RECIPE: PORK/BEEF IN SOY SAUCE

Firstly, apologies to all Muslim readers….today’s meal is non halal. However, you can still use this recipe if you wish by substituting the pork with beef. This is a runnier version as the kids like to have some juice to moisten their rice. This is how we make this dish.

Ingredients
750g beef or pork – diced
Half a head of garlic – pounded
2 x thumb size ginger – pounded
1 large onion – sliced thickly
4 individual fresh coriander plants – cut into three lengths per plant
3 - 4 whole star anise
5 dried shitake mushrooms – soaked in hot water and then sliced (reserve soaking water for cooking)
6 dried chillies – torn into two
1 tbsp Galiko or John West crushed chilli
1/3 cup Chinese light soy sauce
¼ cup Chinese thick/caramel soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
Water
2 tbsp veg cooking oil
Few drops of Chinese sesame oil

Method
Heat oil in pot and fry pounded ginger and garlic. Add the sugar to caramelise the ginger and garlic. When golden, add the meat and coat with the spices. Fry for about 2 mins.

Add in the dried and crushed chillies. Coat the meat evenly. Add soy sauces, reserved water from the mushrooms and enough water to cover the meat. Add in soy sauces. Bring to boil then turn down heat to simmer. Halfway through this process, add in the mushrooms. Cook until meat is tender.

Before lifting, add in coriander and onions. Stir and add in sesame oil. Lift and serve with rice. Veg tonight is stir fried wombok (Chinese Cabbage or Napa Cabbage as the Americans call it).