Braised ground pork and hot broiled egg on rice

Italian has bolognese. Mexican has chill.  Lu Ro Fan ( Braised ground pork on rice ) is the dish will represent Taiwan the island of Formosa.  Everyone love it, simple ingredients but savor in flavor. I remember my grand mom used to making this dish about 10 o'clock in the morning and let it simmer to noon. The aroma circles in the air around the house.  My brother and I would get so excite and couldn't wait. The thing about this dish is the longer it cook the better it gets.   There is no way you can rush it!  I try so many cooking technique, add in different spice to make it better. It turns out nothing like grand mom's. Ten yeas later, I finally nail Grand mom's taste, after I become a mom.   I image what grand mom would do? Grand mom didn't go to cooking school, she wasn't working in the fancy restaurant either. I found out the secret was nothing, but love and patient. I would love keep this dish for generations.

 

 

Preparation time: 10-15 minutes.
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours at least,  2 hours is good.


Ingredient:

1. 2 pound 90% lean coast ground pork.

2. 1/2pound less then 80% coast ground pork.

* Coast ground pork will remain the texture after the long hours of cooking! The ground pork or beef you see in the American supermarket usually are fine grounded. Most of ground pork in Chinese supermarket are coast grounded. If you are not sure, just ask nicely for butcher's help or you don't might the texture at all!  Some chef use pork shoulder, dice pork to 0.5cm little pieces, they keep the skin too.  The texture are more meaty, but more work!

3. 4-5 medium sundry mushroom soak in the worm water until it soft then squeeze out the water and finely chopped, remain the water for add in the sauce later.

4. 1/2 cup fry shallot or fry onion from the can finely chopped.

*  The finely chopped mushroom and fry shallot become a secret ingredient, because it flavor the dish, but you won't see it!  use the food processor will save lots of time.

5. 8 hard broiled eggs, shell removed.

Flavor:

1. 1 cup good soy sauce.

2. 1/2 cup sake or light rum.

3. 1 tablespoon sugar.

4. 800 c.c water. ( 1 inch above the pork and eggs. )

Medium heat, add 1/2 cup water, saute the pork fat, cook until the water vapor then the oil render out, use pork its own fat gradually add in the lean pork, mushroom keep sauteing till pork turn color white and fragrance, add in fry shallot or fry onion, soy sauce, wine, sugar, water and mushroom water. check the salt level, use sugar as balance ingredient. The flavor should be savor but not crazy salty. ( You can adjust the water too, but not to much. Add in the hard broiled eggs, bring it to broil, then turn the heat low, simmer with little bubbles, this way pork will get the nice color, cover the lid cook about at least 1 hours is good. 2 hours will be great! Sever on top of rice, pasta, mash potato or on the chips with cheese. It's a comfort food you will never get tired of it.

Clam with Broccoli in Soy Sauce, Balamic Vinegar an d Basil

Taiwan is a island with the fresh sea food all year around.  Most of local restaurant keep fish, shrimp, and crab alive in the tank.  You can pick up your favorite and choose the way you want to cook.  There's nothing fancy or complicated cooking technique.  It's just simply fresh and flavorful directly from the sea to your table. 

 

 

 

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 5 minutes.

 

Ingredient:

 

1.  1 pound clam wash the dirt away with brush.

 

2.  1 broccoli cut into bite size.

 

Flavor:

 

1.   4 clove garlic minced.

 

2.   4 thin slice ginger then minced.

 

3.   1 red hot chill, clean the seed and diced. (If you like it spicy)

 

4.   2 tablespoon soy sauce.

 

5.   2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, plus 1 teaspoon more for finish.

 

6.   1 tablespoon sugar.

 

7.   1 tablespoon tapioca starch or corn starch.

 

8.   1/4 cup water.

 

9.   A pinch white pepper. 

 

10.   1/4 cup sake or dry white wine.

 

11.  1 cup of basil leaves.

 

Mix soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sugar, tapioca or corn starch, water, white pepper in a bowl.

 

High heat, add in oil, garlic, and ginger saute until the fragance come out, add in clam, broccoli mix well then wine.  Cove with lid cook clam until shell open about 3- 5 minutes.  make sure the sauce mixture mix well right before you add in the pan. Swirl the pan instead of over mix the clam which meat will fall apart from shell.  Bring it to the broil then turn heat off right away, add in basil, drizzle last touch of balsamic vinegar.

 

Great with rice or pasta.  Good with beer too!