Thai Pork and Lemongrass Stir Fry

Thai cuisine is just bursting with flavour that is dying to be savoured; when paired with our organic pork mince, it just gets even better!

Ingredients:

For the curry paste…..

• 7 shallots (peeled and sliced)
• 6 lemongrass stalks (peeled and sliced)
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 2–3 galangal pieces (peeled and sliced)
• 1 small, dried, very hot chilli (soaked and finely chopped)
• 4 fresh turmeric pieces (peeled and sliced)
• 1 bird’s-eye chilli (finely chopped)
• 7 shallots (peeled and sliced)
• 8 garlic cloves (peeled)
• 1 kaffir lime (zest only)
• pinch sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black peppercorns

For the stir fry…….

• 135g organic pork mince from Helen Browning’s
• ½ tsp Thai fragrant oil
• 2–3 Prik Kee Noo Suan chillies or other Thai red chillies
• 3–4 small green peppercorns
• small pinch golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• small splash of chicken stock
• 1½ tbsp finely sliced lemongrass
• 1 heaped tbsp julienned kaffir lime leaves
• 1 fennel (core removed and sliced)
• ¼ cucumber (chopped)
• ¼ Chinese cabbage (finely chopped)
• 2 white turmeric pieces or snake beans (sliced)
• 8 lime leaves
• 1 Thai basil sprig
• 1 Asian pennywort sprig

Method:

1. For the curry paste, pound everything together in a pestle and mortar to a smooth paste.
2. For the stir fry, place a wok over a low heat and add 1½ tablespoons of the curry paste. Add the mince and mix the pork and paste together. Pour in the oil and mix well, continuing to fry and break up the meat. Stir-fry until the pork is cooked through.
3. Add the chillies and green peppercorns and continue to cook for another minute, mashing everything together so the chillies and peppercorns bruise then add the sugar, fish sauce and stock to create a light sauce. Add the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves and cook for 15 more seconds.
4. Place the fennel, cucumber, cabbage, and white turmeric into iced water for a few minutes. Serve the stir fry garnished with the iced vegetables, lime leaves, Thai basil, and Asian pennywort.

Chinese Pork Potsticker Dumplings

Make your own taste of Chinese cuisine to spice up a cold Winter’s night; these traditional Chinese dumplings may be hearty, but they are packed with flavour too.

Ingredients

For the dough……

• 140g/5oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 125ml/4fl oz very hot water

For the stuffing…..

• 110g organic pork mince from Helen Browning’s
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• ½ tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry if none is available)
• 75g/3oz Chinese cabbage or spinach, finely chopped
• ½ tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• ½ tsp light soy sauce
• ¼tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp finely chopped spring onions
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cold chicken stock or water

To cook……

• about 1 tbsp groundnut oil
• 75ml/3fl oz water

For the dipping sauce

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp white rice vinegar
• 2 tsp chilli oil

For the dipping sauce

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp white rice vinegar
• 2 tsp chilli oil

Method

For the dough……

1. For the dough, place the flour into a large bowl and stir the hot water gradually into it, mixing all the time with a fork or chopsticks, until the water is incorporated. Add more water if the mixture seems dry.
2. Tip the dough mixture onto a clean work surface and knead it with your hands, dusting the dough with a little flour if it is sticky. Continue kneading until it is smooth – this should take about eight minutes.
3. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a clean damp towel and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
4. For the stuffing, while the dough is resting, combine the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together thoroughly. Set aside.

For the stuffing…..

1. For the stuffing, while the dough is resting, combine the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together thoroughly. Set aside.
2. After the resting period, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it again for about five minutes, dusting with a little flour if it is sticky.
3. Once the dough is smooth, shape it into a roll about 23cm/9in long and about 2.5cm/1in in diameter, using your hands.
4. With a sharp knife, slice the roll into 16 equal-sized pieces (each piece is about 15g/½ oz). Using your hands, roll each of the dough pieces into a small ball and then, with a rolling pin, roll each ball into a small, round, flat, ‘pancake’ about 9cm/3½in in diameter.
5. Arrange the round skins on a lightly floured tray and cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out until you are ready to use them.
6. Place about two teaspoons of filling in the centre of each ‘pancake’ and moisten the edges with water. Fold the dough in half and pinch together with your fingers.
7. Pleat around the edge, pinching with your fingers to seal well. The dumpling should look like a small Cornish pasty with a flat base and rounded top.
8. Transfer each finished dumpling to the floured tray and keep it covered until you have stuffed all the dumplings in this way.

To cook……

1. To cook, heat a large, lidded frying pan (preferably a non-stick pan) until it is very hot. Add the groundnut oil and place the dumplings flat side down into the pan.
2. Reduce the heat and cook for about two minutes until they the dumplings are lightly browned. Add the water, cover the pan tightly and simmer gently for about 12 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Check the water half-way through and add more if necessary. Uncover the pan and continue to cook for a further two minutes.
3. For the dipping sauce, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
4. To serve, remove the dumplings from the pan with a large, slotted spoon and serve with the dipping sauce.

Singapore Pork and Prawn Noodles

Another quick but amazingly tasty dish that makes it easy to cook up a feast in a flash. A perfectly spicy dish with our pork mince that is sure to impress your guests this festive season. This recipe has been borrowed and adapted from Delicious magazine

Ingredients

• 2 tsp light olive oil
• 300g organic pork mince from Helen Browning’s
• ¾ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2½ tsp curry powder
• 180g sustainable raw king prawns (peeled)
• 250g carrots (thinly sliced)
• 1-2 red chillies, deseeded (optional – leave in if you like spicy food) and roughly chopped
• 300g ready-cooked or straight-to-wok egg noodles
• 250g Pak choi (roughly chopped)
• 4 spring onions (thinly sliced)
• 1½ tbsp light soy sauce

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan or wok over a high heat. Fry the mince for 2 minutes, stirring, to brown.
2. Turn the heat down to medium-high, add the spices and stir-fry for 3 minutes, then add the prawns, carrots, and chillies. Cook for 3 more minutes, then add the noodles, Pak choi and 2 tbsp water.
3. Stir-fry, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any crispy bits, for another 1-2 minutes until the prawns and mince are cooked through, the vegetables are just tender, and the noodles are heated through. Serve straightaway sprinkled with the spring onions and soy sauce

Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls

This Vietnamese caramelised pork recipe is super quick and easy, so it is perfect for preparing in a hurry if you have a lot of guests over the Christmas period.

Ingredients

• 400g organic pork mince from Helen Browning’s
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh ginger
• 1 fresh chilli (chopped)
• 200g of brown sugar
• 100ml of fish sauce
• Cooking oil for frying
• Rice, spring onions, and side salad to serve

Method:

1. Add the chopped garlic, ginger, chillies, and onions to a frying pan (make sure the oil is hot!) and cook until the onions are sheer.
2. Next, add the pork mince to the pan and continue to fry until the pork mince is brown.
3. Add the brown sugar and fish sauce to the pan and continue to stir (to avoid sticking to the pan!) until the pork mince has caramelised in the sugar mixture.
4. Serve the pork over a bed of basmati rice and top with spring onions, and pair with a salad for extra veg.