Char siu aka Yakibuta recipe

Japanese cuisine, "yakibuta", also known as Chinese "char siu", is a slowly cooked juicy pork that goes well with ramen noodles or white rice. The word yakibuta and char-siu are literally translated as "barbecued pork", but the process of making it is not a typical barbecuing. It takes an hour and half to two hours to prepare, but it's not much work, and it is definitely worth.

Ingredients:
Tender-loin pork, 2 lbs
Soy sauce, 2-3 tbsp
Chinese Shaoxing rice wine, or Japanese cooking sake, 1/3 cup
Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine), 3 tbsp
Sugar, 1 tsp
Green onion, 1-2 shoots (use green part only)
Ginger, several slices
Garlic, 1 clove
Dried fruit of star anise, 1-2 (only if you have)
Dried kelp, 1 small sheet
Usually, you can get the exotic materials in any Asian market in US.
Tools in addition to normal cooking ware:
Ziploc type plastic bags
Cotton thread (or any threads that don't contain nasty chemical component)

Direction:
Tie the pork like ham. This will prevent pork from crumbling while it is cooked.
In a bowl, mix Ingredient 2-5. Adjust the amount of each ingredient as you taste. Don't make it too salty by putting too much soy sauce. Keep it as little as you just notice its flavor. In the same way, don't put too much mirin or sugar. If you put too much of those, use Ingredient 3 or water to weaken the taste.

Put Ingredient 6-10 into a ziploc bag. Then put (a) in the ziploc bag. Carefully pour (b) into the ziploc bag. Make sure (a) soaks (b) well, and keep it in the refrigerator for 1 hour (see picture below).


Take the pork out of the ziploc (don't discard the sauce!). In a pan, fry the surface of the pork until it become brownish. This is only for keeping the juice in the pork from coming out while boiling. So, you don't have to cook through. (see the picture below.)

Add water in the pan. Only the bottom half of the pork should be under the water. Then pour the soup from (c) into pan. Only the soup should be poured, and no other ingredients should be in the pan.

Heat the pan with strong flame until it comes to boil. If you see harshness on the surface, remove it with spoon.

Keep heating the pork for 45 minutes to an hour. Turn over the pork time to time to heat each side. Try piercing the pork with a fork. If the juice is semi-transparent, the pork should be ready! (see the picture below)

Slice the pork to serve. You can keep the pork in the refrigerator for at least a week or longer. You can freeze it for longer preservation. Keep the sauce from (g) with pork so you can use to taste the pork. Or, it makes a great base for soup.

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Prawn Mee

20 Prawns
2cm width of balachan
1 packet of noodles
1 bunch of kangkong
1 packet of taugey
rack of Pork ribs
fried shallots



Deshell and remove heads of prawns, set aside meat.

Dry fry the shell and head *without burning* - on low heat. Until water content is evaporated, add oil and balachan, fry.

When balachan is fried till fragrant, add water to melt. Once water boils, add ribs. Simmer stock for 2 hours.

Add the rest of ingredients (Prawn, noodles, vegetables) to stock and cook.

Sprinkle shallots, serve

Banana choc chip muffins

Serving size: Serves 10 or more
Cooking time: Less than 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2½ cups (375g) self-raising flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
¾ cup (170g) sugar
½ cup (95g) milk chocolate chips
1 cup (250ml) milk
¾ cup (185ml) vegetable oil
1 egg
2 small over-ripe bananas, mashed

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper muffin cases.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, cinnamon, sugar and choc chips. Add combined milk, oil, egg and banana. Stir until just combined. Divide mixture between prepared muffin pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
5. Cool in pan 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat while still warm, or cold.
6. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days. Muffins are best warmed before eating once they're a couple of days old.

Hazelnut Meringue Gateaux

4 egg whites
225g/9oz caster sugar
50g/2oz hazelnuts -roasted
1tsp vinegar
Vanilla essence

1. Preheat at 350F. Line base of tins either with double greaseproof paper on oil or silicon paper

2. Whisk eggwhites until very stiff

3. Gradually whisk in caster sugar

4. Fold in vinegar, essence, and medium chopped hazelnuts

5. Divide mixture between 2 tins and spread flat

6. Bake in oven - they quickly turn golden brown

Filling:

200g/½ lb frozen/fresh raspberries
300ml/½ pint whipping cream

1. Whisk cream until firm

2. Spread on base and then cover with raspberries

3. Place 2nd round on top and gently press down

Chocolate Roulade

100g/4oz plain chocolate in pieces
4 eggs separated
100g/4oz caster sugar

Filling:
300ml/10fl oz whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar

1. Heat oven over 180C, Gasmark4. Grease and line a swiss roll tin

2. Melt chocolate over a pan of hot water, stir and cool slightly

3. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy, add chocolate

4. Whisk egg whites, fold into chocolate mixture

5. Pour into swiss roll tin and bake for 20 mins

6. Turn out onto greaseproof paper sprinkled with icing sugar, peel off lining paper and leave to cool under damp tea towel

7. Whip cream, spread over cold roulade, roll up roulade and dust with icing sugar.

Profiteroles Au Caramel

Choux Pastry:
150ml/¼ pint water
50g/2oz butter
60g/2½ oz plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 Eggs lightly beaten

Filling:
300ml/½ pint whipping cream

Caramel Sauce (Topping):
100g/4oz butter
150g light soft brown sugar
¼ pint double cream

1. Preheat oven at 400F/200C/ Gas mark 6

2. Pout water and butter into pan and bring to boil

3. Take off heat, add flour, salt all at once and beat until paste is smooth and forms a ball

4. Cool slightly, then gradually beat in beaten eggs, to form a smooth, shiny paste

5. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitter with a 1" (2.5cm) plain nozzle. Pipe little mounds on a greased baking sheet/s

6. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20mins until risen and golden brown

7. Transfer to a wire rack and split each one to allow steam to escape.

8. When cooled, fill with whipped cream

9. To make topping - place all ingradients into sauce pan

10. Stir over a gentle heat until becomes a sticky sauce

11. Pour over profiteroles when ready to serve

Chicken in Tarragon Sauce

500g/1lb Chicken breast fillets
25g/1oz flour
25g/1oz butter
1 medium onion - chopped
1 small green pepper - seeded and sliced
1 garlic clove -crushd
150ml/¼ pint dry white wine
Finely chopped fresh tarragon
150ml/5fl oz fresh double cream
50g/2oz cheddar cheese

1. Cut chicken into thin strips and coat in flour

2. Melt butter in pan. Add onion and cook until soft

3. Add chicken, pepper, garlic, wine and tarragon

4. Cook for 10-15 mins - stirring occasionally.

5. When chicken is cooked thoroughly - add cream, seasoning and cheese.

6. Heat through thoroughly and serve with pasta, potatoes or rice.