Chou farci - Pork stuffed cabbage

1. Ingredients:

- A whole savoy cabbage ( just around $1 at farmer market)

- 1 carrot (chopped)

- 1/2 onion (chopped)

- 4-5 mushrooms (chopped)

- Parsley and basil: 1 spoon for each chopped herb (if you don't have fresh leaves, used the dried one that every Trader Joe's sells it)

- 1/2 pound of ground pork

- 1 egg

- Stock: chicken/pork/ beef or vege is ok, even water

- bacon or prosciutto (I bought at Wholefood)

- Salt: 1,5 spoon, pepper

- Cotton string

2. Method:

- Clean the cabbage, cut the leaves out and boil them in boiled water for 1-2 minutes

- Risen the leave under cold water to let them cool down

- Mix meat, egg, chopped onion, carrot, mushroom, 1/2 amount of chopped herbs, salt, and pepper

- On a flat surface (or you can make it in a big bowl to make the round shape), put 3 to 4 strings cross each other before placing the biggest leaves in the shape of blooming flower

- Add a small leave in the center

- Start to stuff: 1 layer of mixed meat (around 1/2 inch) then 1 layer of leaves until all the meat gone.

When stuffing, try to make the whole piece as round as possible.

- Close the outside leaves and tight the strings

- In a medium pot, add stock/ or water (up to 1/2 volume of the pot), heat until it boil, then add the cabbage and the rest of chopped herbs. Make sure the water can cover the cabbage. After it boils again, cook at low medium heat.

- After 1 hour, take the cabbage out, the remain stock you can use to cook soup

- Cover the cabbage with bacon or prosciutto and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degree

- And here is my final chou farci

- This dish can eat with pickle baby cucumber (I bought from Trader Joe's). This one is imported from France.

How to cook Chicken porridge (congee) by Breville

Breville Risotto Plus is a very good slow cooker, you can use it even for Asian dish such as porridge. Korean friend told me how to cook this dish simply and deliciously.

1. Ingredients: for 3 people
- A whole cornish hen (I prefer to buy organic cornish hen in Wholefood, about $12 per one)
- 1 cup of rice (less or more is up to you, depends on the thickness of congee)
- Date: 6
- Green onion: 1
- Garlic (optional): 3 gloves
- Gingseng (fresh/dry): 1 (optional)
- Chesnut: 5 (optional)
- Black pepper, salt
- Organic cotton twine (for cooking, I bought in from Mother's market)
- And a slow cooker: Breville Risotto Plus

2. Method:
-Wash and soak the rice in cold water for 1 hour. If you don't have time, just wash it.
- Clean the chicken, trim out the fat (I prefer that)
- Stuff rice into the chicken (don't make it too full), tie up with the cotton twine

- Put the chicken in the center of the bowl, add the remain rice around it (if you have some)

- Put other ingredients but the green onion into the bowl, then pour water cover the chicken

- Use Saute setting, till it broils for 10 mins (be careful, open the lid if it has too much bubbles), stir well the bottom (make sure no rice sticking there) then change to fast slow cook.

- After 2 hours, add some green onion, your soup is ready!

Stew pork belly with Breville - Asian style

The new semester starts. Using Breville's slow cook - Risotto Plus is a way to safe time while I have to go to class or read papers at home. This time, I try a more simple method, mix everything together, but the flavor is still awesome, feel like what mom cooks at home.
 Let's start!

1. Ingredients:
- Pork belly: 1,5 pounds (if you buy from wholefood, they can help you cut into small piece if you want)
- big green onion (better flavor than small onion, can find at Hmart or Mitsuwa)
- Slice ginger, hot chili, chopped garlic : 3 gloves
- Five spiced powder: 1 spoon
- Soy sauce: 1/2 cup
- condensed sweet soy sauce: 1/2 cup, if you don't have this sauce, use 3/4 cup of soy sauce (total), add 1/2 cup rice wine or few piece of rock sugar.
- Black pepper
- Water
- Cilantro and green onion for garnishing

This is the two soy sauce I use today

2. Method
- Put pork belly, soy sauce, pepper, spiced powder, ginger, and garlic in to the Breville cooking bowl, mix together, then leave it there for 15 mins
- Turn the heat on, use saute setting, cook until the meat's color changes (stir frequently)

- Add onion, wine (if you use), stir well for another 3 mins

- Add water till cover the meat, put the hot chili on the top, close lid, wait for 15 mins, then change to slow cook high setting.

- Garnish with some slice green onion (small one) and cilantro

Slow cooked pork - Asian style in Breville's Risotto Plus™

It's nice, convenient, and safe when using Risotto Plus from Breville. You just have to prepare the food and cook before the stewing about 30 mins, leave it there for hours, go to work or school, come back and have everything ready to eat. Highly suggest for students! It's really a Multi Chef!

Serve for 2
1. Ingredients:
- Stew pork (prefer pork belly): 8 pieces (1 pound)
- Radish: 1 pound, cut into meat size
- Green onion: 1 => cut into 1 inch size, 1: Chop
- Ginger: 1 small piece: slice
- Garlic: 3 gloves: chop
- Fresh chili: 2
- Pepper (up to you)

- Rice white: 1/2 cup
- Soy sauce: 1/4 cup (or less)
- Five spiced powder: 1/2 spoon
- Salt: if you eat salty, add some

- Water: 5 scoops (the one go with Breville)
- Optional: dried radish

2. Cooking method:
- Preheat the cooking bowl for 2 mins, use Saute setting
- Add 1 spoon oil, then add garlic, ginger, and onion, stir well

- After 1 min, add pork,stir each 30 second for 3 mins (make the whole cubic meat can be cooked)
- Add five spiced powder, stir well with meat for another 2 mins
- Add wine, soy sauce, radish, dried radish and red chili, wait for 2 mins

- Add water until it cover the meat, close lid, wait 15 mins.

- Then use slow cook high setting, leave it there for 3 hours
- Before serving, if you think the water is too much, use saute setting about 10 mins, the water will evaporate.
- Garnish with chopped onion