Some time ago, I made a fusion version of the traditional Hokkien dish, Braised Pork Belly Taco. Braised Pork Belly is originally served in lotus leaf buns, and they are usually cooked over a long time until soft and extremely fragrant. 

I wanted to make a less fatty version for my kids so with the same base marinade, I made these delectable Asian Pulled Pork Buns for dinner when we celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival at home last month. These flavorful buns were like mini sliders that were so delicious and versatile, perfect as an appetizer, or as a hand-held pass around at parties or on its own as a meal. 

Using the slow cooker also made this recipe extremely easy and fuss free to make. Just prepare the ingredients and let the slow cooker do the rest of the work. At the end of the day, simply pull the meat apart and pop them back into the fragrant sauce. The recipe also freezes very well and you'll get a few meals out of this this large batch recipe.

Asian Pulled Pork Buns
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
3 to 4 lb Pork Shoulder or Boston Pork Butt
6 oz Shallots (thinly sliced)
18 cloves of Garlic (lightly smashed)
5 tbsp Cooking Oil
2 oz piece Ginger (lightly smashed)
12 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
3 Cinnamon Sticks
6 Star Anise
10 Cloves
3 tbsp Chinese 5-Spice Powder
1 1/2 tbsp Cumin Powder
1 1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 White Pepper Powder
3 tsp Sesame Oil
3 oz Rock Sugar
5 cups Water
Lotus Leaf Buns (available in most Asian supermarkets, in the frozen section)
Cilantro

Cooking Method
1. In a wok, heat up 5 tbsp of cooking oil. Once heated, brown the whole pork shoulder or Boston pork butt on all sides. Set aside.
2. In the same wok with the leftover oil, add in thinly sliced shallots and light smashed garlic. Stir fry until fragrant and soft.
3. Add in dark soy sauce, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, Chinese 5-spice powder, cumin powder, salt and white pepper powder. Mix well.
4. Add in water, sesame oil, rock sugar and lightly smashed ginger. Mix well.
5. Bring to a boil and lower heat to allow it to simmer for 10 min.
6. Place browned pork shoulder or Boston pork butt in the slow cooker. Pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.
7. Once ready, remove the pork shoulder or Boston pork butt from the slow cooker onto a chopping board. Shred the meat and place them back into the sauce.
8. Serve with cilantro in lotus leaf buns.

A couple of weeks ago, while planning our meals for the week and writing up our grocery list, I was about to make my go-to recipe, Five Spice Bacon Wrapped Pork again. But I decided to change things up a little. No one was really complaining as this recipe is definitely a family favorite. But I thought it'll be nice to have a couple of these easy recipes that I can rotate. with

This Honey Ginger Lime Pork is infused with honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and lime, the few staple ingredients in my kitchen. It is quick and easy to throw all the ingredients together, marinate the meat and then just let the oven do the work.

Honey Ginger Lime Pork
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 lb Pork Ribeye Roast
1 oz Ginger (minced)
1 Tbsp Garlic (chopped)
1/3 cup Honey
3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & Pepper
Chopped Cilantro (for garnishing)
Lime Wedges (for serving)

Cooking Method
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 oz minced ginger, 1 tbsp chopped garlic, 1/3 cup honey, 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce and juice of 1 lime. Mix well.
2. Season the pork ribeye roast with salt & pepper. Pour sauce over the pork ribeye roast, ensure that it is well covered and allow it to marinate for an hour or overnight, if time permits.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the marinated pork into a roasting pan and pour the marinade sauce over as well.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minute on the middle rack. Then broil on hight for minutes on the middle rack until nicely charred.
5. Transfer the pork roast onto a cutting board, drizzle some sauce over and save the rest for serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

One fresh produce that I have learnt to enjoy after living in Houston for almost 9 years now is collard greens. A staple vegetable in Southern U.S. cuisine, it is often prepared with other similar green leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, spinach, kale and turnip greens in a dish called mixed greens. And it is usually seasoned with smoked and salted meats, which reminds me so much of a traditional Asian dish (Hakka, to be specific), Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (Mui Choy Kau Yoke).

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens is not an easy dish to prepare as it is pretty time consuming and I have not been able to find preserved mustard greens here yet. But when I made these Slow Cooked Sausages, Greens and Beans, not only was it quick and easy to prepare, it reminded me so much of that traditional Hakka dish. Moreover, it could be prepared with simple and basic ingredients that are readily available. So, if you enjoy a savory and hearty dish that is easy to make and clean up, this recipe is for you!

Slow Cooked Sausages, Greens and Beans
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Kaylyn's Kitchen

Recipe
Ingredients
10 Fresh Bratwurst Sausages
8 oz Shredded Collard Greens (I used the packaged ones from HEB, so convenient)
1 19 oz can White Cannellini Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder

Cooking Method
1. Place 10 bratwurst sausages on a baking pan and broil on high on the 2nd top rack of the the oven for 10 minutes or until browned. Turn the sausages over once and broil further for another 5 minutes or until browned.
2. Place 8 oz  shredded collard greens and 1 19 oz can white cannellini beans in a slow cooker and season with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper powder.
3. Place sausages on top of the greens and beans. Pour in 1 cup chicken stock and the juice from the baking tray.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Makes 5 servings
 

Slow Cooker Chinese Char Siu Pork Ribs is an extremely easy recipe to make at home, with a delicious sweet, sticky and savory flavor. Char Siu is a popular way to flavor and prepare barbecue pork in Cantonese cuisine. This Slow Cooker Chinese Char Siu Pork Ribs is a slight variation from the Chinese Char Siu Pork (Pot Roast Style) that I had shared a while.

With this recipe, simply marinate the ribs and then allow the slow cooker to do its job. Once that is done, baste and broil the ribs before serving. The ribs are so tender from the slow cooking and lightly charred from the broiling. 

Slow Cooker Chinese Char Siu Pork Ribs
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
3 lbs Pork Spare Ribs (cut)
2 oz Ginger (skinned)
6 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup Honey
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
4 tsp Light Soy Sauce
4 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Sambal Olek
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1/4 cup + 4 tbsp Water
2 tbsp Cornstarch
Sesame Seeds

Cooking Method
1. In a food processor, combine 2 oz ginger, 6 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 4 tsp light soy sauce, 4 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil and 1/4 cup water. Blend until a smooth marinade is formed.
2. Place ribs into the slow cooker and pour marinade over. Mix well and ensure that the ribs are covered with the marinade. Allow it to marinate for 1 hour (or overnight in a ziploc bag, if time permits).
3. Cook on low for 5 hours in the slow cooker.
4. When cooked, remove ribs and place them onto a baking tray. Baste the ribs with the sauce from the slow cooker. Broil on high for 2 minute on a rack that is about 6 to 8 inches from the top. Baste the ribs again with the sauce and broil on high for another 2 minutes.
5. Pour the sauce into a sauce pot and bring it to a boil. Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch with 4 tbsp water and pour mixture into the boiling sauce, allowing it to thicken.
6. Baste the ribs with the thicken sauce and garnish with sesame seeds before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Five Spice Bacon Wrapped Pork is an extremely flavorful entrée that is quick & simple to make and yet still fancy enough for guests at your next dinner party at home.

Two weeks ago, we had a friend visit from Singapore and Kian had invited him over for dinner that Friday. I was pretty exhausted that day considering that I had just returned from the Saveur Bloggers Awards event in Charleston, SC that Tuesday night, hosted a dinner at home for another couple from Kian's work industry on Wednesday and attended a fashion event on Thursday night. It was one of those weeks that something was happening everyday.

However, regardless of how tired I am, I always enjoy having company and making dinner for my family and friends. You don't have to always serve complicated dishes at dinner parties anyway. So, I thought about what to make that will be fairly effortless and yet still presentable enough to be served to guests. Kian suggested that I make a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, a frequent dish on our weeknight menu.

Pork tenderloins are a lean cut of meat and will risk being dry especially if it is overcooked. Wrapping the tenderloin with bacon provides a layer of fat, protecting the meat from drying out and adds an immense amount of flavor. With just four ingredients (and basic salt & pepper seasoning, of course), I was able to put together a fairly decent dinner entrée that I served with a side of salad and roasted broccoli & cauliflower. The meat was so juicy, moist and tasty, Bella had three servings that night. She often jokes and calls this dish "pork wrapped pork".

I usually make this recipe with 2 whole pork tenderloins because it is one of my family's favorite and everyone always goes for seconds, but you can absolutely half the recipe and just use 1 tenderloin.

Five Spice Bacon Wrapped Pork
by Miss Crumbs A lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 Whole Pork Tenderloins (approx. 3 lbs)
20 pieces Bacon
1 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice (divided)
2 tbsp Honey
Salt & Pepper

Cooking Method
1. Season the pork tenderloins with a pinch of salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp of Chinese five spice each. Rub in the seasoning. You may even omit the salt especially if you are not using low sodium bacon.
2. Wrap the seasoned pork tenderloins with the bacon strips, slightly overlapping each other.
3. Mix 2 tbsp of honey with 1/2 tsp of Chinese five spice.
4. Place the bacon wrapper pork tenderloins on baking trays and baste them with the honey mixture.
5. Roast at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes on the middle rack. Then broil on medium for 10 minutes on the middle rack.
6. Cut into thick slices and serve. Juice from the meat at bottom of the tray can be served as au jus with the pork.

​Serves 6 to 8

Chinese Lion's Head Soup is a healthy and nutritious meatball soup that is cooked with napa vegetables. Growing up, I have always had this soup at meal times and quite honestly, never knew they were called Lion's Head Soup. I have always just simply called them pork meatballs.

Chinese Lion's Head meatballs or stewed meatballs is a dish of Huaiyang cuisine from eastern China, consisting of large pork meatballs stewed with vegetables. The meatballs are called Lion's Head because of its resemblance to the shape of the head of the Chinese guardian lion. The dish eventually became part of the Shanghai cuisine with the influx of migrants in the 19th and early 20th century.

I have always made these Chinese Lion's Head meatballs for my family and they absolutely love it. The meatballs are made from marinated minced pork molded into balls and cooked in chicken broth. Throw in some vegetables and serve it with rice or noodles, you'll have a well balanced meal.

Chinese Lion's Head Soup
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
1 lb Minced Pork
1 Egg
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tbsp Minced Ginger
1 tbsp + 2 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Salt
4 tsp Sesame Oil (divided)
1 Head Napa Cabbage (cored & cut)
2 Carrots (cut)
8 cups Chicken Stock
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Green Onions (chopped and divided)

Cooking Method
1. Marinate 1 lb of minced pork with 1 egg, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp minced ginger, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tsp sesame oil and half of the chopped green onions. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a pot, heat up 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add in 2 tsp minced garlic and stir fry until it is fragrant. Add in cut napa cabbage, carrots and stir fry for a few minutes.
3. Add in 8 cups of chicken stock and bring in to a boil. Once boiling, lower temperature and simmer on medium/low heat. 
4. Mold marinated minced pork into 1 tbsp sized meatballs and drop them into the broth and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper, if neccessary.
6. Dish out into bowls, garnish with chopped green onions, dash of white pepper powder and drizzle some sesame oil.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Scotch Eggs are a common British picnic food that consist of hard boiled eggs that is wrapped with sausage meat, breaded and deep fried or baked. 

Inspired by Gordan Ramsay's Scotch Eggs with a Twist recipe, I played around with the recipe and added Chinese Sausage, specifically "Yun Cheong" (pork and duck liver Chinese Sausage), for a slightly sweet and smokey savory flavor. In one of my previous post, "Low Carb Chinese Sausage and Chives Cloud Bread", I used and wrote a little about Chinese sausages. Chinese sausages (commonly known as "Lup Cheong" in Cantonese) is a pork meat sausage that is cured and has a slight sweet and savory flavor, with similar textures to salami. In this recipe, I used "Yun Cheong", a pork and duck liver Chinese sausage that has a close resemblance to boudin in terms of texture and color. I was also unable to find plain sausage mince so I went ahead with a mild Italian flavored one and did not season it. If you're using plain sausage mince, you could season it with salt, pepper and any herbs of your choice.
​
These little hand grenades was an absolute party in our mouths, with the egg yolks still soft and runny on in the inside. I scored two thumbs up from my family!

Scotch Eggs with an Asian Twist
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Gordan Ramsay

Recipe
Ingredients
7 Eggs (1 beaten)
1 1/4 lbs Mild Italian Sausage Mince
1 cup Chinese Pork and Duck Liver Sausage (Yun Cheong) (finely diced)
1/4 cup Green Apple (shredded)
1 cup Plain Flour
1 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Cooking Method
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, gently lower 6 eggs into boiling water using a ladle to prevent the eggs from cracking.
2. Cook for 4 1/2 minutes. Drain hot water immediately and cool eggs with cold water.
3. Peel shells off eggs by cracking it slightly and placing it back in the water. Water should seep into the egg and allow you to peel off the shell quite easily. Set aside.
4. In a bowl, mix mild Italian sausage mince with finely diced Chinese pork and duck liver sausage and shredded green apple. Mix well.
5. Prepare an assembly line of plain flour, 1 beaten egg and Panko bread crumbs that is seasoned with salt and pepper.
6. Divide the sausage mince mix into 6 portions and carefully wrap each hard boiled egg with it. Make sure it is not too thick of a coat as that would make it too dense.
7. Next, dredge each meat wrapped egg with the plain flour, then egg wash and finally coating it with the seasoned Panko bread crumbs. Press down the bread crumbs gently into the meat wrap to prevent the crumbs from falling off and burning while frying.
8. Heat a pot of vegetable oil, about 4 inches deep. Fry the meat wrapped eggs for about 8 minutes on medium heat until they are golden brown.
9. The meat should be cooked and the egg yolks still soft and runny.

Makes 6 servings.

Pork Katsu Curry is one of those dishes that both my husband and kids look forward to. Whenever I make this dish, my kids will often polish everything off and will be licking their plates clean.
​
Japanese curry is very different from the Thais or Indians. Japanese curry has a thicker and creamier consistency and is very mild in spiciness. Slather the curry sauce on a crispy pork cutlet and serve it over a bed of rice, you'll have a wholesome one dish meal.

Pork Katsu Curry
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from All Recipes UK

Recipe
Curry Sauce Ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 large Onion (diced)
5 cloves Garlic (chopped)
2 medium Carrots (sliced or oblique cut)
2 tbsp Plain Flour
4 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Honey
4 tsp Light Soy Sauce
1 Bay Leaf
2 1/2 cup Chicken Stock

Pork Katsu Ingredients
4 pieces Pork Cutlet (tenderized)
1/2 cup Plain Flour
1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 egg (beaten)
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil Spray

Cooking Method
1. Prepare the curry sauce first by heating up vegetable oil in a pot. Sweat the onions, garlic carrots for about 10 minutes.
2. Add in plain flour and curry powder. Mix well. Gradually add in chicken stock until well combined. 
3. Add in honey, soy sauce and bay leaf. Bring it to a boil then turn down heat and allow it to simmer until the sauce thickens.
4. Stir in garam masala and keep on low heat until ready to serve.
6. Mix flour with a dash of salt and pepper. Coat the pork cutlets with the seasoned flour, then the beaten egg then panko breadcrumbs.
7. Spray olive oil all over the breaded pork cutlet and airfry (I used the Phillips AirFryer) them at 360 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden brown.
8. Alternatively, you can bake it on a baking tray at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown.
9. Slice the pork cutlets, place over cooked rice (short grain Japanese rice) and pour curry sauce over.

Makes 4 servings

Cloud Eggs have been one of the latest food trends that have been flooding social media. Cloud Eggs are basically prepared by puffing up the egg whites to a marshmallow-like texture, like clouds. You can add in additional ingredients like in this recipe, scallions and bacon. Other options include parmesan cheese, chives, ham etc.
​
I made this super quick and easy breakfast for my family and the kids loved them. They do not usually like runny egg yolks but in this case, the fluffy egg whites soaked  up the egg yolks like gravy and they did not mind that at all. Most recipes would caution you from over baking to prevent the eggs from browning too much. But it is our personal preference to have it a little browned. Do watch it as it bakes if you prefer a lighter color "cloud".

Cloud Eggs
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Chopped Scallions
1/3 cup Chopped Bacon (cooked)
Pinch of Salt
Dash of Pepper

Cooking Method
1. Separate egg whites into a chilled bowl and set the egg yolks aside, individually.
2. Whisk egg whites until a firm peak is formed.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add in chopped scallions and bacon.
5. Fold in gently.
6. Place egg white mixture onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Form two "clouds" and create an indent in each one.
7. Bake at 450 degrees F for 3 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and add egg yolks into the indents. Bake for another 3 minutes.
9. Serve warm.

Makes 2 servings

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms with Masago Mayo combines two of my favorite foods - mushrooms and bacon! And adding a hint of Masago (capelin fish roe) into the Japanese mayonnaise gives your condiment a pop of texture and flavor. All the ingredients are readily available at any Asian supermarket, although I have seen the fish roe and Japanese mayo at my local HEB supermarket as well. So simple and easy to prepare, it will be a crowd favorite at your next dinner party.

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms with Masago Mayo
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 packets Enoki Mushrooms 
5 to 6 slices of Bacon
1 tbsp Masago (capelin fish roe)
2 tbsp Japanese Mayonnaise ( I used the brand Kewpie)
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Cooking Method
1. Prepare the condiment first by mixing the masago and mayonnaise together. Set aside.
2. Cut of roots of enoki mushrooms, rinse and dry them.
3. Divide the mushrooms into 10 to 12 little bunches.
4. Cut each bacon slices into halves.
5. Wrap each half slice of bacon around each little bunch of enoki mushrooms, season with black pepper and place on backing tray.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 15 min or until the bacon is cooked.
7. Serve with condiment.

Makes 10 to 12 pieces