Wan Tan meal

Wan tan mee...

Wan tan soup...

Spicy Pork Chops with Mango Salsa 31st December 2007

Our 'last meal' before year 2008

Instead of eating out, we thought of cooking TOGETHER. Yes, he helped! :)

For the salsa:
1 ripe mango, pitted, peeled, and cut into small dice
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into small dice
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
2 scallions (white and light- green parts), thinly sliced
3/4 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
Kosher salt
1 Tbs. peanut or canola oil

For the pork:
1 Tbs. cumin seeds
1 Tbs. freshly cracked coriander seeds
1 Tbs. ground dried chile (chipotle is good, but ancho or New Mexico will work, as will a mild chili powder)
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 Tbs. freshly cracked black pepper
4 bone-in center-cut pork chops (1 to 1-1/2 inches thick)
2 Tbs. olive oil; more if needed

Steps:
Salsa:

In a small bowl, combine the mango, tomatoes, onion, scallions, cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, and Tabasco. Toss gently to combine. Season with salt to taste. Drizzle with the oil and gently toss again.

Pork Chop:

1. Combine the cumin, coriander, ground dried chile, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and rub each side evenly with the spice mixture.
2. Heat the olive oil in a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. (If you don't have a sauté pan large enough to fit the chops without crowding, use two smaller sauté pans, heat 1-1/2 Tbs. olive oil in each, and cook two chops in each.)
3. Cook the chops until well browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until the meat is done, 2 to 4 min. (If they start to burn, turn down the heat slightly.)
4. To check for doneness, make a small cut near the bone and look inside—the pork should have a hint of pinkness. If it's still red, cook for another minute and check again. Transfer the chops to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 3 to 5 min. before serving with the salsa.

Dinner

Well I think I can consider myself as 'carnivore'. I only eat a few types of vegetables, such as, broccoli, lettuce, okra (lady fingers) and probably belacan kangkung (Water Spinach). So, we went and get this kangkung at one of the chinese grocery shop and had it as our dinner~


and this too~~

my 'day Off'

I had my 'day off' yesterday...unbelievable...I was not asked to cook even an instant noodle ...

We had Indomee as our branch. Then after about an hour, we went out for lunch with his friend at one of the chinese restaurant in town. We had nasi lemak and ho fun.
Then even dinner, HE made me one ... while I'm having 'evening' nap.. :)
This is what he made me ...
some garlic breads, cajun wedges, and paprika pork... what can I say.... Thank you!

Spring roll

What can I say, this is one of his favorite food. Every now and then, HE would ask me to make this dish for him. When he asked me to make it yesterday, I have got no prawns, no sesame oil and some other ingredients.

So I've used whatever I can find from his fridge to make him this before he comes back from work.

Ingredients:
1. Mince pork (1/4 of 500g)
2. half a carrot
3. 2 mushrooms
4. 2 cloves of garlic
5. light soya sauce (~1 tablespoon)
6. sugar (1/2 tablespoon)
7. salt and pepper to taste
8. spring roll pastry

Steps:
1. Chop the carrot and mushroom into pieces and mix them with mince pork. Do the same for garlic as well. Marinate the mixture with soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper.
2. Instead of deep frying the spring rolls, I've used oven to grill the rolls. No oils = less fat! So, to I've fry the mixture first before rolling them with the spring roll pastry.
3. Heat the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, and stir fry the minced garlic. Once the garlic start to burn, pour in the meat mixture and continue to fry. Turn off the fire, when the mince meat is no longer pinkish color. The result should look like this.

4. Let it cool before wrapping it with the pastry.
5. I've used this spring roll skin(bought one from china town)
6. After wrapping...


7. Heat up the oven to about 180C before placing wrapped spring roll inside. When the oven is ready, grill the rolls for about 10-15 minutes for each side. It should be ready when it looks brownish.

Haha...this is what we had for our dinner with a plate of fried bee hoon.