Waxed Meat (Lap Yoke)

Ingredients:

600g streaky pork

4 pieces raffia string

Seasoning:

75ml sweet black soya sauce

75ml black soya sauce

11/2 tbsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp ‘Golden Flower’ Chinese wine

1/4 tsp saltpeter

2 tsp warm water

Method:

1.  Cut streaky pork into 4 pieces, each about 1 cm thick.  Prick meat all over with a fork.

2.  Bring a pot of water to a boil,  add the four pieces of meat and scald them.

3.  Remove and place meat in a pot.  Add saltpeter which has been dissolved in warm water and rest of seasoning.  Mix well and use a heavy object to press the meat for 12 hours.

4.  Poke a hole through one end of each piece of meat and tie with a raffia string.  Hang to dry in the sun for 4-5 days.

Waxed Sausage (Lap Cheong)

Ingredients:

600g pork fillet

60g pork fat

20g sausage casing

some rafia string

Seasoning:

1 tbsp Chinese rose wine

2 tbsp light soya sauce

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp saltpeter (optional)

2 tsp warm water (to dissolve saltpeter)

Method:

1. Soak sausage casing with warm water till soft. Fix it to water tap and rinse until clean. Drain.

2. Wash and slice pork fillet to about 1 cm thick pieces and pork fat into 1/2 cm thick pieces.

3. Place sliced meat into a big bowl. Firstly, add in the saltpeter solution and mix well. Next, add in the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Leave to marinate overnight.

4. Tie off one end of sausage casing, attach a funnel to the other end and gather sausage casing on funnel tube. Stuff marinated meat into casing. Squeeze to distribute filling evenly throughout the casing. When it is about 12-15 cm long, cut it off and tie with a raffia string. Prick generously on all sides of sausages to expel air.

5. Boil a pot of water. When boiling, put in the sausages to scald it. Remove and hang outside to dry or in a well-circulated area for 4 to 5 days.

6. Sausage may be steamed, deep-fried or baked, all over low heat for about 8 minutes. To serve, slice into paper-thin pieces.

Roasted Sausages

Ingredients:

150g lean meat

150g pork fat

150g liver

10g sausage casing

Seasoning:

1 clove garlic, ground

1 shallot, ground

2 tsp ground soya bean paste

1 tbsp Chinese rose wine

1 tbsp Hoisin sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp spice salt

1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

Gravy:

2 tbsp maltose

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp water

Method:

1.  Mix maltose and  sugar with water and steam till dissolved.  Set aside for later use.

2.  To make spice salt:  Heat a frying pan with 1 tbsp salt till hot then add 1/2 tsp 5-spice powder and fry over low heat till aromatic.

3.  Soak sausage casing with warm water till soft, then fix it to water tap.  Rinse until it is clean then hang up to keep dry.

4.  Cut pork fat into small pieces and season with 1 tbsp sugar for 6 hours.  Blanch in boiling water and drain for use.

5.  Cut liver into small pieces and season with 1 tbsp ginger juice.

6.  Place cut lean pork, liver and pork fat into a big bowl,  add seasoning ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Marinate for 30 minutes.

7.  Tie off one end of sausage casing.  Attach a funnel to the other end and gather sausage casing on funnel tube.  Stuff marinated meat into casing, squeeze to distribute filling evenly throughout the casing.   Prick sides of sausage with a needle then  knot at every 10-12cm intervals.

8.  Rinse in warm water and drain.  Soak sausages for half an hour in 1 tbsp water mixed with 1/4 tsp red colouring.

5.  Place sausages on a metal rack and roast in preheated oven at 180 C for 20 minutes.  Remove and dab with gravy (1), turn over and roast for a further 10 minutes or until cooked and golden brown.  Leave to cool, slice and serve with remaining gravy.   

Pork Rendang

Ingredients:

500g pork

200ml thick coconut milk

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp tamarind juice

Seasoning:

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp salt

Method:

1.  Boil pork in water for 5 minutes.  Rinse and drain.  Slice to 2.5 cm thick pieces and tenderise with the back of a cleaver.

2.  Place pork in a pan with the coconut milk, coriander seeds, salt and sugar and tamarind juice and bring to a boil.

3.  Boil till pork is tender and gravy dries up.  Dish up and deep-fry for 2-5 minutes.

Rendang Padang

Ingredients:

500g beef (topside)

1 cup grated coconut, skinned

2 daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaves)

2  daun kunyit  (tumeric leaves)

2 stalks serai, crushed (lemon grass)

2-3 bowls coconut milk

1 tsp tumeric powder

4 tbsp oil

Ingredients to blend:

20 dried chillies or use

1 tbsp chilli powder

10 shallots

5 cloves garlic

2.5 cm piece lengkuas (galangal)

2.5 cm piece ginger

Method:

1.  Cut beef into big pieces, rinse and and drain.  Season with 1 tsp tumeric powder and some salt.

2.  Fry grated coconut in a dry pan until brown, then blend till fine.

3.  Heat 4 tbsp oil in pan and fry the blended ingredients until well cooked.

4.  Add in the leaves,  crushed serai and seasoned beef  and fry until the oil comes out.

5.  Add in the coconut paste and 2 bowls coconut milk.  Cover and simmer over low heat until meat is tender and the gravy is thick. (Add a bit more coconut milk if gravy dries up before meat is cooked).

6.  Add salt and sugar to taste.

Sweet And Sour Lychee Pork

Ingredients:

300g pork belly

1 red caspium, cut into pieces

1 green caspium, cut into pieces

1 big onion, sliced

1 carrot, cut into slices

1 can lychee, drained and reserve the syrup

Marinade:

1/2 tbsp light soya sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cornflour

a dash of pepper

1 egg

Seasoning Sauce:

3 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tbsp chilli sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp light soya sauce

100ml lychee syrup

3 tbsp water

Method:

1.  Remove the skin of belly pork.  Wash and drain.  Tenderise pork with the back of a cleaver and cut into cubes.  Marinate with marinate for 30 minutes.

2.  Coat pork cubes with cornflour and deep-fry in hot oil until very crispy.  Dish and drain.

3.  Leave 1 tbsp oil in the wok, add in the onions, carrots, red and green caspiums and stir-fry until fragrant.  Add in the seasoning sauce and bring to a boil.  Boil until sauce is thick.

4.  Add in the fried pork cubes and lychee.  Stir till well mixed and dish up.

Stir-fried Beef With Celery

Ingredients:

500g beef fillet, sliced

1 celery stick, sliced thickly

1 big onion, halved and sliced

1 red chillie, seeded and sliced

few slices ginger

2 tbsp oil

Seasoning:

1 tbsp chinese rice wine

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

4 tbsp water

Method:

1.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok and fry the sliced ginger and onion.  Add beef and fry over high heat for 30 seconds.

2.  Add in the celery and fry for another 30 seconds.

3.  Add seasoning and mix well.  Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid dries up.

Chilli Con Carne

Ingredients:

500g minced beef

2 large onions, diced

1 medium-sized tin tomato soup

1 medium-sized tin red kidney beans

1 tbsp curry powder

1 clove garlic, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1.  Heat saucepan with 2 tbsp butter.  Fry garlic till fragrant, add onions and fry till soft. 

2.  Mix curry powder into a paste with a little water.  Add to (1) and fry for a few minutes.  Add in minced meat and fry for about 10 minutes.

3.  Add in the tomato soup and red kidney beans.  Simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

4.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Serve with French Loaf.

Spicy Beef Stew

Ingredients:

500g stewing steak

300g french beans, sliced

8 potatoes, quartered

2 carrots, sliced thickly

2 large onions, quartered

1/2 cabbage, sliced

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp pepper

a stick of cinnamon

a pinch of salt

1 litre water

Method:

1.  Cut beef steak into pieces and tenderise with the back of a cleaver. 

2.  Bring 1 litre of water to a boil.  Add in the stewing steak, cinnamon stick and salt and boil until meat is half-cooked.

3.  Add the carrots and potatoes and cook until tender.

4.  Add in the cabbage, french beans and onions.  Boil on medium heat until the meat is tender. 

5.  Blend the cornflour, mustard seeds and pepper into a fine paste with a little water.

6.  Thicken stew with cornflour mixture.

7.  Serve with toasted garlic bread.

Belly Pork With Salt Fish Bones

Ingredients:

300g salt fish bones

300g belly pork

4 pieces firm soya bean cakes (tau kua)

1 big piece ginger, smashed

5 cloves garlic, smashed

3 rice bowls water

Method:

1.  Clean and soak salt fish bones in 3 rice bowls water.  Retain water for later use.

2.  Blanch belly pork in boiling water.  Wash and cut into 3-cm pieces.

3.  Cut firm soya bean cakes into quarters.

4.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in cooking pot.  Saute smashed ginger and garlics till slightly brown and fragrant. 

5.  Add in pork and stir-fry for a few minutes.  Add in the salt fish bones and the water.  Bring to a boil.

6.  Add in soya bean cakes.  Cover pot, reduce heat and simmer till pork is tender.  Top up with more water if necessary.  (No salt is required as the salt fish water is already salty).

Note: My grandpa used to cook this dish in an earthern pot and it tasted delicious.