Eggplant with minced pork ~ 茄子炒肉碎

There are many ways to prepare eggplant and to me, the most fuss free method is to just cut it up, steam and then serve with some garlic oil and a dash of pepper. But today, I want to share with you a more 'complicated' method whereby I pan seared them, mixed in some Korean bean paste, bits of pork and added in some dried chillies to make the dish slightly spicy. This dish pairs well with rice or plain white porridge.

Recipe for Eggplant with minced pork ~ 茄子炒肉碎

Ingredients

2 eggplants, 450 gm, cut into bite size
2 stalks of spring onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
150 gm minced pork
6 dried chillies, soaked to soften and cut
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
3 Tbsp oil

Sauce (Combine altogether)

1.1/2 Tbsp bean paste
1 Tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar

Method

Heat up some oil in a wok, sear the eggplants till brown on all sides.
Dish out and set aside.
With the remaining oil in the wok, add in the garlic, minced pork, dried chillies, stir-fry. Mix in the sauce, stir-fry.
Toss in the eggplants, spring onions, mix well. Fine tune to taste.
Drizzle on the wine, dish out and serve hot with rice.

Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy ~ 梅菜焖五花肉

Mui Choy is preserved mustard greens and there are two types, one is salty while the other is sweet. There are many ways of cooking mui choy with pork belly. Instead of braising, you can steam it with minced pork but here I am using only the sweet mui choy and I braised the pork belly with it. This is a flavourful dish and you can serve it with plain rice or plain porridge. Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy ~ 梅菜焖五花肉 Ingredients 400 gm pork belly cut into bite size 100 gm preserved sweet mui choy 3 cloves of garlic 2 slices ginger Seasoning for the pork belly 1 Tbsp dark soya sauce 1/4 Tbsp sugar 1/4 Tbsp sesame oil 1/4 Tbsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp light soya sauce Method Season the pork belly for about an hour or more. Set aside. Soak the mui choy for 45 mins., rinse and squeeze dry. Cut into slices Heat some oil in the wok, fry the mui choy. Add in the ginger slic...

Snow Swallow Dessert ~ 天然野生雪燕

Natural Wild Tragacanth Gum 'Snow Swallow' or Xue Yan is a gum derived from different varieties of sterculia trees. It's actually a sap drained from the root of the plant and the gum dries as it exudes and is then collected. Once rehydrated will increase to about ten times in size and their white stringy, jelly like strands texture resembles that of the much prized and highly valued bird's nest. One thing to take note when cooking this dessert is that the gum is highly soluble in water and cannot be boiled too long. Since it is 'cooling' for our internal organs, the elderlies should take this in moderation and not recommended for nursing mums for the breast milk may cause the baby to purge. Snow Swallow Dessert ~ 天然野生雪燕 Ingredients 8 gm Snow Swallow gums 10 gm red dates 10 gm goji berries 20 gm dried longan Rock or piece sugar to taste 1 litre water Pandan leaves (optional) Method Soak the Snow Swallow gums in plenty of water for at least...

Herbal Jelly ~ Gui Ling Gao

H erbal Jelly ~ Gui Ling Ga o literally translated means 'Tortoise Jelly' is one of my family's favourite desserts. It's much more economical to prepare this at home for you'll need to fork out between Rm 9 to Rm 11 for a bowl of this cooling dessert in any of those herbal tea outlets. This soothing jelly, served chilled, is supposed to be able to help reduce our body heat, helps to get rid of toxins and is believed to be good for the skin thus culminating a healthier complexion.

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