BRAISED MASALA CURRY SPARE RIBS

Just adding a bit of garam masala and curry powder to the usual soy sauce meat dish does make a change to the flavor and taste.  I  prepared this for Chinese New Year meals.   Love this dish because I can cooked long before meal time,  there is no rush forlast minute cooking.  All I need to do is to reheat it, add some freshly cut red and green chillies or capsicum, bring all to boil in a claypot.  Awesome dish for family , relatives and friends coming for lunch or dinner.

Tasty and delicious with a light aroma of masala and a spicy taste of the curry depending on how much you have added these 2 seasoning.

Ingredients

500 gm meaty spare ribs or shoulder neck ribs – cut bite size pieces

Some red and green chillies or capsicum – cut wedges

Several slices of ginger
some sliced carrots

5-6 pips garlic – skinned and halved

1 tbsp cooking wine

Marinade

2 tbsp each of light soy sauce and oyster sauce

¼ tsp salt to taste

1 tsp sugar to taste

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp meat curry powder

1 tsp cooking oil

1. Marinate ribs with marinade.  Mix well and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat a non stick wok with some oil, sauté garlic and ginger until aromatic.
3. Add in marinated ribs, stir to mix well.  Cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes before adding enough water to cover ingredients.
4. Bring to boil, cover with lid and simmer for 40-45 minutes or until meat is tender and gravy has reduced.
5. Stir in carrots, red and green chillies, cooking wine.  Cook for 1 minute.
6. Serve immediately.
   

 

PAN FRIED AND BRAISED PORK BELLY SLICES

Prepared this simple dish for Chinese New Year.  Simple but awesome. 

The meat slices are tender but has a bite with the sweet aroma of the braising sauce.  Great to serve wrap with a piece of leafy salad greens.

Are you tempted to pick up a slice to try right away?  I did.

Recipe adapted from this You-tube with modifications
Ingredients

400 gm pork belly meat with skin [keep whole]

1 stalk spring onions - knotted

a few slices of ginger and garlic

1 tbsp rock sugar

hot water

Seasoning

2 tbsp light soy sauce

salt to taste

1. Bring a wok of water to boil.  Blanch pork belly for about 5-10 minutes or until firm.  Removed and rinsed with water.  Cut into square or rectangular blocks of about 2 inch width.
2. Heat up a non stick wok [without oil], sear the skin side to brown a little.  Removed and cut into about 1/2 cm thick slices.
3. Using the same wok, pan fry meat slices in single layer without oil until slightly charred.  Removed meat and excess oil.
4. Place rock sugar in a clean wok to caramelize, add in the fried meat slices.  Fry to mix caramel with meat, add in light soy sauce. 
5. Stir fry so that the meat slices are coated with sauce.  Pour in enough hot water to cover meat. Add in ginger, garlic and spring onions.  Bring to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or more until meat is tender but chewy and until sauce is reduced to thick. Season with some salt to taste.
6. Dish up to serve.  Garnish with some spring onions.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

STIR FRY TOFU PUFFS WITH BLACK FUNGUS

This is a  vegetarian dish which I will be preparing  for Chinese New Year meal.  As in previous years, there is a need to cook vegetarian dishes for my hubby’s siblings when they come visiting.  More and more of his siblings and relatives are on vegan meals.  Some are for religious reasons while others are for their love of vegetarian dishes.

This  can be  ‘cin cai’ cooked dish as you can adjust the seasoning according to the portion of tofu puffs you wish to cook.  It tastes a bit of a ‘hot’ with the dried red chillies and ginger but definitely appetizing serving it with rice.

Ingredients

200 gm tofu puffs [taupok] – halved

Some red and green chillies or capsicums – cut wedges

1 bowl  soaked black fungus

30 gm red carrot – peeled and sliced

Some chopped ginger

4-5 dried chillies – soaked and cut small pieces

½ tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning

1 tbsp each light soy sauce and oyster sauce

½ tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

½ tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water

1. Bring some water to boil, blanched black fungus for 1 minute.  Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a non stick wok, sauté ginger  and dried chillies until aromatic.
3. Add in tofu puffs and carrots.  Stir to mix well.  Add in seasoning ingredients and black fungus.
4. Stir fry for another minute, add some water to bring out the flavours.
5. Add in chillies, stir to mix well then thicken with cornstarch water.
6. Dish up to serve.