Faster than you can say -

[Tepee]

So, I'm not going to let Hz have all the fun, am I? Just kidding...I wanted to see if I can handle taking pics and cooking at the same time.

Sometimes, during the weekends, we buy some siu yoke (3-layer pork) to store in the freezer for lazy days. It's quite versatile; this is only one of the dishes which you can use it in.

Ingredients: siu yoke, chopped garlic, dark/black thick soya sauce, pepper, dried chillies (optional). I ran out of the dark soya sauce, so I used molasses instead..not much difference in the taste. And, I'm definitely not as organized as Hz, forgot to get the sarawak pepper to pose.

Fry pork together with garlic in 2 tblsp oil. I don't fry the garlic on its own for this dish, because it'll end up too burnt when combined with the meat later on. Besides, some oil from the siu yoke will join in the fun along the way. Fry till the skin turns crackly.

Add 3 tblsp dark soya sauce, pepper to taste and chillies if you want.

Dish done in a minute or 2....slight exaggeration but it's really quick. Shown here with blanched broccoli, plumped up microwaved (I did it!) gei chee (boxthorn berries), drizzled with teelseed oil and oyster sauce.

Edited September 28, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Gastro888]

Oh hey! My mom does something like that. Cool beans, looks great!

[jo-mel]

Now THAT'S a gas stove! Oh -- the dish looks great, but my eye was on that flame!

[hzrt8w]

Now THAT'S a gas stove!  Oh -- the dish looks great, but my eye was on that flame!

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Wait... looking at the stove? That's supposed to be a "guy's" thing!

Tepee: your dish looks great! I have never thought of doing it this way... gotta give it a try. Your gei chee (boxthorn berries)... do you soak them in water first before use? Or use them as is?

And... I am surprised that you didn't arrange the broccoli with stems pointing to the center and the "flowers" pointing outward!

It's my turn to say: Thank you! I love your pictures! Keep it up!! *whip, whip*

(It's a lot of work isn't it? )

Edited September 28, 2005 by hzrt8w (log)

[SuzySushi]

Looks great, Tepee!

What I want to know is where do you guys store your pictures? I'm fast running out of eGullet space.

[mrbigjas]

neat stuff, tepee. one question: what do you mean by 'three layer pork?' is that just pork belly? or something different?

[torakris]

neat stuff, tepee.  one question: what do you mean by 'three layer pork?'  is that just pork belly?  or something different?

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Yeah I was wondering the same thing. The Okinawan word for pork belly can actually be transalted as 3 layer pork... interesting.

Those red berries (boxthorn), are those dried? I think I have seen them in Chinese restaurants here in Japan but they are usually used in desserts, though I think I did have them in a salad once.

In molasses really a substitute for dark soy sauce? I don't have a good source for dark soy sauce here but I have plently of molasses in the house.

Do you thin it out with a little soy or anything else?

[Tepee]

Now THAT'S a gas stove!  Oh -- the dish looks great, but my eye was on that flame!

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I love my stove . There's 3 rings of flame...I had to turn it down when I was taking pics in case the food got burnt.

Edited September 29, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Tepee]

Tepee:  your dish looks great!  I have never thought of doing it this way... gotta give it a try.  Your gei chee (boxthorn berries)... do you soak them in water first before use?  Or use them as is?

Tks, Hz. With our long job description, homemakers need shortcut dishes. I soaked the berries for 5 minutes only, then covered with wrap and microwaved for 10 seconds. Soak too long and it'll turn mushy.

And... I am surprised that you didn't arrange the broccoli with stems pointing to the center and the "flowers" pointing outward!       

Taking pics took up the deco time.

Edited September 29, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Tepee]

what do you mean by 'three layer pork?'  is that just pork belly? 

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Right you are! Pork belly, pork rashes, same thing. 3 layers coz you see the meat, fats and skin clearly.

[Tepee]

Those red berries (boxthorn), are those dried? I think I have seen them in Chinese restaurants here in Japan but they are usually used in desserts, though I think I did have them in a salad once.

Yes, Kris, they come dried. You can eat it dried as a snack, throw them into sweet soups, bake them in a muffin, anything...a great substitute for raisins, actually better, because it's reputed to be very good for eyesight.

In molasses really a substitute for dark soy sauce? ...

Do you thin it out with a little soy or anything else?

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Yes, it is, after all, dark soy sauce is aged soy sauce with added molasses. For this dish, I didn't even add any salt as the meat came salted. No, no need to thin - I shook it out of the bottle into the wok...so when I say 3 tablespoons, it's more or less .

[hzrt8w]

Yes, Kris, they come dried. You can eat it dried as a snack, throw them into sweet soups, bake them in a muffin, anything...a great substitute for raisins, actually better, because it's reputed to be very good for eyesight.

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Really??? I gotta munch on my bag of wolfberries. I usually open up a bag, use a little bit for making soup, and put the rest back in the cupboard (with the bag open). A few months later, they turn dark brown.

Thanks to Dejah, I know better now to store these items in a air-tight glass jar. But if I snack on them, I may not even need to bother storing them...

My eyesight is not as what it used to be... I hope I don't snack on the raisins by mistake.

[Tepee]

Really??? 

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You bet! I've told this tale before but I'll tell it again. My 9 yo niece's classmate was wearing thick glasses, and her mom started to let her snack on gei chee everyday. In just 3 months, she didn't have to wear them anymore.

Er...just don't go overboard....it also has a 'loosening' effect.

My dear Hz...admit it...it's time to get them bifocals.

[kanljung]

Right you are! Pork belly, pork rashes, same thing. 3 layers coz you see the meat, fats and skin clearly.

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The dish looks really great! How has the pork belly been prepared? Is it some kind of barbecue pork?

[mrbigjas]

what do you mean by 'three layer pork?'  is that just pork belly? 

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Right you are! Pork belly, pork rashes, same thing. 3 layers coz you see the meat, fats and skin clearly.

ok then since we're discussing pork belly, i have another question for all of you knowledgable people here in the chinese forum:

tepee, the pork belly you used to make this dish looks fresh. whenever i go to the asian market i see these pork belly portions that are sliced about an inch wide and look like they're cured (maybe with soy/sugar?) and smoked--the meat is dark brown, the fat is dried, the skin is leathery.

what sorts of dishes are those cured pork bellies used for? anyone have any recipes? i always think of buying a piece, but i'm not sure what i'd do with them (not that that's ever stopped me before).

[Tepee]

The dish looks really great! How has the pork belly been prepared? Is it some kind of barbecue pork?

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Tks, Christofer. It's actually Roast Crackling Pork. Bbq Pork is Cha Siu. Here's a recipe.

Edited September 29, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Tepee]

tepee, the pork belly you used to make this dish looks fresh.  whenever i go to the asian market i see these pork belly portions that are sliced about an inch wide and look like they're cured (maybe with soy/sugar?) and smoked--the meat is dark brown, the fat is dried, the skin is leathery.

what sorts of dishes are those cured pork bellies used for?  anyone have any recipes?  i always think of buying a piece, but i'm not sure what i'd do with them (not that that's ever stopped me before).

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I can't really visualize what pork belly you're describing. Perhaps, someone from your side of the pond can fill you in. Our siu yoke man.

[mrbigjas]

nope, i don't see them there. googling on "chinese cured pork belly" turned up this link (warning: PDF file). when i buy some i'll start a new thread on what to do with it. thanks!

[Tepee]

Hai yahhhh...why didn't you say it's lap yoke? OK, lap yoke is bigtime tough stuff, you tear it off with your teeth like a caveman if you've got the jaws like one. Seriously, it's usually eaten during chinese new year added on top of rice when the rice is 2/3 cooked to steam on top so that the oil trickles down to flavor the rice. Or, it's just steamed on its own.

Edited September 29, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[mrbigjas]

great, thanks!

[Ben Hong]

Three layered pork, belly pork, pork flank, fresh bacon, pork rashers all meant the same thing. The Toyshanese have another very colourful term: "ng fah naum", literally translated means "5-blossom flank". The 5 blossoms refers to the last (back) 5 nipples of the row on the belly of the pig.

[Tepee]

I would have thought it would be even nos.! You're too funny, sook-sook! Edited September 29, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[trillium]

I use lap yuk in sa po (sand pot) dishes with taro. Steam it to make it easier to cut, then cut in thin slices and stir fry along with the aromatics. I've also been know to throw the last few inches treated the same way into a fried rice to use it up. The Sichuan style preserved belly (which I don't think is that common in the US) gets used for a lot of things, according the Fuschia Dunlp in _Land of Plenty_. She's even included a recipe for making your own.

regards,

trillium

[Dejah]

My Mom used to make her own lap yuk. I get a craving for them but the kids are not crazy about it. Cooked on top of rice, or stir-fried with taro is our usual method. I enjoy chewing on the rind. It's great when it is still hot, but when it cools off, you could find your teeth (real or false) on the floor!

In the winter, when I want comfort food, I make lap mai fan: put lap cheung, lap yuk, lap ngap all on top of the rice and cook! The rice will be full of flavour, and with the collective meat juices, the rice will be a little sticky. Now, if you cook sweet potaotes along with that, toast the rice on the bottom of the pot a little more, mash the sweet potaotes into it, hit it with hot water...scrape it all up and...what a treat! Fan jiew!

[hzrt8w]

The Toyshanese have another very colourful  term: "ng fah naum", literally translated means "5-blossom flank". The 5 blossoms refers to the last (back) 5 nipples of the row on the belly of the pig.

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Shouldn't that be an even number? Pigs have 2 rows of nipples, right? "lok fah naum"?