so when i phoned home the other day, i proudly declared to my mom that i was making bak kua...and her reply was: "bak kua can make at home???" Yar...can especially when you can't get it here and when it's going for fifty bucks a kg now that it's so close to the lunar new year..
The following recipe is from Lily's website...with some modifications..(i think i prefer a more pronounced taste..)
Bak Kua
Ingredients:
1 kg ground pork
Marinate:
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbs dark soy sauce
250 gm sugar
1 tsp 5 spiced powder
1 tsp kam cho(licorice) powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbs chinese rose wine
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
1/2 tsp red colouring (optional; i used the closest colour i had on hand..pink!! ha!!)
oil for coating the parchment paper
Method:
Season ground pork with the marinate and leave in the fridge overnight or at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 150 degrees.
Oil a parchment paper generously and leave on baking tray.
Spread meat on parchment paper evenly...i used my bare hands and flattened it evenly, around 3 mm thick.
Bake in oven for 15 mins or until firm to the touch.
Turn over carefully and brush generously with oil. Bake for another 15 mins.
Done!!
fresh from the oven (be prepared for shrinkage; i spreaded the meat right to the edges of the tray before baking...oh and be really generous with oiling the parchment and be careful when peeling it off..)
cut and ready to go!
They freeze well apparently...i left mine in the fridge cos i presume they have no preservatives...
errr....interesting tidbit...the licorice root apparently lowers potassium levels in the body and the main preservative used be to be potassium nitrate...i wonder whether the licorice root is used to counteract the effects of the preservative???
And yeah...it's the potassium nitrate which turns the meat red..so....u can omit the colouring altogether if you like...
What do u eat it with?? Just on its own usually...heard that it's nice in sandwiches as well...i have exactly 32 square pieces (from around 400g of mince) ...thinking about making some canapes with them....
8 comments:
You know what it looks like to me---leftover cheese pizza. (This is not a bad thing at all by the way...I miss Chicago style pizzas.) Sounds good:)
Suzer
pizza??? hehee....that's right!! Bak Kua been used as a pizza topping before!!! Pizza Hut Singapore does a 'prosperity' pizza around the Chinese New Year...
Well done Ting! It looks so delciious!
It is very expensive in Singapore. I bought my 1kg last Saturday and it was $48!
u know wat babe???i saw the recipe on lily's some time back and was going to make it one day but looks like u beat me to it!! i just ate some bak kua few days back!well done your bak kua looks good!! Happy Chinese New Year :)
oh lol. i can make pizza...want to team up sometime:)
puicat: next year i make and give some to u ok?!! :D
culinary princess: do still try making it and let me know how u went with it...after a few days, the bak kua tasted very porky....wondering whether i should have added more spices now...let me know if u need any rose liquor- i got plenty!
suzer: yeah!!! Bak Kua pizza here we come!!!
Where can I get Kam Cho Powder for Bak kwa?
Thanks :)
@Maria! Hi! Sorry, just noticed your comment! Where do you stay? I saw some on Amazon and also on organic health food websites.... Usually in Asia, the licorice powder is sold in medicine halls...
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