Quote: (01-19-2018 11:05 AM)H1N1 Wrote:
I'd like to create a resource for menus, main dishes, tips and culinary secrets.
It'd be great to have a place where we can discuss what we're cooking in some detail. Particularly, to discuss what we did and understand what we might improve in a dish, and to develop a potent repertoire of meals to help us seduce and entertain.
For me personally, I love to cook for friends, family, and girls I want to sleep with. I like to entertain and I prefer the environs of my own flat to that of a bar or club.
Tonight I have a very pretty girl coming over for dinner. I met her last night, and she confirmed a little earlier today, which hasn't left me as much time as I'd like to prepare.
I'm only going to do one course, and I've settled on a slow roasted Chinese belly of pork, with sesame potatoes and pak choi.
I didn't have enough notice to get the belly of pork out with time to defrost it, salt it, and marinate it, so I'm already playing a weakened hand.
That said, I am planning to slow roast it with a basic 5 spice rub, and sit the meat itself in a marinade of plum wine, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and a little seasoned rice wine vinegar.
Once the meat is done I am planning to drain the marinade into a saucepan and reduce it. I'm toying with the idea of throwing a halved stick of lemon grass in while I reduce it down. Whilst I'm doing that I'll throw the joint back in the oven quickly on high heat to make sure the crackling is crisp.
I'll sauté the potatoes in a little butter and groundnut oil, then at the last minute toss them in the pan with toasted sesame oil and some sesame seeds.
I'm planning just to boil the pak choi until it's al dente. Then I'll serve everything with a drizzle of the reduction over the top.
If anyone has any thoughts on improving the dish, I'd love to hear them. One of the things I'm considering is whether to throw a star anise into the marinade whilst I'm slow roasting it all.
Sounds good. As with all pork belly dishes, just make sure your sauce is acidic enough to cut through the richness. Can always amp up the acidity with extra rice vinegar.
Star anise is great but you should already get that flavor from the 5 spice. A little orange peel would be good.
Potatoes seem like a somewhat odd choice as a pairing for chinese flavored pork belly and greens. I would suggest some baby turnips or perhaps daikon. Cut them into quarters or small wedges, blanche them the same way you would with your pak choi, and then heat the blanched turnips up in the reduced marinade. You would even be ok with just the braised pork and some greens, with steamed white rice served on the side to soak up the sauce. A dab of hot chinese mustard would also go well as a condiment. For wine I'd suggest an aromatic white with some sweetness, like a Riesling, Gewurztraminer, or white Rhone varietals like Viognier.