Taiwanese Lou Rou Fan - Slow Braised Diced Pork Sauce on Rice

Lou Rou Fan - Diced Pork Sauce on Rice

I love this simple dish ever since trying it for the first time in Sydney over a decade ago. However it's not as prevalent in M-Town so I kinda forgot about it until my visit to Taipei earlier this year. It was everywhere and reminded me of its deliciousness. The pork is so flavoursome and melts in your mouth. It's not too difficult to make either, just need a pinch of patience.

LouRouFan

Ingredients:

• 500g pork belly, chopped finely
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 spring onion
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 6–8 dried shitake mushrooms - re-hydrated
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoon soya sauce
• Chinese five spice powder
• white pepper
• Chinese cooking wine
• Sesame oil (optional)
• salt
• water from re-hydrating shitake mushroom
• cornstarch

Directions:

Step 1 – Thinly slice pork and cut into little vertical strips

Step 2 – Finely dice onion

Step 3 – Add pork to hot wok on medium heat, cook until water has evaporated and the pork fat is frying the meat

Step 4 – Add the onion and cook til transparent 

Step 5 – Add white parts of the finely sliced spring onion 

Step 6 – Add minced ginger

Step 7 – Add the finely diced re-hydrated
mushrooms

Step 8 – Add minced garlic

Step 9 – Add sugar to caramelise the mixture

Step 10 – Add soya sauce to the edge of the wok so it sizzles before stirring into the mixture

Step 11 – Add Chinese cooking wine, Chinese five spice powder, white pepper, water from soaking the mushrooms 

Step 12 – Transfer to pressure cooker, top up with water until mixture is completely submerged.

Step 13 –  Cook for 25 minutes under pressure, this is to ensure the flavours meld together

Step 14 – After releasing the pressure, check the sauce and add cornstarch slurry to adjust sauce viscosity, add salt to taste also add a dash of sesame oil and the green bits of spring onion

Step 15 – Serve with medium boiled eggs and some green veggie

Dinner for 1

So I'm determined to post a bit more this year than I did last year....and one of the recipes I'd like to share is this ridiculously easy Berlotti Beans with Tomato Stew. With Melbourne's crazy weather, one day it's 30 degrees plus but then the next drop to the teens. A hearty bean stew sure warms your body and soul when it's suddenly very cold. But this would still be great during warmer weather.

Easiest Stew Ever!

 

The original recipe recommended 20 minutes cooking time, but since I did this in my slow cooker it didn't even count. I chucked everything into the crockpot in the morning before I head out and I am greeted by a delicious aroma when I open the door in the evening when I get home. This just made me so happy and so little efforts involved.

So Healthy and economical

 Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups dried Berlotti Beans rinsed well (no need soaking overnight)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 diced onion
• 2 diced carrots
• Allspice
• Rosemary
• Mixed herbs
• Chili powder
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 Stock cubes
• Chopped Parsley

Directions:

• Dump all but the parsley into the slow cooker, cover with water and leave it on high/auto
• Go to work/play/sleep
• Ta da, all ready when your house seems slightly smokey (in the bbq way, not the burning house way)
• To serve, top with chopped parsley

Happy 2015

Fresh new year, fresh new start.

My new housemate Ms Romantica once told me when she first moved in that Pasta with Vongole was one of her favourite meals. Ever since that conversation a couple months ago, I've had Vongole on my mind. So for our first meal together in 2015 I decided to make this delicious pasta dish with fresh clams from the market.

 

Spaghetti alle Vongole

 It was really simple with just a few choice ingredients, but the end result was stunningly. I can definately see why this is one of her favourite dishes, I think it's become one of mine also.

So here's what I did:

 

Serves 4. Time: 15 mins

 

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Vongole
• 1 package dry spaghetti (or any pasta of your preference)
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chili (I used both powder and dried)
• Splash of white wine
• Juice and Rind of 1 lemon
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Butter
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

 

• Heat up your pan, add olive oil and butter and then garlic
• Add cherry tomatoes and vongole (make sure they were rinsed and toss out any opened ones)
• Add wine and cover pan, cook for 5 mins and then check
• Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water as directed on package
• Once all the vongoles are opened, stir in chili and lemon rind and juice, add the cooked spaghetti and some of the cooking liquid so there is a little sauce in the pan.
• Season to your liking
• Turn off heat and toss in chopped parsley
• To serve top with parmesan cheese



Vegetarian Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Tomato

Sunday Brunch....my favourite meal of the week.

This is the time I can get up leisurely, make a cup of coffee and peruse over my fridge and pantry and decide what to start my week with. Sunday is the beginning of the week right?

I've already made the big breakfast with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomatos and avocado on Saturday, so figured I'll mix it up a bit.... I've made pancakes the last couple of Sundays....I Looove Pancake. But yeah time for a change... so browsing through foodblogs...I came across these little baked eggs in muffin tins. Score!

Yummy Baked Eggs

Here's how I made mine:

Ingredients:

• Sliced bread (white or brown or whatever you have)
• Desired number of eggs
• Tomatos, chopped
• Mushrooms, chopped
• Spring Onions, chopped
• Parsley, chopped
• Tasty Cheese, gratted
• Butter
• Salt and Pepper

* Feel free to subsitute filling with what you like, say....BACON!!!

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Saute the mushrooms, tomatos and spring onions in butter
• Spray the muffin tin with oil (I forgot to do it and was a bit difficult to get them out afterwards)
• Smash the bread with your palm/fist to flatten it a bit and then smoosh it into the muffin tin
• Fill each bread cup with the coked veggies
• Topped with some cheese
• Crack an egg into each cup
• Put in oven and cook for around 15 -18 minutes until the eggs are cooked to desired consistency
• Scatter some chopped parsley on top and serve!

I also squirted some Siracha Chili Sauce on top heh

BEST Tuna Salad - Super Healthy

 

So the other day at work, Ms KB brought this amazing tuna dip to our Cheese Day Extravaganza and I loooved her dip, if you left me with it I would have polished it off and maybe even ignored the cheese (!). It was that good. She told me it was super easy to make, just 1 tub of Philly cream cheese and tuna with some lemon juice, S & P. Seriously it was good and simple.

I've made it and loved it. But the whole experience was shadowed by a twinge of guilt with the philly cream cheese. When I reported back to Ms KB about how much I loved the dip, she told me the alternative healthy version was to use cottage cheese. Well I know how much my friend ItsyBitsy's partner Hulk30 was loving cottage cheese during his bulking up stage, so I know it's super healthy.

Here's the tried and tested BEST Tuna Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium can tuna in springwater
• 1 250g tub of cottage cheese (lite, if you want)
• 1/2 sliced spanish onion
• 1/2 apple chopped
• 1 handful of chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon seeded mustard
• Generous squirt of lemon juice
• Salt &  Pepper

Directions:

Mix it all up and eaaaaat it now!