Awsm Nem Nuong (pork patties) Recipe

Ingredients
2 tablespoons SunRice Jasmine Fragrant Rice
500g pork mince
3 green shallots, ends trimmed, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon caster sugar
Sa lach dia (pickled vegetable salad), to serve, see related recipes
Nuoc leo (peanut sauce) and nuoc cham (dipping sauce), to serve, see related recipes

Method
Step 1. Place the rice in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Place in a mortar and use a pestle to gently pound until finely crushed.
Step 2. Combine the rice, pork, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, pepper and sugar in a large bowl. Divide mixture into 24 portions. Use wet hands to shape each portion into a patty. Thread patties evenly among skewers. Transfer to a plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to develop the flavours.
Step 3. Preheat a barbecue grill or chargrill on medium. Add the skewers and cook, turning occasionally, for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
Step 4. Place on a serving plate and serve hot or at room temperature with the sa lach dia (pickled vegetable salad), nuoc leo (peanut sauce) and nuoc cham (dipping sauce), see related recipes.

Awsm Korean-style Barbecue Steak with Spicy Slaw

Ingredients
1 lemon, juiced
1 nashi pear
45g (1/4 cup, lightly packed) brown sugar
60ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce
1 green shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sesame oil
6 (about 200g each) beef scotch fillet steaks
60ml (1/4 cup) rice wine vinegar
60ml (1/4 cup) honey
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
60ml (1/4 cup) sesame oil, extra
1 small (about 700g) wombok (Chinese cabbage), shredded
1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Method

Step 1. Fill a bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice. Remove 1 cheek from the nashi and reserve. Cut the remaining nashi into matchsticks and place in the lemon water to stop them browning.

Step 2. Peel and coarsely grate the reserved nashi. Place in a bowl along with sugar, soy sauce, shallot, mirin, garlic and sesame oil, and whisk to combine. Add the steaks and turn to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes to marinate

Step 3. To make salad dressing, whisk the vinegar, honey, chilli flakes and extra sesame oil in a bowl until combined. Drain nashi matchsticks and place in a bowl along with the wombok and mint. Stir to combine.

Step 4. Preheat a barbecue or chargrill on high. Drain the steaks, reserving the marinade. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate. Cover and rest for 5 minutes.

Step 5. Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade to the boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until reduced slightly. Cool slightly.

Step 6. Pour the salad dressing over the wombok salad and toss to combine. Slice steaks and divide among plates. Drizzle with reserved marinade and serve with the spicy slaw.

Bun Cha Recipe

Ingredients
1 tablespoon grated palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 stems lemongrass, pale section only, finely chopped
2 French shallots, peeled, coarsely chopped
500g pork mince
200g dried rice stick noodles
Vegetable oil, to grease
100g bean sprouts
Fresh basil sprigs, to serve
Lettuce leaves, to serve
Dipping sauce
80ml (1/3 cup) fish sauce
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons grated palm sugar
2 long fresh red chillies, seeded, finely chopped

Method
Step 1. Stir the palm sugar and fish sauce in a saucepan over low heat for 2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool completely.
Step 2. Place the garlic, lemongrass and shallot in a mortar and use a pestle to form a paste.
Step 3. Place palm sugar mixture, garlic mixture and mince in a bowl. Stir to combine. Cover. Place in the fridge for 4 hours to marinate.
Step 4. Meanwhile, to make the dipping sauce, whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar and chilli in a bowl until combined.
Step 5. Place the noodles in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Drain and divide among bowls.
Step 6. Shape 2-tablespoon portions of the mince mixture into patties. Lightly brush a chargrill or barbecue grill with oil. Preheat on medium. Cook half the patties for 3-4 minutes each side or until lightly charred. Repeat with remaining patties.
Step 7
Top noodles with patties. Serve with bean sprouts, basil, lettuce and dipping sauce.

Braised Pork with Cranberry & Five-spice

Ingredients
800g boned pork shoulder, trimmed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup shao hsing (Chinese cooking wine)
2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
1/3 cup orange juice
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
2 bunches baby bok choy, trimmed, roughly chopped
Cooked rice stick noodles, to serve

Method

Step 1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Cut pork into 3cm cubes. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based, flameproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Cook the pork, in two batches, for 5 to 6 minutes or until well browned. Transfer to bowl. Drain any oil from the dish.

Step 2. Return pork to dish. Add sauces, shao hsing, orange rind, orange juice, stock, spice, garlic and ginger. Cover. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or until pork is very tender.

Step 3. Place bok choy on top of pork in dish. Cover. Bake for a further 5 minutes or until bok choy has wilted. Serve pork and bok choy with a little sauce and rice noodles.

Quick Bacon Risotto

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 rashers rindless bacon, thinly sliced
250g button mushrooms, quartered
1 large garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons Massel Chicken Style Stock Powder
450g pkt Sunrice Brown Rice in 2 1/2 Minutes
410ml (1 2/3 cups) boiling water
3 shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced
1 large zucchini, coarsely grated
25g (1/3 cup) grated parmesan
1/3 cup fresh oregano leaves

Method

Step 1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Add the mushroom and garlic, and cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes or until soft.

Step 2. Add the stock powder and rice. Stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add the water, 1/4 cupful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next cupful. Continue until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Step 3. Stir in the shallot and zucchini. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan and oregano. Season with pepper.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Noodle Salad

Ingredients
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, bruised, sliced
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon caster sugar
400g rump steak, trimmed, cut into 2mm-thick slices
250g rice vermicelli (see note)
1 Lebanese cucumber, seeds removed, thinly sliced on the diagonal
140g (2 cups) shredded iceberg lettuce (see note)
1 small carrot, peeled, cut into julienne (matchsticks)
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves (see note)
1/2 cup mint leaves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups bean sprouts
35g (1/4 cup) roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
40g (1/2 cup) Asian fried shallots (see note)
Lime-chilli dressing
1 red bird's eye chilli, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
60ml (1/4 cup) fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 teaspoons caster sugar

Method
Step 1. Using a mortar and pestle, pound peppercorns, lemongrass and garlic to a rough paste. Transfer paste to a large bowl, add fish sauce and sugar, then stir until well combined. Add steak and turn to coat, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.
Step 2. Meanwhile, to make lime-chilli dressing, using a mortar and pestle, pound chilli and garlic to a paste. Transfer paste to a bowl and whisk in fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and 60ml (1/4 cup) water. Set aside. Makes 3/4 cup.
Step 3. Place noodles in a large bowl, then cover with boiling water and stand for 4 minutes or until softened. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Using scissors, cut noodles into 8cm lengths and divide among large bowls.
Step 4. Place cucumber, lettuce, carrot, Thai basil and mint on top of noodles in separate small piles.
Step 5. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Cook marinated steak, in 2 batches, tossing, for 2 minutes or until cooked through. Divide steak among bowls and drizzle with dressing. Top with bean sprouts, peanuts and Asian fried shallots to serve.