Mum's Experiments: Char Siu Baby Pork Ribs

Yet another one of Mum's recipes: Char Siu Baby Kurobuta Pork Ribs!

Mum managed to get some baby Kurobuta pork ribs from the market when they were testing the market. She marinated the pork with Char Siu sauce and a little Red Yeast for added sweetness. We used the ever-versatile Turbo Cooker to roast! YUMS!



When it came out hot from the Turbo, I was the privileged one to taste-test it first! It was so tender!! It was really juicy and had just the right "bite" to it! Unfortunately, the marinade was slightly overwhelming, and I couldn't taste the juices of the meat. I suggested that instead of a heavier marinade, a simple salt-pepper-garlic seasoning would be just sufficient. (:



My biggest gripe was that there is just too little meat to relish! Aww..! :P

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Dong Dae Mun Korean Street Snacks

Dong Dae Mun is a kiosk chain selling Korean Street Snacks like Jumbo Sausages, Korean Rice Cakes, Meat Balls on Skewers, Grilled Chicken and Beef Skewers with Hot Sauce and Crispy Chicken Skewers. Here's what we tried from the kiosk at Junction 8's basement.

(Left to Right) Meat Balls, Crispy Chicken, Pork and Chicken Skewers

The food's quite novel, but you must eat it immediately! It turned hard and unappetising after we brought it home. The Jumbo Sausages were so tempting, but a voice reminded me of an equally jumbo amount of sodium. :(

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DIY: Surf 'n Turf Kushiyaki

I love all things grilled, especially flame-grilled or charcoal-grilled meats and carbs. Kushiyaki is the Japanese rendition of our Singaporean Satay, which is charcoal-grilled meats and other food on skewers or bamboo sticks.

At Japanese restaurants you can sometimes get awesome cuts and grades of meat. My favourites are the beef karubi and tongue (gyu tan). Every kushiyaki chef also takes pride in his "Tare" (タレ) marinade. For premium marbled beef, just a sprinkle of sea salt is sufficient! The only thing we can't emulate at home is the charcoal grill so we had to use a hot pan instead.

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DIY: Kurobuta Teppanyaki

Whilst eating around Orchard yesterday, we decided to look around Isetan especially since they had a Nigiwai Japanese fair going on currently. The Shittake Mushrooms blew me and Mum away-- Juicy, Aromatic and full of Umami. And that wasn't the only reason it blew us away; the price tag did as well. :P I also discovered a little gem: カゴメ野菜生活100 Kagome 100% Fruit and Vegetable Juice I tried the Pink Version, and it was really surprisingly delicious! Without salt, sugar or sweeteners, it still tasted sweet and delightful! Tasted a little like berry yoghurt juice; this drink gets a two thumbs up from a Anti-Veggie teen like me! :P

Anyway, you came here to look at Kurobuta Teppanyaki, so here it is:

I was surprised when I saw this on sale at Isetan-- It looked uncannily like... BEEF! Kurobuta refers to meat from the Berkshire Pig, and you can get them from US, Taiwan and Japan. This one came from US. I marinated it in a little Tare, and sizzled it on a hotplate.



This was so good! It had a good bite to it, yet not tough, and went very well with fluffy white rice! Very flavourful, and though rather oily, this kind of fat is the epitome of guilty pleasure! :P

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Recipe: Pan-Grilled Beef Tenderloin

I was lazy to take the MRT down to Novena, so I settled for an Australian Beef Tenderloin ($8/170g) from NTUC. Tenderloins are tender (as the name suggests), but also relatively lean and less flavourful. The cuts are also usually small but thick, so it's harder for the heat to cook the insides of the meat. As much as I like my steaks medium-rare, I don't want to get salmonellosis.

I used a light herb baste with a hint of red wine. Spread the baste evenly over the meat just before grilling.


Herb and Red Wine Baste
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Thyme
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2/3 tbsp crushed Parsley
1/2 tbsp Cooking Red Wine

Grilling: Ground Black Pepper and Salt

1. Heat up the grill pan on high heat. Meanwhile, baste the meat evenly.

2. Put the meat on the grill pan and leave it untouched for 5 to 7 minutes. (for 3 to 4 cm thickness) Do not press the steak or the juices will escape.

3. When the meat has turned a dark char with nice grill-marks, sprinkle some black pepper and/or salt, and turn it over using a pair of tongs.

4. Once flipped over, sprinkle some black pepper and/or salt on this side. Leave it on the grill depending on thickness and preference.

5. Remove the steak onto a (preferably) warm plate and let it rest for 4 to 5 minutes. This allows the juices inside to redistribute.

6. Serve with garnishing and vegetables. (:



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The Real McCoy: Ni Tamago!

Following the previous unexpected surprise with my attempt at making Ni Tamago, I tried making the real, authentic one this time. Taking extra care at my timing, I finally did it! A successful, authentic Ni Tamago!



The recipe is similar to the previous, except I boiled the eggs for a minute longer (6 minutes). Also, I added mirin to the braising liquid, lending a hint of sweetness.

Click here for Chubby Hubby's recipe.

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Experiment: Sweet Honey-Baked Wings

Something I experimented with a few days ago. It turned out a little stickier than I expected, and I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, so it wasn't tasty enough. I ended up using the toaster instead of the oven. But I thought it was a pretty good attempt. (: You can add some chilli pepper to make it spicy.

Ingredients:
6-8 chicken mid wings
Olive oil for coating

Marinade:
3 heaped tbsp honey
2 tbsp mexican chilli powder
3 tbsp garlic powder
2 1/2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp Worchestire sauce
Juice of 1/3 medium lemon
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Some crushed parsley



1. Mix the ingredients of the marinade together in a bowl and put the chicken wings in.
2. Mix the marinade with the chicken wings well with hands, then leave it in refrigerator for at least two hours.



3. Pre heat the oven to 200 C. Bake the wings until they are cooked and turn golden brown.
4. Drizzle a little parsley on top and serve while hot!



Aunt also made some (lightly salted) fried potato wedges to go with the wings! Delicious! (:

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Recipe: Pan-seared Rack of Lamb

Ingredients
2 pcs French Cut Rack of Lamb

Marinade:
2 heaped tbsp Herbs of Provence (small individual packets available at MMMM! for 50c each)
1 tbsp Cooking Red Wine
1/4 cup minced onion
a pinch of black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
dash of parsley/dried thyme/mint leaves
1/2 tsp salt [hb: do not add to marinade; sprinkle before serve]

Method

Pre heat the pan on high heat. Meanwhile, brush the Marinade all over the Rack of Lamb. if you have some time, make some extra marinade and leave the Rack of Lamb in the marinade for a while.



Put the Rack of Lamb on the pan when it's very hot. Leave it on one side for about 3 minutes or so, then turn over. For mine, I left it on the pan for about 3 and a half minutes on the other side. Touch the meat with a pair of tongs. It shouldn't be too squishy. For a first-timer like me, it's alright to undercook it because you can bring it back to the pan again. Take note of the timing so you can cook it to your preference next time.

Serve it hot on a plate. You might want to have some vegetables or garnishing. I'm not sure if you should leave it there for the juices to disperse (in the case of beef steak), so please do advise me on this. (: ...And there you have it--Bon Appetit!



*I go to Meidi-ya for their Rack of Lamb because it's not too fat and tender since the lamb is young (<1 year). They have pre-cuts or a whole rack at the counter for $9+/100g. The price is quite reasonable because they weigh it after they cut away all the fats.

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