Curry Fried Rice with Spam

If I start to talk about fried rice, this will be an endless topic. There are all different kinds of fried rice. You can pretty much put anything in it. Some fried rice are moist and sticky, and some are dry. Some cook with soy sauce and some cook with ketchup. No matter what fried rice you make, it is important to give it enough flavors.

I am lucky to stumble upon this fried rice recipe from Uni Homemaker. Not only there is Spam, there is also curry powder. The flavor profile just sounds amazing. Savory bites from the Spam, a hint of spiciness from the curry, sweetness from the vegetables, and the umami flavors from the soy sauce. Great balance of flavors. Love this fried rice!

Let’s talk a bit more about Spam. I grew up eating Spam. We usually eat it pan fried and with instant ramens or noodles. If you haven’t tried Spam, you may think it is some not-so-good looking ground meat thing. But after they are sliced and pan fried, they are some tasty golden brown meat slices. When you first bite into the Spam, it is savory and a bit salty. Then the pork flavor would come through. It is absolutely delicious!

Now, go and make some fried rice with Spam!

Braised Pork Spare Ribs with Orange Juice

Another braised dish! Yea! I really like this one. The flavors are different and unique. The meat was braised until super tender and fell off the bones. With that sweet and savory orange sauce, every bite was incredible. Bryan and I ate more rice than normal too, because the sauce was too damn amazing!

If you can get some sweet oranges and pork spare ribs today, I urge you to make this dish. Pork spare ribs maybe a bit harder to find. Bristol Farms didn’t have them, but they said that they can order them which may take a week. I got mine from Ralph’s and I had the butcher cut it into individual ribs. Hope you will find them!

Baked Pork Chop with Fried Rice

Baked Pork Chop with Fried Rice (焗豬扒飯) is a classic in Hong Kong cafe. Who wouldn’t like pork chop with fried rice in tomato sauce and top with melted cheese? It is everyone’s favorite. It is a all-in-one casserole dish.

If you ask the people who have left Hong Kong for a while, what food they miss the most in Hong Kong, many of them would tell you cafe style food. Many Hong Kong cafe dishes are influenced by the west, like the use of tomato sauce, cream, cheese, and pasta. With the combination of Chinese ingredients and cooking style, these dishes are unique and special. They are definitely not too easy to find in the US, especially with that kind of fusion flavors. Therefore I tried to make them at home. After a few tries, I am very happy with this baked pork chop with fried rice recipe. It was good and it tasted very close to the flavors that I remember.

Give this a try and get a taste of Hong Kong!

P.S. I have to thank my Hong Kong friends, Iris and Tony for giving me this cook book. Without it, I won’t be able to recreate many delicious Hong Kong food at home.

Creamed Corn with Pork and Rice

Creamed corn with pork and rice (粟米肉粒飯) is one of those classic simple dishes that you can find in Hong Kong. It is very basic, tasty and affordable that people love to get this for lunch. The sweet creamed corn was cooked down and turned into a sauce along with the savory and tender pork cubes. Then, scooped that over a plate of steamed hot rice. This is definitely my kind of comfort meal. Hope you will like this too!

Pork Gyoza

When I go to a Japanese restaurant, I always look for gyoza in the menu. Some places have really good homemade gyoza, but some other just use pre-made frozen gyoza. In that case, it is better just to make your own gyoza. Since making gyoza is a bit time-consuming, I tried to make many at one time. The leftover can be stored in the freezer for later. These little gyoza had crispy skins and juicy fillings. The garlic chives gave the gyoza a strong rich flavors and the cabbage balanced it out. When I made the gyoza, Bryan and I would only ate them for dinner. Pile and pile of gyoza!

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

With my 18 apples from apple picking, I had to figure out some ways to use them. Most of the apple dishes are sweet, so this savory pork chop recipe was just perfect for this fall season. The pork chops were moist and juicy, and the apples were sweet with a bite. Delicious! I have used pippin, macintosh and red delicious apples for this recipe, and they all came out good. I think you can really use any apples, but tart apples like granny smith maybe better than sweet apples like gala or fuji. For side dish, creamy mashed potatoes is just the perfect pair. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs

What are you making this 4th of July weekend? Tired of the plain old burger and hot dog? I have an idea for you. Instead of making a good old hot dog, you can try this bacon wrapped hot dog to bring it up a notch. It is still very simple, but there is so much more flavors. The bacon was crispy and smokey, and the pepper and onion brought some sweetness to the hot dog. This recipe wouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes to make. You can have a stress-free and delicious 4th of July party or dinner!

Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl

Many of the main Japanese dishes have a hint of sweet. This rice bowl is the same. The savory of the crispy pork chop is perfect with the sweet onions, eggs, and broth. Even though I didn’t use dashi broth and I only used water, my sister and I both agreed that this dish just tasted like the one in restaurants. The original recipe is a bit too sweet, so I reduce the sugar to 4 tablespoons in the following recipe. I believe this should just be right now. Give this a try! I think you will really like it.

Braised Tofu with Pork and Mushroom

I don’t cook Chinese dishes that often. I have tried to cook a few Chinese dishes a couple times, but the flavors are always weird. Bryan and I both agree that I don’t know how to season Chinese food. Haha…. It is time to go back to my root. I have already asked my mom to find me a good Chinese cookbook. Hopefully, I will get it in January. For this tofu dish, I have made this many times. It is absolutely delicious! I love the umami flavor!