Slow-cooked Pork Belly #glutenfree #asiancooking #chinese

Slow-cooked Pork Belly has been a popular Chinese dish for longer than a century. Slow cook the pork belly in soy sauce and sugar, leaving the meat soft and melt in your mouth. Serve with a bowl of steamed rice... delicious!! To reduce cooking time I use a pressure cooker,but the same result can be achieved from simply slow cooking, using a large saucepan or boiler on the stove, for a longer period of time.

Ingredients:

1.5 kg Pork Belly (if possible, choose one that has be de-boned)
2 cups Broccoli or Bok Choy
1 Spring Onion
2cm Ginger, crush with knife
2cm Cinnamon Stick
3 Cloves
2 Star Anise
1 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Dark Soy Sauce (add extra for a richer colour)
2 tablespoons Rice Wine


Method:

Cut pork belly to 5x5cm pieces, tie tightly in parcel form.
Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain dry.
Place pork belly and all ingredients (expect broccoli) into the pressure cooker, add water to cover 60% of meat.
Close the lid, cook for approximately 45 minutes.
Gently remove the cooked meat, and place into a large pan (The parcels break up easily)
Drain the sauce into the pan as well.
Cook on high heat to reduce and thicken the sauce.
Turn the pork parcels 3-4 times during this process to ensure they are evenly coloured.
If pork belly is already sufficiently soft but the sauce still not thickened, carefully remove the parcels to a plate. Then continue boiling the sauce until sufficiently reduced (about 30% left). Add meat to the pan at the last minute.
Cook broccoli in boiling water for a few minutes.
Remove the broccoli into ice water, drain.
Remove the cooking string from the pork belly.
Plate up with broccoli.
Place sauce around the plate.
Serve with steam rice or Chinese steamed bun.
Serves 3-5.

Contact: lee.leehocklai@gmail.com

Pan Fried Chicken with Crumbed Brie, Pesto Mash, and Boysenberry, Plum Sauce #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipe

This beautifully presented main meal is sure to be a hit at any dinner party. The contrasting textures along with the complementary colours makes this dish a winner. It not only looks good but, tastes fabulous as well.

Pan Fried Chicken with Crumbed Brie

Ingredients:

3 Chicken Breasts
3 wedges Brie or Camembert Cheese
1 cup gluten-free Bread Crumb
1 Egg - lightly beaten
1/3 cup Milk
2 tablespoons gluten-free Plain Flour
Zest from 1 Lemon
1 teaspoon Chopped Parsley
30g Butter
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 190C
Lightly salt and pepper both sides of chicken breast.
Heat a pan with some olive oil.
Pan fry chicken on medium-high heat until both side golden brown.
Add butter and place in oven until cooked inside - the cooking time may vary according to the size of chicken. (I cooked about 8 minutes on the stove then 4 minutes in oven.)
Pour some cooking oil into another pan - the oil covering half or all the Brie cheese is best.
Beat milk and eggs together.
Add lemon zest and chopped parsley into the bread crumbs, mix well.
Toss the Brie in a little flour. 
Place into the milk-egg mixture, then roll with bread crumbs.
When the oil is hot enough (about 190C), deep fry both side until golden brown and crispy. Remember the oil must be very hot as it only takes about 3 minutes to fry cheese - otherwise it will start to melt and break up.

Pesto Mash

Ingredients:

3 medium Potatoes -  peeled
1/4 cup Thickened Cream
20g Butter
1.5 tablespoon Basil Pesto (Check our home-made Basil Pesto from our blog or buy Barilla brand)
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Boil potatoes until soft - mash.
Add cream, butter, pesto, salt and pepper 
It takes about 20 minutes to make pesto mash, begin making your Boysenberry Plum Sauce while waiting for the potatoes to cook.

 Boysenberry Plum Sauce 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Dried Boysenberries
1/3 cup White Wine or Sweet Sherry
1/2 cup Plum Sauce
1 tablespoon Plum Jam
20g Butter
Pinch of Salt, if necessary

Method:

Soak the dried boysenberries in the wine for 30 minutes (If using fresh boysenberries, there is no need to soak, simply place them into the boiling sauce in last few minutes).
Drain wine into saucepan, boil with plum sauce and jam on medium heat. 
Add butter and boysenberries, set aside.

Plating up!
 
Place some hot pesto mash on the side of the plate. Add chicken and Brie. Pour the warm boysenberry plum sauce over the top.  Add some grilled asparagus and crispy sweet potato chips.
To make crispy sweet potato chip, peel 1 sweet potato, shave thin with potato peeler. Deep fry in hot oil (before frying cheese) on medium heat until brown and crispy. Place on paper towel and toss with some salt.

Contact: lee.leehocklai@gmail.com