Braised Minced Pork

Main:  Pork

Don't you just love preparing and serving tasty dishes which are complete in protein and vegetables?  This is a fairly recent family favourite, a recipe I learned from +Bujit Tesoro.  Like most braised or stewed dishes, it's best to cook this a few days before serving so that the flavours gel together.

Ingredients & Process (enough for 4 people with big appetites with extra for breakfast)

• in a wok, heat 4 tablespoons of sesame oil.  I prefer the darker coloured one because it's richer in flavour. Swirl the oil around so it also coats the sides of the wok.
• cook to soften minced medium onion.  Add a little water at a time to ensure it just softens, not burn.  I also add a teaspoon of stock powder.  About 4 minutes.
• saute minced garlic, about a minute.  I minced 12 cloves, the more garlic, the better.
• add 3 pounds minced pork and cook until there are no more pink bits
• while the pork is cooking, mix in: 3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine (or any dry white you have in your cupboard; sake works too!), a heaping teaspoon (or less, depending on your tolerance level) of chili garlic, 2-3 tablespoons each of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce & brown sugar. Make sure you mix well.
  
• mix in cornstarch (1 tablespoon) dissolved very well in 1/3 cup water.  Add enough water to barely cover the meat.  Boil then simmer 20 minutes.
• while the meat is simmering, prepare your veggies.  The original version calls for par-boiled green or snap beans which is supposed to top the cooked minced meat.
  
  I wanted to use my relatively new toy, Cuisavor spiral vegetable slicer, so instead, I made veggie pasta out of 3 zucchinis and 3 yellow squashes. Place in the refrigerator when done.
  
• when the pork is well cooked, increase flame to high and remove the cover.  Cook to reduce liquid, about 5 - 7 minutes.  See if you have to add more flavouring, say, sugar or soy sauce. Stir every few minutes to ensure it won't crust at the bottom (usually happens when you have sugar in your dish).
  

  

  Above shot, still liquid-y.  Below, after the reduction
  where it is more "dry".
  

• remove from flame and gently fold in your veggie pasta. As I've mentioned, it's best to refrigerate at least 1 day (the longer the better) before serving hot (just re-heat in the micro).
  
  
  
  
• just to make it a little different if I serve it again for breakfast the following day, I  top it with poached egg. For dinner tonight, we did rice-topping style.  Veggie & meat in one robust-tasting dish!
  
  
  
  
  

New Gadget: Spiral Slicer

Spiralizer, Zoodler or Spiral Vegetable Slicer

In our never-ending quest to eat healthily (juicing is soooo before), this new, handy kitchen gadget caught my eye.  Friends on Facebook have been raving about it, even +Poggi Bonsi, a place where we buy kitchen thingamajigs, will hold a class this weekend sharing ways one can use this gadget.

This Huffington Post article will give you a basic idea on what brands are available, what it is exactly and what dishes you can do with it (a lot!).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/vegetable-noodles-are-going-to-change-everything_n_5112928.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share

After reading user reviews on Amazon.com, I finally decided to get the Cuisavor brand. The blades seemed sturdier than Kitchen Basics because it has "sharp Japanese stainless steel blades". Any comments on Kitchen Basics or other recommended brands would be greatly appreciated.  Due to limited kitchen counter space, I just ordered the hand held version.  +Maite Crawford is very happy with her kitchen counter-top version.

My hand-held gadget.

The Spiralizer has been with me for less than a week.  So far, have mainly used it for salads.  First veggie combination I did was zucchini and yellow squash.  I made sure both zuch & yellow squash would fit the spiralizer ie, not too thick, not too thin. For first attempt, not bad at all.  You don't have to peel both zuch and yellow squash but since I had the peeler on hand, I mindlessly peeled them.

I roasted some sesame seeds and tossed the veggies with a Japanese brand deep roasted sesame dressing.  The core is stuck inside the funnel part so the seeds are not included in your salad.  So convenient.  It's dishwasher safe but I just easily washed it with a brush to ensure the core left is really washed away.

Addendum:  

• I spiralize (is it a verb now??) my cucumber, yellow squash and zuch noodles into a colander, sprinkle half a teaspoon of salt and mix it with my hand. 
• place the colander in a sink and let it drain for 30 minutes

  

  Liquid collected after only 15 minutes.

• rinse very very well with cold water and refrigerate the colander of veggie noodles for at least an hour.  
  
  This will allow the veggies to dehydrate a little.  It will be more "firm".

My second attempt was with cucumber + carrot.  It was more of a struggle.  They didn't come out as "long" as the zuch and yellow squash.  They just came out shredded.  I guess I have to practice more.

Now am thinking I would need at least a dozen veggies to come up with a main pasta dish.  Hmmmm.  I don't think I have the energy for this.  Will keep you posted.