Recipe: Lobak (Chinese Dark Braised Pork) / Asian Grocery Shopping in London

Lobak

Sorry I haven't updated properly for so long. After 3 sleepless nights, I finally submitted chapter 3, went home, packed, jumped in a cab, then a plane, watched lotsa sitcoms and a film on said plane, slept fitfully, and landed in humid green Singapore. My first act in Singapore: trooped down to nearby Lagoon with parents to buy a few (ok, I lie... many) of the best curry puffs in the world, 3 packets of oh luak (0yster omelette) and fried hay mee (prawn noodles) - not much, just enough to quench that longing for home that never leaves me.

My Singaporean friends and I keep pestering itinerant friends of ours to carry food back for us - sort of like long-distance take-away couriers. Don't jump, you customs officials reading this - it's all legit (no bootleg dvds thrown in, don't worry!). So while we were fussing over the latest shipment of zhang (glutinous rice parcels) courtesy of Mr Tan, and dividing it between us (I want two nyonya zhang and two bazhang, how many do you want?), I turn to C and Pok in a sudden epiphany:

You know... maybe we should just learn how to make this.

Clockwise from left: star anise,

cardammon seeds (for beef rendang), cinnamon sticks

Ah, and so the same epiphany many years ago, on a cold wintery London evening, started my quest to cook Singaporean. What I am truly grateful for is the increasingly cosmopolitan nature of Chinese supermarkets in London. By "cosmpolitan", I mean not just Chinese, things like galangal (lengkuas/blue ginger), serai (lemongrass), fresh tumeric (yellow ginger) etc. Now, I buy Chinese stuff at See Woo (Lisle Street) or Loon Fung (Gerrard Street), but for more South East Asian fare, I turn to New Loon Moon (Gerrard Street). I also appreciate the "cosmopolitanisation" of local supermarkets. Nowadays, I expect to find star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, five spice powder, pork belly (!) etc. at Tesco's and Waitrose - although the butcher is always the best bet for meat (The Ginger Pig in Marylebone and Borough Market have served me well). I have yet to find a good fishmonger, so any suggestions are very welcomed. I usually pick up seafood at Borough Market, cos Billingsgate is too far and I don't have a car (I have to say crabs sold in London are waaaay skinny... ok, fine, compared to Sri Lankan crabs).

My only hope now is that the diversification will extend to cover more American fare (I mean, there's even an Australian grocery store, for Pete's sake!), so I can experiment more - although I did find black beans for refried beans at Waitrose, Brunswick Square (my new favourite grocery store).

Pork marinated with five spice powder

So last Friday, C, Pok, the rose/orchid boy (aka flower boy) and friend, as well as Mr Tan on his penultimate day in London, came over to mine for dinner. Menu: lobak, lotus root soup, si ji dou (fried stringbeans - hey, beans are greens too!), and spanish omelette (request of flower boy). The lobak went over with my guests like a storm, so I've put up the recipe here. You can also use this recipe for Dark Braised Duck (Lu Ya or Lo Ap), but substitute the leeks for 3 stalks of spring onions (scallions), and throw in a few slices of ginger into the duck's body cavity.

Note: My Chinese is a mix of Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew and Singaporese. Lobak (Singaporese) is also called Tau Eu Bak (Hokkien?) and Lu Rou (Mandarin).

Lobak simmering in pot

*****

RECIPE: LOBAK (Chinese Dark Braised Pork)

A - Meat
500g pork belly
(I use a mix of belly and shoulder, cos some people don't like fatty meat, especially westerners)
2 tbsp Five spice powder

B - Braise part 1
2 tbsp oil
2 oz. rock sugar (or plain sugar)
2 cloves garlic, minced

C - Braise part 2
1/2 cup dark soy (optional: mushroom flavoured)
1/2 cup light soy
1/4 cup sherry/vermouth
5 cups water

D - Braise part 3
2 star anise
1x3" cinnamon stick
2 leeks, chopped into 1" parts
1x2" blue ginger (lengkuas), sliced

*****

A - Rub five spice powder into meat and leave for at least 1/2 hour.

B - Heat oil in a wok on high. Add sugar. When all the sugar has melted, lower heat to medium so that it doesn't burn (the colour of the molasses should be golden yellow). Throw garlic in - warning: will bubble and sizzle!

C - Add both soys, sherry and water. Don't worry if the molasses harden - they will melt eventually. Turn the heat up to high and bring the mixture to a boil. The final mixture should be smooth and bubbling.

D - Slip A gently into the braising liquid (called lu in Chinese). Make sure all the meat is submerged. Add the spices, leeks and ginger. Braise for 3 hours, checking and stirring every 45 minutes. Control the fire and keep on a light rolling boil throughout. Lower the fire if the gravy becomes too thick or evaporates too much. You should still have at least 2 cups of gravy at the end (some of the meat poking out, but still largely sumberged).

Take the meat out and slice.** Arrange on a plate and drizzle gravy over. Serve with steamed pak choi and rice.

** I recently discovered that it is easier to slice when the meat has been refrigerated overnight, when I had prepared the same dish for a party. The meat and gravy should be refrigerated separately though - I am a firm Lock&Lock fan in this regard.

Pak choi

P.S. I tried this for the first time in my new Le Creuset oval cocotte, and it was fantastic - I love my new pots! I have never tried this in a crockpot, but am confident this recipe will work on an auto setting too. You can also keep any leftover lu in a ziploc bag in the freezer for your next braise, or really if you ever want some sauce over your rice. Happy cooking!

I miss my dogs.