INTRODUCTION

Before you proceed to read the recipe, I have to highlight that there are things that i am not certain and I have to check and may amend the recipe.

This is one of the dishes that I always ordered when we have meals at the Teochew (潮州） porridge stalls. Though i have always ordered, I can’t recall exactly how the dish look liked as i read from somewhere (subsequent to the preparation of this dish) that it was cooked with tomato ketchup.. I totally cannot recall that it has tomato ketchup in it. Well when we eat at the porridge stalls the next time, I will order the dish again and  see if there are tomato sauce being added. If yes, i will update the recipe. Even without tomato ketchup, the dish is delicious … 

To me this is a strange dish that only appeared at Teochew Porridge stalls. I am unsure if the Teochew households in Singapore or Malaysia cook this dish at home. I cannot find any information on this dish except a few local bloggers who blogged about the dish ..None of the Chinese website has such recipe.  Is it a local creation? I am unsure and I hope someone who is knowledgeable are able to confirm the origin of the dish.

To me, this is a very simple dish and easy to prepare dish. What you need is Chinese fermented black soya beans (豆豉）. It is these salty black beans that create the unique aroma that blends well with the meat. The only thing that I have to highlight is that some of the fermented black soya beans are very dirty. Therefore, you have to wash away all the impurities before you used them.

On the other hand, if you washed these beans, the aroma will not be that strong and you may need to use more black beans. As at to date, i have still yet to find a satisfactory brand of black beans in the market. In Malaysia, i have ever use the sweet fermented black soya beans that were imported from Taiwan. That is very good, aromatic, clean and not salty at all..

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: 3-4 adult servings

• 400 grams of minced pork (70% lean and 30% fat)
• 2-3 tablespoons of fermented black soya bean (depend on saltiness of the beans)
• 1 tablespoon of caramelized dark soya sauce (for colouring and optional)
• 1 tablespoon of minced ginger garlic
• 1 red chilli, minced (optional)
• 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
• Dashes of white pepper
• Pinches of salt (if the beans are not salty)

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Wash and drain the fermented black soya beans if necessary. You have to adjust the seasoning if it is not salty enough resulted from the washing. If your fermented black beans are very clean, you can opt out the washing step.

• Put some water onto the minced meat. This step is optional but I always did when I stir fry minced meat as it will prevent lumpy minced meat.

• In a wok, put 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, sauté the fermented black soya beans, minced ginger garlic and chopped chilli until aromatic, add the minced pork and stir fry until the meat is set. Add caramelized dark soya sauce, pinches of salt and dashes of white pepper before dishing up to serve with porridge. If you preferred to have some gravy, you can add about 1 cup of water and let it simmer longer until your desired texture.

CONCLUSION

I found the recipe suits my family’s taste buds. Possibly in my next attempt, I will try to add in tomato ketchup and see if it resembles those at the stalls. To me, even without the use of ketchup, the taste is very close to some of the stores that I have eaten ..

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