Dick LEE - Cook Delicious Dishes with Heart
Dick LEE - Cook Delicious Dishes with Heart

My friends love my cookery. They ask me whether Seasonings like granulated bouillon and chicken powder are used. I reply that I prefer healthier dishes with less salt and those Seasonings are not used.

What is the key for cooking delicious dishes, then? I often use natural Ingredients or herbs and spices for flavoring. For Chinese cuisines, I use ginger, spring onion, garlic, Chinese coriander, scallion, pepper, shallot, chili and star anise. On the other hand, onion, black pepper, herbs (lemongrass, basil, thyme and parsley) and spices (chili powder, turmeric and paprika) are suitable for Western and Southeast Asian cuisines. A little wine can be added in some dishes to make them more special.

One more tip for you: do not add too much salt. Excessive intake of salt not only has adverse effect on heart health, but also makes the dish too salty. We can use natural Ingredients (e.g. garlic, spring onion and wine) for Seasonings.

When dining out, you may enjoy "3 Less" Dishes (dishes with less oil, salt and sugar) in an EatSmart Restaurant. The list of EatSmart Restaurants can be found at the healthy eating thematic website of the Department of Health (www.eatsmart.gov.hk).

Lastly, I would like to introduce a recipe for onion pork chop. In this dish, the tasty sauce is prepared by braising a large amount of onion for a long period of time. The dish is easy to make, let's try it!

Braised Pork Chop in Onion Sauce (Serve 2)

Ingredients:
Pork chop, thick cut (about 3/4 inch) 2 pieces
Onion 2 pieces
Dark soya sauce 2 tablespoons
Light soya sauce 1 teaspoon
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Water 2 cups

Cooking Method:
1. Trim the pork chops with a knife. Then use the back of a cleaver to pound the pork chops, loosening up the muscles.
2. Cut the onions into quarters. Put the onions and pork chops in a saucepan.
3. Add water to cover the pork chops and onions. Then add dark soya sauce, light soya sauce and sugar.
4. Cover with a lid and bring to boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes until the pork chops are tender.
5. Transfer the pork chops to a plate. Increase heat to thicken the sauce. Pour the sauce over the pork chops and serve.