Tempura batter (for pork, chicken and squid)

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

 

For some reason the original pork/chicken ball batter that I’d previously used and really liked has not produced good results on all the subsequent occasions that I’ve made it. So I decided to try using John Torode’s batter, which is basically a Japanese tempura batter as it contains cold (sparkling) water.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I decided to batter a selection of things: 1 pork chop, 1 chicken breast and 3 pieces of squid. We didn’t cook the squid for as long, so they are the smaller, paler balls in the photo. The pork and chicken were cooked for about 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally.

 

The amount of batter was sufficient for this amount of meat and seafood. However, I ran out of cornflour for dusting the pork, so I just used plain flour instead and it was fine.

 

I got Steve to make the Sweet and Sour sauce from the original recipe we like, as we know it’s a winner! I’ve rewritten the sauce recipe below.

 

TASTE TEST:

Well the pork and chicken balls were lovely as the meat was moist and succulent. I never normally use chicken breast as I find it dry and lacking flavour. So Steve was very surprised when I told him it was breast and not thigh. Unfortunately the squid tasted very fishy, so I suspect that the frozen squid I used has spoiled, either before or after I bought it.

 

The batter was nice and crispy, but it was a little bit greasy. It might be because we didn’t drain them well enough. Or we perhaps didn’t have the oil hot enough when we dropped the battered meat/squid in, so the batter didn’t create a barrier against absorbing more oil. I still thought the batter was really nice, but Steve said it just wasn’t the same as the take-away ones! So as a batter it is very nice, but it doesn’t get as high a Munch Rating as it’s just not spongy enough in the middle for Steve’s liking.

 

So we’re still looking for the perfect recipe. I’m going to look into why the original recipe we liked hasn’t worked since the first time I made it. I think I might have converted the quantities incorrectly when I downsized the recipe.

 

I have also asked my Dad to ask his friends who own a Chinese take-away for their recipe. Hopefully I will learn some insider secrets!

 

I now have almost a whole bottle of soda water to use up. I could make up a nice drink with it, but I’ve found a recipe for pancakes which uses soda water as it apparently makes them really fluffy. So hopefully I’ll get around to experimenting with that recipe before the water goes flat!

 

• Makes: 6-8 pork balls, 6-8 chicken balls, 12-15 squid rings

 

Ingredients:

FOR THE BATTER

• 100ml soda water, chilled
• 100ml cold water
• 140g self-raising flour
• pinch of salt

 

• selection of skinless, boneless meat/seafood, cut into chunks
• 25g cornflour
• sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying

 

Directions:

1. Line a baking tray with kitchen paper and turn on the oven to low.
2. Fill a large pan 1cm deep with oil and heat until shimmering.
3. Mix the soda water and cold water into the self-raising flour with a little salt (but don’t overmix as it’s OK to have lumps in tempura batter to keep it light)
4. Tip the cornflour onto a plate and dust the chicken/pork/squid with cornflour shaking off the excess, then dip into the batter. One at a time, lower into the hot oil (about 5-6 every batch). Turn up the heat to keep the meat frying, if needed, and cook for 5-6 mins, turning once.
5. When cooked, drain on the tray, and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining meat. Stack onto a plate with the warm sauce on the side.

 

FOR THE sweet and sour SAUCE:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup (60ml) white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
• 1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tablespoon corn flour
• 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) cold water

 

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan combine the first 6 ingredients and bring to a boil whisking constantly.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer stirring for 2 minutes.
3. In a small cup dissolve the corn flour in the cold water until smooth, then add to the simmering sauce stirring constantly.
4. Cook for another 3 minutes stirring until bubbly and thickened.
5. I served this at room temperature. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for probably about a week or you could freeze it.

Minced soy pork with noodles

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

In the April issue of BBC Good Food magazine there was a recipe by Ching-He Huang for this noodle dish. It looked really tasty, but what tempted me most was that it was quite healthy at around 500 calories and 12g fat per serving. I thought this would be the perfect dish to start our healthy eating plan as it’s quick and easy to prepare and cook.

 

I do make quite a few stir-fries so I already had most of the ingredients, but there are some ingredients that I had to get from the Chinese supermarket, such as the dried mushrooms. Steve was a little dubious about the dried mushrooms as he didn’t have very fond memories of them from dishes he’d eaten in restaurants. But once he saw that I’d chopped them up into small pieces he cheered up and after tasting them in the dish he declared that they were actually quite nice as he couldn’t really taste them, but they added a depth of flavour to the dish. He’s even suggested we try putting them in Bolognese and Massaman curry!

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE: 

I also used some chow mein noodles (Lion Brand) that I’d bought instead of the rice noodles that Ching used, as we prefer this type of noodle. Ching added noodles that were already cooked, whereas I added mine when they were just rehydrated as I preferred to finish cooking them in the pan so that they could absorb more flavour.  I used 2½ blocks of the dried noodles and this made quite a lot when rehydrated, so I added a bit more soy sauce than the recipe suggested and I also added some oyster sauce for extra flavour. Ching added dried shrimps, spring onions and coriander to her dish, but we ran out of spring onions and I can’t stand dried shrimps and coriander so I left them out. Instead I added some mange tout for some colour and one of our 5-a-day!

 

TASTE TEST:

I haven’t really used pork mince much before, which is funny because the Chinese love to use pork! But we both really liked the texture of the meat and it wasn’t greasy like lamb or beef mince. I will definitely be using more pork mince in future, especially as it was so nice in the Potsticker Dumplings we made!

 

• Serves: 2 generously

 

Ingredients:

• 2½ blocks dried chow mein noodles rehydrated (see notes below)
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 dried Chinese mushrooms, rehydrated and finely chopped (see notes below)
• 250g lean pork mince
• 1 Tablespoon Shaoshing rice wine
• 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder (I used Knorr granules)
• 100ml water
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 big handfuls of mange tout

 

Directions:

1. Heat a wok over a high heat and add the oil. When it’s really hot add the garlic, ginger and finely chopped mushrooms. Stir well for a few seconds, then add the mince and stir-fry. When the meat starts to turn brown, add the rice wine, both soy sauces, oyster sauce, stock powder and the water and bring to the boil.
2. Add the rehydrated noodles and mix thoroughly, allow to cook for 2 minutes, then add the mange tout and cook for another 2 minutes until they’re cooked but still a bit crunchy.
3. Add the sesame oil, mix well and serve immediately.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• To rehydrate the noodles: place them in a deep bowl or saucepan and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Allow them to soften for a couple of minutes and then loosen with a pair of chopsticks until they’re all separated. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• To rehydrate the mushrooms: place them in a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Leave them to soak for 45 minutes, then drain.

Pork Potsticker Dumplings

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

A while ago I tried to make potstickers completely from scratch using my Gran’s recipe for the dough. I added too much water and it was a bit of a disaster, so this time I cheated and used ready-made gyoza wrappers that I bought from a Chinese supermarket. So these dumplings were actually very quick and easy to make, especially when I had Steve to help me.

 

For the filling I adapted a Ken Hom recipe and I made the mistake of substituting Chinese leaves for bamboo shoots as they contributed a funny smell which wasn’t too pleasant! But other than that they tasted really good!

 

I have another recipe for the filling which uses beef mince, so I’ll try that next time. I will also have another try at making the dough from scratch!

 

• Makes: 22-25 dumplings

 

Ingredients:

• 22-25 gyoza wrappers
• a little water for sealing the dumplings
• 1 Tablespoon oil for cooking the dumplings
• 60ml water for cooking the dumplings

FOR THE FILLING:

• 250g minced pork
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• ½ Tablespoon Shaoshing rice wine
• ½ Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• ½ Tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon sugar

 

Directions:

Preparation:

1. Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together well. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

To make the dumplings:

1. Place a large teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each gyoza wrapper and moisten the edges with water.
2. Fold over the dough to create a semi-circle and pinch together with your fingers to seal. You can add pleats if you like. Place your completed dumplings onto a lightly floured tray and keep covered whilst you make the rest.

To cook the dumplings (in batches):

1. Heat a large lidded frying pan until it is very hot. Add half the oil so that the base of the pan is covered. Place half the dumplings in the pan flat side down, reduce the heat and cook for about 2 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
2. Add 30ml of water, cover the pan tightly and simmer gently for 5-7 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Uncover the pan and continue to cook the dumplings for 2 more minutes – the dumplings should look wrinkled. Remove from the pan and keep warm whilst you repeat with the other half of the dumplings.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• The dumplings will keep in the fridge overnight as long as they are tightly covered.

Pork Balls in Batter with Sweet and Sour Sauce

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

When I first made this batter recipe it worked incredibly well. But ever since then it hasn't worked as well as the batter has been too runny. I think I might have converted the quantities incorrectly when I downsized the original recipe, so I need to investigate the problem and I will rewrite the recipe. I'm sorry if you have tried this recipe and it has been a disaster! But the sauce recipe is definitely good and I have used it when I tried a tempura recipe.

I asked my Dad to ask his friends who own a Chinese take-away how they make the batter for pork/chicken balls. Their response was:
Dry the meat and season with salt and pepper. Dust with plain flour. Make a batter by mixing self-raising flour (Green Dragon is the brand) with enough water until you get the consistency where it easily falls from the whisk. Dip the meat into the batter and then deep fry until pale golden brown and the 'balls' have formed their shape. In the take-away they will leave them like this until a customer makes their order and then the balls are re-fried until they are dark golden brown.

So I've got a couple of recipes to test out and will post the results asap!



SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE - INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup (60ml) white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
• 1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tablespoon corn flour
• 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) cold water

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE - DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the sauce: in a small saucepan combine the first 6 ingredients and bring to a boil whisking constantly.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer stirring for 2 minutes.
3. In a small cup dissolve the corn flour in the cold water until smooth, then add to the simmering sauce stirring constantly.
4. Cook for another 3 minutes stirring until bubbly and thickened.
5. I served this at room temperature. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for probably about a week.

---

** 5th April 2010 - Ignore this recipe! It needs updating! **

PORK BALLS – INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cup (80g) plain flour
• 2/3 cup (80g) corn flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup (240ml) cold water
• oil for deep frying
• 1.1lb (500g) pork, cut into small cubes (I used Spare Rib Chops. You could also use chicken breast).

PORK BALLS – DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the batter: in a large bowl combine the flour, corn flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and water and mix until smooth.
2. Put the pork pieces into the batter and mix thoroughly to evenly coat them. (I did this about ½ hour before I was ready to cook them as I find batter benefits from time to rest).
3. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or large deep saucepan to 375 degrees (I used oil about 3 inches deep in a saucepan. To test the oil was hot enough I dropped some batter in and if it puffed up and sizzled then it was ready).
4. Then drop the pieces into the hot oil piece by piece and fry until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. (Don’t put too many pieces into the fryer otherwise the temperature of the oil will drop too much, I fried about 10 at a time).
5. Remove and drain on a paper towel and keep warm in a low oven whilst you fry the rest.

Pork and buccatini with coconut satay sauce

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

We had a spare pork chop in the fridge and whenever there’s any bits of meat hanging around I automatically think of cooking stir fries as it’s the easiest way to make it stretch.

But then I remembered a recipe I made with chicken and this is a variation on Chicken and noodles with coconut satay sauce. Instead of noodles I used buccatini, which is a really fat type of spaghetti and I love it because it reminds me of udon noodles.

Coating the pork in the egg white and flour isn’t necessary, but it gives it a nice coating and will ensure the meat is soft and tender.

• Serves: 2-3
• You will need: large wok or frying pan, small saucepan, medium saucepan 

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white (keep the yolks for a custard or something!)
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 large pork chop, cut into small 1cm cubes
• 1/3 of 500g pack of buccatini*
• 400ml can Coconut Milk Light/Reduced Fat
• 2-3 Tablespoons oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Thai Curry Paste
• 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
• a few mushrooms, sliced
• 2 small orange peppers, sliced
• 3-4 leaves of sweetheart cabbage, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons Crunchy Peanut Butter 

Directions:

1. Mix the egg white and cornflour in a small bowl until well combined. Add the pork and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions. Drain and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile bring the coconut milk to the boil in a small pan and simmer on a medium heat to reduce and thicken.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and drop the pieces of pork individually into the pan so they don’t all stick together. Fry the pork for about 5 minutes, until crispy and golden brown – you might need to do this in batches. Set to one side.
5. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary, then sauté the shallots until soft and brown. Stir in the Thai paste and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the other vegetables and fry until vegetables are starting to soften.
6. Stir in the peanut butter, add the thickened coconut milk and return the pork to the pan.
7. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce is a nice consistency and the pork is fully cooked.
8. To serve: place the warm pasta between 2 serving bowls and ladle the sauce on top. 

COOK'S NOTES:

• If you can’t find buccatini (I’ve only been able to buy it from Sainsburys) then just use normal spaghetti, or of course just use noodles!

Chinese Spare Ribs

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

I slow cooked these spare ribs in my Tefal 4-in-1 for about 6 hours and then finished them in the oven to make them slightly charred for an improved flavour and appearance. They were wonderfully tender and the meat just fell off the bone!

For the marinade I used the same recipe that I use for Hoi-Sin Pork.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Marinade time: a few hours or ideally overnight
• Cooking time: slow cook 4-6 hours then 20 mins in oven 

Ingredients:

• 2 packs pork spare ribs (about 12 ribs)
• 3 tbsp hoi-sin sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp (dark) soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey 

Directions:

1. Put the pork ribs in a plastic zip-lock freezer bag and then add all the marinade ingredients. Seal the bag and massage the meat so that it is fully and evenly coated. Alternatively, put the pork ribs and marinade ingredients into a large flat dish and cover with cling film. Leave them in the fridge for a few hours or ideally overnight.
2. Put the pork ribs and the marinade into the slow cooker and cook (on low) for 4-6 hours until the meat is tender.
3. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C. Put the ribs into a baking tray and pour over about a third of the marinade from the slow cooker. Drizzle over 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile put the rest of the marinade into a small saucepan and boil until it is thick and syrupy. Strain the marinade into a small serving bowl and then serve with the ribs as a dipping sauce.

Tsukune - Pork Balls on sticks

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I got the inspiration for this recipe by one of my favourite Japanese anime shows, Samurai Champloo, as the 3 main characters are always on the search for food and they seem to eat food on sticks a lot.

So a quick search on Google resulted in Tsukune. I have adapted a recipe I found to add more flavour, but the basic method for making them is the same. They are cooked in two stages but it really isn't that complicated.

I think these would be great on the BBQ as you can prepare and cook them up to step 5 and then finish them over the hot coals.

The original recipe bastes the pork balls with Yakitori sauce but that calls for 1 Tablespoon of Mirin and 5 Tablespoons of Sake, both of which I didn't have as they're quite expensive and I wouldn't be able to use them up during our time in SF. So I substituted the Mirin and Sake with Hoisin Sauce to invent my own sauce!

• Makes: 12 Pork Balls
• Cooking Method: grill/broiler or BBQ

Ingredients:

For the Pork Balls:

• 300g/11oz minced/ground pork (or you can use chicken or turkey)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp corn flour/starch
• 6tbsp dried breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, grated (optional)
• The juice from 1 inch piece fresh grated ginger root

Ingredients:

For "Poor Mandy's Yakitori Sauce"

• 5 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch blended with 5ml/1 teaspoon water
• 2 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

Directions for the Sauce:

1. In a small pan, mix all the ingredients for the "yakitori sauce", except for the cornstarch liquid. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes or until the sauce has slightly reduced. Add the cornstarch liquid and stir until the sauce is thick.

Directions for the Pork Balls:

1. Soak 4 bamboo skewers in water for a few hours.
2. Put all the ingredients the pork balls in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. (You can use a food processor if you have it).
3. Wet your hands and scoop about a tablespoonful of the mixture into your palm and shape it into a small ball about the size of a golf ball. Make all 12 balls.
4. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pork balls and boil for about 7 minutes or until the colour of the meat changes and the balls float to the surface.
5. Remove the balls from the pan and drain well on kitchen paper.
6. Toss the pork balls in a little bit of oil - this will help them brown.
7. Thread 3 balls on each skewer and cook under a medium grill/broiler or on a barbecue, keeping the skewer hands away from the fire. Turn them every few minutes until they are evenly browned.
8. Brush with sauce and return to the heat.
9. Repeat the brushing process twice, turning the balls to coat evenly so that the sauce caramelises.

NO BAMBOO STICKS? Don't worry, you can just put your balls on a baking sheet and cook under the grill, turning them often and basting with the sauce.

I served the Pork Balls with stir-fried spaghetti with mixed vegetables. My Dad often uses spaghetti/pasta instead of noodles and I think it makes a nice alternative/substitute:

Blanch some broccoli and drain. Saute 1/2 onion and some sliced mushrooms in a large pan. Add thinly sliced carrots and cook for a couple of minutes then add the broccoli. Add enough cooked spaghetti for 2 people and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add about 4 tablespoons of oyster sauce and make sure everything is nicely coated.

Hoi-sin Pork

The marinade for the pork is based on a dish by Ching He-Huang that Steve cooked for me for Valentine's Day. Her recipe uses duck breast but I thought it would go well with pork as hoisin is the main ingredient for char-siu (chinese roast pork).

I had some leftover jasmine rice which I told Steve I was going to serve with the pork. However, I wanted to try something new with the rice so I did a twist on the italian arancini risotto balls. Steve was pleasantly surprised when he cut open the rice balls to find them filled with cheese and he really liked them, however I don't think they were 100% success so I will tweak them and then put up the recipe.

For now here's the Hoi-sin Pork recipe:

To serve 2

Ingredients:
1 large boneless pork chop (or 2 smaller ones)
Marinade:
3 tbsp hoi-sin sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp (dark) soy sauce
1 tbsp oil (preferably sesame for the flavour)
Ching's recipe calls for ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder but I didn't have any, however the pork still has lots of flavour.

Directions:

1. Put the pork in a plastic zip-lock freezer bag and then add all the marinade ingredients. Seal the bag and massage the meat so that it is fully and evenly coated. Pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but preferably for a few hours.
2. Take the meat out of fridge about 30 minutes before you're ready to cook to bring it to room temperature.
3. Heat a large frying/saute pan to medium-high and then put the pork into the pan, reserving the rest of the marinade (if you have a non-stick pan you won't need to add any oil).
4. Fry the pork for a few minutes on each side until it is fully cooked and no longer pink in the middle. The cooking time will depend on thickness of your meat but you can generally tell when it is done when you press on the meat and it feels firm.
5. Remove the pork from the pan, keep warm and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the rest of the marinade to the pan and simmer gently for a few minutes until heated through and slightly thickened.
7. Slice the pork and drizzle the sauce on top.