Fried Minced Meat

Before I started my blog, I used to stalk a handful of my favourites, waiting for updates. One of my frequent hangouts was The Little Teochew (ultimately it was this blog that inspired me to start my own). I would read Ju's posts and eagerly wait for the next, checking every other day. If there was no new post, I was disappointed just like a forlorn little puppy. Is there such a thing as a blog crush?
Pathetic, right?

Now I know how much work is involved to publish a post. The cooking is a given because you need to eat and therefore you have to cook. That's the easy part. Next is the photography, but not before tearing your hair out over the props, styling and what not. And let's not forget the wiping, spilling and positioning and transferring your chicken leg over 20 plates (and it still didn't look quite right). And don't forget the washing up. Once you've got your 1,000 pictures taken over 100 angles, you have to select the ones you love best. Sometimes, none look decent enough and you want to start over. But you already ate the chicken leg.

Then there's the write up. That's probably the hardest part. What to say? How to say? Sometimes your mind goes blank. Especially when you have 2 loads of laundry fermenting overflowing in the baskets and a big pile of ironing to do. And oh, the house is a mess and the garden is full of weeds. That is why some blogs get straight to the point, no story but direct to the recipes. Totally understandable. 

Replying to comments also takes up a lot of time and I can understand why some of you are not able to reply. Especially for those of you who receive 50 or more comments per post. I like to respond to comments (I don't get that many) even if you don't expect me to because I am grateful for your time and I want you to know that I read what you wrote. And to my silent readers, I totally understand your silence because my food is so astounding that you are at a loss for words hah...hah...hah..... 

Last Sunday, I wanted to eat something I saw on Kimmy and Joyce's post. Kimmy cooked Egg and Minced Meat Rice while Joyce did Loh Shi Fun with Minced Meat. Both dishes really played on my mind and although I am avoiding rice and noodles, I was determined to cook the minced meat. I used Kimmy's recipe for the minced meat and used Zoodles to make something close to Joyce's dish. I even took the trouble to make some crispy fried shallots.

I used the shallot oil to cook the minced meat. To make "noodles", I microwaved the shredded zucchini for 1.5 minutes at 30 second intervals until it was tender but still retained it's bite. Suffice to say, it made for a very satisfying lunch. If you are looking for a quick meal, this minced meat dish could be your solution. Add more water to the dish if you intend to toss it with noodles. Top with spring onions and crispy fried shallots and you have yourself a happy meal.

I don't have any more posts after this because with the Chinese New Year holidays, workload at the office and other distractions, I could not do much serious cooking or baking over the weekend. So I have to leave you with this one until end of the week. Till then, take care!

Fried Minced Meat

Recipe source : Adapted from Cooking Pleasure

Ingredients :

- 400g minced pork

- 2 tbsp minced garlic

Seasoning :

- 1 tbsp oyster sauce

- 1 tbsp light soya sauce

- 2 tsp dark soya sauce

- 1 tsp sesame oil
- pepper to taste

- 4 tbsp cooking oil

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water

Garnishing :

- 1 stalk of spring onions, chopped.

Method :

1. Heat oil in wok and saute minced garlic until fragrant.

2. Add minced meat and fry until meat turns pale.

3. Add seasoning and fry until aromatic.

4. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer until water is almost dry.

5. Stir in cornflour mixture. Stir and add chopped spring onions.

6. Dish out and serve. 

Note : To make this into a meat sauce to go with noodles, add more water according to your preference and adjust seasoning to taste.