I first posted this recipe here, and the story behind this childhood favorite. My girls love this and it's perfect for after Easter for all of those hard boiled eggs ;)
Find more "ManIc MoNdaY" posts here.
Find more "ManIc MoNdaY" posts here.
Give Peas A Chance Khai Pa Lo
2 peeled garlic cloves
1 stick cinnamon (this one is about 2 inches)
2-3 star anise
6 cloves
1 teaspoon total of whole peppercorns, I had black, white, pink and green- use whatever you have
1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pound of pork belly or pork ribs, cubed (you don't have to cube this, you can leave it whole, mom always cubed it)
4 tablespoons DARK soy sauce
3 tablespoons light or regular soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster flavored sauce
fine ground WHITE pepper to taste (you can use black but white is perfect in this dish, and... mom used white in this dish.)
4 1/2 cups water
1-2 teaspoons cornstarch- optional, I'll tell you why later
8 medium/soft boiled eggs, peeled.
- Heat the oil in a dutch oven/pot and add the ginger, cloves, and other whole spices.
- Cook until fragrant, the peppercorns will pop a little.
- Remove the cloves and peppercorns before adding the sugar. (It's easier than fishing them out later.)
- Push the spices to the sides of the dutch oven and sprinkle in the sugar. (You can also scoop the while spices up and put them into a spice ball at this point so it's easier to remove them after cooking.)
- Cook until caramelized.
- Sear the pork on all sides, in the caramelized sugar.
- Add soy sauces, oyster sauce and pepper.
- Pour the water in and nestle in the eggs. My mom put hard boiled eggs in, and that is perfectly fine. Works and tastes awesome I just wanted to avoid the dreaded grey outline of over cooked eggs, but really, who cares.
- Simmer/gently boil for an hour/hour and a half until reduced and the gravy is a bit thick. I sometimes use corn starch in a bit of cold water to thicken this at the end of cooking time if it isn't thick enough, but hardly necessary.
- Remove whole spices before serving, especially for children.
- I served the Khai Pa Lo on this particular night with gingered jasmine rice, I first reached for a short grain rice but the fragrant jasmine is preferred.
Instant Pot method
- Place eggs on a trivet in the Instant Pot. Add one cup of water to the pot. Cook on low pressure for 5 minutes. Peel and set aside.
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot on saute mode, HIGH. Add the ginger, cloves, and other whole spices.
- Cook until fragrant, the peppercorns will pop a little.
- Push the spices to the sides of the pot and sprinkle in the sugar. Cook until dark and caramalized.
- Scoop the whole spices up and caramel and put them into a spice ball at this point so it's easier to remove them after cooking. Keep the spice ball in the pot.
- Add pork and brown.
- Add soy sauces, oyster sauce and pepper.
- Pour the water in (use just enough to cover the pork by an inch, this liquid didn't evaporate) and add in the eggs.
- Set Instant Pot on HIGH for 30 minutes. Once done cooking let it sit for 15 minutes.
- I sometimes use corn starch in a bit of cold water to thicken this at the end of cooking, this is optional. If you do this use the SAUTE mode.
- Remove spice ball.
- Serve over rice.
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