Adapted from yummyhealthyeasy.com

• Prep time: 20 mins
• Cook time: 20 mins
• Total time: 40 mins

Adapted from Christine’s Recipe

• Prep time: 30 min
• Marinade time: 3 hrs – overnight
• Cook time: 45 min

Ingredients: Recipe for 3 servings.

• 2 1/2 lbs. pork belly
• 1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine, optional
• to taste, rock salt

Seasonings:

• 3½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder

Directions:

1. To prepare the seasonings: Combine salt with sugar and five-spice powder well. Set aside.
2. Use a knife to scrape away any impurities and hair. Rinse thoroughly. Blanch in boiling water for about 15 minutes, until 60 to 70% done, and the skin is softened. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towels.. Use needles to poke the rind as many holes as possible. Turn over to other side, cut a few slits on the meat to help absorb seasonings better.
3. Rub wine evenly on pork. Let rest for a while. Coat the meat with seasonings evenly. Make sure there‘s no seasonings on the rind, otherwise the five-spice powder will darken it.
4. Wrap the pork meat with foil and leave the rind unwrapped. Place in fridge, let air dry overnight in fridge.
5. Preheat oven to 200C/395F.
6. Remove pork from fridge and remove foil. Let rest at room temperature for a while. Poke the rind with needles evenly once again. Wipe dry. Season the rind with rock salt. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes (Remark: I used convection oven. If ordinary oven used, bake for 45 minutes.) Increase temperature to 220C/430F, bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until you get enough cracklings. (If ordinary oven used, move the pork from middle rack to upper. Grill the rind until evenly blistered and browned.)

Adapted from Food and Wine

• ACTIVE: 20 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN

Ingredients: Recipe for 4 servings.

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 medium chicken drumsticks (about 3 pounds)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 3 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
• 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon
• Crusty bread, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, toast the coriander seeds over moderately high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a mortar and let cool. Crush the seeds coarsely with a pestle.
2. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the chicken drumsticks with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, turning, until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and crushed coriander and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover and keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk the mustard with the crème fraîche and tarragon. Whisk the mixture into the skillet and simmer the sauce over moderate heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and turn to coat. Serve the chicken with crusty bread.

Adapted from Christine’s Recipes

• Prep time: 15 mins
• Cook time: 3 hours

Ingredients: Recipe for 3-4 servings.

• 1 3/4 lbs. (780 gm) pork ribs
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp grated ginger root
• 2 cloves minced garlic

Sauce:

• 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce (海鮮醬)
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 2 strips orange rind, each 2cm x 3cm
• 1½ Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1½ cup water

Directions:

1. Cut the pork ribs into pieces. Blanch in boiling water to remove blood and any impurities, for about 3 minutes. Drain well. Wipe dry with kitchen papers. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Cook the ribs over high-medium heat until lightly brown. Push ribs to the sides of the pan. Add some oil. Saute the ginger and garlic until aromatic. Stir to combine with the ribs well. Transfer into a deep pot or a slow cooker.
3. Pour sauce over the ribs. Place a piece of baking paper on top and cover with a pot lib. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 3 hours, or until the ribs are softened, sauce reduced to 1/5 and thickened. Along the way of cooking, occasionally stir the ribs to get them heated evenly. Serve hot with sauce.

Notes：

• To place a piece of baking paper on top of the ribs while cooking, it helps to keep the surface of ribs moist and glossy.
• The secret ingredient to make this tasty dish is Lee Kum Kee’s hoisin sauce and honey.
• Mirin is a Japanese condiment, available at supermarkets.
• To get the best results, use heavy based pot or a slow cooker if you have.
• As the power of every stove and the material of every cooking utensil is very different, the amount of water used will be different too. Top up with some boiling water along the way of cooking if needed.

Adapted from Christine’s Recipes

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. free range drumsticks
• 1/4 lemon

Marinade:

• 3 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp white rice wine
• 2 Tbsp honey
• white pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse drumsticks and wipe dry with paper towels. Use a needle to insert drumsticks on all surfaces and help absorb marinade.
2. Mix marinade with drumsticks well. Cover and place in fridge for 1 to 2 hours. The longer the drumsticks are marinated, the richer the flavor they would absorb. Marinade for overnight if permitted.
3. Preheat oven to 180C (356F).
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil on a fry pan. Add drumsticks and cook until all surfaces lightly brown. Transfer to a baking pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Then turn the other side and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Brush them with honey and bake for another 5 minutes until cooked through. Insert a needle in the thickest part. If clear liquid runs out, it’s done. Serve hot with lemon juice.

Notes:

• Try to use free range chicken drumsticks. The taste is far better than those caged ones. If you can use organic drumsticks, it’s the best choice. It might cost a bit more, yet it’s worth every dollar.
• Either place the drumsticks on the middle rack of oven, or in the broiler compartment. Keep an eye on them when baking because you don’t want your drumsticks get burnt before being cooked through.
• As the power of every oven varies considerably, you have to adjust the time of baking.