Wineshark Home Cooking - Ultimate Pork Miso Soup 終極豬肉味噌湯

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork belly slices - 280g
• Burdock - 150g
• Carrot - 100g
• Turnip - 200g
• Konjac - 250g
• Leek - 1
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Ginger - 10g
• Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
• Spicy salt - dashes
• Water - 1 litre
• White dashi - 4 tbsp
• Cooking sake - 2 tbsp
• Mirin - 2 tbsp
• Miso - 4 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the burdock into slices.

2. Cut the leek into slices.

3. Cut the carrot into half slices.

4. Cut the turnip into quarter slices.

5. Cut the garlic finely.

6. Mash the ginger.

7. Use spoon to cut the konjac into small pieces. Flush in warm water to remove the bad smell.

8. Heat the pot with sesame oil, then stir fry the burdock until they turn brown.

9. Add in the pork slices and season with spicy salt, stir fry until the meat turns brown.

10. Add in carrot, turnip and konjac. Continue to stir fry until the ingredients absorb the oil from the pork.

11. Add water, white dashi, cooking sake, mirin and miso. Bring to boiling. Then lower to medium-low heat and cook for 20 minutes.

12. Add garlic and ginger in. Stir well. Then add in the leek and cook for 3 minutes.

13. Serve.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Minced Pork with Cabbage 肉末高麗菜疊

Ingredients (for 2):

• Minced pork - 150g
• Cabbage - 1/2
• Cooking wine - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Ginger - 1/4 piece
• Black pepper finely - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Peel the cabbage and cut into pieces around 4cm square. 

2. Mince the pork.

3. Add in grated ginger, cooking wine, and soy sauce. Mix well.

4. Put half of the cabbage at the bottom of the casserole. 

5. Place the minced pork on top. 

6. Cover with remaining cabbage, then sprinkle some black pepper finely on top. Pour in 1/3 cup of water. Cover with lid and cook until steam seeps out from the edge. 

7. Cook for 4 minutes then turn to low heat and continue to cook for 20 minutes. 

8. Serve with sprinkling some more black pepper finely on top.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Japanese Style Octopus Spaghetti 章魚和風奶油義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• Octopus (sashimi grade) - 100g
• Bonito flakes - 4 pinches
• Seaweed - 2 pinches
• White dashi - 1 tbsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Soba sauce - 1 tbsp
• Butter - 30g

Procedures:

1. Cook the spaghetti in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes less than the time specified on the package.

2. Remove the spaghetti to the frying pan. Retain 150ml of the water. 

3. Add white dashi, olive oil, soba sauce, butter, and the water from the pasta to the spaghetti. Cook under medium level and keep stirring throughout for 3 minutes.

4. Add the octopus and stir well. 

5. Serve by sprinkling some bonito flakes and seaweed on top. 

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Lok Hau Fook Restaurant 樂口福酒家

Thinking of trying something traditional, tonight we went to Lok Hau Fook, a Chiu Chow restaurant with long history in the Kowloon City neighborhood. At an old building on Hau Wong Road, it has a neon light hanging out, probably one of the very few remaining.

Seated on the lower floor, the marinade station beside the entrance is where the chef manages signature Chiu Chow delicacies. The main dining room is packed with round tables, with the traditional dragon and phoenix décor on one side.

Starting with Marinated Goose and Intestines 滷水鵝片鵝腸 ($250), the goose meat has a nice taste, not salty, showing a fragrant marinade note. The goose intestines are crunchy with deep flavors. And the tofu is silky and soft. A really nice marinade.

Pan-fried Whitebaits Omelet 香煎銀魚蛋 ($108) is my favorite on the evening though. While it might look a simple dish, the omelet is so good, cooked perfectly, with a nice egg taste, plenty of scallions to add to fragrance, and the whitebaits large in size.

Per their suggestion, we have Bombay Duck Sponge Gourd Soup 九肚魚水瓜湯 ($158). The fish is very fresh, meaty and big, with its umami adding to the delicate sweetness of sponge gourd to make a very delicious soup.  

Deep-fried Shrimp and Crab Balls 酥炸蝦蟹棗 ($112) are also nicely done, with four pieces each, deep-fried to an appealing golden color while not feeling greasy. We also applaud that they continue to use authentic ingredients to prepare.

Service is quite good as well, with the staff friendly and helpful in recommendations. The bill on the night is $764 which is very good value for money. Many years ago I heard that this is an expensive restaurant but certainly it is not the case. Definitely worth visiting.

 

Wineshark Home Cooking - Braised Spare Ribs with Cumin 孜然燉排骨

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork ribs - 500g
• Onion - 1
• Ginger - 1 piece
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Cooking sake - 2 tbsp
• Mirin - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Honey - 1 tbsp 
• Cumin powder - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Wash the pork ribs thoroughly, and cut away the fat. 

2. Finely chop the onion.

3. Finely chop the ginger and garlic.

4. Mix soy sauce with cooking sake and mirin, then add in honey and cumin powder.

5. Put the onion at the bottom, then add in the pork ribs, minced ginger and garlic, and pour  the sauce on top. Turn on medium heat and continue to cook with lid on until steam seeps out from the edge. Turn to low heat and continue to simmer for one hour.

6. Turn off the heat and let the pot cools down on its own, keep the lids on, until the pot reaches back to room temperature.

7. When serve, turn to medium heat again, and when steam seeps out from the lid, open the lid and turn to low heat, and reduce the sauce by continue to cook for 15 minutes.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Stuffed Wax Gourd 釀節瓜

Ingredients (for 4):

• Wax gourd - 4
• Chicken stock - 1 cup
• Pork - 180g
• Conpoy - 2 piecees
• Ginger - 1 slice
• Shiitake mushroom - 3
• Spring onion (white parts) - 2 sprigs
• Marinade
• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• White pepper finely - dashes
• Sugar - 1/4 tsp
• Tapioca starch - 1 full tsp
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp
• Thickening
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Chinese yellow wine - 2 tsp
• Tapioca starch - 1/2 tsp + water 1 tbsp
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Soak the conpoy in water just enough to cover. When softened, then add a slice of ginger and dashes of Chinese yellow wine.

2. Steam the conpoy for 20 minutes under medium-low heat.

3. Once cool down, cut into small pieces. Retain the water.

4. Soak the shiitake mushroom in 1/2 cup of water until softened.

5. Remove the stem and cut the shiitake mushroom into small pieces. Retain the water.

6. Mince the pork. 

7. Cut the spring onion (white parts) into small pieces.

8. Add 1 tbsp of shiitake mushroom soaking water into the minced pork. When fully absorbed, add another tbsp. Mix well.

9. Add in the marinade, then mix in single direction, smashing it repeatedly into the bowl.

10. Add in the shiitake mushroom, conpoy and spring onion (white parts). Mix well and smash again a few times. Keep it in the fridge for later use.

11. Use a small knife to remove the outer skin of the wax gourd.

 
12. Remove the two ends, then cut into pieces about 3 cm thick.

13. Use the small knife to carve out the cavity and remove the seeds, paying attention not to poke the wax guard through.

14. Pour in the chicken stock into the cavity.

15. Steam the wax gourd for 5 minutes, then open the lid and refill in chicken stock. Then steam for another 3 minutes.

16. Remove the chicken stock for later use. 

17. Keep the chicken stock for later use.

18. Use kitchen paper to wipe dry the wax gourd interior, then add in some tapioca starch on the inside. Add the minced pork into the cavity. 

19. Add a teaspoon of chicken stock onto the minced pork. Pour in conpoy water to the dish.

20. Steam the stuffed wax gourd for 8 minutes.

21. Heat a pan with 2 tsp of oil, and then add in the smashed garlic.

22. Remove the garlic, then add in Chinese yellow wine and chicken stock.

23. Gradually add tapioca starch with water, continue to stir well. Then add in sesame oil.

24. Pour the sauce onto the wax gourd.

25. Serve.