Peking Style Shredded Pork

Ingredients

350g pork, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon baking soda
green shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pork Marinade 

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
1½ teaspoons chicken stock powder
1 teaspoon cornflour
pinch of ground white pepper

Sauce 

2 tablespoons spicy bean paste sauce 
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sugar

Method

Marinate the pork with the baking soda for 10 minutes and then rinse clean the pork thoroughly of the baking soda. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and then marinate with the Chinese cooking wine, chicken stock powder, corn flour and ground white pepper. Mix well and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

In a sauté pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of oil on high heat. Add pork and stir fry until half cooked, about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Using the same sauté pan, reduce to medium heat. Add bean paste sauce, water and sugar. Sauté until sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Add back the pork to sauté until fully cooked. Sprinkle over the sliced green onions. Serve with rice.

Rolled Oat Biscuits

I ate some rolled oat biscuits at a Xmas family gathering and loved them. Have been wanting to recreate them ever since and finally got around to doing some baking today. They were actually quite easy to make!

Ingredients

180g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar 
1 cup flour, plus extra
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150ºC.  Line and grease 2 large oven baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a cake mixer, beat well for about 5 minutes. Sift over the flour, baking powder, ginger and mixed spice. Add rolled oats, fold these in by hand. 
3. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk, then mix thoroughly into mixture.  
4. Roll about ½ tablespoonfuls (about walnut size pieces) of the oat mixture into balls and place, about 5cm apart, on the prepared trays. Press down slightly with your hand or a floured fork.
5. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Biscuits will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes & Tips

• Brown sugar helps give the biscuit a browner and richer flavour. It also helps hold in moisture and makes the biscuits softer and chewier. If you prefer a crunchier biscuit, replace with caster sugar instead
• Make sure that the biscuits are totally cooled before you put them away.
• To keep your biscuits soft and chewy, place them in a sealed container with a slice of bread. The biscuits will draw moisture from the bread making it nice and soft again. The bread will become hard in a few days though so be sure to change it. This trick also works if you have hard sugar.

Shredded Pork with Carrot & Garlic Shoots

This is a Chinese home-style dish. The pork in this dish is smooth and tender, whilst the garlic shoots & carrot are fresh and crunchy. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

250g-300g lean pork fillet

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 bunch garlic shoots, cut into 5cm long sections

1 carrot, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon cornflour

salt and white pepper powder

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

Step 1: Marinate the pork with the baking soda for 10 minutes and then rinse the pork thoroughly (make sure the pork is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda). Pat the pork dry with paper towels and then marinate with the soy sauce, sugar and cornflour. Add a pinch of salt and white pepper powder. Mix well and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

Step 2: Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, swirling to coat sides. Add the pork and stir-fry until the meat turns pale yellow in colour. Remove them from the wok put into a dish, and set aside.

Step 3: Add the remaining vegetable oil into the wok. Add the carrot strips and garlic shoots and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add some salt and pepper powder, and stir-fry for 10 seconds more. Add the stir-fried pork and stir them well. Turn off the heat. Serve with rice