Thousand Layer Pork Belly ( 梅菜扣肉 )

Luke Nguyen cooks this Chinese classic dish - Thousand Layer Pork in one of the episodes of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong.    This dish is also known as "Mui Choy Khow Yoke. 

Ingredients:

800g pork belly
250g preserved mustard greens ("mui choy")
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp light soy
1 tsp dark soy
hot water

Marinade: (mix all together)
3 tbsp light soy
1 tbsp thick caramel sauce (dark soy)
3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp grated palm sugar
1 tsp pepper

• Marinate pork belly and leave it in the fridge, covered, for at least 1 hour (I marinated mine overnight).
• Soak preserved mustard greens for half an hour. Rinse and squeeze out the water.  Slice finely. 
• With a tablespoon of oil, saute garlic until aromatic.  Put in the preserved mustard greens and fry for about a minute.  Add in water, dark soy and light soy and bring it to the boil.  Then simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes under low heat. Set aside.
• Remove the pork from marinade and brush off the garlic and ginger from its surface.  Reserve the marinade.
• Heat a frying pan and add a tablespoon of oil.  Place the pork belly, skin-side down and fry until brown.  Turn over and brown the other side.
• Pour hot water into the pan, just enough to cover the pork.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the pan and cool before placing in the freezer, covered, for 1 hour. (I left mine in the fridge overnight)
• Slice the pork as thinly as possible (I sliced the pork into 5mm thick).
• Place the pork pieces into a bowl, skin-side down.  Top the pork with the preserved mustard greens.  Pour over the reserved marinade.
• Steam pork, covered, for about 1.5 hours or until soft.

Apple-Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients:   (Serves 5)                                               

4 stalks rhubarb, cut into about 4 cm length

3 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp orange juice

Crumble:   

120g plain four

1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)

100g butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup dessicated coconut

1 tsp mixed spice

 

• Cook rhubarb with orange juice and brown sugar until softened.  This will take about 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 170 deg C.
• Lightly greased ramekins with melted butter.  
• To make crumble:  Combine plain flour and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.  Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add in the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate until required.
• Spoon rhubarb into ramekins and top with sliced apple.  
• Sprinkle crumble mixture over the rhubarb and apple and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown.  
• Serve warm with cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Spiral Curry Puffs

Ingredients: [Makes 24]

Fillings:
350g potatoes, cubed
2 big onions, cubed
4 tbsp curry paste (A1 brand)
curry leaves
salt and sugar to taste

• With 2 tbsp oil, fry onion until softened.  
• Then add in curry paste and curry leaves and potatoes.  Fry for a minute.  Add in water and simmer until potatoes are soft.  Season with salt and sugar.
• Cook until dry.  
• Dish out and set aside to cool.  

(A)  Water dough pastry:
400g plain flour
2 tbsp rice flour
200ml water
3 tbsp cooking oil
40g butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 egg white

• Using a dough hook, knead all the ingredients together until it forms a soft dough.  
• Cover dough and set aside to rest for about 30 minutes. 

(B)  Oil dough pastry:
200g plain flour
1 tbsp rice flour
100g shortening (or butter)

• Put flour in a mixing bowl.
• Rub chilled chopped butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Knead until a smooth dough is formed.
• Cover dough and set aside.

To form spiral pastry:

• Flatten water dough (A).
• Wrap oil dough (B) inside the water dough and roll out into a rectangular shape on a floured surface.
• Fold a third of the pastry into the centre, then fold the bottom third up over that.  Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll out again.  Repeat folding, rolling and turning twice more.  
• Then roll the dough into a long spiral rope (like a swiss roll) and let rest for about 20 minutes.
• Using a knife, cut the dough into 24 pieces (50g each)

To make the puffs:

• Use a rolling pin, roll out each disc
• Fill with fillings and crimp the edge.
• Heat enough oil in a wok/pan.  Deep fry the curry puffs over medium-high heat until golden brown.