Steamed Minced Pork on Lotus Root


I just came back from a wonderful 3-day trip to Kuching, Sarawak. Besides stuffing myself silly with local cuisines such as Sarawak laksa and kolo mee, as well as lugging back lots of Sarawak pepper and layered cakes, I also took the opportunity to stock up the latest cookbooks and magazines from my favourite publisher, Famous Cuisine. Even though the books are also available in Singapore, but the prices are much lower in Malaysia. So whenever I travel to Malaysia, I always look out for their latest books/ magazines, no matter how heavy my luggages are! Fortunately, with the huge amount of stuffs that I managed to pack into my luggage, it was still within the airline's weight limit, phew!

So today I tried out a recipe from one of my new cookbooks, steamed minced pork on lotus root. I altered the recipe slightly by adding dried shrimps and ginger, which added an extra kick to the dish.

Steamed Minced Pork on Lotus Root Recipe
Recipe adapted from Steamed Cuisine


Ingredients:
Lotus roots, enough to cut into 6-7 slices with thickness of 1/2-cm
200g minced pork
3/4 Chinese sausage, diced
2 dried mushrooms, soaked until soft, then diced
1/2 tbs dried shrimps, soaked and chopped until fine
2 stalks coriander, diced
1/2 tbs ginger, chopped until fine
1/2 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs water (I used the water from soaking the dried shrimps)
1 tbs Shaoxing wine

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
Pepper, to taste


Method:
1) Mix all ingredients except lotus root with the seasoning, stir until sticky. Keep aside for about 15 minutes.
2) In the mean time, sliced lotus roots into 1/2-cm thickness. Dust one side of the lotus root slices with cornstarch. Arrange the slices on a heatproof plate.
3) Divide the filling and then knead into ball shape. Press lightly on lotus root slices. Repeat with remaining filling and lotus root slices.
4) Steam in preheated steamer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, pour about 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine on it. Serve while it is hot.

Comments

Pei-Lin said…
Grace,

I've got that book for myself not too long ago! Gotta figure out a way to try some of its recipes! Thanks for reminding me; or else, it'll get buried in the stacks of cookbooks that I have LOL!

Pei-Lin
homeladychef said…
I used to read this magazine too, especially in my secondary school days, whenever i was bored due to school work, this is my escape. kind of indulge myself in those pretty photos, though didn't have the money to make. :)
What a refined dish! It looks wonderful!

Cheers,

Rosa
Wow, I never thought of steaming it on lotus root, that's totally new and creative.
Anonymous said…
Hi,

Love lotus root!

Just wanted to check : the side that u dust with cornstarch, is that facing up or down on the plate? And what is the purpose of it?

Thanks,

Audrey
nooschi said…
the lotus root dish looks delicious. thanks for the idea and I'll definitely be making this.
Anonymous said…
This is a really interesting idea! I love "lengau" and am bookmarking this for future use.
mycookinghut said…
I really love the presentation of this dish, looks really gorgeous! Also, the ingredients are really simple and nice!! Love it! :)
Little Inbox said…
Looks good and healthy. I like this light dish through steaming to retain its nutrition.

http://eatingpleasure.blogspot.com/
Bits said…
This is such a nice delicious traditional dish! Lovely!
Piggy said…
Pei Lin & Homeladychef - yay, we have the same taste in books!

Rosa - Thanks for your kind comment! :-)

Little corner - Yes, I also think that the dish is creative!

Audrey - The sides with cornstarch should be facing upwards. With the cornstarch, the minced meat mixture can stick to the lotus root slices better.

Nooschi - Give the recipe a try, it's yummy!

Breadetbutter - I love 'lengau" too, especially lengau soup with dried cuttlefish! ;-)

Leemei - Thanks for your compliment! :-)

Little Inbox - I have steamed dish most of the time, because it is healthier and it does not require much effort in cleaning up too!

Bits of taste - Thanks!
Jo said…
This looks good and reminds me of my mum's cooking. And thanks on the note about this magazine. I'll get a copy the next time I'm back in KL.
pigpigscorner said…
oh wow, pretty presentation!
Elin Chia said…
Wow...I never thought of that...great one and thanks for sharing the recipe. I will try to get a copy of that...I assumed it's the lastest issue :)
I had the same question re the lotus root-cornstarch. Thanks for answering. This dish looks so good!
Mona said…
Hi! I'm a new reader. this recipe looks fabulous! i must try it some day