This week has turned into a Chinese week in my kitchen! I was going to make my Pork Spaghetti Bolognese again, but just before I make it I found out I haven’t got a tin of chopped tomatoes, so I asked Little A if he wanted to go for a walk, he said “NO!” Well I just had to make do with this I suppose.
This is always good for introducing someone to Chinese food, since it has a nice flavour and the ingredients are not totally alien to them. And it’s easy to make too! Since you only need one pot or a big saucepan. So here goes…
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of groundnut oil
2 slices of ginger
1 garlic clove, slivered
1 red chilli (1/2 if the chilli is hot or you can’t take the heat), cut in thick stripes
1 Aubergine, cut into small pieces
1 pack of tofu, cut into cubes
250g minced pork
1 tablespoon shaoxin wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chilli bean sauce
150ml good chicken stock (or made from stock cube)
1 heaped teaspoon of cornflour, mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water
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Method:
- Heat the oil in a pot or big saucepan. Put in the ginger, garlic and red chilli when it’s hot. Let it fry for 2 or 3 minutes until you can smell the ginger (or choke on the chilli, http://healthsavy.com/product/synthroid/ hehe).
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- Put in the aubergine. They love oil and they will absorb every drop in your pan, but don’t panic, when all the oil is gone, put a bit of water in it (aout 2 tablespoon), put the lid on and let it steam for about 5 minutes. If you think it’s burning, add more water. The aubergine should now be tender.
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- Now put in your pork, continue to cook for the next 5 mins, stirring and breaking up the lumps. Once the pork is all cooked, add shaoxin wine, soy sauceand chilli bean sauce, stir through.
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- Once the wine has been absorbed, pour in the chicken stock and cook for a few more minutes. Now pour in the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
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- When the sauce starts to thicken, in goes the tofu. Be very, very gentle with them because they break very easily. Don’t stir them round, just gently fold them in like you would in stirring cake batter.
- Pick the ginger out (no one wants to chomp on a lump of ginger), serve with boiled rice, garnish with chopped spring onion if you like, enjoy!
Many thanks, just what I was looking for my little boy (Hong Kong/UK hybrid), he’s keen on Por Por’s (his grandmother) version, but I haven’t got the time to ask her how it’s cooked. So this is perfect, many thanks.
David
Ps Will find out tonight if it’s a success (if he eats it).
I can’t tell you how happy this comment made me, the thought of a little boy somewhere having a bit of taste from home is overwhelming! 🙂 hope your family enjoy this, let me know how it went! xx
Just though I’d let you have the update, a great success !
He was actually asking for the dish tonight (well he was asking for ‘Aubergine’, I knew exactly what he was after). Besides that, he only had it the night before, when his grandmother (Por Por) had cooked it.
He ate loads, his face was a picture when he realised what had been cooked and Mum was impressed.
It’s really simple and quick to make.
Since becoming a ‘house husband’ / ‘Stay at home Dad’ (or whatever you’d like to call it). I can say my love of cooking has somewhat.deminished.
‘Having to cook’ can take the pleasure away, but for the first time in ages I really enjoyed cooking again.
I’m not sure which ‘thank you’ in cantonese to use, I think both are applicable :
??. M?h’g?i. (Thank you, when someone helps you)
or
?? D?jeh. ( Thank you, when someone gives you a gift)
This dish has and will help me, and also is a true gift !
Regards and sincere thanks again.
David & family