One day, my hub and I were talking about what to cook for our weekend dinner. He said to make braised dishes. So I recall what we have in the fridge so as to reduce food wastage. There are frozen pork belly in our fridge. Time to use it man. The only thing I bought was the tofu puffs and fish cake. The rest of the ingredients and seasoning are existing stuff in the kitchen.
As usual, this pot of braised sauce will be of two (2) uses in a day. One is served as our breakfast porridge by pouring the sauce over, topped with ingredients. And the other will be served as a dish with a bowl of rice or noodles as preferred by you.
Do note that we started cooking this pot of braising sauce one day before and so only when you wanna have it, then you put the ingredients in to boil and simmer.
Do note that we started cooking this pot of braising sauce one day before and so only when you wanna have it, then you put the ingredients in to boil and simmer.
Ingredients:
500g pork belly, sliced
4 eggs, boiled and shelled
10 fried tofu puffs
Spicy white fish cake (not the fried type)
Spring onions, for garnishing (optional)
Braised Sauce Seasoning:
4 cups of water
1 cup of Tai Hua Chinese Braising Sauce
50 g rock sugar cubes (I added another handful to even the taste)
6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 small ginger, sliced
1 tbsp of Chinese Five Spice Powder
Preparation:
- Wash pork belly and soak in salt water for 15 mins.
- Cut away the fatty part (the skin) and slice the remaining meat. Set aside.
- Halve each tofu puffs. Blanch them over the heat for 1 min. Set aside.
- In the boiling water, put in the eggs for 15 mins. Off the heat to let it cool.
Method:
- In the pot of water, add the Braised Sauce Seasoning and put to boil for 15 mins.
- Add in the pork belly meat. Put to simmer for 1 hour and off the heat.
- When about to eat, add in tofu puffs, eggs and fish cake. Simmer for 20 - 30 mins.
- Off the heat. Ready to serve with chopped spring onions.
Braised Porridge
Well... like I say I love it when I can maximize the use of whatever I cook every weekend, which my hub agrees and put forward ideas. And because right now, he has a habit of wanting porridge and fried noodles for breakfast a.k.a brunch on weekends, the pot of braised sauce is put into use again.
As usual, if you have read my previous post, I grind my rice grains. Throw into a separate pot and boil. While plain porridge is a boo-hoo, I pour a ladle or two of the braised sauce over and mix. Although it may not taste flavourful yet, when you are about to have your porridge, pour over another ladle or two of braised sauce. Topped with tofu puff and that melts-in-your-mouth pork belly, garnish with spring onions, you are ready to eat.
Further saving, my hub brought back left-over fried chicken wings and drumlets from my in-law's hse after the previous night's dinner. We have it along with our porridge. An indeed full savoury breakfast cum lunch.
After Thoughts
I have to say that this braised sauce that we cook from scratch taste a little bitter sweet in the beginning to sweet in the end. That is where you even out the taste with rock sugar. Hub said is a little too sweet for a braised sauce but I find it otherwise. Towards the end of the pot, it tastes saltier. So just end water and boil again.
The following day after the first boil, it smells like a plate of braised ingredients that we have along with Kway Chup. So nice. That makes me miss having Kway Chup. Yumz. Bring me for a Kway Chup meal please...
And if you wanna know why the melts-in-your-mouth pork belly? That is because it has been boiled for very long (although the Method states 1 hour) with on and off boiling through out the day. How not to melt?
The following day after the first boil, it smells like a plate of braised ingredients that we have along with Kway Chup. So nice. That makes me miss having Kway Chup. Yumz. Bring me for a Kway Chup meal please...
And if you wanna know why the melts-in-your-mouth pork belly? That is because it has been boiled for very long (although the Method states 1 hour) with on and off boiling through out the day. How not to melt?
Recipe adapted from: Lor Mee by The MeatMen