Poor men eat better - smokey BBQ pork ribs

As a food enthusiastic, I have eaten all kinds of things at all kinds of places. One important lesson I have learnt is: poor men eat better! While a large juicy sirloin or wagyu steak does get my blood pumping, NOTHING beats the likes of spicy buffalo chicken wings or smokey BBQ pork ribs. As a matter of fact, I find cheaper cuts of meat more tantalising, probably because the bone keeps the meat moist. One of my favourite ‘cheap’ cuts is American-style pork ribs, and here is one of my favourite pork ribs recipes:

Ingredients (for 4 hungry adults):

·         4 full racks of American-style pork ribs

For the spice rub:

·        Chinese five spice (if you are unable to find the Chinese five spice ‘blend’, use ground cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star aniseed and black pepper, as these are the five spices that make up the blend)

·        Salt and black pepper

·        Cayenne pepper

·        Olive oil

·        Light soy sauce

For the smokey BBQ sauce:

·         Melted honey (or brown sugar, although honey works better as it blends in better)

·         Tomato ketchup

·         Worcestershire sauce

·         Smoked paprika and/or liquid smoke (I bought my natural hickory smoke online. If you are unable to find this ingredient, just use smoked paprika instead)

·         Salt and black pepper

·         Light soy sauce

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, add one tablespoon of the five spice blend and cayenne pepper, a generous dash of light soy sauce, a sprinkle of salt and pepper (to taste) and olive oil. Mix well to create a ‘wet rub’. NOTE: you can adjust the ratios of the ingredients to your taste
2. Trim the fat off the pork ribs and poke holes in the meat with a fork. Place in a large tray
3. Pour the wet spice rub over the ribs and give them a good massage. Marinate for at least 1 hour (the longer the better)
4. Pre-heat the oven to 150C
5. Place the marinated ribs on an oven rack and pour some water in the tray underneath. The idea is to NOT let the meat be exposed to direct heat. Bake the marinated ribs at 150C till tender. NOTE: this should take approximately 1.5 hours, however, time depends on the thickness of the meat and oven quality. If you wish to speed up the cooking process, cut the full rack into half racks
6. In the meantime, make the smokey BBQ sauce by combining all the ingredients. The best method is ‘trial and error’: try combining 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, and a couple of drops of liquid smoke (OR 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika) and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to begin with, and adjust to taste. The BBQ sauce should be sweet, savoury and slightly tangy, but the flavour profile should suit individual taste. If you wish to make more sauce, just increase the quantity of each part. Combine well and set aside
7. When the ribs are baked to tender in the oven, take them out and smoother them with the BBQ sauce. Leave some to brush over them. Turn the oven to 200C and put ribs back in. NOTE: alternatively you could grill the ribs on a barbecue to achieve better results. Continue to ‘base’ the ribs with the BBQ sauce and cook on both sides until caramelised. If the grill/oven gets too hot, turn the heat down to avoid burning
8. When both sides of the ribs are coated with the sauce and nicely caramelised, take off the heat and rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Before you devour them all, make sure to wear a bib or at least change into a black shirt! 

Spicy, snaky and porky

I always believe that in order for one to learn the authentic flavours from a culture, it is best to go straight to members of that culture and watch how they cook what they eat, as many popular and traditional home-cooked dishes are not found in restaurants. This popular Chinese dish is not a restaurant regular, like many westernized dishes such as sweet and sour pork with pineapple, fried rice with bacon and peas, and so on, but it is one of the most popular home-cooked dishes for the Chinese-it is spicy, snaky and porky, just the way we like it! This quick and delicious dish, served with steamed rice, makes a perfect weeknight dinner, as it is not only quick to make, but also well-balanced with protein (from the pork and tofu) and vegetable (snake beans). This is how I cook my spicy stir-fried snake beans and pork:

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp dark soy
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 500 g snake beans, trimmed and cut into 5-6cm length (note: snake beans are firmer and more difficult to break down than green beans, hence they need to be cooked twice)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 300 g pork mince
• 2-3 pieces of five-spice tofu cakes, cut into strips (note: five-spice tofu cakes are widely available in all Asian grocers. They add texture and body to this dish)
• 2 tsp fermented chili bean sauce (Doubanjiang) OR black bean in chili oil (note: the one on the left in the picture is the black bean sauce in chili oil, and the one on the right is Doubanjiang. Both sauces are widely available in Asian grocers. I personally prefer the black bean sauce in chili oil in this dish)

Method:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a wok on high. Add half of the beans and stirfry for 1-2 minutes. Cover the wok with a lid and cook the beans for further 6-7 minutes, or until tender and slightly brown (note: stir every minute or two to ensure that the beans are cooked evenly). Remove the cooked beans and drain. Add more oil and repeat the same process to cook the remaining beans. Set aside the cooked beans
2. Heat oil on high. Add garlic and shallot and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add pork mince, five-spice tofu strips and chili black bean sauce (note: do not put in too much chili oil, or the dish would become too oily) and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the pork mince is cooked
3. Return beans to the wok. Combine and mix vinegar, soy, corn flour and 2-3 tbsp of water. Add the mixture to the wok to bring everything together and form a sauce. Stirfry for another minute or so, until the sauce coats all the beans, tofu and pork
4. Serve with steamed rice and garnish with some chopped shallots.

The art of Gyoza

The more I learn about food, the more I discover the similarities of cuisines. As discussed in one of my previous posts, everyone enjoys a good sandwich, no matter where we are from. The same thing can be said of the versatile dumpling. The dumpling, like the sandwich, represents an idea, an idea of wrapping a filling in pastry. As ideas can be expanded, stretched and applied in a way that is relevant to the context, there are many varieties of dumplings, from the Italian Ravioli to Chinese Wonton and Japanese Gyoza. While dumplings can be boiled, steamed, pan-fried or deep-fried, I have always fancied the pan-fried version, as the crispy bottom provides a textual boost to the steamed top and the soft and juicy filling. One of my favourite dumplings is Japanese Gyoza, and here is how you can make those culinary delights to impress family and friends!

Japanese pork Gyoza (Yaki Gyoza)

Ingredients (make around 50 pieces):

• 300 grams of fatty pork mince (note: fatty mince will ensure that the gyoza filling is juicy)
• 250 grams of white cabbage, chopped very finely
• 5 shallots, chopped very finely
• 125 grams of garlic chives, chopped very finely
• 1.5 tbsp of light soy sauce
• 1.5 tsp of white sugar
• 2.5 tbsp of Japanese cooking sake (note: you can also use Chinese cooking wine, if you wish to make the Chinese variety)
• White pepper to taste
• 1.5 tbsp of sesame oil
• 2-2.5 tbsp of corn starch (note: the corn starch should help the mince mixture achieve a slightly sticky consistency, as the starch will absorb some of the liquid)
• 2.5 tsp of grated garlic (around 3-4 cloves of garlic)
• 1.5 tsp of grated ginger
• 1.25 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 50 Gyoza wrappers
• Vegetable oil for pan frying

 

Method:

1. Chop the cabbage, shallots and garlic chives finely (as large chunks of vegetables would release too much liquid, hence making the filling too wet for the gyoza wrappers)
2. Grate the garlic and ginger
3. Add grated garlic and ginger, soy, sugar, pepper, sesame oil, corn starch, mirin, sake and oyster sauce to the pork mince. Mix the mince mixture well to reach a slightly sticky consistency (note: this consistency would ensure that the filling stays juicy when cooked). Add the chopped cabbage, shallots and garlic chives to the pork mixture, and mix well. Cover the meat filling with cling wrap and pop in the fridge to rest for 20-30 minutes in order for the pork mixture to absorb the flavours
4. Scoop 1 heap teaspoon of the pork filling onto a Gyoza wrapper. Dip your finger in water and wet one side of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and pleat the damp side of the wrapper, and pinch both sides of the Gyoza together
5. Brush or spray a small amount of vegetable or sesame oil in a heated non-stick frying pan, sit the dumplings in batches in the pan, add enough boiling water to the pan to cover the bottoms of the dumplings (note: if you wish to use cold water, increase the steaming time slightly till the dumplings become translucent). Put the lid on and steam the dumplings on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes, or till the water has evaporated and dumplings begin to sizzle. Add oil to the pan and put the lid back on to cook the dumplings for 1-2 minutes, or until the gyoza bottoms become crispy and golden brown. Remove the gyozas in batches and serve them crispy-side up  
6. Serve gyozas with a dipping sauce, made from mixing 1 tbsp of black vinegar (or balmasic vinegar), 1 tsbp of light soy sauce, and a couple of drops of sesame oil. If you feel extra kinky, you may add a small amount of raw minced garlic and a drop of chilli oil.