It has been ages I had not had kiam chye (salted preserved vegetables) minced pork. It’s one of my grandma favourite dishes. Back home in Malaysia, we always have this dish served with fried eggs and rice. It can be found easily in Malaysia market and can be bought fresh too. I managed to get this in the Asian grocery in prepack 2 days ago. Bought some pork minced to go with it. Felt like having vegetables curry too.

This is another vegetables curry from Malaysia Traditional Specialties packet I have in my pantry. I added candle nut, galangal, lemon grass, garlic and ginger powder. For a change and to have extra flavour.

This time my ingredients are fried tofu, hardboiled eggs, carrots, eggplant, green beans, cauliflower, and cabbage leaves. This Malaysia Traditional Specialties does not look red but creamy mustard colour. Though I have to say it’s not spicy enough for me. Could not find the chili paste. If I had the chili paste it would be spicy enough for my taste bud. I am glad to add in more ingredients on top of using the packet curry paste. This time no belachan (Dried shrimp paste) so my whole house is not smelly. I love hardboiled egg and it’s delicious, comforting to add to curry to go with rice. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients

Kiam chye (salted preserved vegetables) minced pork

500 g minced pork
1 packet kiam chye (salted preserved vegetables)
4 Tbs oil
3-4 Tbs Shoa Xing Chinese cooking wine
2 Tbs light soy sauce
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 Tbs corn flour
white pepper
a pinch of salt (OPT)
water

Vegetables curry tofu pok eggs

12 eggs
4 carrots, cut into bite sized
2 long eggplants, cut into bite sized
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
16 green beans, cut into bite sized
8 cabbage leaves, cut to bite sized
1 1/2 packet fried tofu, cut into half
1 packet about 200 g Malaysia Traditional Specialties
3 candlenuts, ground
3 slices galangal, ground
1 stalk of lemon grass, ground
1 canned coconut milk about 400 ml
1 small canned coconut cream about 165 ml
1 Tbs garlic minced
1/2 Tbs ginger powder
2 Tsp tamarind paste add some water about 3 teacups for juice
2 dessertspoons oil
salt
pepper
water

Method

Kiam chye (salted preserved vegetables) minced pork

One day in advance

Washed, rinsed and soaked the salted preserved vegetables in fresh water to get rid of the saltiness. Then rinsed a couple of time and drained really well. Chopped up to bite size and place it in a plate and in the fridge with cling wrap cover it.

The next day, bring out the salted preserved vegetables from fridge to room temperature. Then in the pan on medium heat add oil. Once oil is hot add garlic, fry until fragrant about 1 minute. Add pork, fry breaking up as you fry it. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce and pepper. Continue to toss around until it browned, and pork is cooked about 5 minutes.

Now add in the salted preserved vegetables, a bit of water and Shoa Xing, mixing well with the pork until the vegetables have wilted and softened about 10-12 minutes. Next mix cornflour with 4 Tbs water in a cup until no lump. Then pour into the pork and vegetables, gives a couple of stir and toss until you get a caramelised dish about 4 minutes. Check the seasoning. If needed salt add in. Spoon up onto a deep dish keep warm and set aside.

Vegetables curry tofu pok eggs

Fill a saucepan about a quarter of the way with cold water. Place the eggs in a single layer at the bottom of the saucepan. Add more water so that the eggs are covered by at least an inch or two of water. Grandma would add a Tsp of vinegar to the water saying it help keep egg whites from running out if an egg does crack while cooking. My mom and some friends find adding 1/2 Tsp of salt to the water helps prevent cracking as well as making the eggs easier to peel.

Depending on how cooked you like your hard boiled eggs, the eggs should be done perfectly in 10-12 minutes. I let the eggs sit, covered, for up to 15-18 minutes before spooning it up into cold tap water in a metal bowl large enough for 12 eggs and put in fridge, easiest to peel the eggs. Once peel set aside.

Pound a bit and blend candlenuts, galangal and lemon grass in a food processor. Then mix with 3-5 Tbs of water to make it a paste. Set aside.

Put oil in pot and when hot fry the ground ingredients well. Fry garlic and ginger till aromatic. Add the Malaysia Traditional Specialties curry paste Stir gently for 2-3 minutes. Now add carrots, cauliflower florets, and green beans, cooked for 4-5 minutes. Add enough water to cover vegetables partly.

Cover with a lid and cook on low heat until vegetables have softened slightly about 10 minutes. Then add 400 ml coconut milk, stir and add eggplants and cabbage leaves, cooked until it’s soft about 15-20 minutes.

Add 165 ml coconut cream, and tamarind juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well again and add peeled 6 hardboiled eggs, simmer for about 7-9 minutes to warm up eggs. Let’s sit for about 8 minutes for all the flavour to absorbed further before serving it with rice. Meantime warmed up kiam chye (salted preserved vegetables) minced pork. Then spoon some rice into a bowl, flip over onto the middle of the plate. Take one egg, cut it with egg cutter to slices and place on top of the rice at the edge of the bowl. Followed by vegetables curry next to sliced egg in a C shape on the left side of the edge of bowl next to rice, spoon a tablespoon curry gravy on top of rice. On the right side place kiam chye at the edge next to egg slices. Enjoy with a cold beer!!!!

Note: You can add any vegetables of your choice: okra, tomatoes, peas, 3 colours capsicums, baby corns or chickpeas. You don’t have to add candle nuts, galangal and lemon grass as the packet would have all the ingredients ready. I added to try and see if there’s any different and for more flavour. You can serve with roti, chapati or noodles. The other extra hardboiled eggs I keep in a container for other dishes in the fridge. They last for up to 7 days whether they are peeled or unpeeled from one of the recipes I had browsed saying: “peeled ones dry out faster, so keep them in an airtight container with a damp paper towel or submerged in clean water.”

https://helenscchin.com/2022/10/19/vegetables-curry-tofu-pok-eggs-and-kiam-chye-minced-pork

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