Mapo Phai Kuat

Let me make a guess, if you have heard of Mapo Tofu, you must be thinking Mapo what?? after reading the title of this post...Yes, you heard me right, it's Mapo Phai Kuat not Mapo Tofu :)

This is a simple twist of the popular Mapo Tofu dish done with soft bone pork ribs (aka Phai Kuat in Cantonese), the type which i like to use for steaming.   

Ever since trying out the Japanese version of Mapo Tofu recipe that my friend Lena posted when the Asian Food Fest event was featuring Japan, i have fallen in love with the recipe! This Japanese version is slightly milder in terms of the fieriness of a typical Szechuan version and there's a hint of sweetness coming from the use of mirin.  This toned down version suits my son well, making it something everyone in the family can enjoy.  I have cooked it many times.  It's a simple dish, one that can be done in 15 minutes yet very tasty and goes very well with rice.  It taste really delicious especially when you scooped it directly on top of a bowl of piping hot rice as soon as it is ready and start indulging from there on!

So, coming back to Mapo Phai Kuat...while still undecided on how to do my pork ribs,  this mapo tofu recipe came to mind.  And i thought, the mapo tofu sauce should make a great marinade for steaming too. And as they say, the rest is history, that plate of ribs turned out delicious!  I added some soft silken tofu to steam them together with the ribs too.  You won't get that maillard flavors that you will find in mapo tofu but you will get ribs that are just as tasty with the sauce infused into them.  Easy peasy, fast, healthy and tasty, can't ask for more!

Recipe 

Inspired by: Her Frozen Wings with recipe from Just One Cookbook 

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 300 gms soft bone pork ribs
• 1/2 package silken tofu, slice into medium size pieces
• 2 stalks green onions, sliced

Marinade 

• 1 tbsp chilli bean paste ( doubanjiang with chilli)
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp miso
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

Thickening solution

• 1tsp corn flour

Steps

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl.
2. Mix pork ribs with garlic, ginger and marinade.
3. Set aside to marinade for 30 minutes.
4. Before steaming, mix the ribs with a teaspoon of corn flour.
5. Place ribs and tofu on a steaming dish.
6. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes until pork ribs are cooked through.
7. Sprinkle sliced spring onions on top of dish before serving hot.

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Let's Cook Thai - Steamed Snapper with Lime Sauce

Konbu, miso, sake and mirin are making ways for chili, lemongrass, lime and fish sauce in my kitchen this month.   After Japan, Thailand, the land of a thousand smiles is the featured country of the month for Asian Food Fest (AFF) blogging event. Love this event, it's inspiring home cooks to expand their repertoires, turning their humble kitchens into one with an international feel.  Pretty sure, it's not only interesting for the one cooking, family members must be enjoying it too!

It's a tantalizing play of flavours whenever Thai food comes to mind.  A clever combination of sweet, sour, salty and spicy tastes all into one dish.

This dish Plah Kah Pung Neung Manow (Steamed Snapper with Lime Sauce) is no. 23 on CNN Travel's list of 40 Thai Food We Can't Do Without.  Take this list with a pinch of salt but no doubt it's a very popular steamed fish dish in Thailand and it's normally served over a portable furnace of smoking embers in a fish shaped metal serving platter.  If you love that uniquely Thai flavor and steamed fish, i think you will like this.  

On a fish shaped platter no doubt but without smoking embers below it :))

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A simple dish to make with just a few ingredients. Practically no fuss.  So, if you are bored of steamed fish in soy sauce why not give this a try.

Recipe
Reference: Temple of Thai and Amporn's Thai Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 - 1 1/2 lb very fresh whole fish (for example red snapper, trout, perch or bass), cleaned and gutted (red snapper)
• 2 stalks lemongrass (bottom portion only, smashed)
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 1 inch ginger, sliced
• 8 - 12 cloves (200 grams) garlic, chopped (10 cloves)
• 10 - 12 Thai chili peppers (prik kee noo), sliced (2 only)
• 2 - 3 red chili peppers (fresno), sliced (omitted)
• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro root or 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped cilantro stems (root, stems and leaves from 2 plants)
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce 
• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp white sugar (1 tbsp)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (or 1/2 cube Knorr Chicken Bouillon mixed with 1/4 cup water) (Water)
• Banana leaf (optional) or aluminium foil (Aluminium Foil)

Preparation

1. Cut 3 - 5 diagonal slashes across the fish, about 1 1/2 inches apart on both sides, using a very sharp knife.
2. Line dish with banana leaf or foil.
3. Divide lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime leaves into 2 portions.  Used 1 portion to line steaming dish and stuff the other portion into cavity of the fish.  Place fish on steaming dish.
4. Bring water to boil over high heat in the bottom of the steamer. Reduce the heat to medium before removing the lid from the steamer, lifting the lid away from you and allowing the steam to dissipate before placing the plated fish onto the top rack of the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 - 12 minutes. If you plan to use the heated platter, undercook the fish somewhat but if you are serving it directly on a plate, then steam until cooked through.
5. While the fish is steaming, in a bowl mix chopped garlic, chili peppers, cilantro, chicken broth, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Taste to adjust seasoning - the taste should be a balance of spicy, salty and sour. Set aside.
6. When the fish is cooked to the desired degree, remove the steamer from the heat and transfer the hot fish to a thai style fish shaped serving platter or any serving plate. The fish-shaped platter can be heated with either hot charcoals or more conveniently with a Sterno that can be placed in the lower chamber of the platter.

Bangkok from my eyes to yours...

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest (Thailand) - November Month hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings

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Battle of the East

Steamed dishes, they pop up on our dinner table at least twice a week . I guess most of us know the many benefits of steaming our food pretty well. Less oily, retains nutrients, colors and smell, most of all our body will love us for it. Added to that, there's this big fat bonus of it being the easiest, fastest and cleanest method. No greasy kitchen to clean up after. Simply put, the return is high, little effort, huge benefits in terms of healthy eating, time, effort and cost! So, steam, steam and steam we must! Steam anything from fish, prawns, cuttlefish, chicken, meat to vegetables and fruits!

Being a Chinese, I steamed pork ribs quite often. I learnt two new ways of steaming pork ribs recently. One with the Korean Kimchi and the other with the Japanese Miso. Fresh new ways of steaming pork ribs provided one is able to embrace these two gems from the East. I think, the love for them is something that needs to be acquired. Not everyone takes an instant liking (some never) to them (am not sure for those who grew up with it).

The taste of ribs steamed with Miso is closer to the Chinese style of steaming with fermented yellow soybeans.

Steaming with Kimchi, is rather unique. It has a little spiciness to it and eating it together with the meat makes the meat juicier.

Which one is better? Again, I have supporters on both side of the fence (with myself sitting on it)! They are delicious served piping hot with rice. Maybe it's not fair to compare them as their taste are quite unique in their own ways. Now, the next time I do pork ribs, I will need to decide whether it's going to be Chinese (Yellow Soybeans), Korean (Kimchi) or Japanese(Miso), talk about giving yourself headaches!

Steamed Miso Pork Ribs
Source : Assorted Lunch Boxes by Jamie Jong

Ingredients

• 300g pork ribs

Marinade

• 2 tbsp miso
• 1tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 red chilli, seeded and chopped (omitted)
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• 1/2 tbsp cornflour

Method

1. Mix ingredients for marinade.
2. Mix marinade with pork ribs.
3. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes until pork ribs are cooked through.

Steamed Kimchi Pork Ribs
Source : Steamed Cuisine by Hoe Yee

Ingredients

• 300g pork ribs
• 100g kimchi

Marinade

• 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tbsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1. Mix ingredients for marinade.
2. Mix marinade with pork ribs.
3. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Mix Kimchi with marinated pork ribs.
5. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes until pork ribs are cooked through.

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