Japanese Night - Teriyaki Pork Loin and Agadeshi

These are first 2 Japanese dishes that I learnt and after a few tries, I am getting them just about right I think, thought I believed there are some 'tweaks" that can make them taste like an authentic Japanese dishes.

As I found out, cooking Japanese dishes is not that difficult to begin with.  You don't have to re-stock your kitchen, you only need to stock up these three most basic ingredients :

1. Hon Mirin - a sweet fortified liquor made from rice, used exclusively in Japanese cooking
2. Soy source - Try get the Japanese soy sauce, rather than Chinese which have more salt and 'stronger'
3. Cooking Sake/Ryorishu - similar to western white cooking wine but made with rice. It is used to marinades and made sauces.

In addition to the above 3 essential ingredients. I also stocked bonito flakes (katsuo bushi) which I used to make dashi stock.  Bonito flakes is commonly used with tofu, balanced spinach, and so on.

Both of the recipes were from Just One CookBook .  For detail and full recipe, just drop in.

Here are some of the learning I gained from making these dishes.
Agadeshi

• The key is to dry/dehydrate the tofu sufficiently i.e the surface look dried.  This mean planned ahead. If the tofu is not sufficiently dried, the coating of the corn starch will become very messy and difficult to handle.  When I made it for the 1st time, I have to coat and re-coat the corn starch as it keep 'melt' away and the end-result was a tofu with thick corn starch casting that wasn't that good tasting.
• My preferred way to dehydrate the tofu is to drain all the water and leave it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
• Full recipe is here

Teriyaki Pork Loin

• Honestly, I still have not achieve the soft and tender type of pork that I am looking for.  I am still looking ways to make the pork loin softer to chew with.  What I have done so far is  to hit and flattens the meat before frying it.  I reckon rubbing it with corn starch may help tenderize the meat further, which I am going to try next time.
• Overall, this is a very satisfying and appealing dish - it got the protein and vege.
• Full recipe is here

Give these 2 dishes a try.  They are much easy then you think.

© copyright fiddling with recipe 2011

Khau Yoke Recipe (Pork Belly Cooked with Taro) 客家芋头扣肉

If you like this dish and have not try making it before, give it a try!  It is actually easier than you think as I found out from my first ever attempt.

After steaming for 3 hours, my end product is a melt in your mouth pork with creamy yam.  Having say that, I could have made it with more gravy/source and maybe add a few more spices for a richer taste.  But overall, I have no complain and were happy with it.

The basic steps in cooking Hakka Khau Yoke (Pork Belly Cooked with Taro) in sequence are:

1. Blanching (2-3 minutes)
2. Marinating (30 minutes)
3. Frying (15 min, give or take)
4. Making steaming sauce (10 minutes)
5. Sandwiching yam and pork (10 minutes)
6. Steaming ( ideally 3 hours - you don't have to do anything)

Don't be fool by the long hours needed, the active kitchen time is around 20-30 minutes. You are going to have a lot of idle time during marinating and steaming.

Ingredients are simple and you don't have to buy any special, hard to find spices.  Basically you need the following (serves 3-4 person)

Core ingredients

1. 300g strip of Pork belly (五花肉或三层肉) ideally about 5-7 cm in width which will then cut cross section to slices. 
2. Yam (taro) - medium size
3. Nam Yue (preserved red beancurd) - 1 1/2 cub

For Marinating Pork Belly
Coat/rub the pork belly with the following

• Dark soy sauce - 1/2-1 tbs
  
• Chinese 5 spices - 2 tsp

Making steaming sauce
This will be the sauce to pour over the pork belly and yam for steaming

• 3/4 cup – 1 cup water (add more water if you prefer more sauce)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• dash of pepper
• pinch of Chinese 5 spice powder
• 1 tsp soya sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp Shao Hsing Wine
• 1/2 cube nam yue 
• 1/2 tsp thick soy sauce

Things I learned

• The steaming sauce is very important, it enhanced the overall package of yam and the pork belly, and yes, it make a super tasting gravy with white rice. May be next time I would consider adding others flavourings agents like five spice powder, pepper, onion, ginger, oyster sauce, fish sauce , sesame oil, shao hsing wine (I do not use this since this is my 1st time)
• There was another version that fried all the flavoring ingredients and  coat them on the pork belly (after deep frying) and yam before steaming.  I believe this method may produce a stronger tasting dish!
• Very useful tips on how to handle the yam, the pork belly and the selection of dish for steaming is here.

Marinate Pork Belly after blanching for 30 minutes

Slice and fried yam into sizes
to match with the pork belly

Slicing pork belly after deep frying. 
Don't worry if still uncooked for now

Arranging yam and pork belly for steaming
(3 hours for maximum tenderness)