QUEEN VICTORIA'S THRICE- COOKED PORK LEG

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

I have found that using the electric food steamer was worth the trouble and time as it leaves the meat so tender! 

Main Ingredients:

• Pork Leg; cut into three pieces
• Fresh Ginger, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of Garlic; finely crushed using a garlic press
• 2 tbsps. of Sunflower Oil

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 tbsps. of Extra Virgin Oil
• 1 tbsp. of Clear Honey
• ¼ tsp. of Cayenne Pepper
• a pinch of Salt
• a pinch of Mixed Herbs
• 1 tsp. of Vegetable Stock Granules

Sauce Preparation:

1. In a deep bowl, combine the extra virgin oil, clear honey and cayenne pepper. Stir well.  
2. Add the salt and vegetable stock granules as additional flavours. Stir all well again.
3.  Once mixed and blended, just set it aside. 

Thrice- Cooking Procedure:

1. Wash and rinse well the fresh pork leg (if frozen, thaw your meat).
2. Prepare the chopping board and use a butcher's knife to divide the pork leg into 3 pieces. Wash again and set aside in the fridge.
3. Prepare your electric FOOD STEAMER and fill the boiler pan/base with water up to its maximum water level.
4. Lay the pieces of pork leg into the rice bowl and then, place it in the steaming barrel/tray (if in case the rice bowl cannot accommodate all of the pieces, use another steaming tray. Just make sure that the piece of meat is placed in the centre so when it's steaming, the dripping juice will funnel down into the rice bowl underneath).
5. Cover, turn on the food steamer and set its timer at 40-60 minutes. Check every 20-30 minutes with the intention of turning each over. Alert your senses apart from maintaining the water level of its base.
6. While waiting, chop the ginger and crush the garlic. Additionally, formulate and make your homemade glazed sauce as well.
7. Prepare your cooking dish and scatter evenly on its base the chopped/crushed main ingredients. Then, seal it by distributing on top the sunflower oil.
8. Ten minutes before the steaming ends, preheat the oven to 160ºC under BAKE MODE (electric).
9. When the pieces of pork leg have been steamed, remove them out of the rice bowl and place them one by one over the arranged ingredients in the cooking dish.
10. Using a silicone pastry brush, coat and cover the pieces all over with the prepared homemade glazed sauce.
11. Subsequently, cover-up your cooking dish with a sheet of foil and seal it by twisting its end sides.
12. Place it in the preheated oven, then bake for 40 minutes. In 20-minute time, turn over and glaze the pieces with the remaining sauce and its own extracted piping hot succulent juice. Be careful not to burn yourself!
13. Once baked, remove the foil and bring the meat to GRILL MODE. I have been using a double-oven cooker with grill for the past months. Thus, when it was time for me to grill the pieces I turned on the grill and set its degree temperature to 3 out of 4 levels.
14. Grill them for 30 minutes and carefully turning over every 15 minutes. If you can spoon-out its extracted juice without burning yourself, do it and spread all over the pieces.
15. Once crispy grilled, take your cooking dish out of the grill. If possible, spoon & glaze again over the pieces its flavoursome jelly-like juice.
16. Leave it to cool down for 3 minutes before cutting the pieces into less choking portions. Alternatively, dish them out of the cooking dish and serve the way they are on the table for you and your 2 more family members to devour.

The benefit of using an electric food steamer in order to tenderise the meat is that it is far better than traditionally boiling it in a saucepan. Why is that? It creates a succulent meat with sitting duck consistency particularly the fat and skin. Moreover, it yields a gelatinous syrup which can be used either as the luscious final liquid for cooking rice or as a savoury broth ingredient for the gravy sauce.

The next time you have plenty of time, try cooking meat this way and who knows, your evasive granny would appreciate its succulence as well!

QUEEN VICTORIA'S SOUR AND SPICY FLAVOURED FRIED NOODLE

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Lunch or snack break, it’s a great time of the day to cook a recipe that will gratify your loved-ones. Hearing the “burp” sound of satisfaction and kids saying, “Yummy mommy”, it’s a clear sign that you prepared the best for them and your delicious snack is truly appreciated.

This recipe is a source of carbohydrate, protein and is mixed with vegetables to supplement the body’s needs for nutrients. It is a health friendly dish as it is free from artificial flavouring or E621, which is known as Monosodium glutamate. 

Ingredients: 

•  250 grams. noodles 
•  150 grams. cooking bacon 
•  2 cloves of garlic, crashed and chopped 
•  1 medium-sized onion cut into 4 (separate each layer) 
•  2 medium-sized carrot; organic for extra flavour 
•  Strip slices of cabbage 
•  Chunk slices of lettuce 
•  A handful of green beans (cut both ends) 

Sauce: 

• 3 tsp. of lemon juice 
• 1 tsp. of malt vinegar 
• 2 tsp. of soy sauce 
• ¼ tsp. of cayenne pepper 
• Ground black pepper, to taste 
• A pinch of vegetable stock granules*

Sauce Preparation: 

1. Prepare a mixing bowl. 
2. Mix the lemon juice and vinegar in it. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients. 
4. Stir well and set it aside for awhile in a safe place. 

Cooking Procedure:  

1. Clean and rinse all of your vegetables.
2. Prepare the chopping board, a knife and a frying pan. 
3. Place your frying pan on moderate heat. 
4. Fry the bacon for 1 minute and stir it every 20-30 seconds. 
5. While waiting for the bacon to cook. Crash and chop the garlic using a knife on the chopping board. Peel-off and cut the onion into 4 parts and separate each layer. 
6. Add the garlic and the onion to the bacon. Adjust the flame to low. Mix all the ingredients before covering it with a lid. Cook for 1-2 minutes. 
7. Soak the noodle in a bowl/container with lukewarm water. Just set it aside. 
8. Cut the carrots according to your preferences (strip horizontal slice is the best). 
9. Place the washed and rinsed cabbage, lettuce and green beans on a plate. 
10. Check your bacon mixture in the frying pan. And add the carrots and the cabbage. Stir it gently and add 1/8 cup of water. Cover and set it aside for 1 minute. Set the flame of the burner back to moderate. 
11. Add the noodle and the remaining vegetables to the frying pan mixture. Stir well. Adjust the flame back to low. Cover and set it aside for another 1 minute. 
12. On or before the time (1 minute), gradually pour the prepared sauce mixture. Stir it gently using a wooden spoon. 
13. Cover and cook for 1 minute under the low flame. 
14. Prepare and arrange the cooked fried noodle in a serving bowl.

It is served with sprinkled slices of spring onion on top as it contains anti-oxidant that benefits the health. It is usually eaten with slices of bread as an alternative for cooked rice (for Asians) and glasses of fresh fruit juice as a substitute to fizzy drinks. 

*Some vegetable stock granules and cubes contain E621 (MSG) to be avoided.