kueh chap on 4.8.2014

toyed with making kueh chap.

there are many hawker places one can get good kueh chap in singapore, so may not be a very worthwhile venture.

since i can use either of the (1)5hr sous vide method OR (2) cold crockpot on low method to produce just the right texture belly pork, i figure it should be quite easy to do the other items for kueh chap.

anyway i decided to try it on 24.6.2014 for my sis. it was pretty ok (bottom 2 photos). 🙂

kueh chap on 4.8.2014

kueh chap on 4.8.2014

kueh chap on 5.8.2014

a few friends decided to watch guardians of the galaxy (which btw was an excellent movie), so i invited them to come over to have simple kueh chap dinner, and with 1/2 a kampong chicken thrown in. 🙂

i went to sheng shiong & bought a 400g frozen belly pork (about S$4) & 1/2 pig head or face (S$4). the pig head came with the ear, so i had both ter tao bak 猪头肉 & ter heenh 猪耳. i tried the big intestine last time on 24.6.2014. both texture & flavour were good but it was still a bit strong taste, so i decided to be more conservative & bought the birth intestine aka fallopian tubes 生肠 instead. maybe you don’t think that was conservative. haha! 🙂

i prepared my own braising sauce (see recipe), which later became the soup for the kueh chap.

i did the usual preparation, scalding the belly & pig head after cleaning (i used a large kitchen knife to scrap off hair from the belly & face) to remove the scums. i then placed the pig head, belly & ear in the crockpot, added the braising sauce to cover the meat completely, then turned on low.

i learned this cold crockpot method to make a good pot roast which i have applied to cook belly pork very successfully e.g. 蒜泥白肉, a spicy garlic pork. what it does is that because the temperature rises quite slowly initially over 2-3hrs depending on the amount of cold liquid, it is equivalent to mild low temperature braising, resulting in a gentler, moist & tender meat. for this meat, total about 1kg, it should take about 5 to 6 hrs. you can also use a meat thermometer which i do & set at 90degC. i then set the meats aside. the braising sauce was now very tasty. i added the tau kwa, tau pok & the shelled cooked eggs & cooked on low for 2-3hrs.

for the birth intestine, i washed with salt (for large intestine the last time, i washed with salt & flour), cleaned thoroughly & left in a large bowl of water in the fridge overnight.  i was worried about the taste so i took out a small amount of braising sauce & cooked over the stove on low fire for 20minutes then dropped it in cold water. my friends later commented the texture was excellent, crunchy as it should be, flavourful & no strong taste. 🙂

the belly, pig head meat & pig ear were all quite good. nice flavour & just the right texture. 🙂

on 4.8.2014, i could not get the kueh for kueh chap from sheng shiong (i went to 2 different stores w/o success), so i used kueh teow instead. the next day my sis brought the kueh from another sheng shiong outlet & we walloped the leftovers. 🙂

the kueh only took 1 minute. by now the sauce was very tasty & i just added water & salt to taste to make the soup to add to the kueh. 🙂

when serving, garnish the dishes with chopped coriander & add fried shallots to the kueh chap.

kueh chap on 24.6.2014

kueh chap on 24.6.2014

overall, i think it was very successful, and comparable to a good kueh chap at the hawker stalls. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

• 400g belly pork
• 500g pig head meat
• 100g pig ear
• 1 birth intestine
• 1 packet (2 pieces) tau kwa
• 1 packet (10 pieces) tau pok

braising sauce

• 3 tbsp dark sauce
• 5 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp zhengjiang black vinegar
• 1 tbsp heap sugar
• 2 cinnamon bark
• 4 aniseed
• 4 cloves
• 1 bulb peeled garlic
• 3cm sliced ginger
• 1 tbsp 5-pice powder
• 1 litre water
• salt to taste (about 2 -3 tsp)

Directions:

1. mix the braising sauce.
2.  scalding the belly & pig head after cleaning (use a large kitchen knife to scrap off hair from the belly & face) to remove the scums. place pig head, belly & ear in the crockpot, add the braising sauce to cover the meat completely, then turn on low & braise for about 5 to 6 hrs. you can also use a meat thermometer. set it at 90degC. the mild low temperature braising results in a gentler, moist & tender meat.
3. set the meats aside. add the tau kwa, tau pok & the shelled cooked eggs & cook on low for 2-3hrs.
4. wash birth intestine with salt (for large intestine, wash with both salt & flour), clean thoroughly & leave in a large bowl of water in the fridge overnight.
5. take out a small amount of braising sauce & cook birth intestine over the stove on low fire for 20minutes then drop it in cold water. this produce a crunchy, flavourful dish & w/o the strong taste.
6. when serving, garnish the dishes with chopped coriander & add fried shallots to the kueh chap.