The original recipe for this came from my friend Pete Skalley, a wonderful chef and a hilariously funny man, who died last year. He, in turn, had acquired it from his Chinese father-in-law who ran a takeaway. This is my tweak of it:
14 floz beef gravy simmered with 1 dstsp crushed garlic, 1 tsp of ginger puree, 1 tsp Chinese 5-Spice, 1 dstsp Soy sauce, 1 scant tsp chicken bouillon powder, 6 tsp sugar and half a cap of red food colouring (optional). Add 1 tsp of sesame oil towards the end of cooking.
Pork
I marinated my spare-rib chop overnight in garlic and soy and a pinch of chilli because this batch of meat tasted a bit, well, "porky"! Seal it in a hot wok, add the sauce and transfer to casserole dish. Bake on medium for about 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the chop.
Singapore Chow Mein
Apparently, just as the Indian sub-continent knew nothing about Chicken Tikka Massala, this is an invention for the UK taste - spicy noodles, in other words!
Pre-cook a couple of handfuls of noodles. I blanched some carrots and green beans, softened a good handful each of onions and peppers in a little vegetable oil and then added broccoli, baby corn, the pre-cooked veg and a little crushed garlic. When everything was well coated I added a little soy sauce and a pinch of chilli. In went the noodles with a drizzle of sesame oil, and to finish, a dstsp of Hoi Sin sauce and a little water to thin it down.
Toss well and serve with the meat on top.
