Saturday 23 February 2013

慈菇南乳燜豬肉 Stewed Arrow Head with Pork in Red Fermented Bean Curd


不知道你們會不會有這樣的感覺。過年過節期間,總有一、兩款菜式或食品會特別讓你想念。那些童年或成長期間,母親常弄,以前沒怎麼在意的食物。

I don't know if you have this feeling or not; during the New Year or any festival holidays, I sometimes crave for food that I had in the past, or throughout my childhood. Food that my mum would often make, but I never fully appreciated.



年歲漸長,今天我最懷念的是【慈菇燜豬肉】。

As I get older, the dish that I miss the most is '  Stewed arrow head with pork in red fermented bean curd '.


以前家裏每年過冬、團年或開年飯;除了各式豐富的菜餚外,桌上總有一大盆燜芽菇 ( 慈菇 ) 豬腩肉。媽媽用心煮,爸爸用心講解,告訴我們慈菇的合時、好處和營養價值等等 ... 多年來我始終沒被游說得到,對這道菜的反應並不熱烈。

When I was at home, every year before or after the Lunar New Year, most of the time, amongst the whole table of scrumptious lovely food, my mum would always serve this stewed arrowhead with belly pork.  My mum was totally passionate about cooking for her family, and my dad would tell us how good the arrow head was especially when they were in season, their nutritious value and so on ...  somehow I was still not keen or impressed by the bland if not slightly bitter, softly crunchy texture of the arrow head.                                                                                                        


結婚後,過年時,客家藉的婆婆對煮慈菇的熱情更甚。每次她都會把滿滿的一大砵放到我們面前;可能知道丈夫平時不會有機會吃到這菜的關係。後來吃多了,我竟也對慈菇發生了興趣來。

After we got married, every year we would have New Year dinner at my mother-in-law's house. Because of the tradition  from her village, she's even more enthusiastic about cooking this dish. Very often she would triumphantly place a big bowl of it in front of us; may be she guessed that my husband missed having it as I wouldn't have cooked it at home.  Many years later, I've gradually grown to like the dish a lot.


最近這幾年,在家自己動手預備年菜時,就想起母親做的。於是便開始學煮,只是為了要尋回當年,沒有好好體會珍惜的美味。


正月中旬,英國最近這幾天的氣温驟降,一片苦寒。

想做個熱呼呼的菜,冰箱內材料齊全,便馬上動手。個多小時後,香噴噴的一大鍋慈菇南乳燜豬肉便上桌了。


In the last few years, whenever I've been planning our annual festive meals, I would try to remember how my mum used to cook this dish, and have started to learn to make it; so that I could re-collect the taste and memories from home. Those that I didn't care to savour when I could .

Now, the middle of the first month in the Lunar calender, it's so bitterly cold still.

I thought of making a pot of steaming hot stew. I had everything I needed in the fridge, and sprung into action without hesitation. An hour and half later, a big pan of heavenly smelling ' Stewed arrow head with pork in red fermented bean curd ' was ready.

慈菇南乳燜豬肉
( 3-4 人份 )

材料:

  • 豬頸肉 500g ( 我用較瘦部份的豬肉,想更美味的話可用豬腩肉。)
  • 慈菇 500g
  • 豆腐泡一包或隨意
  • 南乳 2 磚
  • 中國芹菜隨意
  • 蒜頭 4 粒
  • 葱頭 2 粒
  • 薑 6 片
  • 油 1 湯匙
  • 酒 3 湯匙
  • 鹽 2 茶匙
  • 生抽 1 湯匙
  • 片糖半條

Stewed Arrow Head with Pork in Red Fermented Bean Curd
( Serve 3-4 )

Ingredients:
  • 500g Pork collar ( I used leaner cut of pork, if you prefer the meat with more flavour, you can use belly pork. )
  • 500g Fresh arrow head
  • 1 bag of deep fried tofu 
  • 2 squares of Red fermented bean curd
  • Chinese celery
  • 4 clove garlic
  • 2 red shallots
  • 6 slices of ginger
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 3 tbsp wine
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 strip of brown cane sugar piece
做法:
  1. 慈菇刮皮去頭尾切三角或切片,豬肉切大塊 ( 約 1 吋半 x 2 吋 )。
  2. 大煲內燒沸水,下豬肉塊、慈菇和豆腐泡;大火煲滾後再煮两分鐘後倒出瀝乾。
  3. 鍋燒紅下油,轉小火加薑片、蒜頭、葱頭爆香。下慈菇、豬肉和豆泡;南乳和酒一起兜炒片刻。跟著下鹽和豉油續炒一回,注沸水至蓋過肉面,下片糖一起大火煮滾後,上蓋用小火燜 1 小時至肉和慈菇軟稔。
  4. 加進洗淨切段的中國芹菜煮數分鐘至軟。如有需要的話酌量下些少鹽、糖調味。喜歡的話可加少許老抽調色,勾薄芡上桌。



Method:
  1. Scrape or peel the skin off the arrow head, then wash and cut it into slices or quarters. Dice the pork into roughly 1 1/2" x 2" pieces.
  2. Put the pork, arrow head and the deep-fried tofu into a big pan of boiling water. Bring it back to the boil and simmer it for a couple of minutes, then drain it.
  3. Heat a pan, add oil and then lower the heat before adding the ginger, garlic and shallots to stir-fry a little. Put in the arrow head, pork and deep-fried tofu, then the red bean curd and wine, stir to mix everything well together. Add salt and soy sauce, and fry till everything well combined, filled up with boiling water to just above the meat. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on a low heat for about 1 hour until the arrow head is soft and the meat is tender.
  4. Put the washed and trimmed Chinese celery in the stew and cooked for a few minutes until softened. Seasoned the stew with more salt and sugar if needed. Thicken the sauce a little by stirring in a corn flour and water mix, and add dark soy sauce to adjust the colour if preferred.                                                                                                                                                                                                 

燜這樣的菜最好做一大煲,先盛起第一餐要吃的份量;餘下的待涼後放進冰箱,隔一、二日後,再煮熱來吃時會更滋味。

If you make a big pan of this, ladle out enough to serve,and  leave the rest to cool completely before keeping it in the fridge. Upon re-heating  , the taste is even better after a day or two. 

19 comments:

  1. Dear Jane,
    這道香腴滑順的菜餚,由於包含了對母親的思念及童年憶往,讓我眼裏充滿盦氳、心中也起了無限柔情。慈菇我沒有吃過也沒有看過,不知它是如荸薺般爽脆或如芋頭般鬆糯?但是用南乳烹煮的肉類總是特別好吃,我真想盛碗白飯配上這道愛心佳餚,大口大口地吃下肚哩~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear 梅綺,

      平時樂天爽朗的你,有的卻是纖細的感情、温柔的心。可以想像活在你身邊的人是何等幸福!
      慈菇其實不太好吃,沒有荸薺的爽脆,或芋頭的粉糯;是介乎两者之間的厚實。愛它們的人都是因為有著固執懷舊的鄉情。它在客家菜中歷來保存一個重要地位,是如你所說,南乳和同煮的豬腩肉功不可沒!

      Delete
  2. 慈菇是我家每年一定会吃的年菜,每逢接近过年,我也一定会把它吃够本,不然过了年就找不到了!
    没想到,英国哪儿也能找到它 :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Cass,

      想不到你對慈菇那麼深愛,比我還更熱情積極!
      我真自傀不如。
      英國的唐人超市可以買到很多好貨的哩 :)

      Delete
  3. 慈菇鬆軟清香,加上肉質滑嫩
    鹹香滋味滿溢著家鄉情懷
    南乳和腩仔是絕配,諸(豬)事大吉!!~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear 小咪,

      謝謝你的祝福!
      兒時吃的家鄉菜,愈年長便愈懷念。
      今天再專心重温,缺少了的也沒法補回。
      只希望孩子們學會了做,將來也可以把家的滋味延續。

      Delete
  4. The food looks very yummy! I recently just started a youtube Korean food channel, EasyKoreanFood, where you can learn how to make fast & easy Korean food! It would mean the world to me if you could check it out because I'm just starting out! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. 會!我也會在過年過節的時候
    特別想念老媽做的某1、2樣菜
    回娘家時吃到,總會特別感動

    今天是華人的元宵節
    過完今年,年也結束了
    要為今年好好努力
    來給您閤家獻上祝福
    『元』你所有夢想;
    『宵』除所有疲勞;
    『節』束所有煩腦;
    『快』樂長伴身邊;
    『樂』的合不上嘴!
    祝您*元宵前開心快樂*
    圓圓滿滿&吉祥如意!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear 蘋果米,

      謝謝你温暖熱誠的祝福!
      真的,媽媽做的菜,
      家鄉的風味,
      永遠不會淡忘!
      也祝福你每天都快樂安康,
      四季吉祥,
      事事如意。

      Delete
  6. Hello Jane,

    妳好嗎? 剛過年時, 媽媽也有用亳油煮慈菇, 因她十分喜歡愛吃它. 原來可以用南乳來煮呀, 我喜歡南乳煮的食物, 很香又好味, 那我轉告她有關這美味的慈菇南乳燜豬肉. 謝謝妳呀!

    Warm regards,
    KS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear KS,

      不錯,我想慈菇是上一代我們長者喜愛的食物,因為只有冬天過年前後才收成,家家户户都用來做菜。那種過年和家鄉菜的回味,自少根深蒂固。到年紀大了的時候,在回憶中更愛念更緬懷!
      不用客氣!南乳燜出來真是特別美味,要請妳媽媽嘗試一下 :)

      Delete
  7. Hi Jane,

    I totally agree with you. This is one of my dad's favorite dishes.

    Thanks,

    Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Rebecca,

      Thank you! I do think our older generations have a special sentiment attached to having arrow head as part of their Lunar New Year celebration food, simply because of their fond memories of home cooking from childhood and growing up. Like myself now :)

      Delete
  8. 昨天在新加坡的電視節目看到一人戚玉武也煮了這道菜,他說是想家的味道~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Hoyoyi,

      是嗎?那就是了!要在童年時吃過才瞭解長大後思念那滋味呢!!

      Delete
  9. Definitely a very heartwarming and comforting dish :) But surprisingly I don't think I've heard of or had this before but this may be because my grand parents originated from Shanghai and Ningpo in the Northern Parts of China, so growing up for Chinese New year we would eat more Northern dishes ~ would love to try this one day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Daisy,

      Now that I'm so far away from home and both my parents are no longer with us; this dish made me miss them even more so!! I didn't like the 慈菇 when I was younger, but loved the belly pork that my mum cooked in the stew!! You're so lucky, having the Northern China family food at Chinese New year as well as the Cantonese style food in Hong Kong! That just mean more food haha ;)

      Delete
  10. I need to have more rice to go with this dish, sound absolutely delicious! too bad, i cant cook now because no more arrowroot in the market since cny is over, hehehe..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Sonia,

      Thanks! I know, when I was younger, I was secretly pleased that my mum could only cook this a few times a year, because after new year, everybody seemed to just stopped eating them!! :)

      Delete