Asian Meal for 4 (Pt2) - Miso & Tofu Soup & Steamed Kailan

You should have plenty of spare Tofu left from the Tofu & Mince dish in Pt1.

To make Miso Soup:

Add in 1 Ltr of water

Add 2 Tbspn fo Miso Paste (white or brown)

Add some wakame or dried seaweed (you can find this at local Asian grocers)

Add your left over tofu.

Stack your cleaned kailan on the Varoma Tray. You can spread the vegetables out onto Varoma Receptacle as well.

Turn on your TM for Varoma, Speed 2 for 15 mins. For a nice soup.

Pour a dash of oyster sauce & a sprinkle of sesame oil over your kailain to serve!

Even better if you have left over spring onions from your previous dish, sprinkle some on for garnish.

Ok, so I sort of threw it altogether and the timing ... and steps will need further refinement. But this is pretty much the way to serve 4 dishes in under an hour. I use my rice cooker on the side to make rice at the same time.

Dessert: See my Hei zhi ma hu (黑芝麻糊), my final recipe version is here on teh Recipe Community: Black Sesame Paste/Soup

If you already prepped this, just add into a clean TM bowl and cook for 7 mins with the appropriate amoutn of liquid.

Braised pork ribs made easy!

Pork short ribs are cheap at the Chinese butchers. It's that piece that's not really a proper "spare rib" so it's not as nicely presentable, but it's not the 'finger' portions in between the ribs because it still has bits of bone.

Here are all the ingredients used:

2 spring onions chopped to 2 cm

1 kg of pork short ribs (they can come already cut into pieces if your butcher is nice or you just chop them up when you get strips of them)

the bowl contains a mixture of Oyster Sauce, Light Soy (almost equaly portions of 50mL)

Raw Sugar (80g)

Shaoxing Chinese Cooking Wine (50mL)

50mL cooking oil (I use EVOO)

The Method to my madness:

1. Cooking oil & raw sugar, heat at Varoma temperature for 2 mins, Sp1.

2. Add meat and spring onions. Cook for 6 mins, Varoma, Sp soft (rev). Until meat is slightly browned.

3. Add cooking wine, sauces. Cook for 22 mins, Varoma, Sp soft (rev).

Tips? Hmm, I guess you could cook it for as long as you wish. It actually is cooked through by about 20 mins, leave it in longer if you want more falling off the bone meat. Also leaving the MC off is a great idea. Whole house smelt of braised pork!

Hei zhi ma hu (黑芝麻糊) - Trial #1

Just some basic notes about my first trial with making hei zhi ma hu (黑芝麻糊).

Ingredients:
100g glutinous rice
100g black rice
200g black sesame (roasted)
100g raw sugar

Method:
1. Mill glutinous rice (Sp 10, 30 seconds).
2. Roast on Varoma, Sp 3, 3mins. Remove to separate dish/bowl to cool.
3. Mill black rice (Sp 10, 30 seconds).
4. Roast on Varoma, Sp 3, 3 mins. Remove to separate dish / bowl to cool.
5. Add in glutinous rice flour, black rice flour, sessame and mill. Gradually increase speed to prevent escape from lid/spillage.
6. Roast on Varoma, sp 4, 4 mins.
7. Add sugar mill gradually.
8. Pour out , cool & store.

I left 200 g or so in the bowl and added 1/2 ltr of boiled water, and stirred on 90C, Sp 3, 5 mins. Taste tests throughout the process. The method is direct conversion from the wok fry / toast method of the milled flours. I wasn't sure how long to toaste the milled flour as most Chinese recipes states, look out for golden colour of cooked flour.

I see a way of simplifying the receipe, by milling the black rice & glutinous rice together. Then toasting in total 5-6mins. Add toasted black sesame & sugar and broil in water 100C for 7-9mins. This is 1) to boil the water, 2) to cook the rice flours a bit more. Will try this method next. Combining the rices might make milling easier too.

This produces over 1/2 kg of sesame mix ready to eat (just add boiling water). The 200g I left in made enough for 3 small bowls. Will also see if I can try a version by removing the black rice, as this is slightly chewy in texture.

Dad loves this stuff - we buy pre-made mini packets. I'm sure the sugar content is way high!

Mom loves the bubur pulut hitam (black rice porridge) with coconut milk. So a drizzle of that would make it taste almost the same but with a sheen of sesame oils. Might also re-adjust recipe for a quick & easy version of the bubur pulut hitam!

Simple Asian home cooking

Recipe coming soon... Now to eat!!!