My old aunt and my cousins are coming over for lunch today.  My aunt is too old to cook now, so I am cooking them a traditional Cantonese meal.  I reckon no other meals could be more traditional than steamed pork. And I can hear my aunt whispering quietly – ‘ginger, shallot, soy sauce and wine’. These are her secret ingredients for every dish.

Ingredients

• 500g minced pork
• 4 Chinese mushrooms, soak in hot water until soften, remove stem, thinly sliced and diced
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp. white wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp soy sauce 
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce 
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 sprig of shallot, finely chopped
• a thin slice of ginger (approx. 2g), finely minced
• additional 1 tsp of corn flour, for making the sauce
• to garnish, sliced shallot, toasted sesame seeds

Method

• Mix all ingredients (other than 1 tsp of corn four for sauce and garnishes); leave in fridge overnight for flavor to develop (optional)
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl; steam in a steamer for 20-30 minutes or until cooked.
• Transfer the liquid into a saucepan, add corn flour, mix well, bring to a slow boil to thicken; remove from heat
• Transfer to cooked pork to a clean bowl; pour the sauce on top to serve
• Garnish with some sliced shallot & toasted sesame (optional)