3 types of bak kwa that you can make for festive snacking

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SINGAPORE - Instead of queueing to buy bak kwa, why not try making your own? They make a heartfelt and tasty gift for loved ones even if celebrations are muted this year.

Get a beefy start to the Year of the Ox with your own homemade Mala Beef Bak Kwa. These slices with a spicy numbing kick are the best accompaniment for TV binge-watching if you are planning to hole up at home this festive season.

Instead of buying ready-minced beef, I recommend asking the butcher for flank and getting it minced. One kilogram of minced flank costs about $20 at the wet market.

You can also use 800g of minced flank and 200g of minced brisket, which is fattier and yields a more tender result.

I usually avoid using artificial colouring in home cooking, but the greyish hue of cooked beef needs a pop of colour. Look for orange-red (No. 284) food colouring at dry provision shops at the wet market.

Keep the beef bak kwa in an airtight container and refrigerated. Toast to reheat before tucking in.

 

Mala Beef Bak Kwa

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg minced beef flank (do not rinse the meat)
• 220g fine sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp light soya sauce
• 1 Tbs oyster sauce
• ½ tsp five spice powder
• 1½ Tbs Chinese rice wine
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ginger powder
• ¼ tsp star anise powder
• ¼ tsp fennel powder
• 3 tsp Sichuan chilli powder
• 3 tsp Sichuan pepper powder
• Pinch of orange-red No. 284 food colouring
• Equipment: Baking paper, cling wrap, a rolling pin and a baking tray measuring 37cm by 26cm by 1.5cm deep.
   

METHOD

1. Place the minced meat in a bowl. Add sugar, salt, light soya sauce, oyster sauce, five spice powder and Chinese rice wine. Mix well.

2. Add the ground cumin, ginger powder, star anise powder, fennel powder, Sichuan chilli powder and Sichuan pepper powder.

3. Add the orange-red food colouring sparingly and mix well till you get your desired shade.

4. Leave the beef in the fridge to marinate overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 160 deg C.

6. Cut the baking paper to match the size of your baking tray, but with an additional 6cm border. This is to prevent the bak kwa from sticking to the sides of the baking tray. Line the baking tray with the paper.

7. Place 280g of the minced beef on the tray. Cover the minced meat with enough cling wrap to reach the edges of the paper. The cling wrap will prevent bits of meat from sticking to the rolling pin and keep things tidy.

8. Flatten the beef mixture evenly with your rolling pin. Aim for a thickness of 0.3cm.

9. Remove the cling wrap.

10. Put tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 26 minutes.

11. Turn the bak kwa pieces over and bake for two minutes. The timing may vary with your home oven and the thickness of the bak kwa.

12. Do not be alarmed if there is excess moisture in the baking tray. You can remove the excess moisture and grill the bak kwa for a few minutes to get the edges crispy if preferred.

13. Remove bak kwa from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

14. Repeat the baking process for the remaining minced beef mixture.

Makes 660g of beef bak kwa

 

Traditional barbecued pork

When it comes to festive snacking, Chinese New Year does not seem complete without bak kwa.

According to Singapore Infopedia, bak kwa is believed to be a Hokkien delicacy made using meat preservation methods which date back to ancient China.

Back then, meat was a luxury food reserved for Chinese New Year. Leftover meat was thinly sliced, marinated in sugar and spices, wind-dried and cooked over a hot plate.

Immigrants introduced this meat-preservation method to Singapore and Malaysia, adding a local touch by grilling the meat over charcoal.

But you can also keep tradition alive in the modern home kitchen using a regular oven.

The thickness of the bak kwa is based on personal preference. I find 280g of meat a tray gives a thickness of about 0.3cm, which makes for meaty slices.

I slice the bak kwa into smaller pieces as this allows the edges of each piece to get crispy. Each tray of bak kwa - measuring 37cm by 26cm by 1.5cm - can be sliced into about 15 pieces of 7cm by 8cm each.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg minced pork collar
• 220g fine sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp light soya sauce
• 1 Tbs oyster sauce
• ½ tsp five spice powder
• 1½ Tbs Chinese rice wine
• Pinch of red food colouring powder
• Equipment: Baking paper, cling wrap, a rolling pin and a baking tray measuring 37cm by 26cm by 1.5cm deep.
   

METHOD

1. Place the minced meat in a bowl. Add sugar, salt, light soya sauce, oyster sauce, five spice powder and Chinese rice wine. Mix well.

2. Add the red food colouring sparingly and mix well till you get your desired shade.

3. Leave the pork in the fridge to marinate, preferably overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 160 deg C.

5. Cut the baking paper to match the size of your baking tray, but with an additional 6cm border. This is to prevent the bak kwa from sticking to the sides of the baking tray. Line the baking tray with the paper.

6. Place 280g minced pork on the tray. Cover the minced pork with enough cling wrap to reach the edges of the paper. The cling wrap will prevent bits of meat from sticking to the rolling pin as you roll it and keep things tidy.

7. Flatten the pork mixture evenly with your rolling pin. Aim for a thickness of about 0.3cm.

8. Remove the cling wrap.

9. Put tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 18 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and cut the bak kwa into slices according to your preferred size.

11. Put bak kwa back into the oven and bake for another 18 minutes at 180 deg C.

12. Turn the bak kwa pieces over and bake for two minutes. The timing may vary with your home oven and the thickness of the bak kwa. It is cooked when the edges are crispy.

13. The bak kwa may appear to have an orange hue, but will take on a darker red as it cools down.

14. Remove from oven and allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

15. Repeat the baking process for the remaining minced pork mixture.

Makes 700g of bak kwa

 

Chilli Chicken Bak Kwa

For variety, make chicken bak kwa.

Use boneless chicken legs, which are the chicken quarters comprising the drumsticks and thighs.

Keep the skin to add to the mince for moisture and better texture. If you buy whole chicken legs, save the bones to make chicken stock.

I add chilli for a little heat to tickle the palate, but the effect is mild, so the bak kwa remains children-friendly. For a spicier kick, use more chilli or use chilli padi.

If you cannot finish eating the sliced barbecued meat, wrap the remainder in baking paper and store in zip bags or containers in the freezer. Defrost and reheat the slices in the oven toaster before eating.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 14 (1.3kg) deboned chicken legs (with skin)
• 240g fine sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbs light soya sauce
• 2 Tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 3 drops of Chinese rose wine
• 2 Tbs Chinese rice wine
• 3 red finger chillies (deseeded, finely chopped)
• A pinch of red food colouring
• Equipment: Food processor, baking paper, plastic wrap, rolling pin and a baking tray measuring 37cm by 26cm by 1.5cm
   

METHOD

1. Rinse the chicken legs, drain off excess water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in the fridge for two hours or until the surface of the meat is dry. This helps to prevent excessive moisture when you mince and marinate the meat.

2. Remove the meat from the fridge and place half in food processor. Pulse to mince the meat finely. Remove and mince the remaining meat. Doing this in two batches ensures an even mince.

3. Place all of the minced meat in a deep dish.

4. Add sugar, salt, light soya sauce, oyster sauce, five spice powder, Chinese rose wine and Chinese rice wine. Mix well.

5. Add the chopped red finger chillies. Add a pinch of red food colouring. Mix well. Leave the chicken meat to marinate overnight in the fridge.

6. Cut four sheets of baking paper, each to fit the dimensions of the 37cm by 26cm tray.

7. Preheat the oven to 160 deg C.

8. Line the tray with a sheet of baking paper.

9. Place 325g of meat on the baking paper. Cover the meat as well as the entire sheet of baking paper with plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to flatten and spread the meat over the bottom of the tray. Aim for a thickness of about 0.5cm.

10. Remove the plastic wrap.

11. Place the tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 13 minutes.

12. Remove from the oven. Use a pair of scissors to cut the meat into six pieces.

13. Place the meat and tray back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

14. Remove from the oven, turn the slices over and bake for another two minutes.

15. Remove from oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.

16. Repeat the baking process for the remaining chicken meat.

Makes 800g of chicken bak kwa

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

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