NYONYA TAU EU BAK [PORK BELLY IN DARK SOY SAUCE]

Tau Eu Bak [Braised Pork Belly With Eggs] is a common dish in my mum’s place. She prepares this dish at least once a week using pork belly, firm beancurd and hard boiled eggs as the main ingredients together with soy sauce as seasoning. Her Tau Eu Bak is good eventhough the seasoning is according to her own estimation, like using her finger tips to add in the sugar and pouring in the dark soy sauce and light soy sauce straight from the bottle without a measuring spoon. Yet, it never fails.  This trick, we can never master.

I came across this Nyonya [Peranakan] pork belly dish recipe shared by Pearly Kee in her book ‘A Nyonya Inheritance’. This recipe is one of the recipes which I have tried from her book. Her way of cooking this dish is different from the other Nyonya recipe book ‘Nyonya Flavours’. For a comparison please refer to this  Recipe.

Anyway, this Tau Eu Bak turns out well, good and tasty, too. In my opinion, it is not difficult to cook this popular Nyonya dish yet the result is awesome. I have adjusted the seasoning a little such as reducing the amount of dark soy sauce and white pepper to suit my own preference. I have also omitted 1-2 steps because the pork belly was already tender after braising for about 45 minutes. The original recipe stated about 1 and ½ hours or so for the meat to be tender.  For this recipe, you would not be able to see the whole garlic after cooking.

Yummy-licious Nyonya dish, so good to serve with sambal belacan and steaming hot rice.   My advice is to cook this whole portion and store them in smaller portions if you can finish it in one go.  

Recipe adapted from ‘A Nyonya Inheritance’ by Pearly Kee with slight modifications

Ingredients
[serves 5-6]

600 gm pork belly with skin – cut chunky pieces

1 bulb garlic – skin removed and keep whole

3 pieces firm beancurd [taukwa] – quartered and fried until golden

4 hard-boiled eggs [or more if preferred]

2 cups [500 ml] water

Marinade [Mix together in a bowl]

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp dark soy sauce [I used 1 tbsp]

3 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1-2 tbsp white pepper powder [I used 1 tbsp]

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and rest for 15 minutes for the sugar to dissolve.
2. Place pork belly pieces, garlic and marinade in a pot and turn on high heat.
3. Stir the ingredients to mix evenly. It is important to control the heat to prevent the marinade from drying up too fast. Reduce to medium heat and constantly stirring until the marinade is almost dry and oil begins to surface [about 10-15 minutes]. This will give the dish an amazing flavor.
4. Add enough water [1 cup] to cover the ingredients. Turn to medium high heat and cover to boil until the liquid is reduced [about 20 minutes]. Top up with more water and cover to cook for a further 20 minutes.
5. Then add in the fried beancurd pieces and hard boiled eggs. Stir to coat ingredients with the sauce.
6. Cover and lower heat to simmer until gravy has reduced by half and has thickened.
7. Serve warm with steaming hot rice.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Pearly’s Tips – Proper heat control is very important for this dish. The easiest is to cook it in a slow cooker for 2 hours with just enough water to cover the meat.

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #28 [November 2015] hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

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ORANGE GLAZED CINNAMON ROLLS

The dough used for these cinnamon rolls is similar to my yesterday's post on Upside Down Honey Glazed Rolls. Here, I made only 6 of them [looks quite gigantic for a cinnamon roll] cos’ I wanted to use the new muffin pan which I bought from Giant Hypermarket for only RM5.00. It is very reasonably priced for a non-stick baking pan, worth it.  You can actually stick to making 9 or 16 pieces and bake them it a square baking pan.

This dough is pliable, easy to handle and shape. These rolls are soft, moist, fluffy, fine texture, aromatic and sweet. The orange glazed is not intense at all, hardly noticeable in looks and taste wise.  Overall, it isn't that sweet as the basic dough only uses 1 tablespoon sugar. 

Recipe adapted from Yum Yum Magazine No. 89

Ingredients for Dough

[makes 9 – 7 inch square pan]

250 gm bread flour 

50 gm plain flour

2 tbsp milk powder

1 tbsp castor sugar

½-1 tsp salt

1 small egg

1 ½ tsp instant yeast

130-140 ml cold water 

30 gm butter

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

60 gm melted butter

60 gm brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon powder

• Mix brown sugar with cinnamon powder. Set aside.

Orange Glaze [mix together]

60 gm icing sugar - sifted

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1. Knead all the ingredients [except butter] into a soft dough. Add in butter and continue to knead until soft, smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, cover to proof for about 20 minutes.
2. Punch down, roll into a rectangle [15” x 10’], spread melted butter evenly over dough and sprinkle cinnamon sugar filling on top of the buttered area or you can divide into 2 portions.
3. Roll up the dough into a log, then cut into equal portions.
4. Invert cut dough and place them evenly on a greased baking pan or muffin pan. Leave to proof for 40-45 minutes or until double in size.
5. Glaze with beaten egg.  Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and leave to cool.
6. Pipe or drizzle orange glaze on top of rolls.  Serve.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #28 [November 2015] hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

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UPSIDE DOWN HONEY GLAZED ROLLS

I was inspired to bake these honey rolls after eating this kind of rolls in Xiamen. These are sold in the wet market and according to weight. Half a kilogram [about 11-12 buns] costs RMB10. They tasted good freshly baked and even on the next day.

These buns are exactly the same as cinnamon rolls with the exception that they are plain without any filling inside the rolls. After baking, the buns are turned upside down and then generously brushed with melted butter honey glaze that flows to the sides and absorbed into the buns. It tasted buttery, sweet and a hint of salty taste. Overall the buns are soft, moist and fine texture. Tasted good with the honey glaze.

Ingredients for Dough

[makes 9 or 16 rolls in a 7 inch loose bottom square pan]

250 gm bread flour 

50 gm plain flour

2 tbsp milk powder

1 tbsp castor sugar

½ tsp salt

1 small egg

1 ½ tsp instant yeast

130-140 ml cold water 

30 gm butter

Ingredients for Honey Glazed [mix together]

20 gm butter [melted]

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp castor sugar [optional]

¼ tsp salt

1. Knead all the ingredients [except butter] into a soft dough. Add in butter and continue to knead until soft, smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, cover to proof for about 20 minutes.
2. Punch down and divide into 2 equal portions [need not divide if you are making 9 buns]. Roll one portion into a rectangle, roll into a log and seal the edges well, then cut into equal portions [8 pieces if you are making 16 buns].
3. Invert cut dough and place evenly on a greased baking pan. Leave to proof for 40-45 minutes or until double in size.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven, loosen the edges and invert pan onto a wire rack. Remove baking pan, brush honey glaze all over buns.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Serve warm.  Sprinkle some chocolate rice over glaze if preferred.
   

See tomorrow post on Orange Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

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DRIED OYSTERS AND MEAT BALLS PORRIDGE

Another tasty porridge which is an easy, complete meal for all.  This is a homey porridge that is easy to prepare yet it is flavourful and tasty. Served with shredded ginger and chopped spring onions, add flavor and fragrance to this simple porridge.
I added some crispy Chinese crullers to this porridge. Nice.

Recipe adapted from Feminine Magazine No. 552 [Secret Recipes] – slightly modified
Ingredients
[serves 2-3]
Ingredients A
1 cup rice – wash and drain
10 cups water
3-4 dried oysters – washed and soaked for 5 minutes [keep whole or sliced]
3-4 dried scallops – washed and soaked for 5 minutes [I omit]
Ingredients B – mix together
100 – 150 gm minced meat marinade with some salt and pepper to taste
½ tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp water
Ingredients C
1 tsp sesame seed oil
½ tsp salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients D
Some shredded ginger
Some chopped spring onions

1. Cook ingredients A [about 30 minutes - medium  heat] until smooth.
2. Shape ingredients B into small balls, put into porridge to cook.  Season with ingredients C.
3. Cover for a few minutes.
4. Scoop porridge into serving bowls, sprinkle with ingredients D.   Serve hot.
5. Add crispy Chinese crullers if preferred.
   
   
   
   
   

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #28 [November 2015] hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

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EZCR#37 - GUI FEI SPARE RIBS [SPARE RIBS STEW]

This is a Chinese way of cooking stewed pork ribs. It is very easy to prepare yet the dish is delish. The sauce is sweet, sourish and savoury. Nice colour and aromatic.  Tastes much better after resting.

You can savour this dish with broccoli florets which can be added just before dishing up. Feel free to garnish it with some chopped red chilli and coriander leaves, too. 

A yummy-licious dish to go with rice.

Ingredients

300 gm meaty spare ribs – bite size pieces

1 white carrot [about 250 gm] – peeled and cut chunks

1 red carrot [about 150 gm] – peeled and cut chunks

1 onion – cut wedges

2 star anise

2 pieces bay leaves

Enough water for braising dish

Seasoning

4 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tbsp each of light soy sauce and cooking wine

1 tbsp each of chilli sauce and brown sugar

Some broccoli florets - optional

Some chopped red chilli and coriander leaves – optional

1. Fry star anise and onions with ½ tbsp oil in a non-stick wok until aromatic.
2. Add in the carrots. Stir to mix and add in the pork ribs and seasoning.
3. Stir to mix well and let it cook for 5 minutes so that the ingredients are well coated with the seasoning.
4. Add in enough water to cover the ingredients [can add more water if the ribs are not tender after the sauce has reduced].
5. Bring to boil, cover and lower heat to simmer until ingredients are cooked and tender [about 40 minutes]. Sauce should be reduced and thick.
6. Dish up to serve.
   
   
   
   
   
   

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