Vietnamese style pork

Last week I made slow cooked breast of lamb with pearl barley and really enjoyed it. At the end of that post I asked if anyone could come up with a slow cooked pork dish and I have been inundated with responses (okay I'm fibbing - just the one, who wins a pot of red Thai curry paste). An absoloute gem of a dish has been given to me by Adam Benney and although I have adapted it slightly it is a bright, aromatic dish that fills the house with the smells of south east Asia.

Again I am using my slow cooker but a casserole or large pan will do on the hob or in the oven. The secret is to use an economical cut such as shoulder, which I bought on my early morning trip to Swansea market yesterday at Hugh Phillips butchers, and to cook it for hours in an aromatic bath.

I am deeply attached to European winter staples such as cawl, carbonnade of beef or a French daube but sometimes you want a dish that is bright, stimulating and lively but one that is just as easy to make. Honestly, this dish requires such little effort so it is perfect for a Sunday lunch, where you wait for its magic to happen while you read the papers.


I have been slightly more economical by making two dishes from one. The first is a very slight adaptation of Adam's original and the second a 'leftovers' dish. The only real difference I have made is to make more of the cooking liquor in wich you cook the pork and you are left with a stock that will do for a pork noodle soup on Monday. I have pretty much copied Adam's recipe verbatim but altered the stock and the quantities for the dipping sauce you can adjust to your taste as I have done. Chúc ngon miệng


Adam Benney's Vietnamese slow cooked pork with Noodles

Trim excess fat from shoulder and immerse in water/stock . Add 1 to 2 chopped lemongrass stalks, some lime leaf, then sugar and fish sauce to taste. As I said earlier I adapted this part slightly by adding 1 whole chilli, 1 lime, squeezed, 4 pieces of stem ginger and 2 cloves of garlic and I only added about 100ml of water. Cook away till meat is nice and crumbly and easy to shred!

When you're ready to eat stir fry some noodles and vegetables (pak choi, chinese lettuce, baby corn or whatever is on hand!) in garlic and ginger. (If using dried noodles soak in cold salted water for 15 minutes to hydrate.)

When ready put noodles into bowls and place some shredded pork on top.

Garnish with bean sprouts, spring onions and coriander and serve with a bowl of soy lime dipping sauce (recipe below)

Pound a garlic clove, 2 birds eye chillies and 2 1/2 tbls sugar into a paste. Add 1/3 cup of light soy sauce, 2 1/2 tbls of lime juice (with pulp) and water to taste ( approx 1/4 cup)
Stir, and enjoy! (keeps for 3 weeks in fridge)

If you don't use too much water with the pork the liquid should reduce and thicken nicely - use this sauce to moisten the noodles to your liking.
If you're not slow cooking poaching works just as well. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes then take of the heat, keep covered and allow to poach for as long as you wish - nice!

Strain and keep the cooking liquor and use it as a base to make a pork noodle soup with the leftovers that you should have.

Ok I loved doing this so how about any suggestions for an authentic Chilli con carne that can be slow cooked?

Thai fishcakes

Thai fishcakes

These are a revelation. I came up with this recipe at Dwr y Felin school so that I could get the kids to eat oily fish once a week, which is rich in omega 3. I didn’t think they would be keen but they have proved a hit. Any health concerns you may have about fying is, in my opinion, offset by the general healthy nature off the dish itself.

Serves 6

What you need:

25 – 50g Thai red curry paste (depending on how spicy you like it)

1 bunch coriander, chopped

300g mashed potato (or butternut squash or mixture of both)

400g tin of pink salmon, drained with skin and bone removed

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 bunch spring onions, sliced

Oil for frying

For the coating:

200g breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

100g flour

How you do it:

1)    Cook the red onion, chopped coriander stalks and spring onions in a little oil for a few minutes

2)    Either using a food processor or a potato masher, combine all the ingredients together so it is well mixed

3)    Shape into cake shapes with your hands and place in the fridge to firm up for an hour

4)    Now you are ready to coat them in breadcrumbs. In 3 separate bowls, place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Take each fishcake and coat it in the flour (shake off the excess) then dip it in the egg and finally coat with breadcrumbs. Repeat until they are all done.

5)    In a large frying place some oil and put on a medium heat. Fry the fishcakes on each side until golden. Finish cooking in the oven for 10 minutes until piping hot.

Thai Noodle Salad

On the one hand I love spending hours in the kitchen preparing meals for the family and then somedays I want to be able to prepare something that requires minimal input. Not much time or inclination to be in the kitchen today and as a result made this Thai noodle salad for Seren, my youngest daughter. She loves stir fry but not too keen on salads so I took a bit of a risk. She was very enthusiastic about the ingredients that I was putting in it as I got her to shell a few fresh peas and broad beans. Most children love spicy foods and this salad is just that and beautifully fragrant as well. Seren ate about half of it and says it was "ok but needs improving". I on the other hand thought it was stunning!

My 'other' children had sausage dinner with onion gravy today. The only element of it that I need to work on or source is the sausages. At best a good pork sausage is hard to beat if made with quality ingredients and at worst they represent all that is wrong with the food industry. We are working our way from the latter to the former and I will return to the matter of sausages another time.

Thai Noodle Salad

Thai food is characterised by vibrant colours, a variety of textures and flavours that are hot, salty, sour and sweet and my opinion is one of the great cuisines of the world. This salad encapsulates all of those senses. Do not restrict yourself to the vegetables i've used - use what you like (mango is good). However, to ensure a Thai flavour use the dressing ingredients I've listed and also the herbs to give a beautiful fragrance.

Serves 2, take 3 minutes and costs around £1.20 per portion

200g cold ready cooked rice noodles
1/2 red pepper, finely sliced
handful of shelled peas and broad beans
small piece of cucumber, cut into quaters
small handful of coriander, chopped
3 mint leaves, chopped
1/4 red chilli, chopped
small handful of nuts (dry fry in a pan for 2 mins with a pinch of salt)
dressing:
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp caster sugar
few dashes of sesame oil


1) In a large bowl put all the dressing ingredients together and stir to dissolve the sugar
2) Add all the other ingredients and toss together. Leave for 10 minutes for the flavours to mingle. Simple as that!