Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶) - Darker Broth Version

Bak Kut Teh is a very famous Chinese Malaysia dish which is an extremely popular breakfast dish. This dish is usually eaten with rice and often served with "You Tiao" ( Chinese Bread Stick) for dipping into the soup. Bak Kut Teh is actually pork ribs cooked in a rich, savourly fragrant herbal broth. You can add wolberries (Goji Berries) to enhance the herbal flavour and some white pepper seed for more peppery taste.

      The ingredients for the Herbal Stock - ( Codonopsis Pilosula Root , Chinsed Angelica Lovage Root, Rehmannia Glutinosa, Licorice Root, Solomon's Seal Root, Wolfberries)

   

    Blanching of the pork ribs before cooking the herbal broth.

                   Condiments for the Ba Kut Teh - You Tiao ( Chinese Bread Stick, Parsley and Chilli Padi with Dark Soya Sauce)

                

     Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶) - Darker Broth Version

Ingredients

1 kg Pork Ribs

1 bowl Garlic Heads

2 tsp of Salt

2 tbsp of Light Soy Sauce

1 tbsp of Dark Soy Sauce

3 litres of Water

20g Wolfberries ( Goji Berries)

Chopped Parsley

Youtiao ( Chinese Bread Stick)

Chilli Padi with Soy Dipping Sauce

Herb Spice Bag

20g Codonopsis Pilosula Root (Dang Shen)  

20g dried Chinses Angelica (Dang Gui) 

10g Lovage Rood (Chuan Xiong) 

20g Rehmannia Glutinosa ( Shu Di)

6 Slices of Licorice Root ( Gan Cao)

20g Solmon's Seal Root ( Yu Zhu)

20g White Pepper Seeds

Methods:

- Put the herb spice in a spice bag and tied.

- Blanch the pork ribs in a pot of hot water and once the surface turns whitish, remove and rinse.

- Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Add in the herb spice bag, wolfberries and garlic. Bring to a boil.

- Add in the pork ribs.

- Turn to low heat and simmer for 45 mins.

- Add the seasoning ( salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce), adjust according to your taste.

- Bring to a boil.

- Remove from heat.

- Serve with rice and chilli padi soy dipping sauce. 

Kong Bak Pau 扣肉包 (Braised Pork Belly with Yam)

    “Kong Bak Pau” (braised pork belly served in steamed buns) is one of our local delights and easy to make at home. Basically, the cooked pork belly is wedged in steamed buns with some lettuce, parsley & spring onion.

 I made a large portion for a pot-luck dinner tonight. I braised the pork for a bit longer so that the meat would be more tender.

     Ingredients for the braised pork belly.

  

Pot of braised pork belly is done. 

    
Kong Bak Pau 扣肉包 (Braised Pork Belly with Yam)

Ingredients

 - 1 kg of pork belly ( cut into 2 pieces)
 - 1 medium size Yam
 -  lettuce leaves
-   parsley, spring onion
-   steamed Chinese buns
-  2 bulks of garlic and 2 large onion

Marinade Sauce

• 5 tablespoons dark soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar, white pepper powder
• 2 teaspoons five spice powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chinese cooking wine
• sesame oil
• 3 to 4 cinnamon sticks
• 5 to 8 pieces of star anise

Directions

1. Bring water to boil in wok or pot and blanch the pork belly for a few seconds.
2.Cut the pork belly into 1 to 1.5cm-width slices.
3. Marinate the pork belly with the marinate sauce for about 1 hour.
4. In a wok, saute the garlic and onions till fragrant. Add the marinate pork belly and yam,  braised
    for an hour.
5. Steam Chinese buns over high heat for about 10 minutes, or till soft.
6.  Wedge slices of braised pork,  lettuce leaves, spring onion & parsley.
7.  If you like, you can drizzle a bit of gravy over the meat.


Fish & Chips with Colesalw

Coleslaw

Ingredients

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 small pinch of salt

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

2 pinches of parsley flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

2 Carrots

1 chopped cabbage

Methods

- In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sour cream.

- Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt and mustard.

- Mix well.

- Add the parsley and black pepper.

- Stir in the carrots and cabbage.

- Refrigerate until ready to serve.

- Serve cold.

Garlic Bread

Ingredients

1 loaf of Baguette

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

4 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

1 heaping tbsp of freshly chopped parsley

dash of black pepper

Methods

- Mix the butter, galic and parsley together in a small bowl.

- Spread butter mixture over the bread.

- Place of a baking pan and broil for abt 10 mins till the edges of the bread begin to toast.

- Remove from overn and let it cool.

Fish & Chips

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 can beer

1/2 cup rice flour, for dredging

2 cod or haddock fillets

Methods

- Peel the potatoes and cut them into strips.

- Put the potatoes in the oil and fry till crispy brown.

- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and egg. Pour in the beer and whisk to a smooth 

   batter.

- Spread the rice flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter.

- Fry the fish until crispy and brown.



Bak Chang (肉粽 Meat Dumpling)

Duan Wu Festival (端午节) or Dragon Boat Festival, is celebrated annually  on the 5th day of the 5th month in accordance to the Chinese lunar calendar . The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qu Yuan's life and death. Bak Chang or rice dumplings were made by Qu's supporters to feed the fishes in the river so they wouldn't eat his body. 



Preparation of the Bamboo Leaves and strings for the Bak Chang.

 Ingredients for the Bak Chang

  
  Frying of the Glutinous Rice

  

he process of wrapping the rice dumpling.

Bak Chang (肉粽 Meat Dumpling)

Ingredients:

• 2 packet of Chang Leafs ( boil in hot water and clean)
• 2 bundle of dumpling strings or plastic raffia
• 1 1/2 kg Pork ( cut bite size)
• 2 kg Glutinous Rice ( washed till clear)
• 100 gm Dried Shrimp
• 1/2 kg of Chestnut (soak overnight in enough water,  remove peel with toothpick, rinse and drain)
• 1/2 kg Mushroom (soak and chopped finely)
• 300 gm Shallots - Chopped finely
• 300 gm Garlic -Chopped finely
• Winter Melon - depend how sweet you want

Seasoning:

• Chinese Five Spice powder
• Coriander Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sesame Oil
• Light Soya Sauce
• Dark soya sauce

* I don't have the exact measurement of the seasoning, is based on my own judgement whether I want it to be either sweet, peppery or slightly salty.

Methods:

 Pork

1. Heat oil and saute shallots and garlic until fragrant.
2. Fry dried prawns till lightly golden
3. Add pork, chestnuts, mushroom and fry till golden brown.
4. Add the seasoning and winter melon and fry till pork is cooked.

Glutinuous Rice

1. Fried garlic and shallots till fragrant.
2. Add rice, continue to fry for 5-7 mins
3. Add dark and light soya sauce, pepper
4. Continue to fry till rice is dry& fragrant

Wrapping

1. Take two bamboo leaves, make them overlap slightly and fold into a conical shape.
2. Put 1 tbsp rice into the funnel base. Add 1 tbsp filling and over with some more rice.
3. Fold leaves over rice to form a triangular prism.
4. Tie with raffia string or plastic string.
5. Boil a large pot of water.
6. Drop the bundles of dumplings and boil for about 2 hrs.
7. When cooked, remove the dumplings and hang to dry.





Happy Dumpling Festival to all. ENJOY....

Kee Chang (碱水粽) Alkaline Dumpling

It's important to use the right amount of lye to make kee chang. If there's too much, the dumplings would be bitter and would smell of ammonia. If there's too little, the rice wouldn't be bright yellow, translucent and chewy.

 Glutinous rice that is soaked with orange-tinted lye is used to made Kee Chang. The rice is  then wrapped in bamboo leaves and boil for hours. It tastes bland, and is often served with sugar, palm syrub with grated coconut or kaya.

  
  Kee Chang (碱水粽) Alkaline Dumpling

     

Ingredients

•  1 kg graded glutinous rice - rinse till water runs clear
•  30g orange-tinted lye
•  Dried China grass or string
•  Bamboo leaves - Boil bamboo leaves for 10 minutes and let water cool down.
  Wipe each leaves with clean kitchen towel and soak in water until using. 
•  2-3 tsp borax (peng seh) - optional

Method

              - Soak the glutinous rice with orange-tinted lye with just enough wate for about an hour.
              - Drain thoroughly.
              - Wrap the dumpling with two pieces of bamboo leaves, about 2 tablespoons of rice.
              - Boil a pot of water at high heat and add the borax (optional)
              - Add the dumpling into boiling water.
              - Cook for about 3 hours over medium heat.
              - Remove from water and let it cool.
              - Serve with sugar, palm syrub or kaya.

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

When purchasing mussels be sure they smell like the ocean, not fishy. Don't buy any whose shells are cracked or open. Try to cook the mussels immediately (unwrap them as soon as you get home), but if you have to wait,  place them in a bowl and cover them with a damp towel so they can breathe.

    Mussels in White Wine Sauce



Ingredients

• 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean under running water
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• sprig of spring onion or parsley

Methods

1. Put the mussels in a bowl of salted water for 10-15 minutes. Throw out any that are wide open.

    Scrub and debeard the mussels

2. Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large, wide-bottomed pot with a lid. Add the minced

    garlic and saute.

3. Add the white wine and bring it to a boil.

4. Slowly add the mussels.

5. Cover the pot and let the mussels steam for 3-8 minutes. After three minutes, check the mussels;

    many should be open.

6.As soon as most of the mussels are open, turn off the heat and toss in the spring onion.

Orange Ogura Cake (相思蛋糕)

I am hesitating about baking Ogura Cake for a long time. After browsing through Anncoo Journal  I have decided to give it a try.  It was my first attempt baking this and it was a success. The steps are very easy to follow. Love the texture of this cake, it was so soft, spongy and fluffy.  And I have also added a dash of Grand Marnier to enhance the taste too.

   Orange Ogura Cake  (相思蛋糕)

     Ingredients:

     70g Orange juice
     40g Vegetable oil
     1/4 tsp Salt
     55g Hong Kong Flour/Plain flour or Cake flour
     zest from 2 oranges
     4 Egg yolks + 1 whole egg (60g each)
     150g Egg white
     1/4 tsp Cream of tartar
     60g Sugar

      Method:

• Line baking sheet at the bottom of an ungreased 7 inch square pan and preheat the oven to 160C with a tray of boiling water on the most bottom rack.
• Whisk egg yolks,and vegetable oil until frothy and add orange juice, mix well. Sift in flour and orange zest, mix well set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, whisk egg white, cream of tartar and castor sugar till peak form (not stiff).
• Mix 1/3 of meringue with yolk batter with a rubber spatula. Then pour in balance of meringue. Fold gently to mix well.
• Pour batter into pan and tap pan lightly to remove air bubbles.
• Steam bake for 40 minutes at 160°C and bake for another 20 minutes at lower temperature 140°C.
• Remove cake immediately after baked and invert cake on wire rack to cool.

  Remarks:  I have added a dash of Grand Marnier to enhance the taste.

Recipes adapted from Anncoo Journal