Pork (or Chicken) Balls with Minted Peanut Sauce

Well, I cannot believe that I do not have a photo of these balls, but they were wonderful.

It was based on a recipe from the Murdoch book "Steam It".

You can, of course, grill the balls, but they are delicious simply steamed if you only have a Thermomix.

This recipe is equally delicious made with chicken breast meat.

Both the pork balls and the sauce can be made ahead of time. Set the balls aside on a tray until you are ready to cook them if cooking on the BBQ.

Pork (or Chicken) Balls with Minted Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

400g pork, trimmed and diced
2cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or medium-dry sherry
1 tbsp soy
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
a pinch of white pepper
1 egg white

1 Iceberg lettuce, to serve

For the sauce

90 g roasted peanuts (or 4 tbsp smooth peanut butter)
400 ml coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
1 red chilli, seeded
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp fresh mint
2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

Method:

To make the pork balls, place the ginger and garlic in TM bowl and grate for 15 seconds on speed 7.
Add the diced pork, sesame oil, sherry, soy sauce and sugar, salt and white pepper and blend for 40 seconds on speed 6 . Add the egg white and mix through for 15 seconds on Reverse and speed 4.

Using wet hands, shape the pork mixture into thumb-size balls for steaming, or into larger patties for barbecuing.

To make the sauce, put the chilli and garlic into the TM bowl. Mince for 15 seconds on speed 7. If using peanuts, add these now and blend for 30 seconds on speed 7. (If using peanut butter add now).

Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture in the TM bowl, blend for 30 seconds gradually increasing to speed 6 for 20 seconds. Remove to a serving bowl and set aside. Roughly clean the TM bowl.

If steaming the balls, place the pork balls onto silicon paper in the Varoma. Add 600 g water to the TM bowl and position the Varoma. Steam for 10 -12 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 2.

If grilling, place the pork (or chicken) balls between the layers of a greased metal grill and place over a charcoal burner and cook until golden brown.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large serving platter. Place the pork balls on the leaves and serve with the dipping sauce in small bowls for guests to help themselves.

Pork Buns in the Varoma

Pork buns are a sweet delight that is always a welcome part of yum cha / dim sum.

It is fascinating to watch experienced chefs whip them up effortlessly, as if second nature. It is such an ordeal for me, but generally worth it. The preparation of the dough alone is a challenge, but the Thermomis helps speed up and simplify the process.

I have outlined a traditional method below adapted for the Thermomix, but in Melbourne, you can get a packet mix for the buns from Vietnamese grocers which is much easier:

Mix the flour mixture in the package with 1 cup of fresh milk and 1/2 cup of sugar. Knead dough well for 3 minutes and then add 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Continue to knead again for 1 minute. Leave aside for 30 minutes.

Pork Buns in the Varoma

Number of Buns: 12

Ingredients:

Dough
250 ml water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast
310 g plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
250 g Chinese barbecued pork, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Preparation:

To make the dough, place water into TM bowl and add the sugar, 1 Tbsp of the flour and yeast. Stir for 10 minutes at 37°C on speed 1 to dissolve the sugar and activate the yeast. Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
Add the remaining flour and vegetable oil into TM bowl and mix for 20 seconds on speed 6. Then set to closed lid and knead for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, or until smooth and elastic. Brush a large bowl with the sesame oil and put the dough in the bowl, turning it around in the bowl to coat it all with the oil. Cover the bowl and set aside to rise for at least 3 hours.

Lift the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Punch the dough down and flatten into a large round. Sprinkle the baking powder in the centre of the circle, bringing the edges up towards the centre. Firmly press the edges together, then place the dough back into the TM bowl and knead the dough for a further 2 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.

Clean the TM bowl and place the pork chunks into the bowl. Chop for 2 seconds on speed 7, add the oil and cook for 3 minutes
at 100°C on speed 1. Add the oyster sauce, sugar, rice wine, sesame oil and soy sauce and cook for 3 minutes at 100°C on speed 1. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool.

Take each ball of dough and press it onto a lightly floured surface to form a circle 12 cm in diameter. Place a heaped tablespoon of the filling in the centre of each dough circle, then bring the edges up to the centre. Press the edges firmly together. Sit each bun on a 5 cm square piece of baking paper.
Place pork buns on each layer of Varoma and cover with lid.

Add 600 ml water and 2 tbsp vinegar (to help keep the buns white) to the TM bowl and position Varoma on lid and steam for 25 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 2. After 20 minutes take the lid off the Varoma and continue to steam.

Serve buns warm.

Pork Omelette Rolls in Varoma

This omelette is based on a recipe from the book "Vietnamese Cooking" by Robert Carmack, Didier Corlou and Nguyen Tranh Van.

Didier Corlou and Nguyen Tranh Van were chefs at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, when I visited in 1998 with Tony Tan's Unlimited Cuisine Co. We had a cooking demonstration in the kitchens of the Spice Garden restaurant of the hotel. A similar demonstration may be on offer with Tony's Tour to Vietnam later this year.

In the morning, we were taken on a tour of the December 19 Market to see the variety of Vietnamese foods and herbs before returning for the demonstration and lunch. The food at the Spice Garden was so fresh and flavoursome. The banana blossom salad lives in the memory.

It is possible to make an omelette in the Varoma and so the whole dish could be completed in the Thermomix.




Pork Omelette Rolls

Ingredients

6 eggs
vegetable oil for cooking
500 g lean pork, cut into 2 cm chunks and placed in freezer for 30 minutes
1 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons fish sauce
6 flat mushrooms, (or fresh shiitake) , cut into thin slices
1 bunch garlic chives, trimmed

Method:

Place eggs into TM bowl and blend for 20 seconds on speed 4.

Use this mix to prepare thin, flat omelettes, either in a 20 cm fry pan with vegetable oil, or you can use a non-stick Swiss roll tin carefully over a flame on the stove, to make rectangular omelettes.

Place the partly frozen pork, pepper and fish sauce into the TM bowl and mince for 40 seconds on speed 7, scraping down the sides a few times, until the mix is smooth.

Divide the meat mixture into portions to fill the omelettes. If you have used the frypan you will possibly have 6 omelettes, so 6 balls of mix.

Lay out an omelette and spread one meat portion evenly on it. Lay strips of mushroom and chive shoots evenly across the entire top, arranging them lengthwise to facilitate rolling. Tightly roll omelette into a cylinder. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, twisting the ends to secure. Repeat with remaining omelettes.

Place the wrapped rolls into the Varoma base and tray. Place 700g water into the TM bowl and position the Varoma. Cover and set TM for 25 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 2. Check the rolls with a skewer to make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Remove Varoma from TM bowl and allow the rolls cool, then remove plastic wrap and cut the rolls into rounds about 5 mm thick. Arrange these on a platter, such as in the fan-shape of a peacock's tail. These rolls are traditionally served plain.

If desired, accompany with lettuce leaves, softened rice vermicelli and Nuoc Cham Sauce, or other dipping sauce. Tear a piece of lettuce to place the roll into with some noodles and fresh herbs of choice, and dip into sauce.

Thermomix Tiger Pork

Pork Cooked in Varoma and Grill

Not so much a recipe as a method of cooking pork chops and other meats to maintain a juicy result while obtaining a caramelised surface to keep the carnivores happy.

This works for other meats and is based on the same idea as sous-vide, where the meat is gently warmed through rather than shocked with high temperatures.

The pork chops were placed on a plate in the Varoma while some rice or vegetables are being cooked in the TM bowl. The chops were cooked for about 10 minutes until they had started to firm up to the touch. They were then transferred to a hot grill for about 30 seconds each side.

Paté of foie gras

Another recipe roughly translated/adapted from "A Tutto Vapore"

Paté of foie gras

Ingredients:

500-600gr duck liver, fresh
4 teaspoons cognac
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (five colours if possible),
1.2 lt water
300 grams of ice cubes

Sweet wine sauce
750 g of sweet wine, (eg Pedro Ximenez)
250 gr cream 35% fat
1 teaspoon corn starch
juice of 1 orange,
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground

Preparation:

Paté of fois gras:
Open the liver and with the tip of a knife, remove all the arteries and sinew.
Place the liver in a bowl, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of cognac, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper mixture over entire surface. Let the liver marinate for 30 minutes (in the meantime, prepare the sauce). Turn the liver in the bowl and cover with the remaining cognac, salt and pepper and marinade again for another 30 minutes. Using your hands form into a compact shape.

Place the liver in the center of a sheet of transparent film (allowing about 50 cm per side); press and roll out well and expel all the air, to form a sausage. Repeat the process by covering with another 4 pieces of foil. Arrange in the container of the Varoma.

Pour 800 grams of water in the TM bowl and position the Varoma, cook for 15 minutes on Varoma Speed 1.

Turn carefully and cook the sausage for another 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on Speed 1.

Gently put the liver parcels in a bowl with the remaining 400ml water and ice cubes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Then put the sausage, still wrapped in film in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Sauce:

Pour wine into TM bowl and reduce for 30 minutes at Varoma temperature on Speed 2.

Instead of having the Measuring Cup in place, support basket on the lid, to allow greater evaporation. The wine needs to reduce to half its volume.
Add the cream mixed with the corn starch, orange juice and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on Speed 2, with the basket on top instead of the Measuring Cup. Transfer to a bowl, allow to cool and then keep refrigerated.

SERVE the Paté with thin slices of bread or a toast with a pinch of black pepper, accompanied by the sauce.

Originally published here on the Thermomix Forum

Three Meat Meatloaf

Another recipe roughly translated/adapted from "A Tutto Vapore"

Three Meat Meatloaf

Ingredients:

500 gr beef cut into pieces
2 eggs
40 gr bread soaked in milk
100 gr veal cut into small pieces
100 g of frozen spinach, squeezed
150 gr chicken or turkey cut into strips
oil to grease aluminium foil
water for Varoma 700gr
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Chop beef in 2 lots of 250 gr in the TM bowl; chop each batch for 10 seconds on speed 7

Place all the chopped beef in the TM bowl; combine with 1 egg, half the bread with milk squeezed out, salt and pepper and stir for 1 minute on reverse + Speed 3. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

Next chop the veal for 20 seconds on speed 7.
Add the other half of the bread drained of milk, the spinach, remaining egg, salt and pepper to taste and stir 1 minute on reverse + speed 3.

Season the strips of the chicken/turkey with salt and pepper as desired.
Place half of the beef mixture on an oiled sheet of aluminum foil.
Spread over a half of the veal and spinach mixture and then the strips of poultry meat.
Roll and form into a meatloaf with the aluminum foil.
Repeat with the other meat to form a second meatloaf.
Arrange both loaves in the Varoma. Cook for 40 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.

Allow to cool for about half an hour before you unwrap and slice the meatloaves.

Serve with a sauce such as used for the chicken galantine.

Originally published here on the Thermomix Forum

Veal Rolls with dried fruit and nuts

Another recipe roughly translated/adapted from "A Tutto Vapore"


Veal Rolls with dried fruit and nuts

Ingredients:

30g of sultanas
50 g rum
30g walnuts
30 grams of almonds, whole, blanched
500 g veal, a piece (3x3cm)
100 grams of dried apricots, pitted, cut into strips
100 grams of dried plums, pitted, cut into strips
1 teaspoon vegetable salt or fine salt
1 pinch pepper
oil as needed
600 g of water

Preparation:

Put the raisins and rum in a bowl, allow to soak a little and then strain the raisins before use.

Put the walnuts and almonds in the TM bowl, chop for 3 seconds on Speed 6, remove and set aside.

Place 250 grams of veal into TM bowl, chop for 10 seconds on Speed 7, set aside in bowl with dried fruit. Chop the other half of meat for 10 seconds on Speed 7.

Add the meat with raisins, walnuts and chopped almonds, dried fruit, salt and pepper to the meat in the bowl, mix for 20 seconds on Reverse and Speed 3. Form 2 rolls of meat and wrap each in oiled aluminum foil. Close the ends of the foil and place in the container of the Varoma.

Pour water into TM bowl, position the Varoma and cook for 30 minutes at Varoma temperature on Speed 1.

Remove the Varoma and leave the meat to cool.

Put in refrigerator for about 2 hours. Serve cold sliced (1 cm.).


Originally published here in the Thermomix Forum