For over a year now, our family who believe in science and the Co-Vid Virus have been practicing mitigation; masks, social distancing, avoiding crowded areas, visiting no one and accepting no invitations to visit.  Our son works from home and my husband who has been retired for 6 years has managed to find a job teleworking out of the U.S. to Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and The Gambia.  I have been reading, doing housework, cooking in a vague way and feeding the animals; ours and the feral cats trying to survive the cold.  My enthusiasm for anything, including blogging, waned.

My son Brian, again, saved my sanity.  When I retired from work years ago and was feeling useless, he recommended I start this food blog.  That worked.  Now we cook together on the weekends on Facetime.  It is so much fun 🙂  He decides what he’d like to make, I recommend methods and ingredients, he shops and then we meet on Facetime at the appointed hour, he cooks, I offer guidance and recommendations while we reminisce and laugh.

This time we made oven S hooked pork char sui.  Because it’s a little fiddly, I cooked the same meal ahead, then helped him to cook his.

I love the “char”  and reddish color of this juicy, succulent grilled pork.  Great with Asian noodles, rice, on sandwiches or just hanging out over the cutting board tasting; which we did 😀

We have to get him to take photos of his completed dishes and then I can make short videos of him cooking using Facetime.  I tried a video but it turned out blurry with no audio.

Brian had a simple, yet tasty, rice recipe he wanted to share.  A lot of garlic and butter, shallots or onion, parsley, rice and chicken broth.  Very nice!  Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture of the finished dish but the recipe is below.

Brian had brussel sprouts to steam and I had bok choy.

I also had some homemade garlic sesame dressing for the bok choy.  I usually double this recipe so that I have some  in reserve for a future delight 🙂  I put some on the pork also.

Oven Char Sui

2 1/2 -3 lb pork tenderloin

1 8 ounce jar Lee Kum Kee char sui sauce

6 S-hooks (about 3 inches per hook)

1 aluminum wrapped cookie sheet

Long handle cooking fork

1 basting brush ( a non plastic new paint brush works well)

Cut the tenderloin into approximately 4 inch pieces.  Place the pork into a large ziplock bag along with the char sui sauce.  Close the bag and squish the pieces around with the sauce until the pork is well covered.  Refrigerate for 1 -2 days, turning and squishing whenever you think about it.

Place one oven rack at the very top and one at the very bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Remove the pork from the bag and S hook each piece.  Pour the sauce into a bowl with the brush.

Place the cookie sheet in the middle of the bottom rack.   Carefully hook the pork pieces on the top rack, not touching, and over the cookie sheet for drips.

Roast the pork for 15 minutes, then unhook with the long handle fork, allowing each piece to fall on the cookie sheet.  Remove the cookie sheet and baste the pieces all over with the sauce.  Rehook the pork to the top rack (most times the hooks are cool enough to handle.  If not, use an oven mitt).  Replace the cookie sheet.  Repeat these instructions 2 more times for a total of 45 minutes cooking time.

Brian’s Rice

4 tbsp butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, chopped

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Melt the butter in a sauce pan.  Add the garlic and shallots, sauteing until the shallots are soft.  Stir in the rice, chicken broth, dried parsley, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then cover and very low simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from flame, stir in the fresh parsley, cover and set aside for 10-15 minutes until cooked.

Garlic Sesame Dressing

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch grated ginger

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp chili oil

Place all ingredients in Mason jar and shake until well combined.  Refrigerate until needed.