Minced Pork on Mushrooms

This is a common dish in our family. On normal days I will just steam minced pork on mushrooms and then drizzle the sauce over it. I serve this dish on Chinese New Year with whatever grandeur that should be accorded to this dish to bring out the New Year mood.

• To make this dish, we have to soak the mushrooms overnight, the number of mushrooms is arbitrary. Some will have eight for the auspicious "Fatt" while others will make enough so that every person surrounding the dining table will have at least one. Once soft, cut off the stems.

• On the day of making, mince the pork. If only lean meat is used, the end result will be hard minced meat. So, it would be advisable to mix a bit of fat while mincing.

• Chop up some carrots.

• Chop up some mushroom.

• Chop some garlic.

• Wash and soak some fatt choy.

• Mix the mince pork with the above - chopped carrots, chopped mushroom, chopped garlic and fatt choy. Add some corn flour (to smoothen the pork), sesame oil, salt, light soy sauce and pepper. Mix well and make into little balls.

• Put the balls on top of the mushrooms. Steam them for about 20 minutes or until the pork is cooked. Set aside.

• Cut the broccoli into little florets. Boil some water and prepare a bowl of cold water. When the water is boiling, add in the florets and blanch them for 5-10 minutes. Remove them and quickly immerse them into the bowl of cold water to stop them from being cooked further.

• Cut some carrots and blanch them for 5-10 minutes. Remove them.

• Arrange the mushrooms with meat on a plate, leaving the sauce in the plate for later use and decorate the plate with the blanched broccoli and carrots.

• Meanwhile, put some oil into the kuali and saute some garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant, pour the sauce from steaming the mushrooms and meat into the kuali. If the sauce is too little, add some water (or if you have pork or chicken broth, you may use them here). Then add seasonings like salt, light soya sauce and pepper.  Once the sauce boils, you may thicken it with some corn flour. Pour the sauce over the plate of mushrooms with mince pork.

• The dish is ready to be served.