Jas Loves Fats - Mini Pork Belly

Eversince the last time i cooked this mini pork belly, i fell in love with it. It's fattening and sinful, but it's sooooooo good!
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Yesterday i created this braised pork belly with potato, which i think u won't find this elsewhere. Because i had never seen anybody use potato for this before. Why i choose to use potato is pretty simple, because i like to eat potato and i love pork belly cooked this way. So by adding potato, i could eat more of the flavour but not so much of the fats. Well, maybe i am cheating myself, because potato is just as fattening due to it's carbohydrate. Anyway, this is just how i like it. If you are health concious, this dish is not meant for you.

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Braised Mini Pork Belly with Potato

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- 200g Mini Pork Belly

- about 5 small russet potatoes (cut into abt 3cm cubes)

- 2 tsp brown sugar

- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 clove of shallot
- 1.5 cup of water

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Sauces

- 3 tbs light soy sauce

- 1 tbs dark soy sauce

- 1 tbs mirin

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Spices

- 1 tsp whole blackpepper

- 1 cinnamon stick

- 2 star anise

- 5 cloves

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Method

1) In a claypot or saucepan, lightly brown pork belly together with garlic and shallot.

2) Add in the sugar, let it caramelised for a while, than add in all the spices and sauces.

3) Coat the pork belly with the sauces, than add in the water.

4) Braised the pork belly over low heat for 30 minutes, than add in the potatoes and braise for another 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it simmer for another 15 minute. Garnish with scallions and serve with rice.

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Claypot Chicken with Mushrooms

Braised Soy Sauce Pot

It has been a long time since i last cooked braised soy sauce pot. It's simple and delicious. Just prepare the sauce and put in what ever ingredients you like. What i put in my pot were chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, mini pork belly, hard boiled eggs, beancurd and fried beancurd. The best part about this dish is that you can keep the left over sauce in the fridge and use it to cook again. Or if you have left over ingredients, it can turn into lunch the next day. Just boil some noodle to go with the sauce and ingredients. Yum!

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Braised Soy Sauce Chicken

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Sauce Ingredients

- 1 whole garlic, light mashed

- 2 shallots, peeled

- 1 cinnamon stick

- 3 star anise

- 8 cloves

- 30g rock sugar

- 3 tbs dark soy sauce

- 2 tbs light soy sauce

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 4 chinese bowls of water

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Ingredients (just put anything that you like, this was what i put):

- 2 drum sticks

- 2 chicken wings

- 200g mini pork belly

- 2 beancurd

- 2 hard boiled eggs

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Directions:

1) Lightly brown garlic and shallot than throw in cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves. Over low heat, fry till you can smell light aroma from the spices, add in some water (2tbs) and the rock sugar.

2) When the rock sugar melted, add in the 4 boils of water, bring to boil. Add in the dark and light soy sauces and salt.

3) When the sauce comes to boil, add in all ingredients except the chicken. Let it boil for 15-20min over medium-low heat (with lid cover), than add in the chicken.

4) Let the chicken cook for 10min (15min if you are not using claypot) over low heat (with lid cover) than turn off the flame. Let the pot cover and braised for 1-2hour, undisturb (meaning, don't open the lid and stir).

** You can used any type of cooking pot, not neccessary claypot. However i enjoy using claypot because of it's ability to retain heat.

** If you are new to using claypot, take not that you are not supposed to use it over high flame or the pot will cracks.

Claypot Cabbage Rice

Claypot Lemongrass Chicken

Claypot Lemongrass Chicken

Ingredients
- whole chicken, chop into small pieces
- 2 stalks of lemongrass, finely shreadded
- 3 cloves of garlic, remove skin and lightly flatten with knife
- 2 shallots, remove skin

Marinate
- 1 tbs dark soy sauce
- 1 tbs light soy sauce
- 1 tbs chinese wine
- 1 tsp brown sugar

Method
1) Marinate the chicken for 1 hour.
2) Brown shallot and garlic in pan till mildly fragrant. Than add in the lemongrass and fry for one minute.
3) Throw in the chicken and brown them on high heat for 2min. Transfer to heated claypot and simmer on low heat for 15min, with lid covered.
4) Stir the chicken and simmer for further 5min, with lid cover than turn off the flame. Without opening the lid, let the chicken to continue simmer for further 15-20min.

Verdict: The chicken turns out to be very nice and fragrant. You may notice no water is added, however end of the cooking time, you will see gravy. Those are from the chicken itself.

Claypot Chicken Rice 2 - 砂煲鸡饭

This claypot chicken rice is simply delicious and very easy to prepare.

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Claypot Chicken Rice - using rice cooker

Serves 2

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Ingredients:

2 Whole Chicken Drumsticks - score the drumstick, so that the meat can be cooked faster.

2 Chicken wings

1 pair of chinese sausages (lup cheong) - cut into small pieces

6 chinese mushrooms

2 shallots

1 clove of garlic

some scallions for garnish (optional)

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Marinate for chicken:

1 tbs light soya sauce

1 tbs dark soya sauce

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs sesame oil

dash of pepper

sprinkle some sugar

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Method:

1) Marinate the chicken for 4hrs or overnight.

2) Cook rice in rice cooker as usual (about 1.5 cups of rice), but with slightly lesser water.

3) Fried the shallots till brown, set aside together with the oil.

4) Fried the garlic than add in the mushrooms, than the chicken parts (and the marinate) and cooked the chicken till 90% cooked, set aside.

5) While the rice is still cooking, but almost dry up, add in the chicken parts in no.(4) (with the sauce) and the chinese sausage.

6) Chicken rice should be ready about 10 minutes after the "rice cooked" sign on. Remove the chicken (you may want to check if the chicken is cooked, if not leave inside for further 10min. Because individual rice cooker may give different results) and other ingredients. Add dark soya sauce (any amount, to your own liking), the fried shallot and oil. Stir thoroughly.

7) Serve with stir fried vegetables.

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Claypot Chicken Rice - the rice cooker way

Craving for claypot chicken rice, so i decided to make it for dinner. But we don't have a claypot at home, so i made it using rice cooker instead. Outcome, the chicken rice was really very very delicious, except that it doesn't have the aromatic claypot smell. But that was good enough for us.