I've got to say that I am utterly pleased with this dish which I made yesterday. Actually I've cooked "lor bak" quite a number of times in the past, but there was not once that I could so wholeheartedly approve of the outcome. My past "lor bak" making experiences were always plagued by the followings, all of them interconnected, all of them working against me.
1. meaty part of pork belly becomes too dry in an effort to soften the skin
2. braising liquid always dry up quickly, need to top with water so often
3. as a result of 2, braising sauce tasted diluted or not well flavored, appearance of liquid is not dark enough
4. by the time skin is soft, not enough liquid again to braise the firm beancurd (taukwa) and eggs, so add more water
5. if more water is added again, need more dark soy sauce and salt, so add more of these, braising sauce taste artificial
6. braised taukwa and eggs for too long just to make sure both are evenly coated with the dark brown sauce, taukwa and eggs are tough, the white portion is not bouncy but hard, the yolks are so dry and powdery the kids refused to eat them
Yes, all these problems were there every time I make "lor bak". I could not believe it when my two kids refused to eat the "lor neng" (braised eggs)! The two of them are really suckers for eggs of any kind, so it was quite a devastating shock when they announced that they do not like my "lor neng" anymore, but they love my hard-boiled eggs! What sort of logic is that, I ask you. And yes, recently, the two of them had become more accomplished in critiquing my cooking. It used to be anything goes for them, as long as it is prepared by Mummy.
I did try using the slow cooker to prepare this dish. Even though it produced really succulent pork belly, I felt that the meat tasted more porky than when it was prepared over the stove-top. Perhaps the gentle heat of the slow cooker had worked too well at locking in the flavors of the ingredients? I am not sure, but it was just too porky for me. And using the slow cooker did not solve the problem of my kids rejecting my "lor neng".
The techniques I used to put this dish together yesterday drew inspiration from the Japanese. The "lor bak" was braised using a method that calls for "otoshibuta" (落し蓋), or simply the "drop lid" method. This cooking method requires a lid to set loosely inside the cooking pot used, such that it sits on the ingredients inside the pot and almost touches the sides of the pot. Because it is so close to the ingredients (but not tight fitting) that pressure can be released along the small gaps, so that liquid does not boil over and spill. Secondly, steam will be caught onto the drop lid, condense and flow back into the ingredients, so liquid does not dry up so quickly. For me, this method worked marvelously for making "lor bak". The skin was adequately softened, the meaty part wasn't dry. See the beautiful shine, feel the bounce!
For once, I did not have to top up with water so often. Throughout the whole cooking process, I topped up only twice (compared with at least 4 times previously). The first time was because the pork belly was still a little tough and the liquid was running a little low, though still enough to braise the meat completely. I topped up, just in case anyway. The second time was to have a little more braising liquid to cook and color the taukwa and prepare the "lor neng".
Yes, the "lor neng", the shock that I could not recover from until last night. Well, this is how my "lor neng" looked like last night.
Does it resemble that moist looking braised egg so strategically placed in the centre of a bowl of ramen that beckons you to take a bite? I had always been fascinated by the braised egg Japanese ramen restaurants can offer. And I've always wondered at how is it that their egg yolks can stay so moist, some even still oozing when halved, golden yellow yolks trickling thickly into the hearty ramen stock. I suppose I can say that the mystery was solved when I borrowed this book, "Harumi's Japanese Cooking" by Harumi Kurihara, from the library. Basically, you just marinade well prepared hard-boiled eggs in a sauce, no cooking (that no more heating) is required. That is how the eggs are coated with savory looking brown sauce and yet boast of moist looking yolks in the middle.
For the first time, I could relax and enjoy the process of making "lor bak". There were no worries of a burnt pot and burnt food, there was no tough taukwa and I could solve the mystery of a succulent "lor neng" all in one pot.
Of course, there is no point in me singing praises about my own cooking, unless those I am trying to please are genuinely pleased with the food I put on the dining table. Members of the food tasting squad were of course the Hubby and the two kids.
"It's good! Umm, it's good!" That was from the Hubby.
The Tiny Man took two halves of the "lor neng", that's a 200% increase from not taking even one bite.
The girl asked if she could have the last half on the plate; she had three halves.
Need I say more? ^_^
Braised pork belly in dark soy sauce, aka lor bak
(basically my Mum's recipe but methods inspired by the resilient Japanese)
Ingredients
(Serves 4, two big and two small)
300g pork belly, as lean as you can get hold of
4 eggs
2 small taukwa (firm beancurd), quartered
5 cloves garlic
1 large shallot
3cm stick of cassia bark (or cinnamon stick)
2 star anise
3 tbsp good quality rich dark soy sauce
2 tbsp good quality light soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
400ml water
some cooking oil (about 1-2 tbsp)
cornstarch solution to thicken braising sauce later
Method
1. Clean the pork belly skin thoroughly, blanch the whole piece in boiling water. Pat dry and set aside. There is no need to cut into bite size.
2. Heat about 2 tbsp of cooking oil in the pot that you will be using to braise the pork belly. Brown the pork belly on all sides.
3. When the pork belly is lightly browned, add the dark soy sauce and let it bubble gently for about 30 seconds. Add garlic, shallot (both skin on), star anise and cassia bark. Do place these 4 items into a soup stock pocket if possible as it will prevent your guests from biting into spicy star anise or pick up a piece of garlic or shallot skin.**
4. Add 200ml of water and bring to boil. Add light soy sauce and 1 tbsp of Shaoxing cooking wine. Once it comes to boil, lower the flame to medium-low, simmer the pork belly until it is softened to your preference. When braising, use a drop lid*. You may need to add another 100ml of water half way through the braising. Do so if necessary.
5. In the meantime, prepare hard boiled eggs. Eggs MUST be at room temperature. Place the eggs in a pot, add water (room temperature) and bring the whole thing to boil. Once the water starts boiling, continue to let it bubble for about 1.5 minutes. Off the heat immediately after 1.5 minutes and let the eggs sit in the hot water for another 1 minute.# Shell the eggs and set aside.
6. When the pork belly is adequately softened, dish it out and set aside. If the braising liquid is running too low to cover taukwa and eggs, do top up. Another 50-100ml should be enough.^
7. After topping up with water, add the taukwa and remaining 1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine, 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce and let it bubble gently for about 15 minutes. Drop lid is not necessary from this stage onwards. After 15 minutes, the taukwa will be evenly coated in a dark brown hue. Before turning off the heat, thicken the sauce with cornstarch solution.
8. Off the heat, add the hard boiled eggs, pushing the eggs to the bottom of the pot. Return the pork belly to the pot and cover with the lid of the pot. No more cooking is required now.
9. Let the eggs sit in the braising sauce, marinating up to 4 hours.
10. When ready to serve, dish out all the ingredients. Halve the eggs, slice the pork belly into bite size. Warm up the braising sauce and drizzle over all the ingredients.
Notes
**Such pockets are available from Daiso. These are really handy items to have in the kitchen.
*There is no need to buy a drop lid small enough to fit into your pot. A drop lid can be prepared using aluminium foil. Just wrap the foil around the lid of the pot you are using. It will make correct size to drop it comfortably into the pot and sit snugly on top of the ingredients.
#Hard boiled eggs prepared this way will give me the kind of bounciness I like for the white part, and the moist slightly chewy texture that I like for the yolks. You may need to experiment with the timing a little to get the kind of texture preferred. But the main points are both eggs and water must be in room temperature, and both eggs and water must be heated up together.
^Even though a total of 400ml of water is specified, not all will be used as this depends on the size of the pot chosen. Basically, the braising liquid should almost cover the ingredients during braising and simmering. Experimentation, play-by-ear (or rather eye in this case) is the key.
Have Fun!
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