Everyday recipes
Sweet soy pork with mushrooms and star anise
See more recipes in this week's Woman's Day.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon oil
6 cloves garlic, bruised
1 lb (500 g) pork belly, skin removed and discarded, cubed
1 lb (500 g) pork ribs or 10 oz (300 g) pork shoulder, sliced into pieces
3 star anise pods, roughly ground in a mortar
½ teaspoon Sichuan pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons chilli black bean sauce
2 tablespoons Samal Oelek Chili Paste (you should be able to find it at any decent supermarket or Asian grocery store), or other sweet chilli paste
½ cup (125 ml) cup sweet caramelized soy sauce, or kecap manis
3 cups (730 ml) water
2 teaspoons shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (100 ml) sweet Chinese black vinegar
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
8 dried black Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft, drained and stir-fried in 2 teaspoons of oil for 2-3 minutes
Salt, to taste
Crispy Fried Garlic, to garnish
Green onion curls (see note), to garnish
Sweet Cucumber Pickles
½ cup (125 ml) vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, cored and thinly sliced
Crispy Fried Garlic
2 tablespoons oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
METHOD
- Prepare the Crispy Fried Garlic first by heating the oil in a skillet and sauteing the garlic over medium heat until golden and crispy, about 1 minute. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Alternatively, cover the garlic with 1 tablespoon of oil in a heatproof dish and microwave for another minute.
- Prepare the Sweet Cucumber Pickles by combining the vinegar and sugar in a bowl and stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cucumber slices and mix well. Allow to marinate for 2 hours and drain the Pickles just before serving.
- Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic over high heat until golden and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add both types of pork, the star anise and Sichuan pepper (if using) and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the chili black bean sauce, Sambal Oelek and black soy sauce and toss well to coat the port with the sauce.
- Pour in the water and bring the ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer covered until the port is very tender, about 20-30 minutes. Season with the sugar, vinegar and rice wine, and stir in the mushrooms. Half cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, until the pork is tender and the sauce is thick but not completely dried up. Increase the heat to medium, season with salt to taste and stir-fry the pork to coat it evenly with the sauce. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the pork to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the Crispy Fried Garlic. Garnish with green onion curls and serve immediately with steamed rice and the Sweet Cucumber Pickles on the side.
TOP TIP- To make green onion curls, trim off the bulb of each green onion at the point where the stem begins to turn green. Slice the leaves into 4-in (10-cm) lengths. Using a sharp knife, slice each length into very thin strips lengthwise. Soak the strips in a bowl of iced water and refrigerate until they curl up.
Recipes and images from ‘Heavenly Fragrance’ by Carol Selva Rajah, published by Periplus Editions.
See more Malaysian recipes at www.malaysiakitchen.my
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