Braised Pork Belly with Sea Cucumber

Ingredients

1 lb pork belly - cut into bite-sized pieces

2 large sea cucumbers - pre-conditioned and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 small dried squid

3 slices of ginger

3 cloves garlic - lightly pounded with skin intact

1 tbsp minced onion

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 star anise

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp rice wine

2 cups water

2 stalks green onions
dash of sesame oil
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar

Method

1. Blanch the pork belly in boiling water for a few minutes.  Drain and set aside. 
2. Heat up oil in a wok.  Saute the onion, green onion, ginger and garlic until fragrant.
3. Add in the pork belly.  Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and rice wine and quickly stir fry for a while.
4. Add water and bring to a boil.  Add the star anise and dried squid.  The water must be enough to cover the pork belly.
5. Cover and simmer under low heat for 30 to 45 mins or until pork is almost tender.  Add the sea cucumbers and continue to simmer for 10 mins or until all ingredients are cooked to desired tenderness.
6. Check seasonings and add salt if needed.  Thicken the sauce with some cornstarch solution and add a little sesame oil.
7. In a pot of boiling water, add some salt, sugar and a little oil and blanch the broccoli for a few minutes.  Arrange them on the outer layer of a round serving plate.
8. Dish up the pork belly and sea cucumbers and place them in the centre of the plate.
9. Serve warm.

Braised Lion's Head

This is a healthy version of the dish which requires no deep frying.

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork

1 small napa cabbage - sliced into 2 cm thickness

8 pcs baby carrots

1/2 tsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped green onion

3 tbsp chopped water chestnut

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 bowl chicken stock

Seasonings for meatball

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the meat with seasonings and add water chestnut, ginger, green onion to the meat mixture.  Set aside for 1 hour or more.
2. Take a spoonful of the mixture and shape into meatballs.  Place them on a plate.
3. Prepare a steamer.  When water is boiling, steam the meatballs for 15 mins or until cooked.
4. Remove any excess water and coat the meatballs with some flour.
5. Heat up oil in a pan and fry the meatballs until brown.  Remove and set aside.
6. With the remaining oil in the pan, saute the garlic until aromatic.  Add the napa cabbage and carrots and stir fry for a while.  Add oyster sauce and chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Continue to simmer for 10 mins on medium heat.
7. Add meatballs to the pan and simmer for 15 mins.  Check seasonings and add salt or soy sauce if needed.  Stir cornstarch solution to slightly thicken the sauce.  Serve warm.

Crab Cake

Ingredients
Makes 6 crab cakes
 1 small egg
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dry mustard or dijon mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp minced white onion - cooked in microwave for abt 1 min
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of paprika
6 oz Dungeness crab meat (or lump crab meat from the best crab available to you)
2 tbsp cracker crumbs or seasoned croutons - crushed
Unsalted butter for pan frying
Bread crumbs/Panko - 3 tbsp or more as needed to form patties

Method

1. Add a little oil to the minced onion and cook in microwave oven for 1 min or slightly brown and softened. Let it cool.
2. Whisk the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay seasoning, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl.
3. Add in the onion, crab meat and cracker crumbs and mix well.  If the mixture is too watery, add in some panko.
4. Form into 6 small balls and make into patties.
5. Place the patties on a baking tray lined with wax paper, covered and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
6. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan.  Fry the crab cakes using medium high heat until golden brown on both sides
7. Serve with tartar sauce or your preferred sauce.

Stuffed Fuzzy Melon (Mao Gua) with Minced Meat

Ingredients

1 lb of minced meat

1 fuzzy melon (mao gua) - peeled and sliced into 2 cm thickness

2 stalk of king oyster mushrooms - cut into 2cm thickness

4 pieces of puffy beancurd (taupok) - cut into halves

2 slices ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced shallot

cooking oil

Marinade for minced meat

2 red chilli padi - seeds removed and cut into small pieces

1 stalk of green onion - cut into small pieces

1 tsp huatiao wine

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the minced meat with all the ingredients for 30 mins.  Set aside for stuffing later.
2. Remove the seeds from the sliced fuzzy melon and placed the scooped out seeds in a bowl.
3. Stuff the minced meat into the upo and beancurd.
4. Heat up oil in a pan.  Saute the ginger, garlic and shallots till fragrant.  Add chicken stock, mushrooms, stuffed melon and puffy beancurd and the scooped out seeds.
5. Cover and simmer for about 20 mins or till melon is cooked to desired tenderness.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

Steamed Cod Steak with Dried Soy Bean Ball

Ingredients

1lb cod fish steak

green onion - cut

1 red chilli - cut

2 tbsp dried soy bean ball - chopped

some julienned ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp cooking oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the fish steak with salt and pepper for 30 mins.  Place the julienned ginger and red chilli on the marinated fish.
2. Boil water in a wok.  When boiling, place the plate of fish to steam for 5 mins under high heat and 2 mins under medium heat.
3. While the fish is still steaming, heat up a small pan with cooking oil.
4. Saute the soybean for a few minutes until slightly brown, add in the minced garlic and continue to saute until the mixture is fragrant.  Add in the soy sauce.
5. When fish is cooked, garnish with the chopped green onions and drizzle the sauce over the fish and serve warm.

Braised Chicken in Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb chicken meat

15 pcs of white mushrooms

1 stalk of carrot - cut into small chunks

1/2 white onion - cut into small pieces

few slices of garlic

1 bowl of red wine

4 tbsp of tomato ketchup

5 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with salt and pepper for a few hours.
2. Heat up a non-stick pan and brown the marinated chicken pieces.  Set aside.
3. With some oil in the pan, saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
4. Add in the chicken pieces, mushrooms, carrots, bay leaves, red wine and ketchup.
5. Braise for at least 30 mins or more.  Check seasonings and add salt and pepper if desired.
6. Transfer to plate and serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs

Ingredients

1 lb of pork ribs

rice flour or sweet potato flour

1/4 white onion - cut into 2 cm pieces

few slices of garlic

few slices of ginger

1 green bell pepper - cut into 2 cm pieces

1 red chilli - sliced

1 green chilli - sliced

Marinade for pork ribs

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine

pinch of pepper

1/2 egg

Sauce

5 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp vinegar

1/4 cup water

pinch of salt

Method

1. Blanch and marinate the pork ribs for a few hours.
2. Heat up oil in a wok.  Coat the ribs with rice flour and deep fry until golden brown.
3. Remove from oil and deep fry a second time under high heat for a few minutes to remove excess oil and make them more crispy. 
4. Leave 2 tbsp of oil in the wok.  Saute the ginger, garlic, bell pepper, red and green chilli for a while.  Add the sauce to the wok and stir fry for a while.
5. Add in the ribs and mix well.  Check seasonings and add salt if needed.  Transfer to a serving plate and serve warm.