Sichuan Spiked Ginger Pork

We all need those recipes we can go to when we are short on time or inspiration, to deliver something delicious, every time. It’s a good way to minimise the temptation to order in, too.

I love this easy pork mince dish, spiked with humming, numbing Sichuan pepper, crunchy celery, and heaps of ginger. It's a cinch to make and can be folded through noodles (I’m loving Korean sweet potato noodles, aka. dangmyeon), or served over steamed jasmine rice. I like to add a little omelette action on the side, which gives the dish a little more body and protein satisfaction.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

2 stalks celery, diced into 1cm cubes

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and julienned, plus a little more for garnish

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 brown onion, finely diced

300g pork mince

3 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine

2 tbsp soy

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Ground white pepper

Sichuan peppercorns

Sichuan pepper oil (aka prickly ash oil)

Sesame seeds, to garnish

Optional

Finely sliced veg. I used a mandoline so that everything is super fine, as I usually let the residual heat from cooking wilt the veg a little, so that there’s still a little texture going on. I like to use mushrooms (in this case, baby King Browns), and zucchini, but you could throw in squash, asparagus, sliced snow peas, etc.

You can also do like I do, and add in an omelette. In this case, I make a thin omelette, rolled it and sliced it, before folding it into my noodles.

Method
In a pan on medium-high heat, sweat finely diced onion, garlic, and ginger in a tsp neutral oil, for 1-2 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add diced celery and stir fry for another minute or so (you want to keep a little crunch for texture). Remove all contents from the pan and return the pan to heat. Add the pork mince with a little oil, and brown the mince.

Add back the aromats you set aside. Add in soy, shaoxing, and sesame oil to taste. Season with ground white pepper, Sichuan pepper. 

At this point, I like to add finely sliced veg like baby King Brown mushrooms and/or zucchini and let them wilt in the residual heat. Remove pan from heat, add a splash of Sichuan pepper oil, garnish with more fresh ginger, and sesame seeds. 

Fold through noodles like these Korean sweet potato ones - I like them because they have a bouncy chew and are conveniently low carb if you’re looking to balance that part of your meal out. You can also serve this minced wonder over steamed jasmine rice and add an omelette or fried egg to seal the deal.

Hong Shao Rou - Sticky Red Braised Pork Belly

Hong shao rou, or red braised pork belly, is a lip-stickingly rich, salty-sweet good time and is a classic Hunanese dish. 

The pork is blanched, then braised in Chinese cooking wine, a combo of soys and aromats (I used ginger, star anise, fennel seed, cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper and cardamom)...until you don't think you're ready for this jelly (bootylicious).

The braising liquor is then reduced to a glossy, coating sauce with rock sugar, resulting in shiny, fatty nuggs of happiness, best served with steamed rice and pickled mustard greens. 

Ingredients

700g pork belly, chopped into 3cm chunks, skin on

300ml shaoxing cooking wine

3 star anise

White pepper

1 tsp fennel seeds

3-4 green cardamom pods, lightly bashed

1 cinnamon quill

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, roughly sliced

1/4 cup light soy

1/4 cup dark soy

60g rock sugar

Method

Place the diced pork belly into a pot and cover with cold water. Bring the pork up to a boil and once the scum starts to rise to the surface, immediately drain the pork and rinse well. Scrub the pot to remove any traces of scum, also. 

Place the pork back in the pot, with enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, the add in the shaoxing, aromats and soy (basically, everything but the sugar). 

Bring the liquid to the boil and then turn down to the heat and place a lid on the pot, a little ajar, so that the liquor can evaporate slightly. Simmer for 1.5 hours, or until the fat hat become gelatinous and the flesh is soft. 

Remove the lid, add the rock sugar and bring the contents up to a high boil. Stir thoroughly several times to ensure the sugar is dissolved. Reduce until the liquid is thickened and coats the pork and the bottom of the pot. Everything should be glossy and coated. 

Serve with steamed jasmine rice, Chinese pickled mustard greens, or slices of fresh tomato. 

Pork Shoulder Ragu

A comfort classic that fills the house with the toothsome aroma of slow cooked meaty goodness. Simple, satisfying and one of my favourite ways to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Ingredients

Olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper

1 pork shoulder, skin removed and roughly cut into chunks around 5-7cm 

1 brown onion, peeled and finely diced

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

2 stalks celery, peeled and finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

3-4 ribbons of lemon peel

3-4 sprigs thyme 

1 tin crushed tomatoes (or you can slow roast a punnet of cherry tomatoes if they’re going south in the fridge to use them up)

2-3 glasses of red wine (you can do this recipe with chicken stock and white wine instead of tomato, and make it a white ragu).

Method

In a large, heavy based pot on a medium to high heat, brown the chunks of pork in olive oil, until golden and sealed on all sides. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, transferring the sealed pieces to a bowl. 

Once the meat is browned, reduce the pan to a medium heat and add another generous slug of olive oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, celery and carrot until the onion is translucent, then throw in the lemon skin and thyme. 

Return the pork to the pot, then add the tomatoes and wine. Stir to combine, then turn the heat back up to high until it begins to simmer. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir to combine, then reduce to a low heat, place the lid on, propped up with a spoon to allow a small amount of evaporation. Simmer on the stove for 4-6 hours, or if your pot is oven proof, transfer to an oven on 120c for the same amount of time, the top loosely covered with foil. 

The pork is ready when you can use a spoon to crush the chunks of pork. Gently smoosh all the pork and incorporate it into the sauce, season to taste. If there is still a lot of liquid left, simmer it on the stove, uncovered, until it is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon.

To serve: cook the pasta to al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. In a frying pan, spoon as much ragu as you plan to serve, along with a good splash of the pasta water. Bring to a simmer and when the mixture begins to bubble and thicken, throw in the pasta. Toss vigorously, to work the starches, creating a glossy sauce. Taste once again to season, then transfer the pasta to the hot plate. Garnish with microplanes parmigiano reggiano, lemon zest and black pepper.

Pork and Prawn Wontons with Black Vinegar and Chilli Oil

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As seen on Channel 10’s Studio 10

I’ve been making this recipe since I was probably about 3. Like many kids who grow up in families who love to cook, you start with the most basic of cooking skills and build from there. From mixing the filling to forming the dumplings and cooking them, it’s the first recipe I remember my mother teaching me… and probably the last one I will forget . Over time, this recipe has evolved and that’s the beauty of it; once you understand the base recipe, you can customise it to your taste. Add chilli, XO, Chinese five spice, add mushrooms to the mix, like most great Chinese recipes, they’re open to a little free will and imagination.

Boil them, steam them or fry them, they’re a sure fire crowd pleaser. Click here to watch me make them while guest playing guest host on Studio 10, Australia’s favourite breakfast television show!

Ingredients

3 stalks shallots (scallions), green part finely chopped

1/2 bunch coriander, very thoroughly washed, stalks and roots very finely chopped, reserve leaves for garnish

1 thumb sized piece ginger, finely grated

1/2 small tin water chestnuts, coarsely chopped

150g green prawn meat, coarsely chopped

500g pork mince (nothing too lean as you need the fat content to make these babies succulent)

2 tbsp Kecap Manis

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp ground white pepper

Salt to taste

1 packet wonton wrappers

Dressing

1 tbsp Kecap Manis

2 tbsp Chinkiang Chinese black vinegar

1 tsp Lau Gan Ma chilli flakes in oil (from any Asian grocer)

Method

In a clean mixing bowl, combine the chopped shallots, coriander, grated ginger, chopped chestnuts, prawns and pork mince. Add the seasoning ingredients and mix well to combine.

Heat a small frypan with some vegetable oil to a medium high heat and fry off a teaspoon of mixture to check the seasoning. Once you have adjusted the dumpling mixture to your liking, you’re ready to make a batch!

Assemble the wontons by filling each wonton with about one teaspoon of mixture and sealing two adjacent sides with water to form a triangle. Make sure the edges are completely sealed to avoid unfortunate explosions if you fry, and to keep all the flavour and juiciness where it should be. If you want to get fancy, wet the two longest corners of the triangle and squeeze them together to make a tortellini shape (as pictured). Continue until all the mixture has been used up (though I love using this dumpling filling recipe as meatballs, or in a stir fry, too).

Heat a pan of water and place an oiled bamboo steamer on top. Steam the dumplings for 10 minutes or until the mixture is cooked through and the pastry is tender). While the dumplings are steaming, mix the dressing ingredients to taste. Dress the wontons in a bowl and then transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with more sauce and the reserved coriander leaves. 

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Tom Yum Sausage Rolls

I feel like...

• #BringBackTheClassics
• Apple crumble
• As Seen On TV
• Asian Food
• Aussie Classics
• Avocado
• Bacon
• Baking
• Beans
• Beef
• Beef Rendang
• Berries
• Butterbeans
• Cabbage
• Cake
• Carrot
• Cashew
• Caviar
• Chai
• Cheap
• Chez Dre
• Chicken
• Chickpea
• Chilli
• Chilli Oil
• Chinese
• Chocolate
• Coconut Crack Bars
• Comfort Food
• Coriander
• Curry
• Dairy Free
• Dan Dan Noodles
• Dessert
• Dim Sum
• Dressing
• Drinks
• Dumplings
• Eas
• Easy Recipes
• Eat Your Weeds
• Egg
• Eggs
• Eggwhite
• Everyday Gourmet
• Floss
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Gluten Free
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As published for SBS Food for #BringBackTheClassics

Adding a Thai twist to one of Australia’s favourite meaty pastries, lemongrass and ginger add zing, while the shrimp paste and coriander adds to that savour flavour we all love. Best of all, you already know this recipe…just add (tom) YUM!

Makes: About 16 rolls 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Chilling/freezing time: 20 minutes

Level of difficulty: easy

Ingredients

 500 g pork and veal mince

2 tbsp tom yum paste

1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp potato starch

½ tsp ground white pepper

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, partially thawed

1 egg

Nuoc cham (or if you’re feeling super Aussie, sweet chilli) sauce, to serve

Method

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mince, tom yum paste, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, potato starch and white pepper and mix well with clean hands to combine until everything is emulsified. Throwing the mixture vigorously against the side of the bowl or on a clean bench top will help. Work quickly, keeping the mixture as cool as possible, then cover and refrigerate until needed. When you are ready to assemble, place a sheet of thawed puff pastry onto a clean surface and cut in half, lengthways.

Remove the sausage mixture from the fridge and roll a log about 2.5cm in thickness and place it lengthways onto the pastry, closer to one edge. Carefully roll the pastry, making sure the filling is snug to the pastry with no gaps, and seal the edge where the pastry meets with egg yolk. Set aside in freezer to allow the mixture to firm up.

Repeat until you have used all of the filling. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200˚C. Remove the sausage roll logs from the freezer and allow them to thaw slightly. Cut into desired size, brush with remaining egg yolk and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Set aside to cool slightly, then watch them disappear!

Note

Tom yum paste can be found in the Asian aisle of most major supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. Because the paste is very salty, there’s no real need to season with additional salt. These sausage rolls work really from frozen to the oven, so make a batch ahead of time and just pop them in the oven when unexpected hungry visitors come calling.

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