Tag: East Asian
Hmong-Style Slow Cooked Pork
Hmong-Style Slow Cooked Pork
Every culture that consumes pork has a slow cooked recipe. Traditionally, this Hmong slow cooked pork uses a whole pigs head and pork knuckles. For this recipe, I used pork shoulder and about 5 pork shoulder bones that I’ve saved in the freezer. You can also use a combination of shoulder and pork belly, pigs feet, knuckle bones, neck bones, and shanks. There are 2 ways that you can cook this pork. You can throw the pork and bones in a slow cooker and let it go on low for 8+ hours. The other route is to simmer the pork and bones in water for 4 hours. Either way you go, you get really tender pork. Pull the bones out of the meat and sauté the pork in its own fat. Add in ginger and mustard greens. Allow them to wilt. Give it a stir and you have some of the most flavorful pork you’ll ever eat.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork shoulder cut into large cubes
- 5 lbs meaty pork bones
- 1 bunch mustard greens washed and chopped
- 1/2 cup ginger peeled and julienned
- salt to taste
- mushroom seasoning to taste
Instructions
- Add the pork and bones to a large pot. Fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 4 hours.
- Strain the meat. Allow the pork to cool for an hour. Pick out the bones and any cartilage. Save the pork stock you just made for future recipes.
- Add the pork into a large sauté pan over medium heat. Allow the pork to cook in its own fat for 30 minutes until browned.
- Season the pork with salt and mushroom seasoning to your liking. Stir in the ginger.
- Add the mustard greens to the top of the pork. Cover and allow the greens to wilt for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the wilted greens. Turn off the heat.
Chinese “Spaghetti Bolognese”
Chinese “Spaghetti Bolognese”
Here is a dish that you won’t find in any Chinese restaurants. Chinese “spaghetti bolognese” is another great example of home cooking that is whipped up in 30 minutes. You can use ground pork, beef, chicken, turkey, and even shrimp as your protein.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry spaghetti prepared according to package directions
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 24 oz ground pork or ground beef
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add in the ground pork and brown for 8 minutes.
- Add in the onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the shaoxing wine, chicken stock, soy sauces, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the peas. Cook for a minute.
- Pour in the slurry. Let thicken for a minute or two.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.
Hokkaido Milk Buns
Hokkaido Milk Buns
Hokkaido milk bread may be of Japanese origins, but it’s eaten all over many Asian countries. The bread can be made in loaf form, free form rolls, braided, filled, or made as pull apart rolls like I did. The bread is fluffy, but dairy heavy, with a milk roux, evaporated milk, and butter add to the dough.
Equipment
- standing mixer with dough hook
- springform pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Whisk 3 tbsp of flour with the whole milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook until a thick paste forms. Take off the heat.
- Tranfser the paste into a bowl and whisk in the evaporated milk.
- Whisk in the egg.
- In the bottom of the standing mixer bowl, activate the yeast with 3 tbsp of warm water for 5 minutes until it’s bubbly.
- Add in the flour and the evaporated milk mixture.
- Usinb the dough hook, mix on medium low speed for 2 minutes.
- Once the dough forms, cover the bowl and let rest for 20 minutes.
- After resting, knead the dough on low speed. Sprinkle in the salt and sugar. Continue kneading for 8 minutes.
- Slowly incorporate 1 tbsp of the butter at a time until the dough absorbs it all.
- Drizzle oil over the dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for an hour.
- Once risen, punch the dough down on a clean surface.
- Roll into a dozen balls.
- Place the dough balls in a well greased springform pan. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Turn the oven down to 350. Put in the pan and bake for 20 minutes.
