PRESERVED VEGETABLES WITH PORK COLLAR (梅菜扣肉)

#MySingaporeFood
Preserved Veg with Pork Collar (梅菜扣肉)

This is always one of my favourite dish. It goes well with either rice or porridge and also consider a very singapore traditional dish.
I learn to cook this dish when i was younger from my late mum and now my family love it too!

Ingredients n steps as follows :

300gm Sweet Preserved veg (梅菜)
400gm Pork beĺly/Pork collar - cut big pieces
1 bulb garlic - peel n chop
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 pcs chilli padi
500ml water

Wash the preserved veg thoroughly to remove the access salt.
Chop the preserved veg about 2cm long. Set aside.
Heat up a pan, add in 3 tbsp oil to fragrant the chopped garlics.
Fry the pork belly /Pork collar on med heat till fragrant.
Put in the preserved veg, chilli padi and 2 tbsp dark sauce.
Add 500ml water and mix well.
Allow the preserved veg n pork to cook in the pot on low heat for an hour or more till pork is tender.
Serve hot with rice or porridge.
Enjoy.

PUMPKIN ABACUS SEEDS 南瓜算盘子

Pumpkin Abacus Seeds 南瓜算盘子

Serve 2 adults
Ingredients:
300gm pumpkin
200gm tapioca flour
100gm minced pork
1tbsp dried shrimps
4 dried mushrooms - soaked & diced
20gm black fungus - soaked & diced
30gm dried shredded cuttlefish - soaked
2 cloves chopped garlics
2 cloves chopped shallots

Seasonings
1piece Knorr Chicken cube - dissolved with 2tbsp hot water
1/2tsp Knorr Hao Chi seasoning powder
1tsp sugar
1tsp sesame oil
Dash of pepper

Garnishing:
Spring onion/parsley
Fresh red chilli

Method:
1. Cut pumpkin into pieces. Steamed till cooked. Drain excess water if any.
2. Mashed pumpkin when is hot, add in tapioca flour. Knead into a dough.
3. Pinch about 5 to 6gm of dough and roll into round ball. Use a finger to make a well in the centre that look like abacus seeds.
4. Boil some water, add some oil into the water ad put in the rolled abacus seeds to boil. Once it float up, scoop up immediately. Set aside.
5. In a heated wok, add about 2tbsp oil, fry chopped garlics and shallots till fragrant.
6. Add in dried shrimps and minced pork. Fry till fragrant.
Add in diced mushrooms, shredded dried cuttlefish and black fungus. Stir-fry all the ingredients.
7. Add in the dissolved Knorr Chicken cube and Knorr Hao Chi seasoning powder together with the sugar, sesame oil and pepper. Stir fry for another 1min.
8. Add in the precooked pumpkin abacus seeds. Mix well with all the ingredients.
9. Dish up immediately and serve hot
10. Garish with spring onion/parsley and diced chilli
Enjoy ☺

STEAMED COD FISH WITH TERIYAKI SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 Pieces med size White Cod Fish
2 tbsp Teriyaki Sauce

Method:

1. Steamed cod fish for 8mins
2.

Cooked the teriyaki sauce and pour over the fish and serve immediately.

BAKED SALMON WITH MAYO TOBIKO

Baked Salmon with Tobiko Mayo

Ingredients
1 pc big salmon fillet
1 tsp garlic salt
3 tbsp Japanese mayo
1 tsp tobiko

Steps
1. Marinade salmon with garlic salt for 30mins.
2. Mix Japanese mayo and tobiko till well combined then spread a thick layer on the fish surface and sides.
3. Bake the fish at 200 deg C for 20-30mins (depending on thickness of fish).
4. Bon appetit!

Notes
1. Can also use any white fish.
2. Can replace tobiko with ebiko.

** Recipe adapted from my friend Michelle Heng

: NYONYA CHANG 娘惹粽子

* this is my estimated recipe, taste adjust according to individual. 

INGREDIENTS:

- 700gm White Glutinous Rice

Seasoning:
- 1tbsp Salt
- 1tbsp Pepper
- 3tbsp Shallot Oil

- 300gm Glutinous Rice (blue pea in colour)

Seasoning:
- 1tsp Salt
- 1tsp Pepper
- 2tbsp Shallot Oil
- 40 Pieces Dried Blue Pea Flwers for the blue colour
- 80ml water boil with blue pea flowers

- Bamboo leaves & strings - boiled, washed and soaked. 
- Pandan  Leaves - cut into small pieces to top on rice .
- 6 pcs  Pandan  leaves - to cook with the dumplings

* FILLINGS :

- 1Kg Pork Collar/Shoulder - cut into small cubes or minced.
- 20pcs Dried Mushrooms - soaked and cut cubes

- 1thumb size Cekur (sand ginger) - chopped 
200gm Winter Melon - chopped smaller pieces
- 20pcs Shallots - peeled and diced
- 1tbsp Salt
- 3tbsp Raw Sugar
- 1tbsp Pepper
- 3tbtp Dark Soy Sauce
- 180ml water
- 20 gram Coriander Powder


RICE PART:

* Wash glutinous rice until water runs clear.
* Separate the glutinous rice into 2 parts (750gm & 250gm)
* Add also enough water to the bigger portion of rice and allow to soak overnight. (750gm)
* Boil blue pea flower with water then leave to cool and strained.
* Once cooled, add the blue coloured water into the smaller portion of the rice.(250gm)
* Add sufficient water to ensure the rice is fully submerged. Leave to soak overnight.


* Drain the white glutinous rice that was soaked overnight.
* Add in seasoning and mix well.
* Drain the soaked blue coloured glutinous rice.
* Add in seasoning and mix well.


STEPS/METHOD:

1. Peel and dice shallots.
2. Wash and cut pork into smaller cubes/diced. 
3. Wash and soak dried mushrooms till softened, cut into small cubes.
4. Dice winter melon into small pieces.
5. Heat up a pan, add 3tbsp oil and fry the diced shallots until fragrant.
6. Add in pork, cekur and followed by mushrooms .

7. Stir fry until all well mixed.
8. Add in pepper, salt and raw sugar, stir fry until the pork and mushrooms aromatic. 
9. Add in chopped winter melon and dark sauce. Stir evenly to mixed all ingredients.
10. Then add in water and stir well.
11. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer over low heat until the flavours are combined and the filling is not too wet.
12. At this point, add in the coriander powder and mix well. 

13. Taste to make sure is flavourful enough.
14. Dish up and set aside to cool
15 Once cooled, cover or keep in refrigerator until is ready to wrap.


COOKING THE DUMPLINGS:

* Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil over high heat, add in 2tsp salt. Add a few knotted bunches of pandan leaves.
* Slowly place the dumplings into the water, making sure they are fully submerged. Cover and cook slowly over small firr for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on size.
* Once they are cooked, remove from the pot immediately to remove excess water and cool.

**Recipe adapted from Huang Kitchen **

CURRY CHICKEN TARTS 咖喱鸡挞

Filling ingredients:

- 100ml Ayam Coconut Milk
- 2 Deboned Chicken Th - clean and cut into small pieces
- 2 Pieces Potatoes - peeled and cut into small cubes
-  50ml Water
- Curry Leaves


 Rempah Ingredients:

- 5gm galangal, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 4 pieces dried Chilli - de-seed
- 2 pieces red Chilli - de-seed
- 1 stalk lemongrass - Slice the bottom stalk finely
- 2 candlenuts
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 big cloves garlic - peeled
- 80gm shallots - peeled
- 1 sq inch belachan
- 2 tbsp cooking oil

** Combine all the above ingredients and blend into a fine paste.


Tarts Shell Pastry

- 125gm Butter
- 200gm Top Flour
- 15gm Icing Sugar
- 1 Egg Yolk

Method :

1. Cream butter and icing sugar till light then add in egg yolk.
2. Add in flour to mix well. Once it is well mixed,  press the mixture together and form a dough. Wrap in a clingwrap and  fridge for 30mins.
3. Bring dough out from the fridge.
4. Roll individual dough (about 20gm) into a ball. Using a tart case, press the pastry ball into a flat piece. Line dough in the middle of tart cases, lightly press the dough into the tart cases.
5. Bake tarts shell at preheated oven at 180deg for 15 to 18mins till slightly brown.
6. Allow tarts shell cool on rack for later use.


Filling Method:

1. In a pan, heat up 2 tbsp oil, add in the small cubes potatoes and fry till slightly brown and dish up.
1. In the same pan, add in the spice paste and fry over low heat until fragrant.
2. Add chicken meat and mix well. Cook until the dish is slightly dry, add water and cook over high heat.
3. Add in potatoes, curry leaves. Once the curry boils, lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk to cook on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat and add salt to taste and simmer till the chicken and potatoes absorbed the coconut milk.
5. Stir well before dish up.

Assemble:
- Fill the tart shell with the cooked curry chicken.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10mins.
- Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot.

KOREAN GLASS NOODLE STIR FRY (JAPCHAE)

Ingredients:
- 150gm Korean Sweet Potato Starch Noodles
- 3 tbsp Borges Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Slices of Pork Loin - cut strips
- 1 Medium Carrot - slice thin strips
- 100gm Baby Spinach - Rinsed
- 1 small Red Capsicum  - sliced thin strips
- 8 Pieces Fresh Shitake Mushrooms  - cleaned, removed stems and sliced thin strips.
1 Piece Red Onion - chopped small pieces
2 Stalk Spring Onion  - cut 1inch

Pork Loin Marinade:
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- Dash of black pepper
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- 1 tsp sesame oil

Noodles Sauce:
* 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
* 1 tbsp Raw Sugar
* 1 tbsp Sesame Oil


Method:
1. Marinade the pork loin in a small bowl and chill in the fridge for 2hours or more.
2. In a small pot, bring baby spinach and blanch quickly and drain. Squeeze out excess water and set aside.
3. In a bigger pot, bring glass noodles to cook for 5 to 6mins till soft, drain and set aside.
4. In a medium pan, add 1tbsp Borges Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add in the marinated sliced pork loin. Fry till cooked and set aside.
5. In a clean pan, heated up 2tbsp Borges Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add chopped garlics, fry till fragrant. Add in cut onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and capsicum. Stir fry the vegetables until they are soften, add in the spinach and glass noodles. Slowly stir in the sauce and coat well.
6. Lastly add in the pork loin. Stir fry all together to coat well.
7. Dish up on a serving plate and top with roasted sesame seeds.
8. It can be serve hot or cold as side dish.