Cha Siu Pork

Hi again! I don't really like posting many things at the same time - but since I have been inactive for quite a while - I guess it really is time for me to keep on updating my blog.

So during my birthday lunches (read the post below), I remembered one of my mom's favourite dishes at home called Cha Siu Pork. For most of the South East Asian people, this must have sounded very familiar to your ears. Cha Siu sauce has always been proclaimed as the Barbeque sauce of the orient, and it pretty much goes with other meat such as chicken (as replacement).

The dish is very simple and easy but will definitely makes you ask for more!

*Warning: this dish is prepared using the Oven. Preparation time is 2 hours minimum.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1. Pork loin* (500 gram) or to be replaced with Chicken Breast (500 gram)
2. Cha Siu Sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee)
3. White Pepper
4. A jar of honey
5. Cooking oil

*Although extra lean pork loin makes a healthier choice, many people will prefer the original pork with fat parts for the crispiness of the dish

How to prepare:

1. Cut the pork loin to long pieces of around 1 cm x 3 cm; put the pieces to a bowl
2. Pour 5 tablespoons of Cha Siu sauce to the pork loins
3. Using your hand, mix well the sauce with the pork, sprinkle pepper, mix well again
4. Put cling film on the bowl, refrigerate for a minimum 2 hours (although overnight will be best)
5. When ready, preheat your oven to 175 degree Celcius.
6. Prepare a baking tray and grease lightly with oil
7. Pour the marinated meat onto the baking tray
8. Bake the marinated meat for 15 minutes, then take it out and pour roughly 3 tablespoons on top of the marinated meat or until the meat is fully covered with honey
9. Put back the meat to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the meat has become crispy. Occasionally turn the meat around to better distribute the heat.
10. When ready, move the meat to a plate, you might want to either get rid of the oil on the baking tray or pour them over the meat dish
11. Serve!

Happy trying! Everytime I miss home I can always make this to make me feel better!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

the lonely mind turns twenty one

Hello! I'm back again! I can't believe how busy final year is, and I can't believe with that amount of workload that I have to do, I have been spending most of my time staring at my computer browsing Facebook!

OK - so I just had my birthday on October 6th and I celebrated it with fashion! On my birthday I actually did not plan to do anything AT ALL because I always thought that being 21 is not that cool anyway and that there is nothing to celebrate for.

But then again, life proved my constant negativity wrong. A dear friend of mine woke me up in the morning at 5 AM, trying to call me to say Happy Birthday. Dearest Heidi - you're the sweetest and funniest. Then a series of good things happened to me - somebody overseas woke me up in the morning and gave me a cake via Skype (which I suspected would eventually be eaten away) and seriously, that was the only cake that I got on my birthday. I was so happy and couldn't help smiling because it was pretty much one of the most delightful efforts that anybody has ever done for my birthday. Then on, flows and series of text messages and calls rang to my phone before I even reached class. The minute I got on to my sixty-people-and-over class though, lots of my classmates approached me and gave me tons of lovely gifts. I do love my classmates. I always have found it easy to get along with them although we all come from very different backgrounds from Britain to China.

It did not stop there though. A friend of mine told me that if it rains on your birthday - you're very lucky. And it rained! Not for long though. I got to watch the rain falling down while I was in, but the minute I walked out of the door, the rain literally stopped. How lovely was that.

During the whole day I got loads of presents from all my good friends, and got calls, messages and texts and Facebook wallposts from everybody wishing me a lovely year ahead. And to think that I did not even put my birthday on Facebook - that was one huge love from everybody.

At night time, Baijia who's a dear friend of mine organised a spontaneous Hotpot dinner attended by many of my good friends. Special thanks to Caitlin and Sophia for turning up and trying this very typical Asian way of cooking. Baijia was having funny problem of trying to explain what a Hotpot dinner is - she kept on mentioning "Chinese Fondue" which I found hilarious!

I came back home tired and happy and with hands full of lovely gifts - from Baijia's jewellery pieces, Katrina's bag of cookies to Caitlin's flower pot. And I decided that life has always been beautiful and I simply have not been grateful enough. I organised birthday lunches for my birthday. I had to do two, because I have so many friends that I wanted to invite.

It does not stop there - although you might want to stop reading if you're tired.

The next day, Janefer and Bila - two of my favorite people too - turned up in the morning and gave me one of the prettiest frame ever with my picture on it. We took Polaroid pictures and I edited them and posted them straightaway.

In the evening, my old roommate came and brought me beautiful cupcakes for my birthday cake (my first cake of my birthday!) Some of my Indonesian friends from Ningbo came and Fanie gave me chocolate from my favourite chocolatier - how happy I was!

It still does not stop there yet! Not quite yet!

So then came along Saturday and from Friday night I have been marinating all sort of dishes for Saturday. Thanks to the one by two kitchen blog, some people seemed to recognise my love of cooking and would like to come to try my dishes. On Saturday alone I had 35 people cramping up my apartments and finishing every single dish that I made along with other dishes that my friends brought up for my celebration. Again - I had so many gifts from topple blocks to various kinds of flowers to various kinds of cookbooks and cooking utensils. One of the highlights was a Fondue set that Ann gave for me! Amazing stuff!

On Sunday, 25 people turned up and I did something new - Cha Siu Pork. I remembered how my mom always marvelled at the simplicity of the dish and the effect that it gave to people. We sat, people drank beers and wines (I bought four, and by the time everybody left I had 10 bottles in my room and more beers thanks to Joe). Trang, Sarah and Michelle turned up with lovely cakes and Muhammad showed up with a chicken dish that everybody loved too. To top things up - I got the funniest cards, the best wines, and a funny mug from Mohamed about being 21 and many more things that are now securely stored in my drawers and everywhere!

PS: Special thanks to Tommy who have been helping me for two days straight and gave me wonderful lilies!

And still.. until today I kept on receiving gifts, late birthday messages, and just recently - a robot by my favourite Londoners Cheng Feng and Patricia. I love them. I do really, and I can't wait to see them very soon.

What can I say? This is probably the best experience that anybody can ever get by turning 21.

And it is the best - because then I realised how much love I have got in my life, and how love really is true and sincere. Literally.

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.