Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)

I don't cook enough Malaysian dishes in my kitchen.

This is my mother's/grandma's Tau Yew Bak recipe that I grew up eating as a kid. This braised pork dish is comfort food to me as a big bowl of osso bucco are to the Milanese. The meat is braised for an hour or two in an aromatic dark sauce flavored with star anise, cinnamon, black peppercorns and a whole head of garlic.

It's a very Penang Hokkien dish. And in Penang, this dish is eaten with white rice and a dollop of sambal belachan.

There are many variations of this dish because it's really a provincial dish that went on a national scale. So every Chinese grandmother has their own way of making this dish but the basics are pretty much all the same - star anise, cinnamon, garlic and pork.

Traditionally, pork belly is used in this recipe. The lard is what makes Tau Yew Bak good but other cuts of pork are permissible as well. My mom likes to use several different cuts for more variety.

I used a meaty cut of pork ribs, and I asked the butcher to cut them into 1.5inch chunks for shorter braising time. You can put in big chunks of ribs in and cook it country-style, too.

Tau Yew Bak or Braise Pork in Soy Sauce
This recipe feeds 2-3 people

670g of pork ribs, cut into 1.5 inch chunks
1 head of garlic, papery skin peeled off
1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
1 star anise
1 stick of cinnamon, 3 inches in length (or if you can get your hands on some cassia, it would be the best)
1 teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice powder (optional)
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of oil
3 cups of water

Optional but commonly used ingredients: Potatoes (big chunks), bean curd sticks, fried tofu pieces, Chinese mushrooms, canned button mushrooms, eggs.

You may also use chicken in place of pork as well. It's equally delicious in a chickeny sort of way.



Method:
1. Pre-boiled the pork ribs in boiling water for 5 minutes to get rid of any impurities.
2. Drain water from the pot and heat it up with oil. Add the pork, garlic, star anise, black peppercorns and cinnamon in. Saute until aromatic.
3. Now, add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar in. Saute until the pork is completely covered by the dark sauces and the sugar began to caramelized a little.

Be careful not to burn the sugar. As soon as you see that the bottom of the pan begins to stick, add the 3 cups of water right away.

4. Add water as soon as caramelizing of the sugar begins. Scrap the bottom of the pan a bit with your spoon and let pot come to a boil.

If you are adding any of the optional ingredients listed above, you may add them right now. Make sure your potatoes are in big pieces so they are able to withstand long the long cooking time. I usually put them whole, if I'm using them. If you're using eggs put them in just before serving if you don't want to overcook them. Usually, overcooked eggs with gray rings around the yolk is not uncommon in this recipe. The star of the show is the fall-off-the-bone delicious meat and it's flavorful sauce.

5. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook covered for 1.5 hour.



Serve hot on steamed white rice and a dollop of sambal belachan. I served mine on some thick rice noodles because I had some on hand. Now, I cannot explain how wonderfully aromatic the meat is once cooked. It's simply the most nourishing smell for the soul. Don't waste any of the sauces, bread makes for a good vessel for soaking up the goodness!

The Cherry in the Cake

You know the saying "The cherry on the cake"?

Eating this cherry cake is like the cherry on the cake to a perfect pre-summer evening meal. Never mind that it rained a little.

Fresh Bing cherries are used to make this dessert. It is a very moist cake with a balance of sweetness and a hint of sour. But first, you need to temper the cherries with some sugar to get rid of excess moisture. Failing this, you will have cherry craters within the cake because fresh cherries shrivel up during baking time.

You can go ahead and use sour cherries or a combo of cherries for this recipe but please don't use maraschino. They can be too sweet!


Cherry Cake Recipe:
1 and 1/2 cup of fresh cherries, halved and pitted (canned whole cherries can be substituted for fresh cherries).
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cup of sugar + 2 tablespoon of sugar
Rind from 1 lemon
1 vanilla pod, beans scraped.
2 Eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp Kirsch (optional)

Method:

1. First you need to temper with your cherries. Add 2 tablespoon of sugar to the cherries, mix to combine and set them in a colander for all the excess liquid to drip. This process will take about 1 hour. After one hour, flavor the cherries with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan with some butter and set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy with an electric beater. Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine.

I suggest not using the electric beater anymore from this point onwards so that you don't over beat your batter.

3. Add the lemon rind, vanilla beans (and kirsch if you're using) into the batter and mix well.

4. Mix the all the dry ingredients together; flour, salt, baking powder.

5. Alternately, add the flour and milk into the batter and mix well to combine.

6. Add the cherries in at the end, fold the batter until cherries are mixed through.

7. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the skewers comes out clean in the middle of the cake.

It is imperative to let the cake cool completely before cutting. Otherwise, it will be a crumbling, albeit tasty, mess!

This cherry cake is very simple to make and it is extremely delicious. It would keep well for 3-4 days before it starts to get stale. Keep the cake wrapped in saran wrap to preserve its moistness.

The Perfectly Seared Sirloin Steak with Lime Dressing

A warning to the vegetarians, this lengthy post is about cooking the perfect meat.

I am not much of a red meat-eater. But every once in a while I see a lovely, perfectly marbled sirloin at the butcher, I just cannot help myself. So this is a nice sirloin steak I got from one of the butchers at Atwater Market. Specs of the sirloin steak is 670g cut into the thickness of a 1-inch slab. I would not go for anything below 1 inch thick for a steak cut.

The sirloin is a very tasty cut of meat. Not quite as tender as a tenderloin, but not tough like chuck. Tenderloins are a little overrated, in my opinion. It's quite a tasteless cut despite it's exorbitant price tag. I would pick a sirloin any day.


My sirloin steak is cooked pretty simply. It's seasoned with salt, pepper and a little bit of garlic powder.

This recipe feeds 2-3 people.

670 grams of sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch slab
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Method:
1. Heat skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil until smoky hot.
2. Season steak with salt, pepper and garlic powder generously on both sides and sear the meat in the skillet. Do not move it around or touch it. Sear for 4 minutes and then turn over, sear for another 3-4 minutes.

A word of caution, if you have a fire detector installed in your home, it would be wise to disarm it or turn on your cooker hood on high. This will be a smoky event.

3. Take steak off the pan and onto a cutting board. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Lime Dressing
Juice from 1/2 lime
Steak fond (What's a fond?)
1/4 cup of red wine (or any broth you have in hand)
salt
pepper

Method
1. In the same skillet, add lime juice and a bit of butter. Scrap the bottom of the skillet to get the fond out. This will make your sauce tasty.
2. Add the red wine/broth and let it simmer down to half. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour over steak as sauce.


It's imperative to not cut the steak while it's just off the pan. The juices will run out and you'll be left with a very leathery, dry steak. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes. The thickness of the steak is equally important. The thicker the better, thin steaks will dry out faster than you say sirloin, so I recommend 1-inch and above.



Here's my cooking time for different steak thickness to achieve that pretty pink center in medium and rare.


Medium done:
1 inch cuts - 4 minute on each side
2 inch cuts - 7 minutes on each side

Rare:
1 inch cuts - 2 minutes on each side
2 inch cuts - 4 minutes on each side

Note: It is definitely worth it to get a cut thicker/bigger than you can finish. Extra steak can be used as sandwich meat the next day. It's better than any cold cuts you get at the grocery store.


That Mother-ship tomato salad is a great topping for the steak as well when it's all chopped up. :)

The Squash That Got Curried Away

Oh I don't believe it! Remnants of winter in my pantry, a lone butternut squash leans quietly at the very back of my sack of rice and onions. A sneaky one.

Pacing to and fro the fridge and cupboard, I realized that I also have a lot of unused curry powder from Malaysia too. I've been making my own curry spice when I needed some. I bet that pile of pre-packed curry powder have been feeling rather lonely too.

That lone butternut squash will be good for a vegetarian squash curry. On a bed of rice. With a cold lemony slaw.

I don't know about you but curried squash can be so delicious and yet so simple.

Check out the recipe after the jump!


I toasted some spices to go with the packet curry powder from Malaysia. I like my curries to pack a nice aroma with a spicy punch.




Butternut Squash Curry
2 cups of butternut squash, cubed
1 small carrot, cubed
1/2 cup spinach
2 onions, chopped finely
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon caraway
4-6 pods of cardamom
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 star anise
3 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 dried chili, deseeded
1/4 cup yogurt
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper


Method
1. Toast the coriander seeds, cumin, caraway and cardamom until aromatic. Be mindful as to not burn the spices.
2. Pound the toasted spices in a mortar and pestle until all the spices are crushed.
3. In a same pan, heat oil and toss in the mustard seeds and star anise. When the mustard seeds starts popping, add the onions and garlic in. Saute until the onion is translucent.



4. Now, add the pounded spices and dried chili in. Saute for a minute or two and then add the squash and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables for approximately 8 minutes or until the squash is slightly opaque on its sides.
5. Add the curry powder and turmeric powder in and saute to combine well. Pour the yogurt in with the spinach and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve the curry hot a bed of basmati rice and a side of lemony slaw (recipe below).


Lemony Slaw Recipe
1 pre-packed coleslaw vegetable mix (cabbages, carrots)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
50 grams of raisins (optional)
a big pinch of chili flakes
salt and pepper

Method:
1. Mix the lemon juice, mayonnaise, chili flakes, salt and pepper in a bowl until well combine.
2. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Chill before serving.

The Mother-ship Tomato Salad on Roasted Salmon

This is a summer dish. Another homage to the sun.

And the tomatoes are faithful sun-worshipers, whose flavor will only ripen into a sweet, juicy goodness under the yellow heat of the universal fireball. What better way to showcase my displeasure over the cold, uneven weather that has plagued Montreal in the past week? A plate of sunny flavors is in order! Jamie Oliver's mothership tomato salad is my favorite summer recipe to make because it has more than one uses.

On other days, I would toss a bit of linguine into this tomato salad and finish off with some good parmesan cheese. This time I am using the tomato salad over a nicely roasted salmon dinner. The bright flavor of the tomatoes go extremely well with fish or seafood.

And I am sick of the autumn-like weather in spring!


More after the jump...





The mothership tomato salad is a vegetarian/vegan dish. It is good eaten on its own, with a bit of crusty bread, with a plate of pasta or simply chopped up as a salsa dip. So, it is your prerogative.

This Jamie Oliver recipe gives us a lot of room to expand. You can add whatever herbs you like but the most important ingredient in the recipe are the tomatoes - the rest just works itself out in the end. Get good tomatoes for this recipe, and get a variety of them. I used approximately 4-5 different kinds of yellow, orange, red, cherry, ox-hearts and medium sized tomatoes for this recipe. If you can grab some heirloom tomatoes, add it in as well. It will only add to it's deliciousness.

I made some changes to the recipe, adding whatever fresh herbs I had at hand. And this is how it goes:

The mother-ship tomato salad:
1 lb of tomatoes, different varieties
1/4 cup of good olive oil
1 garlic, minced finely
1 fresh red chili, mince finely - this is optional (you can sub with dried red pepper flakes)
2-3 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
10 basil leaves, torn
1 teaspoon of thyme, plucked
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Wash your tomatoes and cut the big ones into quarters and small ones into halves - bring them into a deep bowl.
2. Add the rest of the ingredient and toss them to combine and every tomato is coated with the herby goodness.
3. Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving. Store in the fridge until needed.


This tomato salad keeps well for up to 2 days.


Roast Salmon
1 whole salmon fillet
salt
pepper
olive oil


Method:
1. Rub salmon with salt, pepper and olive oil evenly.
2. Pan-sear the salmon, skin side down in a hot pan for 4 minutes until the skin is crisp.
3. Roast the salmon in the oven at 350 F, for another 8 minutes.


You can also pan sear your salmon until done for this dish.

The Quick and Easy Meatballs Pasta

There's something just so delicious about biting into rotund, meaty, spiced balls cooked in a rich tomato sauce. MM mm! It's just so satisfying.

My mom would make soup with meatballs and we'd eat it with rice. It was so yummy and so simple. Granted there are some difference between the Chinese meatballs and Italian meatballs but they are equally good. My meatball and pasta is Chinese-inspired as my mom's Chinese meatball recipe includes ginger. So, I added ginger and my own, home-grown, basil leaves as flavoring. And if I may say so, ginger juice and meat goes hand-in-hand too. You can't go wrong there.

This is a very quick and delicious meatball recipe that goes with any pasta. I used Fusili because it is fast to cook. Check out the recipe after the jump!





Quick and Easy Meatballs Recipe
This recipe feeds 2-3 people, recipe can easily be doubled.

250grams of chicken breast, minced. You can use pork, beef and/or veal, if you please.
1 tablespoon of parmesan
2 tablespoon of breadcrumbs
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger and juice
10 leaves of basil, chopped
a pinch of flour
1 egg
dried red chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 cup of marinara sauce

Any shape of pasta, follow the cooking method on the package.

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together very well.
2. Shape the meat mixture into 1-inch balls.
3. Heat pan with some olive oil and sear the meatballs. Turning them over too cook evenly.
4. Once the meatballs are browned evenly on all sides, add the marinara sauce in and cook the meatballs with the marinara sauce on a simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
5. Pour meatballs over your pasta and serve hot with some crumbly bread.


You can easily make this a very sumptuous meal by adding a bit of red wine to the marinara sauce while the meatballs bath in it luxuriously. And try using a different pasta or maybe sprinkle the pasta with some parmesan shavings. Or better yet, bake the meatballs in the tomato sauce with a nice chunk of mozzarella on top of each meatballs and serve when the cheese melts.

Yea..that sounds pretty good to me too.

Slowly but surely...

I'm almost done with the tabs on this site. I've finally completed the About Me section and I'm slowly putting together the recipes A-Z. Maybe I'll arrange it in alphabetical order or maybe I should arrange it in the form of genre. Slowly but surely getting there - just like my plants. :)


From the left: Cherry tomato, oregano, green peas (experimental), rosemary, and at the back stage some red chili plants.



I'm not sure if my ox heart tomatoes would grow well, it didn't the last time but here's to crossing my fingers. I got some pot-friendly tomato types this year, cherry tomatoes, pomodoros and speckled romans and they are flourishing. In the pictures the plants are in 6 inch pots but I am going to transfer them to 12 inch pots or bigger once I get more soil.

From the left: Silver thyme, radicchio and spinach (experimental), bay plant, speckled roman tomato, ox heart tomato, basil.

My herbs are growing splendidly. Since the demise of my basil plant mid-last year, I've bought a new one and this time I am going to make sure it lasts me at least 2 years. I have been reading a lot on planting vegetables and herbs and I'm trying to get the best out of limited space I have in our apartment and so far so good. I have a bay leaf plant, it suppose to grow into a tree but it's stunted due to the pot it's in. Can't wait to plant it on a cut-off barrel. I'm learning as I go and it's been quite satisfying. Oh yea, I talk to my plants too...they grow better that way. :)

Has anyone tried growing their tomato plants upside down? It looks really pretty and curiously functional. I might try it.