Taiwanese Style Minced Pork (Rou Zhao)

I was looking for a recipe for the Taiwanese Style Minced Pork and improvised to make a simpler version. It taste great and the most important ingredient is the Star Anise!! Try this delicious yummy dish at home! You can make more for the next meal. The seasonings below are estimated to start off with. Adjust to suit own preference.

Ingredients:

- Minced Pork (1/2 lbs)
- Garlic(Minced) (2 - 3 cloves)
- Shallots (Minced) (3 - 4 cloves)
- Ginger (Peeled) (1 inch)
- Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing) (1 tblspn)
- Light Soy Sauce (1/4 cup)
- Dark Soy Sauce (1 - 2 tblspn)
- Oyster Sauce (1 tblspn)
- Five Spiced Powder (1/2 tblspn)
- White Pepper (1 tspn)
- Star Anise (2 - 3 pcs)
- Cooking Oil (Canola) (2 tblspn)
- Boiled Eggs (Own preference)


1. Use a heavy bottom sauce pan / pot. Add and heat oil.
2. Fried minced garlic and shallots until slightly burnt.
3. Add minced pork and fried till fragrant.
4. Add cooking wine and ginger.
5. Add the light, dark and oyster sauce. Let boil and taste. Adjust according to own preference.
6. Add the five spiced powder, pepper and star anise.
7. Add 1 - 2 cups of water and set on high heat till boiling.
8. Reduced heat and let simmer for 30 - 45 minutes.
9. In another pot, boiled eggs for 8 - 10 minutes. Peeled eggs and add hard boiled eggs to the stew.
10. Check the stew every 15 minutes and taste. The taste would get stronger over time. Adjust seasonings if required to suit own preference. If required or the stew become dried, add more water. Stew should be watery when done.
11. Served over rice or noodles and add your favorite vegetables.

Notes: 1/2 lb minced pork serves about 2. Multiple it to serve more or for the next meal.

Homemade Strawberry Preserves

  

“Try this healthy and easy to made Strawberry Preserves. Most recipes calls for more sugar but after a couple of tries, add sugar gradually to suit own taste and with the naturally sweet strawberries, you really do not need to add too much sugar. You can start with smaller batch for own consumption (it actually takes a lot lesser time and it is a great way to save the strawberries if you can’t finish them before they get spoiled.)”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• For 4 half pints jars
• 1 1/2 lbs (3 small baskets at Farmers Market) Fresh Strawberries
• 3/8 cup of sugar
• 1/8 cup of lemon juice

Directions

1. Use Fresh strawberries that are fully ripened or slightly over-ripe as they are at the sweetest and softest that you can mash easily.
2. Mash strawberries in large mixing bowl or directly in a heavy sauce pan or pot. (I used a hand whisk for the job).
3. Add in lemon juice and 1/4 cup of sugar first and bring to boil at low. Taste for sweetness. If you find it sweet enough, do not add more. The strawberries preserves will get sweeter as it boils further. Add the remaining 1/8 cup of sugar if you like it sweeter.
4. Keep stirring with spatula and boil on high heat for about 10 minutes and check for consistency. If it is still too liquid, continue to boil for 10 – 15 minutes till to the consistency you like.
5. As pectin is not added, it will be more liquid than jam, but will serve well with your favorite pancakes, waffles, ice-cream, cakes and breads.
6. Proceed with canning procedures if you want to can them, or store in container in the fridge directly.

Vanilla Souffle

This is one good trusty recipe I picked up from my old recipe collection from school. This is great and enjoy the fresh souffle out of the oven at the comfort of your home.

Serves: 4 - 6






Recipe:
12g of butter (~1tbspn)
12g of flour (~2tbspns)
100ml milk (~6.76 tbspns)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 egg yolks
25g sugar (~2tbspns)
3 egg whites

Method
1)Preheat the oven at 360°F / 180°C. Fill baking pan with some water. Prepare rameskins by greasing with butter and coating with sugar.
2) Heat the butter, add in the flour and stir till smooth. Cook well and let cool.
3)Add in the milk and stir till boiling.
4) Beat the yolks till creamy and add to the mixture a little at a time beating well after each addition.
5) Beat the egg whites and sugar together till stiffly.
6) Fold the cooked mixture into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into pre-prepared rameskins.
7) Bake for 25 minutes at the above temperature.
8) Sieve some icing sugar on top and serve immediately.