Entertaining

It has been a weekend full of entertaining at home - Saturday and Sunday.

EAT. TALK. LAUGH.

Everything that's got to do with the mouth!!

I whipped up a dish of "Lor Ba" AKA Braised Pork Belly, with steamed buns and butterhead lettuce. Some friends has been asking for the recipe, but my method of cooking had always been "Agaration" and "Tasting". So, this recipe is as close as it can get.

Ingredients:

• Pork Belly
• Tau Pok
• Tau Kee (optional)
• Eggs (I used Quail eggs but normal chicken eggs are absolutely fine)
• Braise spices 1 packet (available in dry goods store in wet market)
• Dark Soy Paste (for colour)
• Light Soy Sauce (for taste)
• Sesame Oil, little (for fragrance)

Method:

• Season pork belly with dark soy paste, light soy sauce and sesame oil. Minimum 30 mins. If time permits, overnight is best.
• Fry the seasoned pork belly in oil until the meat and skin turns crispy (Deep fry if possible).
• Boil a pot of water and place the spices into the water.
• Transfer the fried pork belly into pot and let it braise.
• After 30 mins, place Tau Pok, Tau Kee, hard boiled eggs into the pot.
• Braise for another 30 mins.
• Done.
• Carve meat.

In construction, we talked about Critical Path. If the foundation is not done, the column cannot be constructed, hence the whole building. So, for this dish, there are 3 Critical Paths!!

CP 1: Seasoning the pork belly with dark soy paste. This must be done in order to achieve a dark coloured texture. Coat the entire pork with dark soy paste. The pork belly cannot be cooked or boiled in water before this step. Once the pork belly is cooked first, the pores of the skin closes and the dark soy paste cannot "seep" into the meat.

CP 2: Fry the meat before braising. Best if deep fry until skin is crispy. Without this step, no matter how long the meat is braised, it will not get soft or tender.

CP 3: Carving of the pork belly with a carving knife. If not, use a knife that has a jagged blade. Not those chinese knifes that has a straight blade that we typically use for chopping. A carving knife is able to sear through the fats and meat when it is tender, producing proper rectangular cuts. Without a carving knife, the meat will be in odd chunks with small pieces lying around.

This is one of the easiest and universal dish. The men take it with steam buns or rice. The figure/health conscious ladies remove the fats. The children loves the gravy in their porridge and eats the tau pok and eggs. Even if there are leftovers, it is easily heated up and eat it with porridge the next day!!

On Sunday, another group of my girlfriends came and we have a mani-pedi party at home. It was fun. We engaged a mobile manicurist while we gossiped and chit-chatted. And due to the extremely hot weather, I concocted a refreshing drink. Very simple. To make about 1.5 litres, you need 4 slices of ginger, 1 stalk lemongrass, 4 tablespoons of honey and of course, water. Refrigerate.

Cheers!