Khanom Paeng Na Moo (Thai pork toast)

This is an extremely tasty snack that I stumbled upon. I would love to tell you where, if I can only remember where. But Khanom Paeng Na Moo is basically Thai pork mince on toast. It is very similar to the familiar French toast except it's coated with meat instead of just eggs. What makes this recipe delicious is the crispiness of the pork coating and the soft fluffy center after it is cooked. It's a perfect balance of flavors and an utter delight to the taste buds :)

This is one of the simplest recipe to do and I recommend that you try it for a little snack with some leftover unused minced meat. Or make a batch for entertaining - your guests will be pleased by this easy to eat food. It is also good served in room temperature as well. And I assure you, this recipe takes less than 30 minutes from prep to ready.

What you need for Khanom Paeng Na Moo (Thai pork toast):
(double, triple, quadruple recipe when necessary)

150g of mince pork (or any of your favorite minced meat)
1 egg (use two eggs if you're tripling/quadrupling your recipe)
2 stalks of spring onion, chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thinly into a chiffonade
1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch/cornflour
a pinch of chilli powder, more if you want it spicier (optional)
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional, use soy sauce if you have none)
a large pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of bread

Garnish: Lemon slices


Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients together except for the 4 slices of bread. Let it sit for 10 minutes to marinade while you heat a lightly oiled pan under medium heat.

2. Your meat mixture should resemble a thick paste that is easily spreadable. With a spoon, spread 1 spoonful of mixture evenly on each side of the bread and pan fry each side for 3-4 minutes.

3. Repeat for remaining slices of bread. After your Thai pork toast is done, let it cool for 5 minutes before cutting it into bite size piece and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top before serving.


Best eaten with some chilled milk tea OR iced coffee.

A long time coming - Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

My memory fails me whenever I try to remember where I had that delicious char siew in KL. My dad took me near Bukit Bintang area, downtown KL into this colonial style old shop house for a delectable, melt in your mouth char siu lunch once, a long long time ago. Well, about 6 years ago. And I don't remember where the heck it is.

I tried making my own Char Siu, Chinese BBQ Pork, with a goldfish memory and some references from Amy Beh of Kuali. All I remembered about that awesome char siu from years ago is that each piece of bbqed pork glistens with a mouthwatering juiciness that is beautifully caramelized. Sticky, black and gooey. The taste. Oh, the taste is just heavenly - sweet enough and flavorful. I don't know what they did to cook the pork into such perfection but I want to try. And so, my kitchen experiment on Char Siu begins.

I bought 500 grams of pork tenderloin ( I asked the butcher to give me a fattier cut) and here is how it goes:

Cut the tenderloin into 1 inch strips. It'll yield you about 2 long strips of char siu-like cuts.

Marinade the pork for a minimum of 3 hour to a max of 24 hours and no more:
2 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
2 teaspoon 5 spice powder
2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/4 tablespoons of soy sauce
A slosh of ShaoXing Chinese cooking wine
a few drops of red coloring, if desired
*you will have enough marinade for up to 1kg of pork tenderloin, keep marinade for basting later.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
On a greased baking sheet, line your pork nicely at least 1.5 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, baste with marinade every 15 minutes. Turn the pork over after 30 minutes and bake for another 30 minutes. Baste every 15 minutes. If you want your pork to have a caramelized top, put your griller on for 5 -8 minutes at the end with a glaze of honey.

Slice and eat with caution lest you want to burn your tongue :D

You can keep extra char siu in freezers. You will find that it's a great addition to fried rice or in soups with some wanton :)

You can try it with my Thai Wanton Pockets recipe or with my Dumpling Soup Recipe.











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Soup for the Soul: Asian Meatballs in Clear Broth

I have been feeling a little homesick lately for my mother's cooking. I know I said I would be on a short hiatus but looks like I've overestimated time and did more than I need to for work. So, I have some time now in my hands.
As work goes, one still has to eat. Otherwise, how does one work?

I made this really simple pork ball soup that reminds me of what my mother use to make for me when I was not feeling very well. I feel fine, my brain's just feels a little fried that's all - so this soup was just perfect for re-energizing me :)

This broth mainly flavored by the natural sweetness derived from the pork balls cooked under slow heat.Some glass noodles are then added into the soup to complete the meal. You can use whatever noodles you have in your pantry, but you might have to cook it separately so you don't muddle the clear broth with the noodle's starch. Topped the soup with a bunch of Chinese parsley or Cilantro and serve hot.

Asian Meatballs in Clear Broth:

First, you will need to marinate the minced pork:
200g minced pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
pepper
a few drops of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of cornflour

Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Set aside until ready to use.

Now, you will need to bring 2 cups of water and 1 inch knob of ginger to boil. Once the water starts boiling lower heat to medium and start scooping up bits of the minced pork with a spoon and drop it into the boiling water. Repeat until all minced pork is used up. Lower the heat to medium low and let it cook gently for about 10-15 minutes.
Add a bunch of glass noodles into the cooking broth and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the glass noodles are rehydrated. Add a bunch of chinese parsley/cilantro and serve. You may want to season with a bit of soy sauce before you eat too.

P.S. you can use minced chicken, turkey, beef and veal too.

Steamed Pork Riblets in Garlic Black Bean Sauce

This is perhaps a very Chinese dish.

I don't usually eat pork as but the ribs on the supermarket shelved looked too enticing and fresh. I just had to grab one home. So, the first thing that came into my mind is steaming it like how both my grandmothers do with their meats sometimes, using sauces and ingredients that compliments the strong flavors of the pork.

I am not a huge pork fan because I thought the meat has a slightly strong odor that I don't really like. The only pork I'd eat is spam or luncheon meat because it smell so good when fried...:) But, i liked this steamed pork riblets with garlic and black bean sauce although I wouldn't eat it everyday. I added a ton of aromatics like garlic and ginger into the marinate to cover the pork smell and it did a pretty good job of it too. Ginger is a really awesome for getting rid of gamey and fishy tastes and smells.

Let's move on to my recipe.

For my marinade, I used:
2 tablespoons full of preserved black bean sauce
4 garlic, chopped
3 slices of ginger, minced
2 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine
2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

300grams of pork riblets (You can also use other types of meats, like beef and lamb or even chicken drummets)

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in a ziplock bag and toss in the ribs. Squish until all is covered with marinade and let it sit for a 3 hours on the counter or overnight in the fridge..

2. After marinating, take the ribs out and place them on a plate in a steamer. Steam for 3 hours because you want the meat to fall apart. Add more water whenever the steamer dries out.
3. Serve :)



This recipe is quite fuss free, you just need to wait. It would be perfect for dinner if you do it during lunch or something. You could even pop it into a slow cooker, like how another food blogger did with her steamed ribs using preserved bean sauce instead: Slow-cooked pork ribs with salted soy beans, garlic and red chili from Teczscape :)

This dish goes very well with rice and veggies on the side. Simple and yet delicious.

I Spammed my Lunch

Yea, I made spam and pasta for lunch today. I had a can of spam in my cabinet and instantly the first thing that came into my mind was "Hmm...that'd be good with rice" but then I didn't feel like cooking rice so the easiest subsitution? Pasta.

Spam/Luncheon meat whatever you may call it, i use it eat when I was younger as a sandwich meat. My mom would put a plate of vegetables and a plate of pan fried sliced spam on the table with a loaf of bread and that's going to be our lunch. It's the best lunch ever really. I don't usually eat pork but I'd eat spam.

Actually, now that I think of it, I haven't had spam since I was 14 years old. I think. Boy, sometimes we just stop doing something for no reason and then we remember them again and be gobsmacked at how long it's been.

Anyway, here's my Spammed Lunch with Pasta and lots of broccoli :)

i like it that there's less pasta and more of the other goodies ;)

Ingredients:
1/4 can of spam, cut into cubes
a handful of pasta, cooked till al-dente ( i guess it depends how big your hands are, mine gives me the right amount I want) :P
1 cup of broccoli, cooked in the microwave with a little bit of water for 1 minute
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of chili flakes
1/4 of a lemon's juice
Method:
1. Heat pan without oil and cook your spam until they're slightly brown.
2. Your pan should have sufficient oil, so use it saute your garlic in with your spam and add your pasta. Stir fry for about 2 minutes before adding your broccoli in.
3. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice. Turn off heat and mix to combine well.
4. Eat! :)