More on pork and saucisson

In my humble opinion (not that it counts for anything), saucisson ranks very highly in French food culture, besides wine and cheese.

Saucisson is large dried sausage, normally pork cured with salt, and eaten sliced as a cold cut. Sounds straightforward? Until you go to a saucisson gourmet shop and you'll be spoilt for choice with the varieties available. Like cured with Provencal herbs, garlic, nuts, peppercorn...or from pork to wild boar to donkey meat!

Yeap, we tried the donkey meat saucisson in Meribel, right in the Savoie region famous for its saucisson, it's powerful! I think Corsica is another region famous for its delicious varieties of saucisson, particularly the wild boar ones and we enjoyed it just as much.

Besides eating it sliced as appetisers, saucisson is handy in picnics and makes excellent sandwiches in between long hikes. We also tried fusion, by adding it to Chinese pork porridge with pork floss and ham. Just for fun.

Our affinity for 'pungent' food probably explains our obliviousness to the testosterone raging smell of nz pork.



I also remember fondly of the butcher shops we visited in Barcelona two years ago. The Spanish may be more obsessed with their ham than the French of their saucisson. Seeing so many hanging legs (complete with the trotters) straight in your face can be a bit off-putting, but the thinly sliced ham never disappointed us during our trip. Prices vary widely too, according to the breeds of the pig, their feeds, the region of origins, age etc. Just ask the butcher and he'll rant off all the subtle differences that possibly could only be picked up by a local or gourmet.

It's a pity we can't bring saucisson or ham from our trips back to New Zealand.

Dissecting Pork

All my Singaporean friends swear that the pork in New Zealand has a strong smell, unlike those in Singapore. Me and Rémi are quite oblivious to this 'smell' so far. But even my brother in faraway Sweden complains about the 'smelly' pork there. Hmmm...is this due to different breeds of pig or feeds used in Western countries? But wait, Singapore imports frozen pork from Australia.

My father, a retired pig farmer, solves the mystery for us.
Male pigs are inherently smelly due to the testosterone raging in their balls.

I further quote from Wikipedia:
"In domestic pigs the taint is caused by androstenone and skatole concentrations stored in the fat tissues of the animal after sexual maturity. It is released when the fat is heated and has a distinct odor and flavor that is widely considered unpalatable to consumers."

So male pigs, before they reach puberty, are castrated by Asian farmers (at least in Malaysia or Indonesia, where Singapore gets its pork supply), making them barrows! Well, when I see pigs in farms or zoos, I do not particularly check how their male anatomy looks like, but according to my father, pigs that can't be castrated due to, say inward growth of their balls are usually sold at steep discounts to the butchery, and used for making smoked sausages or ham.

What about Australian pork? As the Chinese are so picky about the odour, butcher in Singapore only imports female pigs from Australia, since they may not be able to influence the farmers there to remove the male pigs' manhood.

Maybe that's why it leaves only male pigs for sale in the Western market, if all the female ones have been exported.

Since I can't tell the butcher in kiwi supermarkets I only want female or castrated pork, my father has this advice: buy cuts that steer clear of the hind of the pig.

Which comes to the next problem: which cuts should I buy? Especially since pork sold here are cut more for cooking chops. And that I'm more used to Chinese names for different cuts for Chinese cooking.

Here's my suggestion for Chinese cooking, some of which are still subjected to further trials and experiments:
Fillet or Tenderloin (腰柳，腰嫩肉，小里脊): The long thin muscle, that is the most tender and more expensive cut in Singapore. Called premium cut fillet on supermarket shelves here, it is excellent for slicing into thin strips for stir-fry or in soup. It is much better than the already sliced pork which is from possibly a lesser cut of the pork and usually less tender.

Loin chop (里脊肉): Being located on the back, they are by default far from the testosterone raging part of the male pig. And lean too.

Shoulder/Blade(肩胛肉，梅花肉): Same as above. Supposed to be good for mincing or dicing for stews. That's also where the spare ribs come from.

Pork belly (五花肉): Fatty, but we love it stew the Hokkien way, richly seasoned with five spice powder, dark soy sauce....never mind smell or no smell.

French Crepe Party Ideas

The happy problem with French crêpe party is that there is no limitations in terms of the type of fillings you can enjoy, and you end up eating more than everything.

The northwest region of France in Brittany is famous for their crêpes, but nowadays, you see French crêperies everywhere, even in Wellington. And they serve yummy crêpes!

The biggest difference between a French crêpe and an American pancake is their thickness. A French crêpe is so much thinner that you get to enjoy more, with different types of fillings, from savoury to sweet ones.

So, you can imagine that when we hold crêpe parties, there's more fillings than your stomach can hold. It's not a lot of work or pre-cooking, as we use basic ingredients like butter, sugar, nutella, bananas, strawberries, bacon, mushrooms, shredded cheese, walnuts, blue cheese, lemon juice, eggs, almonds, liquor, orange, cinnamon...

One problem with making crêpes is that, they are best enjoyed when they are hot. So if you're making crêpe on your frying pan, it makes serving everyone at the same time difficult. The French (or rather Tefal) have found a happy solution to this problem with the Multi Crêpe Party device. You basically plug it and put on your dining table, and everyone surrounds it like a steamboat and makes their own crêpe together. It makes 6 much smaller crêpes at the same time. It's fun, and useful even for parties of more than 10. Everyone just end up standing around the table, cooking and eating. However, this electronic device may be hard to find outside France, but they are widely available in stores like Carrefour or Darty in France (we actually went to the trouble of carrying one back from France).

Crêpe batter
Serves about six

250g flour
3 eggs
500ml milk
pinch of salt
about 1 teaspoon of melted butter
water

Mix flour and egg. The mixture gets very thick and dry. Add milk slowly until you get a smooth batter. Add butter and salt.

We find that the batter could be thinner, and usually add about half a cup of water and more milk, so that the crêpe spreads thinner.

Chill in fridge for about half an hour.

To cook, spread a thin layer, one at a time, on frying pan or use a multi crêpe party device.

To serve, add fillings, fold into half or quarter, or just simply roll up.



Simple Crêpe Fillings suggestions

Savoury
Bacon: This is always a winner. Fry them until they are crispy. Top with shredded cheese or mix with mushrooms.

Mushrooms: You can stir fry mixed button mushrooms (diced into small cubes) with olive oil, garlic and chopped fresh parsley (seasoned with salt and black pepper). Another alternative is to fry with bacon (and chopped onions), add some fresh cream, season with herbs, salt and black pepper).

Eggs: Beat an egg into the multi crêpe party, you get a perfect round sunny side up. Put it on top of the crêpe and add bacon and cheese if desired.

Blue cheese and Walnut: For the slightly more exotic taste buds. Popular with our crêpe party guests so far.

Sweet
Butter, sugar and cinnamon: My all time favourite! Melt them altogether on the crêpe and eat it while it's hot. Sinfully good.

Sugar with lemon juice: For some tangy punch, squeeze some lemon juice onto sugar.

Banana or strawberries with melted chocolate: Always pair well together.

Banana with milo: A great pair here too

Banana with orange: We tried cooking banana with orange juice/pulp. Something new for a change.

Banana and honey: Classic

Strawberries with sugar: Tried it yesterday and it's good.

Ice-cream: If you're fast to eat before it melts on the hot crêpe.

Liqueur: You can make a Crêpe Suzette by putting sugar and liqueur such as rum on it (with fruits like bananas), and setting it on fire. Sure to capture everyone's attention.

Jam: Or basically, just scour through your pantry for anything that you find suitable. It will ensure a successful crêpe party with a big spread of fillings to satisfy every palate.


note: Crêpes in pictures shown are made this morning with leftover batter from our crêpe party last night, using a normal frying pan.

The five fragrances of Ngoh Hiang

The Hokkien Five Spice Meat Roll is more commonly known as Ngoh Hiang in Hokkien or Wu Xiang in Mandarin, literally meaning "five fragrances". Well, the famous Five Spice Powder (Wu Xiang Fen) used in Chinese cuisine is also literally translated as "five fragrances" from Chinese.

Five spice powder is so named as it contains all the five flavours (or should we say fragrance) - sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty. Although the specific combination of spices varies nowadays, two standard combination are: 1) Chinese Tung Hing cinnamon (a type of cassia), powdered cassia buds, powdered star anise and anise seed, ginger root, and ground cloves. 2) huajiao (Sichuan pepper), bajiao (star anise), rougui (cassia), cloves, and fennel seeds.

The powder is the key spice in making the Ngoh Hiang. As the meat roll is quite tedious to make, it is a festive dish in Hokkien households (from my observation of my extended family and friends). Besides death anniversaries of ancestors (this may sound strange to foreigners, but anniversaries are celebrated with rich offerings of food in traditional prayers, and the extended family gather together to offer their respect. I see it more as an occasion for family gathering), Chinese New Year is the main period when grandmothers, mothers, aunts etc make this meat roll, along with a big feast of other traditional goodies.

Of course, you can easily find Ngoh Hiang in hawker centres nowadays, but nothing beats the homemade one. Especially when those commercially-made-in-factory ones taste more flour than meat (just like chicken nuggets from MacDonald).

I got the below recipe from my friend PY's mom, who make one of the best Ngoh Hiang. As with most Chinese home cooks, the proportion of ingredients is more by instinct than precision, so use your discretion, as I do when I reduce the quantity in making it. The quantity is huge, as this is a festive dish and so, cooked to feed many many mouths and to last over several meals during the Chinese New Year period.

Yesterday was my first try. There's room for improvement.

Ngoh Hiang (Hokkien five spice meat roll)
makes perhaps 12 rolls

1 large sheet of bean skin
1kg minced pork
300g prawns
20 water chestnuts
2 large onions
2 carrots
10-15 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked
5 stalks coriander leaves
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp salt
pepper
corn flour
1 packet of five spice powder (I'm not sure how much is this, but use generously, possibly 1 tbsp)
2 eggs

Grate carrots and chopped all ingredients finely. Marinate and set aside for one hour.

Cut the bean skin into smaller squares (or rectangular). Clean them with a damp cloth. It's very fragile, so be careful not to tear it.

Divide up the minced mixture accordingly and roll as tightly as possible like a sausage.

Deep fry in hot oil until cooked (I prefer to use less oil and turn the meat rolls until all sides are cooked). Cut diagonally into 1 inch slices.

Serve as a side dish with rice.

家乡味: homely Braised Pork Belly

Above braised pork belly may not look the best, neither is it anywhere close to perfect. But isn't this what homecooked food all about? Warmth, familiarity, even to the point of nostalgia, where you remember its perfections and imperfections by heart. These are the qualities that even the best chefs in the world find it hard to match.

Think Ratatouille, the Pixar animated movie. The heart of the toughest food critic in Paris will still melt at the memory of his mother's homely cooked food.

Braised Pork Belly is a very typical Hokkien dish, common in everyday cooking as well as during festivities. I remember it as my grandfather's favourite dish too. Like many Chinese men, he is an ultimate pork lover and there's always pork in every meal, whether as a main dish, in soups, or as condiment in stir fried vegetables. Well, he was a pig farmer too.

I tried hard to retrace the steps my mother took to cook this dish. But I was lacking in spices such as star anise, cloves and cinnamon sticks, and maybe missing a step here and there. Below is my 'agar agar' guesstimation recipe, that is open to suggestions for improvements.

Braised Pork Belly

Three-layered pork belly (you decide the quantity based on how many you're cooking for)
1 square of Tau Kwa (beancurd with its skin fried)
1 Taw Kee (beancurd sticks)
dried shitake mushrooms, soaked
hard boiled eggs
note: other than pork, the accompanying ingredients are optional but good to have.

3-4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1-2 star anise
several cloves of garlic, some chopped (depending on how much of a garlic lover you are)

Seasoning for pork:
Dark soy sauce
Sesame oil
Five spice powder
White pepper powder
2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Start preparing at least 2 hours ahead of serving. Sliced the pork into chunky pieces. Do not throw away the fatty part, even if you're not going to eat it, as the fats are crucial to a tender texture of the lean part. Season and leave aside for as long as you can, so that the seasoning is well absorbed into the meat.

On how much soy sauce to use in seasoning pork, my rule is to have all the meat "darkened" by the sauce. And maybe 1 tbsp of sesame oil and 1 tsp of five spice powder. It's very random here, use your nose.

Heat oil in a saucepan (you can use sesame oil or just vegetable oil). Fry garlic until it is fragrant but not burned. Throw in the pork and stir fry until it is semi cooked. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and fry for a few minutes.

Add water until it just covers everything. Here's where more of my estimation comes in, as I drizzle the dish with more dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, five spice powder...one recipe I saw uses brown sugar, though I'm not sure of its significance on taste.

But bring the liquid to boil, and turn down heat to simmer for 1-2 hours, until the pork is tender, the dark sauce is fully absorbed into the beancurds and eggs.

Serve with plain rice and a plate of stir fry vegetables. And do not throw away if you can't finish, as this dish still taste as good, or even better overnight. Can serve with plain steam buns too.

Super easy steamed tofu with minced pork

It takes only five minutes to prepare, though I may have spent more time during my clumsier days.

I was in secondary two, and had an upcoming practical examination for Home and Economics, where I needed to cook two dishes. I did not know how to steam rice or fry an omelette at that time, neither did I know how to cook instant noodles. So my mother taught me this super easy minced pork and tofu dish, plus stir fry mixed vegetables.

And she even helped me to cheat. As I was clumsy with cutting, and kept forgetting to add in one or two seasoning, she seasoned the pork and tofu, and peeled the carrots for me before I brought them to school for the examination (we were supposed to provide our own ingredients).

I still have no idea if my teacher Mrs Goh saw through it. I remember classmate Indrawati cooked a complicated looking vegetarian fish, while Min's stew potatoes wasn't fully cooked.

Tofu with minced pork
1 piece of tofu
a handful of minced pork
1 dried shitake mushroom, chopped (optional)
chopped coriander leaves

seasoning for pork:
pepper
1 tsp black bean sauce (or just simply soy sauce and sesame oil)


Season pork. We experimented with black bean sauce instead of the "usual suspects". Tasted good.

Add dried mushrooms and coriander leaves.

Rub tofu with salt. Up to you to dice it or leave it whole. Top with pork. You may add a few shreds of carrot or chili to enhance the colour.

Steam until cooked. Serve with rice and another vegetable dish.

The many faces of dumplings

The English translated term "dumpling" does much injustice to the many possibilities it could stand for in Chinese cuisine.

According to merriam-webster.com, dumpling is a: a small mass of leavened dough cooked by boiling or steaming b: a usually baked dessert of fruit wrapped in dough.

In Chinese culinary terms, I can think of at least seven delights that are unfortunately being loosely translated as "dumplings" -- 水饺(shui jiao)、粽子(zongzi)、汤圆(tangyuan)、小龙包(xiaolongbao)、虾角(har kao)、烧卖(siew mai)、饺子(jiaozi)... all in different shapes, colours, sizes, ingredients and cooking methods. Sweet and savoury as well.

And they are naturally confusing for Rémi, who loves all of them but can't find appropriate words to describe them all.

Above is our attempt at creating shui jiao noodles. The dumplings tasted good, but the tossed dry noodles was just average. Arrwww...I miss hawker food in Singapore (just like any overseas Singaporean).

The cooking method needs little explaining: minced pork, prawns, water chestnut (I used parsnip), dried shitake mushrooms (soaked) and spring onions (or coriander leaves). All chopped, mixed and seasoned with light soya sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and some corn starch for smoother texture. And then wrapped in ready made wanton skin. Seal with corn starch and some pinching at the edges. Cook in boiling water for a few minutes.

As for the noodles, I need to brush up my skills further. Recipe from Indar involves frying shallots in hot oil until it is crispy. Toss the cooked noodles with the crispy shallot and oil, as well as dark soya sauce and sesame oil. A good sambal chilli helps enhance the taste.