Sticky slow roasted hoisin pork belly

500g pork belly

6 tbsp hoisin sauce (suree brand)

3 tblsp honey

3 tblsp rice vinegar

3 tblsp light soy sauce

4 tblsp tomato sauce

2 1/2 inch ginger finely chopped

2 florets of star anise

In a bowl, mix the hoisin, honey, vinegar, soy, ketchup, star anise and ginger, then pour over the pork and massage well.

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Transfer the pork and its marinade to a snug roasting tin, lined with foil. Roast for 2 hrs, or until tender, basting halfway through. Take the pork out and increase oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the foil and pour the sauce into a small pan. Bring the sauce to the boil and let it bubble until thick and syrupy. Brush some of the sauce all over the pork and pop back in the oven, uncovered, for 20 mins until sticky and caramelised in places.

Could also try this in the slow cooker on low for 6/8 hours. 

Serve with steamed boiled jasmine rice and panfried tenderstem broccoli.

This one is courtesy of the blogging genius that is Rasa Malaysia with a few small adaptations. 

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons oil

5 slices peeled ginger
1 green pepper, about 4 oz., cut into small square pieces
1/2 packet tenderstem brocolli
1/2 cup unsalted cashew nuts
1/4 onion, cut into lengths

Marinade:

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon corn starch

1/2 teaspoon rice wine, optional

Sauce:

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes 

1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce

3/4 teaspoon soy sauce

3 dashes white pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine, optional
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon MSG

Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. Please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda.

Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the rice wine and corn starch, for 15 minutes.

Mix all the Sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked. Dish out and set aside.

Add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell pepper and onion.

Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers and add the chicken meat back in.

Add in the Sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt to taste, if you like.

Add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs. Dish out and serve the Cashew Chicken hot with steamed white rice.

Nige's Pork and Lemon Meatballs

I've adapted these little meaty balls of love from Nigel Slater's recipe, with the only minor adaptations is to use about half the anchovy fillets that are in the original recipe and to fry in olive oil. 

We have them with Pasta Aglio e Olio and some side salad. Tasty.

Pork and lemon meatballs

Serves 4.

70g fresh white breadcrumbs

500g pork

a lemon

a large handful of parsley leaves, chopped

about 6 bushy sprigs of thyme

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

4 anchovy fillets, chopped

to cook:

2 tbsp olive oil

Put the breadcrumbs and pork into a mixing bowl. Grate the lemon and add the zest to the pork, then halve and squeeze the lemon. Add the lemon juice to the pork with the parsley and the thyme leaves stripped from their stems. Tip in the Parmesan then the anchovy fillets. Season the mixture generously with black pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Make about 18 small balls of the mixture, using a generously heaped tablespoon of pork for each one. I shape them into a rough ball, flatten them slightly, then put each one on to a clean shopping board.

Warm the oil in a heavy-based non-stick pan. Fry them, about eight at a time, for 4-5 minutes until they are crisply golden on each side. Lower the heat and leave to cook through to the middle - a matter of 6-8 minutes more. I tend to turn them no more than once or twice during cooking so they develop a crisp, slightly sticky exterior.

Serve with Pasta Aglio e Olio and a green salad. 

Flapjacks

250g Porridge Oats
125g Butter
125g Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons of Golden Syrup


Method:
1. Melt butter in a pot, add sugar and golden syrup.
2. Add oats and mix well.
3. Turn out onto buttered baking tin.
4. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.

Delicious Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff

This is a great recipe for using cheaper cuts of beef and it allows me to indulge my pyromaniac tendencies which is always a bonus. This version of Stroganoff is adapted from James Martin's, the major difference between the two is that this uses cheaper cut of meat and is thus slow cooked to ensure the meat is nice and tender.

Ingredients:
Couple knobs of butter for frying
1 onion finely chopped
150g mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon hot chilli powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato puree
110ml beef stock (I used Bouillon)
400g chunks of beef
150ml brandy/cognac
Salt and black pepper
150ml brandy
200ml sour cream
2 tablespoons flatleaf parsley


Method:
1. Melt butter in a cast iron dish (I used my trusty Le Crueset) and sautee the onions until they are soft.
2. Add the mushrooms and fry until golden brown.
3. Add smoked paprika, chilli powder, Dijon mustard and tomato pureee. Cook off for a few minutes.
4. In another pan melt a bit more butter and turn temperature up to high. Add the steak and brown on all sides.
5. Now the fun bit: Add 150ml cognac and ignite with a lighter. BE CAREFUL! Make sure there are no flammables close by. When the flames have died down add the beef and the lovely brandy sauce to the onion and mushroom mix. Turn the heat right down and cook for at least 3 hours.
6. Before serving add 200ml sour cream and the flatleaf parsley.
7. Serve with potatoes or as I do with farfalle pasta.

Char Shiu Duck Stir Fry

Serves 2

2 duck breasts
Marinade ingredients
2 limes
2 inches of ginger
50ml light soy sauce
50ml vegetable oil
dash dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon char siu sauce
2 teaspoons 5-spice powder
1 tablespoon honey

handful of mushrooms
1 red pepper sliced

To serve: fried rice

Method:

Render duck skin side down on frying pan until crispy.
Marinade in above for a minimum of 2 hours.
Vegetable oil on wok on high heat.
Fry all vegetables and duck together.
Remove stir fry from wok. Add sauce to wok and heat. Serve on the side. 

Pasta with Sun-Blushed Tomatoes

Ingredients for sun-blushed tomatoes:
6 vine tomatoes
4 teaspoons dried mixed herbs (oregano, thyme, marjoram)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients pasta sauce:
8 sun-blush tomato halves
olive oil
2 teapoons capers
1 good handful of basil leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of Parmesan
Half clove garlic
Salt and pepper

To serve:
Kalamata olives
Remaining sunblushed tomatoes
Mozzarella

Method (for the sun-blushed tomatoes):
Heat oven to 110 degree centigrade.
When the oven was heated up place halved tomatoes, cut side up on a baking tray. Sprinkle generously with mixed herbs, salt and pepper, olive oil.
Cook in the oven for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Method (for the pasta):
1. Combine 8 sun-blushed tomato halves, olive oil, capers, basil leaves, crushed garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and blitz until nearly smooth
2. Cook pasta according to pack instructions and then add the above mixture. Add olives, chopped sunblushed tomatoes, and mozzarella.