One Wok Fork Roast (Char Siew)

A universally beloved BBQ meat, The Char Siew is simply irresistible! There are many proven char siew recipes, secret recipes and family recipes. Each and everyone of us has a distinct preference as to how the taste, the texture, the degree of char, the level of moistness of our favorite char siew. But the bottom line is all so common, it is basically a roasted piece of pork that is slightly sweet.

Of recent, my foodie friends got into a Char Siew craze mode. Sharing their discoveries and even their attempts on making the Great Fork Roasts on Facebook drove me to attempt it recently. I thought, since I have a huge Char Siew Princess with me for the whole week, who would be a more better critic than her? My 9 year old niece, KX is my worst critic. She will tell you as it is, no holds barred and her worst reaction will be displayed on her face and the reflex reaction of the food cannoning out of her mouth confirms one's failure! It is disheartening but I am learning to appreciate her honest feedback but I still think she could have a better way to feedback.

Anyhow, the reason why I am sharing this recipe which I got from the many comparisons from the Internet, its that she gave it a thumbs up and polished off far too many pieces of Char Siew than she was allowed to have!

  

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo Pork Collar Meat/Belly or if you can find "Suet Fah" Meat, this is the best cut for Char Siew as per our interview with Char Siew Chai of Paramount Gardens (my friend's Meeko's Knight in Shining Armour)
• 5T Cooking oil
• 2T Honey or Maple Syrup
• 2T Maltose
• 2T Palm Sugar
• 2T Oyster Sauce
• 1T Miso paste/crushed yellow bean paste
• 1T Shio Tsing Wine or Rose Wine
• 1t White pepper
• 1t Five Spice Powder
• 1t Dark Soy Sauce
• 1t Sesame Oil
• 1t Salt or Fish Sauce
• 1t Garlic Paste (optional)
• 1 cup room temp water

Method:

1. Marinate the pork in a plastic or ziplock bag with all of the above ingredient except for oil, maltose & water.
2. Stash the bag of marinating pork in the fridge for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.
3. Remove from fridge to bring it back to room temp before cooking.
4. Heat a large wok/pan and add in oil. 
5. Lower the meat into wok/pan and reserve the marinate juice for later use.
6. Sear all sides of the meat. This process should take about 8-10 mins. We want some colour on the meat.
7. Once you are happy with the seared colour, pour in the remaining marinate juice and a cup of water.
8. Bring the sauce to a boil and lower to medium heat and put on the lid to simmer for about 15mins.
9. Turn the meat over 2-3 times within these 15 mins.
10. After 15mins, take off the lid and continue simmer for another 15mins.
11. Turn the meat over 2-3 times within these 15 mins.
12. We need to reduce the sauce. At this 2nd half of the simmering, you will need to keep a watchful eye at the wok, we do not want to burn the meat. 
13. You know you are happy when u see slight stickiness and char on the meat and whats left at the bottom of the wok/pan is oil.
14. Remove the meat from wok.
15. Heat up your oven to its highest or grill mode.
16. Thinly coat the meat evenly with maltose.
17. Stick it in the oven/grill for 2-3 minutes on each side to char it further. Remember to turn the meat in order to char both sides.
18. Leave to cool completely before consuming.

Images:

Searing the Meat

After 30 mins simmering

Grilled to perfection

I like them thick!

Happy KX!

Cendol from Scratch

Tropical countries in South East Asia has a couple of common desserts. One of them is the infamous, Cendol. This green worm like jelly product is a joy on a hot sunny day. Served on shaved ice topped with coconut milk and drizzled with thick Gula Melaka syrup, The Cendol is an all time Malaysian favourite dessert. They tastes better on the streets, I think that is due to the feeling of the cool smooth sweetness of the dessert gliding down one's throat when one is half melting in the sun!

Aunty Mayyee shows us how it is made the traditional way minus the machines and the artificial food colouring which is how most are being produced commercially nowadays.

Here are the simple ingredients:

• 1 cup green pea flour (Lok Tau Tang Meen)
• 4 cups of water
• 10 stems of pandanus leaves
• 1 tsp Air Abu (Sodium Silicate)

Method:

1. Soak 1 cup of of green pea flour with 2 cups of water for 2 hours
2. Blend the pandanus leaves with the remaining 2 cups of water
3. Sift the blended juice and squeeze out as much juice from the blended leaves. Discard mashed by product
4. Mix juice to soaked flour slurry 
5. Stir the slurry
6. Add in 1 tsp of Air Abu
7. See the brightness of the green pop
8. Continuously stir to cook the slurry over medium heat
9. Meanwhile, prepare a tub of ice cold water
10. We have a make shift gadget to create the 'worms'. It is a lid of a metal pan, hammered with holes of approx 0.5cm in diameter. Place this gadget on top of iced water
11. As soon as the slurry thickens to a consistency of a thick pliable glob, turn the heat down to its lowest. The glob needs to stay hot to be pliable, otherwise it will turn hard as it cools down which in turn will make it very difficult to push it through the holes.
12. Scoop a ladle of glob onto the holed pan. Working quickly with a silicon scrapper or side of a mug, push the mixture through the holes, creating strand like worms to fall into the iced water. Once it hits the iced water, the strands hardens and form the infamous worm like jelly cendol.
13. Drain & serve with shaven ice (best) or ice cubes, coconut cream (add a little salt) and Gula Melaka Syrup (recipe can be found from my earlier post on Sago Gula Melaka)
14. Some like to add accompliments like Red Beans, Glutinuous Rice, Grass Jelly, Creamed Corn, Ice Cream etc etc ... then it turns into A B C !

Images:

Ingredients

This is the Luk Tau Tang Meen Flour

The more pandan, the merrier!

The Secret for the QQ bite

Cooking the slurry

You want it to be at this consistency

Family Heirloom hand made by Sifu's mama

You can choose a mug for the job like how Grand Sifu made it...

Or you can opt for a silicon or plastic scraper (we find this much easier)

Yummilicious!

Au Naturel !

I love Gula Melaka Syrup.. cant help it!! Sorry guys!!

Assam Laksa!! No.7: World's 50 most delicious foods by CNN Go, 2011

Assam Laksa is a sour, fish-based soup spiced with lemongrass, chilies, daun kesum, belachan & shallots. The sourish flavoured soup is usually contributed by Assam Jawa which is the Malay word for tamarind and/or assam keping, also known as assam gelugor. The simmering broth is served over thick fresh & lightly blanched rice noodles which in chinese, they are called " Lai Fen ". To compliment the entire dish, a selection of garden fresh greens, herb, lime and most importantly, the SOUL of the dish, Hae Ko (蝦羔), a thick sweet prawn/shrimp paste is a must. There will be no excuse if Hae Ko is not available. If you do not have it ready, there is really no point in going through all the trouble as the Hae Ko rounds up the Assam Laksa flavour, it is the binder, the link, the SOUL of Assam Laksa.

Last weekend (Nov3 2012), our Masterchef Aunty Mayyee graciously showed us her recipe & method for her Kedah styled Assam Laksa. We asked her the difference between Penang Assam Laksa and Kedah Assam Laksa and the reply was that Kedah Assam Laksa do not use pineapple as an ingredient. I read somewhere that Kedah Asam Laksa has hard boiled eggs as one of the complements.

Ingredients: ( 20 ~ 30 servings ) 

• 2 kilos Ikan Kembung (Mackerel)
• 4~5 litres water
• 7 teaspoon of salt (to taste, it takes alot of salt to lift up the assam flavour)
• Thick Rice Noodles (Lai Fen)
• A bunch of Daun Kesum (Vietnamese Mint)
• 8-10 piece of Assam Keping
• To Blend (Rempah):
• 6 red chilies
• 4 stalks of serai (Lemongrass)
• 4 tablespoons of belachan (the more the merrier)
• 12 shallots
• Galanggal
• Accompliments:
• Finely sliced chili padi (bird's eye chili)
• Mint Leaves
• Finely sliced Red Bombay Onions
• Finely diced Bunga Kantan (Ginger Torch)
• Finely sliced Lettuce
• Finely julienned cucumber
• Limau Kasturi halves (Lime)
• Hae Ko (Thick Sweet Shrimp Paste) - thinned out with warm water to a syrupy consistency

Method:

1. Poach the fish in 4~5 litres of water for about 5 minutes
2. Remove fish to cool before removing the deboning
• top half of fish will be easier to be removed in a whole, keep some as such for garnishing
• bottom half where most bones are found will naturally break as you try to pull off the bones, leave them to another bowl to be mashed and return to the stock
3. Return the heads & bones to poaching liquid and simmer for another 10-15mins to extract the sweetness
4. Strain the liquid and discard bones
5. Add in the blended ingredients (rempah) to the liquid together with mashed fish meat, daun kesum and assam keping. Let it simmer for another 15-20 mins
6. Add in salt & taste, you may be surprised but it takes quite alot of salt to bring out the assam flavour.
7. Add in more assam if you like it more sourish.
8. While waiting for the aroma to reach your guests sitting 15 feet from the kitchen, bring a pot of water to boil & prepare the accompliments.
9. Blanch the noodles but do not overcook them, we do not want soggy noodles, we want lively al-dente noodles
10. When you begin to hear hungry noises being emitted from your guests from the living/dining area, chances are that your stock is ready.
11. Arrange noodles onto a bowl/plate.
12. Stir the broth to distribute the fish evenly and scoop broth over noodles.
13. Allow your guests to decorate their own assam laksa with their favourite accompliment as they like
14. Walk around and watch them oooo, arrrrrr, slurpppp, sweat and flap their burning tongues!

Images:

Ingredients for the Rempah

Blended ingredients

Gently poach the fish

Daun Kesum or Vietnamese Mint

Assam Keping

Simmering the broth gently

The accompliments

This is the SOUL of Assam Laksa. Shrimp & Boy Brand is recommended

All dressed & ready to rock n roll!

Lip Smacking, Tear Jerking, Tongue Rolling Assam Laksa

Sago & Salted Gula Melaka Syrup

Of Peranakan (Chinese-Malay) origin, this dessert of Sago, which is a STARCH extracted from tropical palms and its usually found in the form of round 'pearls' of which after it has been boiled, are translucent, soft, silky smooth & spongy paired with a flood of deep, rich, sweet & aromatic Gula Melaka Syrup. Gula melaka (also known as Palm Sugar) is made by first extracting the sap from the flower bud of a coconut tree.   The sap is then boiled until it thickens & caramelised after which, it is poured into bamboo tubes and left to solidify to form cylindrical cake blocks. The best Gula Melaka, in our opinion is from Malacca, where else? 

Here is the recipe which I got from Lyn Loh & her guidance via whatsapp one Selangor Public Holiday afternoon from her office ;)

Ingredients

Sago Pearls - mini size - 250 grams
Gula Melaka - 2 cylinder blocks
Brown Sugar/Molasses - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Coconut Cream - 1st extraction from 1 coconut (about 250ml)
Fresh Coconut shavings - 2-3 tbsp
Pandanus Leaves - 4
Water

Method - Sago

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
2. Sprinkle the dried Sago Pearls into the boiling water.
3. Add in a knot of pandan leaves.
4. Stir the pearls around as not to allow them to stick to the bottom of the pot.
5. The pot of water will turn starchy very soon, continue to stir for 10 mins.
6. You will notice that the outsides of the pearls will turn translucent as you stir and the opaque whites will become tinier and tinier towards the middle. 
7. At about the 10th minute mark, the pearls will only have tiny white specks in the middle.
8. Pour in a cup of room temperature water into the pot and turn off the heat immediately.
9. Cover the pot and allow to stand for another 10 minutes.
10. After 10 minutes standing time, most of the white specks would have faded away.
11. Sieve the pearls out from the pot and wash the excess starch with cold running water. Give it several washes until the pearls are no longer as sticky Running through them with your hands will feel like thousands of tiny smooth individual pearls waiting to be popped.
12. Add in 2-3 tbsp of freshly shaved/grated coconut flesh. Mix them together. This is to add a different texture/dimension/sensation to the bite. Omit if you do not like the crunch.
13. Wet your moulds and pack in the gleaming sago pearls and coconut bits.
14. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Method - Gula Melaka Syrup

1. Shave 2 cylinder blocks of Gula Melaka.
2. Into a pot, add shaved Gula Melaka, brown sugar/molasses, salt & 2-3 tsp of water & a knot of pandan leaves.
3. Melt the sugar in low heat, keep a watchful eye over the pot so as not to burn the precious sugars!
4. Once the sugars have melted, slowly pour in the coconut cream and immediately turn off the heat.
5. Stir the syrup and allow to cool.
6. Once cooled, the syrup will thicken.

Ribbon the thick GM Syrup over the bland cold sago & magically turn the pudding into a wonderous addiction that will send anyone on a first class ticket to heaven!

Photos :-

Kuang Chiang Master Class

What in the world is Kuang Chiang?

This Teochew delicacy is rarely sold commercially. Many non Teochews and younger generation Teochews are not aware of this yummy vegetarian existence.  This is a humble snack made up of freshly shredded root vegetables like Taro (yam), yam bean (seng kuang), radish, carrot and groundnuts wrapped in bean curd skin steamed and fried to perfection! Dipped with the savoury Kampong Koh Chili Sauce is the best combination.

With MasterChef May Yee

 Stuffing Ingredients (in ratio) 

Taro (Yam) - 1

Yam bean (Seng Kuang) - 1

Radish - 1

Carrot - 0.5

Groundnuts (toasted) - 0.2 (or more if you wish)

Tips

• To know if Taro is the starchy kind, cut into taro & the blade of knife will yield a powdery film
• Small & Slim Radishes are the most fragrant. Buy local varieties
  
  

 Seasonings 

Salt, Sugar, White Pepper, Five Spice Power - to taste

Sesame Oil (a dash for fragrance), Groundnut Oil (for smoothness to entire stuffing) & Dark Soy Sauce for colour

 Binders (Ratio) 

Rice Flour - 1

Corn Flour - 1

Plain Flour - 2

 Others  

Wrapper - Dried Bean Curd Sheet (preferably non salted version)

Tool - Sushi Bamboo Roller

Edible Glue - Flour + Water

 Method - Stuffing 

1. Shred all the root vegetables with box grater. Ensure the shreds are uniform and preferable approx 2 inches in length. Too short will be turned into mash.
2. Combine all shredded vegetables and add in some salt. Mix and let sit for 15 minutes. This step is to draw excess moisture from the vegetables. We do not want soggy Kuang Chiang.
3. After 15 minutes, you will notice quite a substantial amount of liquid at the bottom of the vessel, continue to squeeze out as much liquid from the vegetables and transfer to another vessel. Best to use a muslin cloth.
4. To the squeezed vegetables, add in the toasted groundnuts, seasonings and binders.
5. Mix all the ingredients evenly with seasonings and binders. Do a taste test and adjust accordingly.
6. Leave to stand for a few minutes to rest.
   
   

 Method - Wrapping 

1. You can wrap small & delicate Kuang Chiangs like we did or you can go for giant sizes.
2. Wrap them like how you would roll a spring roll on diagonal side or lengthwise (we did lengthwise)
3. Seal the edges with a glue made out of flour & water (thick consistency please)
4. It is important to wrap the rolls TIGHTLY but do not have to use too much muscles otherwise you will smashed the roll. Loose rolls will result in stuffing falling apart when fried.
   
   

 Method - Cooking 

1. Steam the rolls for about 10 mins.
2. Allow the rolls to cool at room temperature.
3. Its best to chill the rolls for a few hours to allow it to 'set'
4. Cut to bite size pieces - 1 inch diagonally
5. Heat pan & fill with 1/2 inch oil, once oil is warm (not smoking), pan fry the pieces till golden brown, fragrant & with a nice crunch.
6. Drain excess oil, allow to cool slightly and serve with a good chili sauce!      

 Photos 

Step By Step Guide: