Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice ("Lu Rou Fan")

I was inspired to cook this after trying something similar at Lai Lai Casual Dining, a Taiwanese restaurant in Singapore. It's Taiwanese style braised pork belly with a thick, sweet and salty gravy that is full of  umami flavours. If you're far away from family and feeling homesick, this comforting bowl of braised pork over steamed white rice is just what you need! I usually make a big pot of this and freeze the leftovers for days when I have no time to cook.

Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice ("Lu Rou Fan")

Ingredients

1kg (2 lbs) pork belly, skin-on
1 tbsp vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 star anise
2 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
1/2 cup light soy sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee Superior Light Soy)
1 tsp thick dark soy sauce (I used Cheong Chan Thick Caramel)
1/3 cup chinese cooking wine
3 cups water
1/4 tsp pepper
2/3 cup crispy fried shallots (I used the prepacked store-bought ones)
3 tbsp (about the size of a ping pong ball) rock sugar
6 hard boiled eggs

Method

1. Blanch the pork belly in a pot of salted boiling water for 5-10 minutes to get rid of the scum. Remove, rinse the pork. Then, slice into 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) pieces.
2. In a large pan/pot, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry garlic, star anise and cinnamon stick for 5 minutes. Add the pork and dark soy and fry until pork is lightly browned all over.
3. Add the five-spice, light soy, chinese cooking wine and stir through until it starts to simmer. Add the water, crispy shallots and pepper and bring everything to a boil. Add the rock sugar (use more or less to taste).
4. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer on low-medium heat for 1-2 hours until pork is tender and sauce is slightly thickened. About half an hour before the dish is ready, add in the hard boiled eggs and submerge them in the sauce to simmer. Adjust to taste by adding more water if it's too salty or too thick, Stir the gravy occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom of the pot.
5. When pork is tender and eggs are lightly browned, dish out and serve on top of steamed white rice with some blanched greens or pickled vegetables.

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Almond Crisps (Almond Brittle)

 

Chinese New Year is less than two weeks away and I haven't started baking anything yet this year. Well, not until now, if you'd call throwing sugar and nuts together and melting them in the oven baking. I recently bought a packet of Bienetta Florentine Mix, which comes in powdered form. The simplest way to use it is to mix it with almonds, bake them and it miraculously turns into a crisp layer of caramelized almonds. Alternatively, you could substitute the Bienetta by using a Florentine recipe, which you can find in my previous post "Almond and Pretzel Butterscotch Brittle".

 

Almond Crisps Recipe

 

Ingredients

 

60g (2.5 oz) Bienetta Florentine Mix

80g (3.5 oz) thinly sliced / flaked almonds

1/4 tsp salt

 

Method

 

Preheat oven to 160C (320F).

 

Line a baking tray (10in x 13in) with non-stick baking paper.

 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into the tray. Spread the almonds to form a thin and even layer.

 

Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer it almond crisp from the tray to a chopping board. Use a long sharp knife to slice into bite sized pieces while it's still hot. It will harden and crisp up once cool. Store in an airtight container.

 

 

 

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The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe!

While most people are baking Christmas puddings, fruit cakes and gingerbread men at this time of the year, I baked a chocolate cake instead. The kids had a birthday recently and my options are usually a vanilla sponge cake, mud cake or red velvet. I've never really made chocolate cake before (really!) other than chocolate mud cake (I prefer to distinguish the two). It wasn't until I brought Miss H to her friend's birthday party that I tried the most amazing chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, that I was determined to solve the mystery of the best chocolate cake ever. Simply, the cake was so light and moist and the frosting was just awesome. For a while, it did remind me of the chocolate cream buns that I used to enjoy during my childhood days.

So, I googled pictures of chocolate cake with frosting and finally found what I was looking for. Aptly, it was called The Best Chocolate Cake Ever. No joke. And indeed it was true to its name. Note that the cake uses vegetable oil instead of butter, hence giving the cake a lighter texture and flavour. What? No butter you say? Well, you will find all that butter in the divinely rich chocolate frosting that you can't get enough of.

This will be my final post for the year, and I will see you back here in 2014! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Adapted from Add A Pinch

Ingredients

 

Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups plain or all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Frosting

• 1½ cups butter (375g), softened
• 1 cup cocoa
• 4-5 cups confectioner’s sugar
• ½ cup milk (approx)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
2. For the cake:
3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
4. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Whisk on low to combine the mixture, and then increase to high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
5. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely. Trim off the top of the cake if you prefer it to be level.
7. Frost cake with Chocolate Frosting.

 

For the Chocolate Frosting:

1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar has been added. You may not use up all the milk if the consistency is right i.e. not too runny.
4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

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Grilled Miso Chicken Don

 

There's been a lot of chicken going on in the TFWL household lately. We've been having Grilled Miso Chicken, Roast chicken, Hainanese chicken rice, air-fried soy honey chicken wings and as of last night, Chicken Katsu. As I'm typing, Mr G is preparing chicken rice for tonight's dinner, by popular demand from the three little fussy eaters. I was wondering what to post this week, as we've been busy with Christmas shopping, cleaning and planning for our Christmas party.

Remember my post on miso-grilled chicken a couple of weeks back? I've made it twice since, and decided to use it in my Oyakodon recipe where I substituted the chicken with this grilled one instead. It's a great way to use up any leftover grilled chicken to make a simple one-bowl meal.

 

Click here and here for the Oyakodon and Grilled Miso Chicken recipe.

 

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Moroccan-spiced Roast Chicken

 

I was inspired to make a Moroccan-style roast after having some super tasty barbecued chicken at Gladstone Park Bowling Club recently. They also served up the most amazingly crispy and delicious roasted potatoes. Best I've ever had. I'm still trying to figure out they made those potatoes, and if I do, you'll see it here first! Anyway, I came across this recipe for Moroccan-spiced roast chicken and thought it might be close to what I was searching for. Well, it turned out really good, and I loved the idea of tossing the cauliflower and sweet potatoes with the spice mix. This is a nice change from the usual lemon and herb roasted chicken I usually make for the family. And with summer just around the corner, this spice rub will be perfect for barbecued chicken wings and thighs.

 

 

Moroccan-spiced Roast Chicken

Adapted from Leite's Culinaria

 

Ingredients

 

One whole chicken (1.8kg / 4lbs)

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 lemon

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 small orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, unpeeled

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 2-inch florets

1 large red onion, cut into 8 wedges 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C). Slick a heavy large rimmed baking sheet–preferably not a roasting pan, but if you do use a roasting pan, make it a big one–with a little oil.

2. Pull out and discard the fat and giblets from the cavity of the chicken. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels. Starting at the edge of the main cavity, slide a finger under the skin over each breast half, making a pocket between the skin and meat. Rub a total of 2-3 teaspoons of salt over the chicken skin. Toss some extra salt inside the cavity. Sprinkle the chicken generously with black pepper. Tie the legs together, if desired.

3. In a small bowl, mix the paprika, cumin, chilli flakes, and cinnamon. Set aside 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture for the vegetables. The rest is for the chicken. Finely grate the zest from the lemon, cut the lemon in two, and mix the zest into the spices for the chicken. Gradually mix in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to make a paste. Spread a little of the paste inside the cavity, slather some of it under the skin over the chicken breasts, and rub the rest of the paste all over the outside of the chicken. Stuff the lemon inside the cavity. Place the chicken in the center of the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it and if it browns too quickly cover it loosely with a sheet of foil.

4. Meanwhile, cut the sweet potatoes in half crosswise, and then quarter each half lengthwise to create wedges. Combine the sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and onion in a bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and toss to coat. Add the reserved spice mixture, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and toss to coat.


5. After the chicken has roasted for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven. Arrange the vegetables around the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and continue roasting until cooked (about another 40 minutes). (Note: the bird will take longer to roast if the legs have been tied together).

6. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables.

 

Oh so juicy!

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Garlic Fried Rice

In my previous post, I made a Miso Grilled Chicken which I served with garlic fried rice. The recipe for the fried rice is really simple, where I basically fried the chopped garlic until it's lightly golden and crisp before tossing the rice in with some eggs, soy sauce and scallions. Please find the recipe after the jump.

Garlic Fried Rice

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for frying
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups cooked white rice, refrigerated overnight
2 tbsp soy sauce
Dash of pepper
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Method

Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok and swirl around to coat. Pour beaten egg into the wok, and when it's almost set, scramble it and chop it up with a spatula. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the sliced garlic on medium heat until lightly golden. Remove the garlic chips and set aside. Leave the oil in the wok.

Add a little more oil to the wok if not enough, plus the butter. Fry the chopped garlic until lightly golden. Quickly toss in the rice (use a fork to scrape the rice into the wok if it's too hard and clumpy). Spread out the rice in the wok so that it heats and cooks evenly. Drizzle soy sauce on the outer edges of the rice and stir through. Add the cooked egg and pepper and toss through the rice. Finally add the scallions and fry for 30 seconds. Turn off heat and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with garlic chips and serve.

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Grilled Miso Chicken

 

It's been a busy weekend in the kitchen. The kids have been waiting all year (since last Christmas) to make gingerbread men, and so we did that this afternoon and they had fun painting the gingerbread men, trees and stars pastel colours of blue, green and pink. They enjoyed them so much that I couldn't bear to eat any (maybe I will pinch a bit when they're not looking!). In the midst of the baking and cookie-decorating, I prepared a simple dinner of grilled miso chicken. With the leftover rice in the fridge, I made a garlic butter fried rice (click here for recipe) to serve with the chicken. And since there were bones from the thighs I had deboned, I made a chicken soup with carrot and corn. No waste!

 

 

For a fuss-free meal (and more time to do Christmas shopping...), let the oven do all the cooking and enjoy this oh-so-tasty grilled chicken with garlic and miso.

Grilled Miso Chicken

Ingredients

6 medium-large chicken thighs, deboned, skin on

Marinade:
4 tbsp Shiro Miso (white miso paste)
3 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar

Method

Rinse the chicken and pat dry.

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

In a large bowl or a Ziploc bag, combine the chicken with the marinade ingredients. Seal the bowl/bag and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Arrange chicken in a single layer, skin side up, on a baking tray lined with baking paper or aluminium foil. Place in oven on the top rack and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, switch on the grill function and turn up the heat to 220C (430F). Use a brush to baste the chicken skin with the juices on the tray. Continue to cook the chicken for 15 minutes until the skin is charred and crisp. Watch it closely as it can burn quite quickly.

Remove the chicken from the tray and cut into slices.

Pour out the juices from the tray into a bowl. Skim off the oil and discard. The remaining makes a delicious sauce you can serve with the chicken and some steamed or fried rice.

For garlic fried rice recipe, click here.

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