Minced pork and tofu

This was a dish that did not materialise till the very last moment. I had a tube of silken tofu and some minced pork. I had an idea of mixing the two. Somehow inspiration came just before I was to serve dinner in half an hour's time. First, I squeezed the tofu from the tube. It was a little mashy and I cut it up further. Then I fried it in the saucepan with some oil, chopped small onions and garlic. When the tofu was turning slightly brown, I took everything out and put them in a bowl.

Next, I fried the minced pork. Prior to this, I had marinated the minced pork with soy sauce, a special sauce for meat that I had bought at Takashimaya, a teaspoon of XO vegetable sauce, some dark sauce, sesame oil and mixed them well. I added water and some cornstarch so that the sauce would thicken, covered the saucepan and let the meat simmer for about 10 minutes or so - can't remember exactly but the important thing is not to overcook the meat. I also added some chilli tomato ketchep to give the sauce a slightly spicy taste.

Lastly, I poured the tofu into the saucepan, stirred things for a while and turned off the fire.To garnish the dish, I used some chopped-up capsicum, cucumber and bits of red chilli.

Verdict from the family: Yum Yum except that I should have used more silken tofu. Next time folks 'cos your mum only makes do with what's in the fridge at a particular point in time.

Bak Kut Teh

This is our beloved Pork-rib soup that we nowadays do not prepare our own ingredients but rely most of the time on manufactured packets of the spices to make this dish a hot favourite at home. I have been trying out one or two of these preparations with moderate success in terms of taste and flavour.

My friend gave me a small packet of the Bak Kut Teh that she says I have to try because it is simple yummy.

She advised that I get the pork rib with a little fat in it. All I need to do is to wash and put the pork ribs into the slow cooker, fill it up with water from the tap (sometimes I use water that has just been boiled) and turn on the heat at the 'high' setting for 2 hours. The put in as many cloves of garlic as you like and add the satchet of spices. Cook for another 2 hours and then its Bak Kut Teh time. I think it would be nice to compliment this soup with you tiao (deep-fried dough sticks). So if I think of cooking this soup, I will have to get some yu tiao from the market in the morning.

Rosemary Pork Stew

My friend said that this is a very easy-t0-prepare meal that tastes simply delicious for the little effort that is put into it as it is cooked using a slow cooker.

She advised that I get shoulder pork for this dish.

Ingredients:
Shoulder pork
Rosemary leaves (fresh)
Chillies (optional)
Garlic
Tomatoes (sliced or cubed)
Pinch of salt

Method
Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker and put in enough water to cover the meat.
Turn on the heat to high for 4 hours.
When the meat and other ingredients are cooked, season it with a little thick black sauce (tau yu), salt, sugar, pepper and a little bit of sesame oil.

She gave me some rosemary leaves and I can't wait to try this dish!

Meatballs - Pressure Cooker

Once in a while, this happens in this blog - I post something irrelevant to the subject of flowers. This time I just want to share a new interest which is experimenting with a pressure cooker that I bought having heard all the good things about it such as tasty and nutritious meals that can be prepared in half an hour or less.

Having read the safety precautions and understood the concept of how the pressure cooker works, I looked in my fridge to see what was in there and came up with the idea of cooking meat balls. It turned out surprisingly to be very successful as all family members praised the results to high heaven. It's quite a feat to achieve considering that people know me as one who photographs food and not one who cooks. I have photographed the key steps before commencing the pressure cooking. Arranging the meatballs and other ingredients in the pressure cooker.

Adding the chopped lettuce at the side.

Adding the sauce so that it covers the meatballs.

Yummy meatballs, even I agree that they were delicious. I actually had a lot of fun arranging the ingredients in the pot. The dish when served could be made more colourful with brocolli or bits of a green pepper that was in my fridge. Cucumbers would do fine too.