Pork Belly Stewed in Dark Soy Sauce (Tau Yew Bak) Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

Pork belly chunks is braised in an aromatic dark sauce flavored with star anise, cinnamon, white pepper and whole bulbs of garlic. Pork belly stewed in dark soy sauce (Tau Yew Bak) is a memorable nostalgia Chinese provincial dish that went on national scale. Though simple, it never disappoints our tastebuds with its intense flavors and spice.

When talking about nostalgic country style homecooked food, this comfort homey dish - pork belly stewed in soy sauce (Tau Yew Bak in Hokkien) will naturally comes into my mind. This is part of my mum's legacy and I must say I grew up with this. Pork belly stewed in dark soy sauce is a very Penang Hokkien dish and its popularity has even reached our Teochew kitchen. The dish may vary in every Chinese kitchen with different cooking styles, as cooking this family tradition dish is intuitive, liberating and improvisational instead of following a set of strict instructions from a recipe.

Learning how to cook can be a daunting task, but not with this how to recipe. Whilst some Hokkien homes like to use five-spice powder for marinade, I prefer star anise and cinnamon stick. You can add in some amount of fried bean curds (tau kua in Hokkien) and Chinese mushrooms to have a more substantial dish. For those weight watchers, this sinful and cholesterol laden pork belly can be substituted with chicken or lean pork.

Ingredients :

600g pork belly with gelatinous skin, cut into 1 inch length or bite-sized pieces (五花肉或三层肉)
4 whole bulbs of garlic, keep whole with papery skin peeled off
1 piece of star anise
1 piece of cinnamon stick, roughly 5cm in length
4 hard boiled eggs, with shells removed
Some water

Marinade :
4 tbsp of soy sauce
4 tbsp thick dark soy sauce
1/2 cup of rock sugar (can be substituted with brown sugar or 3 tbsp castor sugar)
1/2 tsp white pepper

Method :

1. Marinate pork belly slices with soy sauce, thick dark soy sauce, rock sugar and white pepper for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight in refrigerator. 

2. Heat up a claypot. Without adding any oil, pour the marinated pork and the excess marinade into the claypot, keep stirring the pork to prevent scorching. Add in in the whole garlic, keep stirring until the gravy is thickened and the pork belly slices are tender.

3. As soon as sugar begin to caramelize, add just enough water to cover the pork and garlic. Bring to boil, reduce to low heat and stew for 40 minutes (with the claypot lid covered) or until the liquid is reduced to about half its amount. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.

4. Add in hard boiled eggs (with shell removed). Coat the eggs with sauce mixture and toss frequently. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Add some water (if required) to prevent the sauce from drying up. Taste and add additional soy sauce or salt as desired.

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Yong Tau Foo Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

This is a Malaysian famous Yong Tau Foo recipe that hubby and I made another day with a twist to traditional Yong Tau Foo dishes (Yong Tau Foo is stuffed tofu, chilli, eggplant and okra with fish paste). Instead of using fish mousse or fish paste as stuffing ingredients, our home-made Yong Tau Foo are customized to use grounded pork belly meat which replaced the fishy taste to earthy flavor of pork. While traditional Yong Tau Foo usually drenched in a clear and soupy broth, we have our Yong Tow Foo deep-fried until the grounded meat turned to brownish color (with bitter taste of bitter gourd and aubergine removed) and later brought to steam to ensure the stuffing ingredients are thoroughly cooked, excess oil removed and the textures of chilli, eggplant and okra are soften.

Learn how to make a simple homestyle Yong Tau Foo (tofu and vegetables stuffed with grounded pork Meat) using recipe below.

酿豆腐食谱

Ingredients :

3 large okras (ladies fingers), slit lengthwise in the middle, remove seeds and veins (for stuffing later), do not slice all the way through
3 large red chillies, slit lengthwise in the middle, remove seeds and veins (for stuffing later), do not slice all the way through
½ bitter gourd, cut into ½ inch thick slices, remove white core
½  large Chinese eggplant (aubergine or brinjal), remove stem, cut into 1½ inch slices
1 piece firm tofu (soy bean curd), slice horizontally into halves to form a pocket
2 cups vegetable oil

Ingredients for Stuffing :

400g grounded pork belly meat
1 tbsp cornstarch
½  tsp salt mixed with 2 tbsp water
1 tsp soy sauce
½  tsp freshly-gounded white pepper
½  tsp sesame oil

Method :

1. Using a blender, grind 400g pork belly meat while adding a bit of salt water slowly. In a mixing bowl, add sesame oil, soy sauce, white pepper and corn flour, stir well in one direction to combine and mix into a sticky paste with a springy texture. This forms the stuffing paste for Yong Tau Foo.

2. For vegetables and tofu preparation :

• Slice firm tofu (bean curd) through the center to form a pocket to tuck in the stuffing paste later.
• Slice bitter gourd into ½ inch thick slices, remove white core. This leaves an empty ring in the middle to be stuffed with stuffing paste later.
• Cut Chinese eggplant [aubergine or brinjal] into 1½ inch slices. Then cut across in the middle with even thickness to form an opening for stuffing later, be careful not to slice all the way through .
• Slit ladies fingers and red chilies lengthwise in the middle, remove seeds and veins (for stuffing later), be careful not to slice all the way through.

Pat dry with paper towels for stuffing and deep-frying later.

3. Stuff with grounded meat paste using a butter knife but make sure that you do not over-stuff them. Else the stuffing ingredients will disassociate and fall off the vegetables and tofu during deep-frying.

4. Add 2 cups of vegetable oil in a large heavy skillet, when the oil turns hot (make sure oil starts to bubbles), deep-fry the stuffed Yong Tau Foo until the grounded pork meat turns into brownish color on both sides. Dish up and drain on paper towels to discard excess oil.

5. Transfer to a steaming plate for steaming. Steam for 5 minutes to ensure all the stuffing ingredients are well-cooked and to soften the textures of chillies, okras and sliced eggplants. Yong Tau Foo are now ready to be served with Thai chilli dipping sauce and they go well with white steamed rice.

Cooking Tips :

• Chinese eggplants are available in several varieties. They are long, curved and slightly wider at one end. Choose Chinese eggplant that are firm with bright shiny skin.
• Any vegetable suitable for stuffing can be used, such as squash, zucchini, baby eggplant, peppers and tomatillo.
• Instead of steaming, alternatively you can prepare gravy and simmer for 5 minutes before serving. Saute some minced garlic, chillies, shallots and preserved beans (taucu). Then add in pre-prepared fish stock (boil fish bones with big onions in some water). Add pepper, sugar and soy sauce to taste. Lastly Yong Tau Foo added in and simmer for 5 minutes.

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Assam Pork Curry Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

This savory tamarind-based pork curry dish is perfectly complemented by the rich coconut gravy, chilli paste, curry powder, sugar and spices which adds a distinctive sweet, sour and spicy flavors that guarantee to spike the appetite. This Indian pork curry appeals to more than taste alone.

With rich cultural milieu, Malaysia is a culinary heritage that spans several hundreds years. Over a period of time, the culinary expertise of different cultures and races have been influenced by one another and have been brought together, resulted in a delicious fusion of local specialties and the original traditional fare. Hence, there's a different variation of pork curry dish, which is originally an Indians piquant traditional fare.

Below is a quick, easy and hassle-free recipe which calls for assam paste (or assam jawa), the Malay word for tamarind, which gives the dish its sour taste. To enhance the sourness, dried slices of tamarind fruit (assam/asam keping in Malay) are also added to the dish. Mouth-wateringly different, Indian food is generally 'chilli hot', blended with subtle additions of aromatic herbs and spices to lessen the 'bite'. This dish has no exception.

Mingling sourness from tamarind, sweet kick from sugar, spicy note from curry powder and chilli paste, the heady fragrant of curry leaves, distinctive richness of coconut gravy and earthy flavor from pork, this assam pork curry dish  is a harmonious blend of the sweet, sour and spicy flavors designed to appeal to both the eyes and palates.
While this may be one of the most easy pork curry recipes you can find, don't be surprised by its superior taste. Learn how to cook assam pork curry with below simple recipe.

加哩猪肉片食谱

Ingredients :
300g sliced pork (cut into strips)
100ml thick coconut milk
50ml water
2 tbsp tamarind paste ("assam" paste), mixed with 50ml water and squeezed out tamarind juice
2 tbsp oil

Curry Spices :
4 tbsp chopped shallots
2 stalks lemon grass, mashed up
2 tbsp curry leaves
1 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp chilli paste
3 pieces dried tamarind (assam jawa keping in Malay)

Seasoning :
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce

Method :
1. Heat up 2 tbsp oil and saute curry spices until fragrant.

2. Add in pork slices and stir well. Add in coconut milk, water, tamarind juice, seasoning and bring to boil. Cook until meat is tender. Dish up and serve hot.

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Stir-fry French Bean with Minced Meat and Preserved Radish Recipe

The dish, highlights the key ingredient - French beans by itself with delightful crunch. Preserved radish, dried prawns and minced meat make a wonderful accompaniment to French beans, which is rounded up together with salty and spicy touch from the condiments and red chillies. Delectable!

When it comes to home cooking, my philosophy is always the same - simple, comfort, nutritious, unpretentious, humble, homey, possibly with ingredients that could stretch every dollar spent, never rigid in ingredients used or cooking approach whilst maintaining a wholesomeness to the dish. Nothing beats the feelings of preparing the dish ourselves, serving the dish hot the moments it's ready and having a warm dinner with family. To me, good old fashioned home cooking is sufficient to fit the bill.

If you are a frequent hawker's stall patron, you'll notice that French beans (green beans or kacang buncis in Malay) are usually deep-fried in hot oil for a while before cooking. This step can be omitted if you opt for cooking at home. At least, instead of having something unhealthy, unappealing or both in the form of expensive take-out, you now have the choice of having less oily dish by cooking yourself at home and dine in the comfort of your home.

This recipe shows you how to make a zippy meal featuring French beans.

酱爆季豆食谱

Ingredients :
300g French beans, cut into 5cm length
100g minced meat
3 tbsp chopped preserved radish, soaked
3 tbsp dried prawns, soaked and chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped red chillies

Seasoning :
1 tbsp fermented soy bean paste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
dash of pepper
20ml water

Method :
1. In a skillet, heat up 2 tbsp oil, sauté chopped garlic, preserved radish and dried prawns until fragrant.

2.  Add in minced meat and stir well. Add in French beans, chopped red chillies, seasoning and stir-fry at high heat until it's cooked. Sprinkle some water to keep it moist, but not watery. Dish up and serve hot.

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Crispy Butter Prawns Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

The curry leaves lend a distinct flavor and complement the richness of butter whilst the bird’s eye chillies inject some fiery hot and add some depth to this appetising butter prawns.

If any aromatic could lay claim to the title of signature ingredients when it comes to Malaysian food, then surely curry leaves must be the odds-on favourite. Curry leaves lends Southern Indian influences into this Malaysian specialties. There is something about its warm, fragrant-scented curry leaves that even in the non-Asian countries which have growing Asian demographics, you still can find someone is hunting down with bated breath for curry leaves. This is one of the Malaysian delicacies which embraces a mingling of races and encapsulates a wealth of culinary delights. I would say, without going through the hassle of complicated cooking or compromising on the flavors, this easy to whip up butter prawns simply get your mouth watering and your taste buds tantalizing with buttery, sweet, fragrant-scented, spicy and garlicky flavors!

Here's a Malaysian cooking recipe for quick and easy butter prawns with aromatic flavors which make you want a second helping. Enjoy!

脆口牛油虾食谱

Ingredients :
1kg medium size prawn, slit down the back and de-vein, the rest of prawn shells left intact, pat dry
8 cups oil for deep-frying
50g salted butter or margarine
1/2 bowl curry leaves
1 tbsp chopped bird's eyes chillies

Batter (Mixed) :
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp corn flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
100ml water

Seasoning :
1 tsp sugar

Method :
1. Trim the prawns, wash and drain well. Pat dry with kitchen paper towel.

2. Heat up oil for deep-frying. Coat prawn with batter and deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown and cooked. Dish and drain, set aside.

3. Melt butter in a skillet, saute curry leaves and bird's eye chilies until fragrant. Add in seasoning, prawns and stir-fry until well mixed. Dish up and serve.

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Nyonya Style Steamed Fish Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

Cooking Nyonya dishes is labor-extensive, involves delicate preparation and requires mingling of a variety of spices which is pounded into a very specific texture. It is a perfect amalgamation of spices used by the Malay or Indonesian community such as pungent roots, aromatic leaves and sometimes together with candlenuts, shallots, shrimps paste, chilies, tamarind juice and coconut milk. But it all well-worth the effort as the finished dish proved. Nyonya style steamed seabass transformed into delectable melt-in-your-mouth morsels, smothered in the bath of sourish, spicy and tangy spices. The subtle selection of ingredients give it a wow factor that make you want to savor every mouthful.

If you're looking for easy delightful Chinese-Malay fusion to satisfy your spicy and sour cravings, you might want to try the recipe below.

娘惹式蒸鱼食谱

Ingredients :

1 seabass (siakap in Malay)(about 700g), cleaned

2 tbsp onion, shredded

2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Spices :

2 stalks lemongrass, chopped finely

3 tbsp ginger flower, chopped (bunga kantan in Malay)

1 tbsp bird's eye chillies (cili padi in Malay)

4 tbsp squeezed lime juice

Seasoning :

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

dash of pepper

Method :

1. Combine all the spices and seasoning, pour over the cleaned seabass.

2. Steam at high heat in a wok with boiling water for 10-12 minutes until the fish is cooked. Then remove the fish from wok.

3. Sprinkle shredded onion and coriander leaves on top of the steamed fish and serve hot with fluffy rice.

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Stir-fry Four-Angled Beans with Sambal Chilli Udang Belacan Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

Pairing with the irresistible fiery hot sambal chilli udang belacan (spicy and pungent prawn paste), the crunchy four-angled beans also tinged with the sourness and sweetness of lime juice and sugar, making it a piquant Malaysian delicacies.

Snapped up some four-angled beans from Jusco store yesterday, thinking that it would be a perfect match for sambal chilli prawn paste (sambal cili udang belacan in Malay) that resided in my fridges for almost a week. The dish is easy to whip up and great to relish, and it naturally paves its way to many Malaysian kitchens and dining tables.

As its name implies, the presence of four frilly edge (fringe-like extension) that run lengthwise along the pod gives the fruit vegetable the name, winged beans or four-angled beans (翼豆或四角豆). Rather vague flavor-wise, four-angled beans are excellent seasoned with bold spices and herbs. Thus it's heavenly when pairing together with sambal chilli prawn paste, which is a premixes (pounded fresh chillis, dried shrimp, toasted shrimp paste (belacan), onions, garlic to which sugar and lime juice are added) that is commercially available in local groceries and wet markets.

Not yet a household word in the kitchens of America, this odd-looking bean has many culinary virtues. Nutritious winged beans offer an abundance of essential nutrients including protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins B, calcium, iron and fiber.

As winged beans have been experiencing worldwide growth despite its lack of popularity in the United States, you can easily find them especially in countries with nurturing tropical climates. For Malaysians which in favor of spicy and sour dish, you might consider to grab some four-angled beans home when you're browsing in supermarket or floundering around in wet market trying to figure out what to cook next. Make sure you have all the trimmings, especially sambal chilli prawn paste!

三巴虾米马来栈炒四角豆(翼豆)食谱

Ingredients :

400gm four-angled beans (aka winged beans or kacang botol / kacang keceper in Malay), cut straight across or on a slant 四角豆(翼豆)

A handful of medium to big prawns, shelled and deveined

4 tbsp of pounded sambal chilli prawn paste (sambal cili udang belacan in Malay) [available in local wet markets or groceries]

1 onion, peeled and shredded

5 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

Seasoning :

2 limes, squeezed into lime juice

1/2 tsp sugar

Method :

1. Heat up the frying pan (or wok) and drizzle some cooking oil. Sauté the chopped garlic and onions with low flames, then add in sambal chilli prawn paste. Stir-fry till fragrant.

2. Add in prawns and stir-fry briskly before adding four-angled beans. Toss well. Lastly, give it a quick drizzle of lime juice, a dash of sugar and a sprinkle of water to make the dish moist. Stir briefly until heated through but do not overcook the vegetables. With several flipping of spatula, the crispy and crunchy sambal four-angled bean are ready to go with hot, fluffy white rice.

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Hot & Spicy Belacan Prawns Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

Sautéed in pounded spices of chillies,belacan,curry leaves,dried prawns and shallot, then concealed and cooked together with prawns in aluminium foil, this features a traditional Malaysian cuisine, the very best of authentic Malaysia recipe!

This is a tempting spicy dish which is fragrant and bursting with flavour! With local flavour thrown in with the presence of belacan, we enjoyed the lip smacking lunch at home.

Belacan, is a Malay-Indonesian sauce made with dried shrimp paste, is a dense mixture of fermented ground prawns. It is commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine. It is pungent in smell and the strong fishy flavour will dissipates during cooking, which in turn will help you to clear the congested nasal passage. :)

You can indulge in spicy belacan prawn if you're hankering for some traditional true-blue Malaysian cuisine. This dish totally captures the essence of Malaysian cooking and is one of the authentic cuisine derived from the rich multicultural culinary heritage of Malaysia.

Prawns are seasoned with traditional Malaysian ingredient - chillies, belacan and curry leaves to give a wonderful fragrant aroma. The curry leaves lend a distinct flavor and complement the richness of belacan, and the chilli padi (bird's eye chillies) add an extra kick to the dish. The wonderful aromas wafting over to us when we opened up the aluminium parcel with the rumbling stomachs. It's such a wonderful dish to whet our appetite!

If you running out of aluminium foil, alternatively, you can deep-fry the prawn briskly in hot oil until golden brown. Dish and drain, put aside. Then sauté the pounded spices with the previous fried prawn added in again and stir well to coat.

这道Belacan虾很道地哦！

前阵子从大众书局买了“大牌档食谱”，老公也顺道掀了一下，对这道菜垂涎欲滴。 当然，为了满足他的味蕊，就依样画葫芦地尝试一下，果然正入他的口味。

其实步骤很简单，只要准备材料，香料与调味料混在一起，用锡箔纸包札起来，用水加盖煮滚15分钟，便可上桌。

用锡箔子焗虾可保住原汁原味，又能热辣辣上桌，而且方便简易，一箭三雕喔！

注：另一种煮法是将大虾炸熟捞起，加入虾炒匀便可上碟。香辣Belacan虾，在掀开锡箔纸的刹那，香料的香味扑鼻。

用大虾当然比较好味，可我在买不到大虾时，只好退求其次，改用中虾咯！

香辣马来栈虾食谱

Ingredients：材料
1 tbsp oil 1 大匙油
500g big prawns (about 8 - 15 prawns)500g大明虾，约8-15只

Spices (Pounded or Blended) : 香料（打烂或以搅拌机搅烂）
3 tbsp dried prawns 3 大匙虾米
6 shallot, with skin peeled off 6粒葱头子，去皮
6 chilli padi (bird's eye chilli) 6条指天椒
6 red chillies 6条红辣椒
1/2 tbsp belacan 1/2 大匙马来栈
1 tbsp curry leaves 1大匙加哩叶

Seasoning : 调味料
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce 1/2大匙生抽
1 tsp sugar 1小匙糖
500ml water 500ml水
1 sheet of Aluminium foil 1张锡箔纸
100ml water 100ml水

Method : 做法

1. Pound the dried prawns (presoaked in warm water for half an hour and drained), shallot, bird's eye chillies, red chillies, belacan and curry leaves with a mortar and pestle until fine. Alternatively, all the spices can be blended using blender or food processor with some oil added in.
将全部香料混合，以臼与杵打烂或以搅拌机搅烂（加少许油）。

2. Heat up oil. Sauté the pounded/blended spices mixture, stir-fry briskly over high heat, then turn to mediun low heat until fragrant. When the colour of the spices mixture changed from chilli red to dark brownish-red, add in seasoning and stir well.
烧热油，爆香香料，加入调味料炒匀。

3. Place all the prawns in Aluminium foil, pour in the previous sautéed sauce (in Method 2) and wrap up neatly.
虾铺在锡箔纸上，淋上（2）汁料，包好。

4. Bring 100ml water to boil in a clean wok. Place the above prawn parcel in the wok, close lid and simmer for 15 minutes (or until water is dry and Aluminium parcel puffs up). Ready to serve.
准备一个干净的瓁，倒入100ml水煮滚，放入包札好的锡箔纸，加盖煮15分钟至水烧干及锡箔纸鼓起，便可取出享用。

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