flavourful dish and you can serve it with plain rice or plain porridge. Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy   ~    梅菜焖五花肉 Ingredients  400 gm pork belly cut into bite size 100 gm  preserved sweet mui choy 3 cloves of garlic 2 slices ginger Seasoning for the pork belly 1 Tbsp dark soya sauce 1/4 Tbsp sugar 1/4 Tbsp sesame oil 1/4 Tbsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp light soya sauce Method Season the pork belly for about an hour or more.  Set aside. Soak the mui choy for 45 mins., rinse and squeeze dry.  Cut into slices Heat some oil in the wok, fry the mui choy.  Add in the ginger slic...

A very appetising dish with tangy and robust flavour of tamarind juice, red and green chillies added more oomph to the dish.  This dish will surely whet your appetite and you'll go for second helping of rice to soak up the tangy gravy.  This is a Peranakan dish but as always, there are many varieties to this delicacy.  I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit what I have in my pantry and the end result is a very yummy dish that I will not hesitate to whip up again and again. Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam)  ~   亚参 五花肉 Ingredients 450 gm pork belly, cut into bite size 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3 shallots, finely chopped 30 gm tamarind pulp (Assam paste)  + 250 ml water 3 green chillies 2 red chillies 2 tsp tau cheong (preserved bean paste) 2 tsp dark soya sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fish sauce 1 onion, sliced Method Mix the tamarind pulp with a cup of...

This is my first attempt at making a French omelette.  A French omelette is rolled up into an oval or cylindrical shape before serving.  I've surfed the internet for many versions of how some chefs whipped up this omelette with ease.  I managed to pick up some tips here and there and came up with my Bak Kwa Onion French Omelette. Bak Kwa Onion French Omelette  ~  肉干洋葱煎蛋卷    Ingredients 3 eggs + 1/2 tsp water 30 gm bak kwa bits 1 medium onion, diced Salt and Pepper Method Using a fork, whisk up the eggs with 1/2 tsp water.  (Adding water will help to break up the protein and fluff up the eggs a little).  Whisk till no egg whites are visible.  Add in a bit of salt and a dash of pepper. Heat up some oil and lightly pan-fry the onions and bak kwa bits. Dish up and set aside. Heat up a non-stick pan on medium heat, lightly pour the beaten eggs onto the pan.  Stir the eggs in circular movement and shake the m...

This stir-fry dish has no sauce, but tender meat and it's fragrant due to the combination of lemon grass and turmeric.  It's also an appropriate nutritious dish for mothers on confinement too. Stir-fried Turmeric Pork  ~   黄 姜 猪肉 Ingredients 500 gm pork fillet 1 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp light soya sauce 1/2 tsp sugar 1 Tbsp oil 2 red onions 3/4 tsp sugar light soya sauce to taste 1 lemon grass, sliced Birdeye chillies (optional) Method Marinate the pork slices with the turmeric powder, salt, sugar, soya sauce.  Mix in the oil. Heat up a pan and lightly fry the pork fillet.  Push the pork fillet aside, add in the lemon grass and onions. Sprinkle some sugar and light soya sauce to taste. Dish up and serve.

If you like pork belly which is savoury and a bit spicy, this is the recipe for you.  This is a Hunan cuisine and as the name implies, it was Chairman Mao's favourite dish.  This is indeed a very flavourful dish and my family members enjoyed it very much.  Will definitely make this again. Chairman Mao's Red Braised Pork Belly  ~   毛主席红烧猪肉 (recipe from 'here' ) Ingredients 600 gm pork belly, cut into bite size 3 slices ginger 20 gm piece sugar (or you can use sugar) 1 Tbsp oil 1 spring onion (white part) 1 Tbsp light soy sauce 1/2 Tbsp dark soy sauce 2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1 piece cinnamon 2 star anise 2 bay leaves 2 dried chillies (hydrated) 3 cups water or more to submerge the pork belly 1/2 tsp sugar to add once the pork is cooked Method Blanch the pork  belly in hot water, drain and rinse, set aside. Add oil in a wok and caramalise the piece sugar till melted. Add the ginger, pork and the white part of spring o...

A very easy one-pot meal for working mothers who are bogged down with other household chores.    Other than bak kwa, you may opt to use chinese sausages or even ham or fried bacon.  And the rice will taste just as delicious. Bak Kwa Tomato Rice ~  肉干番茄饭  (recipe adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients 1.1/4 rice cup of Basmati rice  1 cup water 1 medium size tomato about 160 gm 60 gm Bak Kwa pieces, diced 1/2 cup Broccoli, blanched and cut into tiny floret Salt to taste Method Wash and rinse rice, pour into rice cooker, add water accordingly.  (A little less water than the ordinary measurement because there will be some juice from the tomato). Mix in the bak kwa bit and a bit of salt.  Make a criss-cross cut on the bottom of the tomato and place it on the rice.  Select 'cook' function. When the rice is cooked, smash the tomato, toss in the blanched broccoli, Mix well. Drizzle on some sesame oil, mix well. Serve

This is a very simple stir-fry dish yet tasty to go with rice.  As the pork belly are thinly sliced, they are quick to shallow fry, not much time is required in preparing this dish. Pork Belly Slice Stir-Fry  ~    炒 五 花肉片 Ingredients 18 gm Pork Belly slice 100 gm French beans, sliced Salt, light soya sauce and a dash of sugar to taste Method In a pot with a bit of oil, shallow fry the pork belly slice.  Dish out In a wok, lightly saute the French beans and then toss in the pork belly slices Add a dash of salt, light soya sauce and sugar to taste Dish out and serve.