The joy of inheriting a family recipe from my maternal grandma is immense as I’m the only person in the family who’s into cooking but having eaten my grandma’s Teochew style braised meat for more than two decades on every Chinese New Year, I just feel I should really preserve and master this classic dish. (Read the recipe here)
This time round, I decided to play around with the recipe and invent my own Lu Rou Fan or Lor Bak Png inspired by the Taiwanese-style 卤肉饭. And it really wasn’t too bad even though it was my first attempt. All thanks to Grandma’s fabulous braising sauce recipe. I think anything that goes into this sauce would turn out great! Bon appetit!
LU ROU FAN RECIPE
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
4 bulbs garlic, unpeeled
1.5 inch thumb-size galangal, peeled
1.5 inch thumb-size old ginger, peeled
2 heaped tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 stalks lemongrass (use side of knife to bruise stalks slightly)
1 packet of 5-spices (place in soup pouch for easy removal later)
400g pork belly, thinly sliced (blanched in hot water to remove any scum)
200g ground lean pork
4 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
2 pieces of tau kwa, cut into bite-size pieces (firm beancurd)
1.2 litres of hot water (actual amount depends on the size of your pot, so adjust accordingly to ensure all ingredients are covered in water)
preserved cucumber, diced
light soy sauce and extra sugar to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat a tbsp of vegetable oil in pan till hot. Add sugar and stir-fry till it caramelises.
2. Add hot water and dark soy sauce. Stir and combine well.
3. Add in all ingredients except eggs and tau kwa and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or till meat is tender. Once done, you can adjust the taste of the sauce to your preference – I added light soy sauce and extra white sugar – to make it more salty sweet.
4. Add in eggs and tau kwa and simmer for another 15 mins.
5. Assemble the pork belly, ground pork, tau kwa, egg and preserved cucumber over steamed rice and ladle some braising sauce over before serving.
This is something I can eat daily.