Category: Pork

Salted plum pork chop recipe

This was an experiment that turned out really well. I wanted to grill some pork chops but was unsure of what to marinade the chops in. When I opened my fridge, the bottle of salted plums called out to me.

I love salted plums! I use them for this salted plum lemonade drink that is possibly one of my favourite drinks ever.

This recipe is so mind-boggling easy….all you need are 3 ingredients. YES, only THREE!

# – Salted plum pork chop.

The ingredients:

  • 2 pork chops, with rind still attached
  • 6 salted plums
  • A dash of ground black pepper

# – First, in a bowl, throw in salted plums and pork chops.

# – Squash the plums and massage the chops with the flesh for 2 minutes.

# – Then sprinkle the ground black pepper all over the pork chops. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Don’t leave them too long or you’ll end up with salted chops :P

# – Heat up a well greased griddle till when you flick a drop of water in it, you will hear it sizzle (this is a method to check that your pan is hot enough).

# – Lay the chops over the griddle for 5-8 minutes depending on how thick the chops are.

# – Then turn over the chops and cook for 5-8 minutes as well.

# – With a thong, hold up the chop sideways to cook the rind…it will transform into beautiful crackling :D

# – Salted plum pork chops, DONE!

# – Juicy, succulent pork that’s perfectly flavoured with a bit of kick and crispy crackling to boot!

You know you want to make it happen :D

Stuffed pork meatballs pasta recipe.

This is actually quite similar to my first pork meatball attempt. However, I ommited the chillies and added something else…cheese!

Specifically, cream cheese which I had cut into cubes and stuffed into the middle of the meatball. It was awesome!!!

I wasn’t really into cheese stuffed meatballs at restaurants because they tend to use gooey cheese which you could hardly taste after cooking. Cream cheese holds it form very well though, and gave the meatballs a nice, interesting, creamy texture.

# – Stuffed pork meatballs, in the making :D

For the meatballs:

  • 500 grams of pork mince
  • 5 strands of long beans or French beans, finely chopped
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 3 tablespoon of mustard powder
  • 80 grams of bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tablespoon of salt
  • 100 grams of cream cheese, cut into cubes

For the tomato sauce:

  • 2 cans of plum tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon of thyme
  • 1 tablespoon of basil
  • 2 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon of salt
  • 300 grams of pasta

# – First, throw the diced onion and long beans in a bowl.

# – Followed the pork mince.

# – And then the bread crumbs.

# – Sprinkle mustard powder all over.

# – Don’t forget the salt as well.

# – Using your finger, knead the mixture until everything’s combined.

# – To form the meatball, get a clump of mince, flatten it then place a couple of cream cheese cubes in the middle.

# – Then cover it up and form a ball. Kind of like making glutinous rice balls.

# – Heat up oil in preferably a non-stick pan, place the balls in it to brown. Don’t crowd the pan so that the balls will cook evenly.

# – After a few minutes, turn the balls around to cook the other side. Turn them occasionally so that all sides are browned evenly. After all the meatballs are browned, set aside.

# – Now, to make the tomato sauce. In another pan, brown some onions and then dump in two cans of plum tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes if they’re not already cut. Throw in the thyme.

# – Followed by basil. I used dried herbs but you can of course substitute with fresh herbs :)

# – Stir in the sugar to offset the tang.

# – Then, dump in all the meatballs to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Make sure all the balls are evenly coated by the tomato sauce.

# – In the meantime, cook 300 grams of pasta according to the instructions on packet.

# – When pasta’s done, drain it, serve on a plate and pour the tomato sauce and meatballs over it. Stuffed pork meatballs pasta, DONE! This recipe serves 4.

# – Cut into the ball…

The pork meatballs were very well seasoned with a creamy middle. I love it cause I could taste the cheese, which is a pleasant contrast from the dense, juicy meat. BF was shooting me loving looks everytime he took a bite :D

I think this was my better attempt with pork meatballs (compared to my first experience) because the balls really held their shapes.

I think it’s because the mince were a tad on the fatty side…which really helped the meatball in holding its spherical form. So if you’re looking to make pork meatballs, try to buy mince that are interspersed with a lot of lard :D

Steamed pork and fish meatloaf recipe.

This was supposed to be an authentic Indonesian “otak-otak” (that’s what the recipe book claimed anyway). I was quite excited to make it, since I had one frozen dory left and I was itching to use it.

Alas, luck was not on my side as I realised the dory was too small even for 1 person…

So, without so much of a blink, I decided to incorporate pork into the dish. And hence, the dish had to be renamed to “Steamed pork & fish meatloaf”. I’ll make real otak-otak another time..

# – Steamed pork & fish meatloaf, served with rice.

Funny thing was, the BF was unable to ascertain that there was pork in there. I guess if you blitzed the mixture fine enough you really can’t tell what it is. He was really surprised to know that there was pork!

The ingredients:

  • 200 grams of pork, cut into cubes
  • 120 grams of boneless white fish fillet (I used dory), cut into cubes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 5-7 shallots
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 100 ml of coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon of chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

# – First of all, chuck the fish into a blender or food processors. Give it a blitz.

# – Then, add the pork.

# – Followed by the shallots, garlic cloves & chopped onion.

# – Pour in the coconut milk. Blend till combined.

# – Add the salt, lemon/lime juice, white pepper and chilli powder.

# – Blend till fine.

# – Lay a clingwrap film over a chopping board.

# – Scoop half the paste onto the middle of the film.

# – Fold the bottom part of the film over the paste.

# – Then fold the part with the paste inside over the top of the film.

# – Tie a knot on each end to form a sort of Christmas popper shape…like this.

# – Wrap the parcels in aluminium foil.

# – Stick them in the steamer for 20 minutes.

# – When it’s done, cut the clingwrap film and carefully remove it. Let the loaf stays in the foil.

# – This is optional, but you could use a kitchen torch to crispen the top a bit. Otherwise stick in the oven in grill mode for 5 minutes at 210 degrees celcius.

# – Steamed pork and fish meatloaf, DONE! Instead of rice, you can serve it with grated cauliflower for a slow carb option.

The looks were nothing to shout about but it was juicy, tender and very flavoursome. It’s also really healthy because as you probably have noticed, there’s not a drop of oil used in making this dish!