It was during my last year’s Shanghai trip when da real thang blew me away.

Before that, Dong Po Rou didn’t quite make an impression. In fact, i don’t remember eating any prior to the trip. Because i read so much about Shanghai’s Dong Po Rou, it was a die die must eat dish when we were there. The first time we had it was when the gf’s brother brought us to this fabulous restaurant at a rather hip area for a meal. I did most of the ordering (HEH!).. a few dishes were quite disastrous but gawwwwwddd, the Dong Po Rou totally kicked ass. Like totally, totally. Sweet, sticky, melt in your mouth… it was as though we were observing a moment of silence when we sank our teeth into the meat. It was so good! More on this for my travel post..

It has been a year since the trip — i so missed the girlfriends and all the fun we had! — and this post is dedicated specially to the girlfriends who were there with me through thick and thin. :)

Dong Po Rou 东坡肉 / Braised Pork Belly

serves 2

500g pork belly
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 sprig of scallion, chopped into 3 cm lengths
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp rock sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2.5 cups lukewarm water
2 cups boiling water
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
peanut oil
1/3 cup shaoxing hua tiao wine
1 tsp cornstarch

Method:

1.  In a wok on medium heat, add peanut oil. Saute scallions, ginger and garlic for 2-3 mins until fragrant.
2. Add sugar and further saute until sugar starts to melt. Add soy sauce, dark soy and wine. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and add lukewarm water. Set aside.
3. While sauce is coming to a boil, slice pork belly into rectangular portions about 2.5 inch x 4 inch pieces. Place pork belly pieces on a chopping board or a tray and scald them on all sides with boiling water.

4.  Place the pork pieces skin side down in a pan large enough to fit all the pieces together and add the earlier sauce mixture.

5. Bring to boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to a low simmer and braise the pork for 30 mins, covered.
6. After 30 minutes, flip the pork belly pieces over so the skin is shown on top and continue braising covered for a minimum of 3 hours, basting the skin occasionally.
7. When ready, remove pork belly pieces gently and set aside. Strain remaining sauce into a saucepan and bring to a low simmer.
8. Mix cornstarch with 50ml of water and gently pour it into the sauce. Stir well until sauce becomes a shiny, sticky glaze. Turn off heat.
9. To serve, gently place a piece of braised pork belly onto a plate and spoon over the sauce. Serve immediately with warm steamed rice or steamed buns. Enjoy!

this is how you should eat it – further thicken the gravy and dress it up pretty and shiny!

(adapted from here)

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Note : i DOUBLED the recipe. I mean, since i’m already at it, might as well double it right? I cannot imagine braising this for 3 hours for 4-5 pieces of meat. Not worth it in my humble opinion but then, that’s just me. :P

So, how was the porky pork?

WE LOVED IT!

Though i didn’t manage to replicate the sticky sauce which i had in Shanghai, i’m not complaining. The pork was so so soft, and the fats.. of the fats, — no one should ever remove the fats when eating this. period. yeah, screw the cholesterol and whatnots — doesn’t need further elaboration i believe. Grin. This porky dish is insanely good and if you’ve guests who is pork belly crazy, be prepared for the WOW-ed guests. ;)

And yes, we polished off the entire 1kg of pork belly that night if you must know.

The first message i saw flashing on the phone’s screen was “Call me. Urgent!”, from the husband. Then, i had just finished my yoga class in the city. It was 1pm.

To my horror, the husband told me beep was already home and according to his usual time table, he was supposed to be home only at 3.30pm! Whatever happened to his enrichment class in school? Fortunately, the nice neighbour took him in after hearing beep’s cries near the corridor. It was a huge relief for me because that meant he was in good hands and i didn’t have weave in and out on the expressway at 130-140km/h. I’ve tried it once and i don’t think i wanna try it again. It was pure madness!

When i finally reached home and spoke to beep, he was all okay. Phew! No signs of distress or trauma or whatsoever . So, all was good.. or so i thought..

It turned out that it wasn’t beep who was traumatized by the incident after all. It was me.

That night, i had nightmare.

I dreamt that beep didn’t want me anymore. Instead, he found someone new. Or rather, a kind old couple, who lived a few blocks away. He decided to call it quit with me. HA! I coaxed him to return and stay with us again but he totally refused. I was sad. Very sad. The dream seemed too real. Each and every single of his expression was there. The eyes.. beep’s eyes, when he rejected me.. it said it all. It said, Go away, Mama. I don’t love you anymore.

So very painful.

Coming from my youngest darling baby who’s just 5 years old, what i felt then was beyond words. Guess i was so upset that i actually woke up and couldn’t sleep again.  I tried to enter the dream over and over and over and over again am but to no avail. It was 4ish in the morning. You see, i was hoping to go back into the dream and consciously make some changes so that the ending wouldn’t end this terribly.

But.

I couldn’t. Usually i could but not this dream and that scares me a tiny bit. Uh huh, it sounds almost like Inception the movie eh? But it’s true. Since young, i have been able to change my dreams according to how i want it once i realized it’s a dream. From horrifying super natural dreams to some funny and entertaining dreams, from a sad dream to a happy dream, i’ve done it all, provided i can enter that particular dream again that is. Once i make a few good changes, then the nature will take its course again.. usually, ending it the way i wanted it to end but not in my control anymore. I can’t control the entire dream.. otherwise, how to sleep well ah?!?! As for going into another dream in a dream, i’ve done it too. But never a dream in a dream in another dream. 2 levels is all i can manage.

So yeah, i certainly hope such incident will never happen again, to me or to anyone of you. It’s not fun at all.

Poor kiddo..

okay, nothing significance in this picture but i love the tea cup ! :P

The family and i love Pu Tien since eons ago. I remember making this Pumpkin Cream with Vanilla Ice Cream & Toasted Almond back in 2010, totally inspired after our dinner there at Pu Tien on one fateful night. By the way, this awesome dessert is still on Pu Tien’s current menu if you wanna check it out ;)

So why do we like Putien that much?

Because the food feels homely and unpretentious. And the service is impeccable every single time we stopped by. I did mention that the parents are rather fussy when it comes to food right but, surprisingly, when it comes to Putien’s food, they will never say no. The dishes are mostly healthy and wholesome.. how to say no ah? (uh huh, as skinny as the parents already are, underweight even if you must, they are still very health conscious. strange isn’t it? :P)

Anyway.

With fresh, seasonal ingredients, Pu Tien’s new Spring menu highlights on succulent mantis prawns, juicy loquats and refreshing shoots, sprouts and mustard greens, all inspired by childhood memories of a traditional Heng Hwa garden and kitchen.

Iced Abalone $11.90 per shell

This premium abalone from Putien gotta be my favourite. Teeheeeee! It was amazingly tender but still crunchy with good bite. And the stock that got jelly-fied together with the abalone in its shell, it was just so very flavourful and sweet! Whoever says that eating fresh abalone is akin to eating a few pieces of chewing gum, you so NEED to come to Putien stat! This abalone is served chilled.

Spring Sprouts with Enoki Mushrooms $4.90

Spring sprouts, which also known as toon sprouts are sprinkled on lightly parboiled enoki mushrooms. The reason why Chef Li did so is because of the sprouts lend this subtle bitterness to the dish which i don’t mind really. Think arugula in western dishes! ;)

Pickled Vegetable Soup with Spring Bamboo Shoot $4.90 per pax

Appetizing for sure but not my kinda soup. Heh. Just like the Chef mentioned, this tangy soup is definitely for those who craves for something light after a long day or for someone who has got no appetite for any other food which i agreed wholeheartedly. :)

Treasure Pocked $2.90/2 pcs

This beancurd dish by Putien definitely got me sitting up. Deep fried till crispy with freshly made beancurd skin by the Putien’s kitchen, the skin was so thin that you can sorta see through what was inside! A lot of times, i find beancurd skin sold outside is a tad too salty for my liking but not this one. Inside, the fish paste is combined with juicy, tender oyster (another surprise find!), aromatic chives and generously dotted with chopped chestnut for the extra crunch. Judging from others’ expressions, methinks this dish was very well received by them too!

Braised Chicken with Dou Miao $11.90 $16.90

Very innovative dish. This dish is plated to resemble fresh greens sprouting in a field of melting snow. But where’s the chicken, you ask. The chicken, together with egg white are blended and parboiled with dou miao, providing a smooth contrast in taste and texture to the greens. And the scallop stock…. is totally ooh la la!!

Pu Tien Lor Mee $7.90 $15.90 $23.90

Silky noodles with prawns, clams and pork belly braised in luscious pork broth. Just one word – comforting. :)

Braised Bamboo Clam with Mustard Green $18.90 $27.90

I never like mustard green. It’s bitter. Asking me to eat mustard green is like asking me to eat bitter gourd. Ewww! Hahahaa! But here in this dish, the mustard green has zero hint of bitterness (okay, maybe just very very subtle?) because Chef Li cleverly soaks the greens inside syrup before braising them. Salty, a teeny weeny sweet and bitter at the same time, the flavour is very well balanced. Kudos to Chef for making me downed every single piece of the mustard green, voluntarily. :)

Putian Loquat in Herbal Jelly $4.90

Loquat, a Putian staple, is at its most tender and juicy in the Spring season. Putien mixes the loquat with traditional Chinese herbs and serves it as a light nutritious dessert.

Putien

Website : http://www.putien.com
List of outlets : http://www.putien.com/outlet.htm

Follow Putien on Twitter! - http://twitter.com/putien_sg

Or

Find Putien on Facebook at PUTIEN RESTAURANT

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Thank you Geri from linea communications and Ringo from Putien for this delicious healthy homely lunch!

It was beep’s birthday.

Because i was so very occupied then, i gave the boy just 2 very easy options for his birthday cake. Between chocolate cake and strawberry shortcake, he totally surprised me by picking the latter. Guess he really loves strawberries!

Apart from the usual attendees, the in laws came as well. I think it’s just me. Having the in laws over to dine never fails to unsettle me quite a bit. They are truly quite fussy when it comes to food. If it’s good, everyone will be in a good mood. If it’s bad, it will just be a few mouthfuls and that’s it. Sigh. That’s not fun at all, isn’t it? So. Mammoth effort for planning will be invested.

One food that never sits well with the in laws is my cakes. To be fair (to me of course), they generally dislike cake. Like, totally hate it, especially chocolate cake! (yeah, a huge PHEW that beep picked this cake eh?) They dislike heavy cakes, they dislike cakes that are too sweet, they dislike fanciful cakes. In short, life is tough!

Everyone had an enjoyable dinner that night. We had a few curry dishes and they loved it with naan. So, dinner –> passed with flying colours. YAY!

Then, onto the cake.

*quivering with anticipation as i looked on for their expression*

Again, they loved it!

The mother couldn’t stop singing praises for it. Methinks it was the light chiffon texture that they dig. Together with the strawberries, rum and fresh cream, this cake was a winner. Truly. Needless to say, the entire cake was zapped off on that night itself hence no decent photos of the cake’s innards which i’d usually snap the day after.

Strawberry Shortcake

for 9″ cake

For the Cake

8 eggs, separated
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup water
1 cup of sugar
1 and 3/4 cups of cake flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

2. In a med-large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, half portion of the sugar, oil and water.

3. Sift the flour and  baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Whisk gently to combine.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg yolk mixture and mix to create a smooth paste. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until light and frothy. Slowly add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

5. Add one-third of the egg whites and fold in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Transfer to the cake tin.

6. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Invert the cake immediately and let it cool completely in the tin. Once cool run a knife around the cake to in order to un-mold the cakes. Lift the cake and run knife along the base before un-molding it completely. Slice evenly into 3 layers

Filling

250g strawberry, sliced

Fresh cream

300g cream
50-80g icing sugar, to taste

Method

1. Beat cream till frothy, and gradually add in the icing sugar. Beat till stiff peaks.

Others

Rum, optional
More strawberries, for deco

To assemble

1. Place one layer on a cake stand. Brush the surface with rum generously.

2. Top with enough fresh cream and spread it evenly. Arrange sliced strawberries on top. Repeat with the remaining layers.

3. And lastly, frost the top of the cake and the sides with fresh cream frosting before arranging another few more strawberries on the cake for decoration.

Note : i kinda forgot if the frosting was just fresh cream or if i had added some cream cheese in it. Dang. I’m getting old!

Tips : DO NOT line or grease the removable base cake tin please.

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I know how frustrated it is when you see a picture of a cake whole but don’t get to see the inside when sliced. It’s like, putting that piece of ultra decadent dark chocolate cake right in front of me and telling me i can’t eat it. It’s quite annoying.

So.

Even though this crappy photo does no justice to the cake, i’m still gonna show it to you anyway.

Taken before i devoured it, well, erm.. that one bite at the corner not counted. ;P

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