Most of time, I do enjoy to play food with all kinds of spices, because it's fun and exciting. This is just like I got a very simple dress or a plain cute top too, then I could pair it with lots all different kids of accessory to show my creation and personality. It's the same ideas as I adore food its own simplicity. When was the last time you still remember the flavor of pork by itself ? how did it taste like to you ? Perhaps, beef, chicken or some other vegetables and fruit too ?
I was very pleased that I found out a pack of pork in cubes sizes with nice marble, and the color is almost pink at American supermarket yesterday. Lean meat usually is pale, light in flavor, and the dark meat is usually around with fat, color red, deep in flavor. But the best tasting meat is around the bones, if you spend enough time in the kitchen with the grandma or mom, then you should notice that. This is exactly the pork that I got.
I also found this waxed turnip is very interesting, looked like the " big head vegetables" that my grandma would get during the special holiday. She would cut it into thin slices and simple quick sauté with a few scallion and oil. Well, I never had it when I was a kid. Just felt very wired somehow and didn't know why? If I have any chance to see that vegetable again, I will definitely give it a try then !
Since I got these two fresh beautiful ingredients. I decided to make the clear pork soup, and how to make the clear soup. There are few requests from my cooking experiences and some other great chefs.
1. Blanched meat with cold or hot water?
Meat without the bones are less blood, just simply blanch in the hot boiling water, when the outer layer got perfectly turn white and sealed, no blood shows, rises under the cold water. It would be ready to cook. Meat with bones are more residue, so cook with the cold water instead. When the water temperature gradually rise, it will cook the resiuse and blood out of the bones better. It's the same idea to cook meat till change the color and no blood appears, discard the dirty water, drain the meat, rinse it with cold water well, add in the fresh cold water and be ready to cook.
2. How much water do I need when I am trying to make soup ?
If your meat without bones. The water you add should be just less than 2 inches above for all your ingredients, so the flavor won't fake out. But, If your meat with bones, you can add double or triple the water content for all the ingredients.
3. High or low heat to make soup ?
I usually use high heat to bring the water to the boiling point then turn the heat low right away and remain the small bubbles boiling. By this way I could save more time to finish cooking my soup or stew. You just need to remember, the higher water boiling interaction with food will cook out more meat and bone's flavor to the soup. Therefore if I want to enjoy the meat more. I will keep the heat low, after the boiling point. On the other hand, if I want most flavor in the soup. I definitely will choose the meat with bone and use high heat to make the rich broth.
4. Should I add in with cold water or hot water when the water evaporates during the cooking process?
Well, do you remember " higher water boiling interaction with food would release the flavors from the bones and meat itself to the soup. " So, I wouldn't add in the hot water when I try to make the clear soup, but I would add cold water for rich broth.
5. Lid or no lid?
As long as you control the the heat temperature. You should notice the heat will get a little higher with the lid on, because we create the more steady temperature inside the cooking pot. Food will be cooked more evenly through, meat is more tender and easier to falling apart. But, if you like the soft texture with some bites in it. I would suggest you cook you soup or stew without the lid on. Because temperature cook food through outer layer to inside, lack of closed environment, but because of of this reason that we could got that texture with some bites in it.
6. The last important thing you should know the cooking time for all different ingredients.
What ingredients need more time or less time to cook, so you can decide when to add in the cooking process. Large sizes and hard food such as carrot, daikon takes longer to cook, so I would cook them from the beginning. Potatoes, yum, taro content more starch, good with stew to thick up the sauce and less time to cook through. But if I want it to thin up the sauce, then I will add it in the front stage of cooking process. Of course, I will always united the sizes, so the ingredients can be cooked at the same time. On the other hand, you can fry or bake all this starch vegetables to seal the outer layer before you cook or add in the cooking pot the last 20 minutes, keep low heat, do not stir. Soup will be remain clear and see through to the bottom.
I guess that's enough talking now !!! Are you ready to make some soup with me ? Here is my clear pork soup with wax turnip and butter beans.
Ingredients:
1. 2 pounds of pork, cubed about 2 inches in size.
2. 1 wax turnip skinned, cubed about 2 inches in size.
3. 1 can of butter beans, rinsed well with cold water and drained.
4. 1 straw of celery simply break it two parts so it would fit in the pot. 1/4 cup more diced to refresh the soup before you served.
5. 1/4 cup of roughly chopped cilantro.
Blanched the pork in the hot broiling water till the color change to white, no blood shows, rise under the cold water.
Add in the wax turnip, 1 straw of celery, and clean water less than 2 inches above with all the ingredients. Bring it to the boiling point, turn the heat down right away, keep the small bubble broiling point. Seasoning with tiny salt in the beginning of cooking but not fully salted, so all the ingredients will be enhance the flavor, but won't break it down too quickly. Adjusting the saltiness in the end of cooking.
You can cover it with or without lid, it's your own choice of your meat textures.
Cook about 1 hours till the meat is fork tender. Add in hot water if the water evacuated during the cooking process. " Do not stir !!! ". I guaranteed your soup will be full of flavor, clear to see through bowl. Discard the celery straw, then add the butter beans in the end, just to warn it up. Sprinkles few diced celery and cilantro to refresh the flavors before you served.
I like to dip this sweet tend pork in some good quality soy sauce, and that wax turnip are pretty interesting just like the marriage of the daikon and sweet potato. The soft creamy butter beans are busting out the its own skin when I bite into it, then that refresh sweet soup just so lovely. This is a truly simple comfort, and I can eat this whole day and every day, and never get tired of it !!!
Follow this way to cook your soup and switch to any ingredients that you like. Just enjoy the simple life with a little bit more attention.
大部分的時間我喜歡把食物和各種不同的香料結合在一起, 總覺得有趣而且令人興奮. 那就好比是買了一件簡單大方的洋裝或是可愛的上衣一樣, 接下來我就可以放上不許多不同的配件來展現我的創造力及個性. 這也同樣的代表著我喜愛食物本身的簡單風格. 還記得你最後一次食用豬肉本身的味道嗎？它對於你的感覺是如何呢？或者又是牛, 雞肉的味道還是其它許的蔬菜與水果呢？
我昨天很慶幸的在美國超市買到了一包顏色近淡色粉紅的豬肉約一口大小的尺寸. 瘦肉通常顏色較白, 味道也較淡. 深色的肉則多數有肥肉環繞著, 色紅, 味道也較豐郁. 但最好吃的則是在骨頭附近的肉. 如果你常花很多的時間和奶奶或是媽媽待在廚房裡的話, 你便會注意到這些. 而我所買的豬肉正是這些.
我還發現了一樣有趣的蠟皮蘿蔔. 它看起來好像是以前奶奶過年過節會買的" 大頭仔薺 " . 奶奶會把它切細絲, 用一點䓤和油快炒. 在我曾是位孩子時卻從未嘗試過, 就是覺得奇怪也不知道是為了什麼? 假使我還能有機會再見到那蔬菜. 我定會好好的嚐一嚐!
既然我採買了這兩樣新鮮的材料後, 我決定就來燉個豬肉清湯吧, 但如何來做清湯呢？有些要求是從我的經驗和別的大師裡學會的.
1. 川燙於冷水或熱水中呢？
肉不帶骨的血水較少, 簡單的在滾水中川燙至外層顏色變白, 表面鎖住風味, 沒有血水, 冷水沖洗乾淨即可用來烹煮. 肉類帶骨的較多的殘留物, 所以用冷水替代來煮. 當水溫逐漸增高時, 骨頭裡的渣渣和血水較容易被適放出來. 同樣的方法煮至肉的顏色變了, 無血水出現. 倒掉污水, 肉瀝乾, 用冷水洗淨, 加入乾淨的水便能烹調了.
2. 煮湯時該加多少水呢？
如果肉本身是不帶骨的, 總水量最好不要超過所有材料的2吋高. 這樣湯的味道才不會淡掉. 假使肉是跟著骨頭的, 你大可以加入總材料二倍甚至於三倍以上的水量.
3. 高溫或低溫來煮湯呢？
我通常喜歡用大火將水煮至沸點, 然後再馬上改至小火. 讓鍋裡呈現出小水泡的狀態下慢慢燉煮. 這樣一來我就可以省下許多燉煮的時間, 但是你必須要記得的是, 高度的水溫波動便容易把肉和骨頭本身的味道煮到湯頭𥚃. 所以呢？我如果想要享受的是肉本身的風味, 我會在沸騰之後保持小火, 並且保持湯的清澈. 另一方面, 我則會選擇帶骨的肉, 並且用大火來熬製濃郁的湯頭.
4. 如果在煮湯的過程中水分蒸發了, 那是得加冷水或熱水呢？
還記得嗎? " 高度的水位沸騰流動的作用會容易讓肉和骨頭的風味釋放於湯中嗎？" 所以當我煮清湯時我會加入熱水, 然而, 如果我要做的是濃郁的湯頭, 便是加冷水.
5. 加蓋或不加蓋?
如果你能掌握了溫度的控制. 你應該會注意到蓋上鍋蓋的溫度會稍微高一些, 因為你在鍋中製造了一個較穩定的溫度環境. 食物也較容易均勻的熟成, 肉質也較柔軟且用筷子一撥即開. 但如果你喜歡的是肉的外層雖軟卻又帶點咬感, 我則會建議在燉煮滷的過程中是不加蓋的. 因為溫度會從食物的外圍進入, 少了一個悶的作用, 所以也才多了一個帶咬勁的口感!
6. 最後必須要知道的重點是了解各式食材的熟成時間.
什麼材料需要多一點的時間烹煮, 什麼又是需要較短時間. 所以你可以決定何時放入什麼食材. 尺寸較大的或是較硬的食材通常需要較多的時間煮熟. 好比紅白蘿蔔需要較長的時間熟成, 所以我會在一開始就放入了. 馬鈴薯, 蕃薯, 芋頭和澱粉值較高很適用於拿來燉煮, 讓湯頭變得濃郁. 雖然熟成時間較短, 但如果一開始便放入一起烹調則能達到湯汁綿密的效果. 當然我還會統一食材的大小尺寸, 這樣才能讓熟成時間一致. 另一方面, 如果你想要的是清湯, 這些含澱粉食材也可以先過油炸過或烤過定型後再烹調, 或是在最後20分鐘內放入, 保持小火, 而且不隨意攪拌. 如此一來湯頭依舊清澈.
我應該聊的夠多了, 你準備好和我一起來做豬肉清湯和蠟皮蘿蔔以及奶油豆了嗎？
材料:
1. 2磅的豬肉, 切塊約2吋大小.
2. 1顆蠟皮蘿蔔, 去皮, 切塊約2吋大 小.
3. 1 罐奶油豆, 用冷水洗凈瀝乾後備用.
4. 1 根西洋芹折對半方可入鍋. 再加1/4杯的西洋芹切末, 上桌時提味用.
5. 1/4杯的香菜末.
在沸水中川燙豬肉至顏色變白, 無血水, 然後冷水下洗淨.
加入蠟皮蘿蔔, 一株西洋芹, 別高過於所有材料2吋以上的淨水. 煮沸後馬上改小火, 保持湯裡面的小泡泡沸騰點. 點些少許的塩, 但不足全味. 這樣食材就會有風味而且在烹煮的過程當中, 食材的味道才不至於流失的太快. 在烹調的最後再次做鹹度的調整.
你可以依照自己喜歡的肉質咬感選擇蓋鍋或不蓋.
約煮1小時左右直到肉質柔軟可以用筷子劃開. 如果水份在烹調的過程中蒸發掉了, 加入多的熱水. "千萬不要攪動! " . 我向你保證你的湯一定可以清澈見底. 丢棄那株西洋芹, 加入奶油豆熱一下便行. 上桌食用前灑上芹菜珠和香菜末提味.
我喜歡將這些柔軟的豬肉簡單的沾上些好醬油食用. 那蠟皮蘿蔔很像白蘿蔔和甜蕃薯的結合. 嘴裏咬開奶油豆表皮時所爆出來的綿密, 還有那份湯頭的新鮮甜美. 這是一種真實又簡單的溫暖. 我可以吃上一整天或更多的天數, 也不會厭倦! ~
依照這樣的煮湯方式隨意更改材料吧！多花那麼一點點的心思, 好好地, 簡單享受人生 !!!
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