Five-Spice Pork & Eryngii Takikomi Gohan (A Delicious Chinese-Japanese-SEA Fusion!)

From Pantry Staples to a Fusion Rice Cooker Feast!

Hey everyone! Today, I had one of those truly satisfying cooking adventures that started with a simple question and ended with a delightful, aromatic one-pot meal. What began as a quest to recreate a comforting family recipe for Chinese Five-Spice Pork and Rice in my rice cooker, quickly evolved into an exciting, multi-cultural fusion dish!

I was initially trying to recall my mother's savory pork belly and rice. I pivoted from using fuzzy gourd to Eryngii Mushrooms (King Oyster Mushrooms), which held their meaty texture perfectly. Then, my Japanese care package arrived, bringing Dashi Stock and Mirin for that unmistakable umami depth and glossy finish.

But the real magic came from my Southeast Asian pantry:

• I cut the Pork Belly into short, thick matchsticks, giving every piece a perfect savory chew.

• The cooking process was elevated by using Fragrant Frying Oil infused with garlic, shallots, and Fried Anchovies (Ikan Bilis). This simple step brought in a deep, pungent, craveable umami that took the flavor profile to "even crazier" levels! I even added some of those crispy fried anchovies right into the mix.

• For the finish, I used a wonderful mix of my own toasted white sesame seeds and the rich, dark Japanese roasted black sesame seeds, adding contrast and a complex nutty crunch. The brilliant green Snow Peas were added right into the rice cooker during the "Keep Warm" cycle, flash-steaming them to achieve that ideal "cromchy" texture!

The result? A truly unique and intensely flavored Five-Spice Pork & Eryngii Takikomi Gohan—a blend of Chinese robust spices, Japanese savory depth, and Southeast Asian fragrant oil techniques. It was rich, savory, deeply aromatic, and incredibly comforting. My little one gave it a beaming smile of approval, which is the best review any cook can ask for!

🍚 Recipe: Five-Spice Pork & Eryngii Takikomi Gohan

This recipe maximizes flavor using infused oil and a multi-cultural pantry.

📝 Ingredients

Component	Amount	Notes
Rice	2 cups	Long-grain or Jasmine rice (use the cup that came with your cooker)
Pork	200g - 250g	Pork Belly, cut into short, thick matchsticks
Mushrooms	2 large	Eryngii Mushrooms (King Oyster), cut into thick matchsticks
Aromatics & Oil	2-3 Tbsp	Fragrant Frying Oil (infused with shallot/garlic/anchovies)
	1-2 Tbsp	Minced Fried Anchovies (Ikan Bilis), reserved from frying
	2 Tbsp	Dried Shrimp, minced
Seasoning	1 tsp	Chinese Five-Spice Powder
	1 Tbsp	Light Soy Sauce
	1 Tbsp	Mirin (Sweet Japanese Rice Wine)
	1 Tbsp	Oyster Sauce
	1/2 tsp	Sugar
Liquid	~1.5 - 2 cups	Dashi Bonito Stock (or chicken stock/water)
Garnish	Handful	Fresh Snow Peas (or similar thin green vegetable)
	As desired	Toasted White and Roasted Black Sesame Seeds
	As desired	Bonito Flakes

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Prep and Sauté Flavor Base (Stovetop)

• Rice: Wash and drain the 2 cups of rice, placing it in the rice cooker pot.

• Aromatics: Heat the Fragrant Frying Oil in a wok/skillet over medium-high heat.

• Add the pork belly matchsticks and stir-fry until nicely browned.

• Add the minced dried shrimp and the reserved Fried Anchovies. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

• Toss in the eryngii mushroom matchsticks. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes.

• Stir in the Five-Spice powder, Light Soy Sauce, Mirin, Oyster Sauce, and Sugar. Mix until the pork and mushrooms are fully coated in the glossy sauce. Turn off the heat.

2. Combine & Cook (Rice Cooker)

• Pour the entire contents of the wok (pork, mushrooms, and sauce) over the raw rice in the cooker pot.

• Add the Dashi Bonito Stock. Crucially, add only enough stock so that the total liquid level (sauce + stock) reaches the normal "2 cups" water line on the side of your pot.

• Stir gently, and press the "Cook" button.

3. Finish & Serve

• Steam the Peas: Once the cooker switches to "Keep Warm," quickly open the lid, scatter the snow peas over the top of the rice, and close the lid immediately. Let it steam for 3 minutes. This ensures they are "cromchy" and vibrant green.

• Fluff: Open the lid, remove the snow peas, and thoroughly fluff and mix the rice, pork, and mushrooms.

• Garnish: Plate the rice, top with the crisp snow peas, and finish with a generous sprinkle of Toasted White and Roasted Black Sesame Seeds and Bonito Flakes.

Enjoy your incredible fusion creation!

Gourmet Layered Pasta Bake with Three-Way Zucchini and Smoky Crisp

 

😅 From Frozen Mince to Fabulous Feast: Engineering Our 8 PM Pasta Bake

(By The One Whom Now Respects the Cold Water Thaw)

It started with a simple, wildly optimistic question at 3 PM: Could I make a homemade lasagna for three people by 6:00 PM? My biggest hurdle? A solid block of frozen mince pork that was currently acting as a sad, prehistoric kitchen paperweight. Of course there are other cuts of babi in the freezer, but i opt to use mince for tonight and I thought of the other (actual) paperweight in the form of the box of lasagna sheets that has certainly seen many moons passed.

A lasagna should do the trick eh? 

My co-pilot, Gemini, gave me the necessary reality check—lasagna was off the table. That’s when the real culinary engineering began. The goal pivoted from a multi-hour bake to a hands-off masterpiece that could be accomplished while I fulfilled my duties as the Family Logistics Coolie.

The Great Grocery Dash (The "Condo Shop-Lot" Edition)

I needed a balanced, self-cooking meal, and the clock was ticking down to Isaac's 7:00 PM piano class. While the mince was already in its cold-water bath—the only thing standing between us and starvation—I had to make a dash to the small shoplot grocer right beside the condo. I couldn't risk the 1-km drive to Giant and leave sleeping Isaac alone for too long.

This limited inventory led to the first casualty: Beef Bacon.

The grocer offered me sorrow and dried herbs, but no chilled beef bacon.

So, I improvised. The plan pivoted to Ramly Beef Burger patties! I decided to crumble two patties until super crispy, reserving them as a "Smoky Crisp" topping—a genius substitution born purely from local necessity.

My other substitutions and enhancements:

• Ziti became Rotini/Macaroni: Easier to find and better at trapping sauce.

• Frozen Veggies became Fresh Zucchini: I committed to the "Three-Way Zucchini" layering system, because if you're going to substitute, you might as well make it fancy.

• The Found Dish: Finding a never-used, shallow glass dish (a "mystery freebie," I assume) was a sign from the great kitchen gods. Its shape was perfect for maximizing the cheesy, crispy crust—far better than a deep lasagna pan!

The Schedule Disaster & The Genius Solution

I successfully navigated the cooking—browning the mince (now thawed!), crisping the Ramly, layering the zucchini, and mixing the sauce—only for the schedule to collapse right before the oven stage.

I needed to send Isaac to piano class, sit at the music school for 30 minutes, and then drive us both to the MRT station nearby to pick up The Wife. There was nobody home to manage the oven.

Leaving a half-baked dish to sit, or cooking it low-and-slow for hours, was a recipe for food poisoning and dry disappointment.

The Final Schedule Pivot: The Ultimate Bake-Ahead

My final move was to turn the dish into a perfect make-ahead casserole:

1. Serve Isaac: A pre-baked portion of the fully cooked sauce and pasta was dished out to fuel him for his music lessons.

2. Full Bake & Chill: The rest of the pasta casserole was fully baked at 375°F before I walked out the door.

3. The Reheat: Upon our return around 8:15 PM, we simply reheat the covered dish. This guarantees a safe, perfect, piping-hot meal with a crispy, intact crust right when our late dinner starts.

This kitchen adventure, driven by a frozen block of meat and a demanding family timetable, proved that the best meals often come from constraint and humor.

---

🍽️ The Recipe: Gourmet Layered Pasta Bake with Three-Way Zucchini and Smoky Crisp

This recipe transforms a quick weeknight dinner into a magnificent, layered bake, utilizing creative techniques and substitutions (like using ground mince straight from the freezer and substituting smoky bacon with beef patties). The "three-way zucchini" layer adds both structure and fresh flavor.

| Prep Time: 25 minutes (if mince is thawed) | Cook Time: 30 minutes (initial bake) + 25 minutes (reheat) | Serves: 3-4 |

🛒 Ingredients

Category	Item	Notes
Meat	400g Mince Pork (thawed using cold water method)
	2 patties Ramly Beef Burger (substitute for smoky crisp)	Crumbled and crisped for flavor/topping
Carbs	3/4 box Short Pasta (Rotini, Macaroni, Penne, Ziti, etc.)	Use any shape you prefer!
Sauce	1 large jar Marinara Pasta Sauce (approx. 700g)
Veggies	1 medium Green Zucchini	Prepared 3 ways (diced, thick slices, shavings)
Dairy	1-2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Topping	1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
	1-2 Tbsp Dried Parsley & Mixed Herbs	Your resourceful herb blend!
	1 Tbsp Olive Oil + Onion Powder, Black Pepper	For seasoning and crisping the panko

👩‍🍳 Method (Bake Now, Reheat Later)

Part I: Stovetop Assembly

1. Pre-Bake Zucchini Base: Lay the thick zucchini slices in the bottom of your baking dish. Toss these with oil/spices. Bake them alone at 375F (190C) for 5-8 minutes to build structure.

2. Crisp the "Smoky Crisp": In a large pot (Pot 1), crumble and cook the 2 Ramly burger patties until fully crisped. Remove the crisp bits and set them aside. Leave the rendered fat.

3. Build the Sauce: Add the thawed mince pork to Pot 1 and brown. Drain excess fat. Add the diced zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the jarred sauce and bring to a simmer.

4. Cook Pasta: In a separate pot (Pot 2), boil and cook the pasta until it is $2$ minutes shy of being done. Drain well.

5. Combine: Turn off the heat on the sauce pot. Add the drained pasta and $1/2$ cup of shredded mozzarella. Mix everything to coat.

Part II: Layer, Bake, and Hold

1. First Layer: Pour the pasta and sauce mixture directly over the pre-baked zucchini base.

2. The Topping:

   • Sprinkle with the remaining shredded mozzarella.

   • Mix the panko and dried herbs/oil and sprinkle this mixture over the cheese.

   • Layer the thin zucchini shavings over the panko.

   • Scatter the reserved crispy burger crumbles over the top.

3. Initial Bake: Bake at 375F (190C) for 30 minutes (or until golden and bubbling).

4. Cooling & Store: Remove from the oven, let the dish cool on the counter uncovered until room temperature. Cover tightly with foil and place in the refrigerator until ready for reheating.

Part III: Reheat for Dinner

1. Preheat: Preheat oven to 350F (175C).

2. Reheat: Place the covered dish (foil on) in the oven for 25 minutes (to heat through from cold).

3. Crisp: Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to re-crisp the topping.

4. Rest: Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy your spectacular dinner!

Year 2020

 Time does fly.

Well, 1 post for this 2020 stamp then.

Had a mini-resolution on my MRT ride this morning to revisit this weblog, and I actually did manage to squeeze some time during lunch to flip thru this year's photo memories for content.

But, I'll leave it for tomorrow then, or Saturday, or Sunday. Hah!

Goodbye 2020, it certainly has been a helluva ride

----2021---

---2022---

---2023---

---2024---

Oh hi I'm back. 
Well I guess this photo should stand in this place for this little old update.

Isaac Tan Yi.
4 Years & 3 months old

Handsome fella?

A Day At The Polls

*DISCLAIMER*
I've never exercised my rights before. Judge me or not, (and all this while, I had the privilege to meet some pretty vocal friends, but I never did get around to do it in the past) but irregardless I suppose things happened for a reason, and by the grace of God, I too get to do it finally this year.

Yes, I was a bit worried, since being on my maiden voyage this morning (probably affected the sleep pattern early this morning too) and read back and again about how to go about it, and yeah I went there alone, but made 2 friends, (and of course went back alone lol) and I've been thinking if I don't log this in; I'd probably let this post as un-published.

With half an eye on the other window about the on-going live feed of the counting at the moment (if that's what its' called) I shall make this quick, would probably miss a few bits but let's put up some pictures from an avid first-timer eh?

Speedy delivery for a freebie :)

Thank you, GRAB

OOTN omgosh

8:38pm, swung by the small bar beside the usual cafe I'm in and saw Pakatan leading 22-19. oo. Can't say the election fever didn't catch up on me.

Back to earlier today, jitters aside (i mean, what if my vote cast would be deemed spoilt?) I reached the school of dubious name (I remembered it was called another chinesey name when I used to live around there, the infamous school that caused major jams for the residential area) and to my relief I got the right school and the queue was amazingly long. Bumped into a guy with 2 kids who asked if of the school similarly to me, and I kinda gave him the #fakenews of not wearing slippers. He went back to the car (after asking his 2 boyos to stay there, I kinda stood there to watch over them without a word spoken of) and to my horror and realization of giving out the wrong info when I saw a couple leaving the compound with inked forefingers, and with sandals *gulp!
He was surprised to see me standing with his kids still; but I told him 'bang, i think i told you #fakenews bro' and we went our way.
Obviously the noob, I had trouble connecting to network to check on which 'saluran' I was on. The kind officer checked it out for me and was directed to the other end of the school.
Reaching there, I saw the malay brother at the same queue as me, with his 2 boys at the corner playing on a smartphone. And so we struck conversations one after another, and it was amazing too, if its not for this, I'd probably had the brilliant idea to not queue and go to Riana Green for breakfast or fill in some work or something.
Nik (the guy with 2 kids) works for Perodua, same like me, used to live around the area, got to know about his wife's adventure yesterday travelling back to Kedah, his 2 kids, but the thread that got on pretty long was about his success in shedding some massive weight; he is about 65kg now, 5 years ago he was 130kg! and with this we talked about diet and exercises (oh well, as you know not-so-Constant Reader, I don't exercise per se) and somehow we got to know Din the guy behind me.
By the 2nd hour leading up to the queue , we'd have touched about a few things of life, and somehow we teamed up as a gang to send one out to get water (and subsequent sneak out for a smoke) and I myself went for a sekolah-kebangsaan-Toilet-walk-down-memory-lane (oh, the smell and the mozzies!!!)
Nearing the third hour mark, I've managed to help Din to set up his finger ID and Facial ID on his phone (for I spied he was still unlocking with patterns, so i kepo-ed) and I managed to tell them about my not-so-unusual situation of not actually from there; and how last year being cash-strapped in Taiping I found out my registration would put me in PJ, and by the grace of God the doors were opened for me to be back here this year to be able to vote here this morning. Hallelujah!

In all fairness, all 3 of us didn't exchange numbers or soc-meds or a selfie; it was an amazing experience to know this 2 strangers (and the teamwork) we'd probably not meet each other (and if having a number would generally be swept in the loads of contacts, I suppose all of us have too many one-off chance encounters, or maybe just me) and it certainly made each of our time waiting in the queue much pleasant.

Went back to the room and knocked-out, (most of the friends are back in Taiping anyway), there are distant friends nearby, but it's a day to reflect on, rather than reach out i suppose. Initially I planned to leave the polling station and make a trip to FGT for a prayer intercession , but as I was done with lunch at 2:30pm, (and of course, probably a RM50 for travelling) I headed to the house and had my quiet time before dozing off.
And lo, I got up and put on the new shirt from Grab (i didn't dare to wear it this morning , another #fakenews) and I am here having a cuppa after food, and probably will move to the shop next door with the live telecast on the telly.

A Timely Update

Gah, I have weblog still.

Somehow it does your head in whenever you want to get back to one and record another piece of journal; the mother of all dragons writing blocks just basically pops it's head out and snipe you off and you are just staring at the screen and probably typed (and re-typed) a bajillion times rambling away while you are trying to figure out which should you share this.time.around.

Hello everyone 
oh yes.
I am alive, still busy and happy and amazed by what God has done.
I've recently (okay 2 months already) relocated back to the city, took upon a J.O.B. on a temporary basis but with the amount of work needed, I've scaled down my travelling back home to twice a week effective last week.
God has been GREAT in His provisions, peace, purpose, power and protection, and I know I am on the threshold of something good/great and just basically following where He is opening doors for me.

I had a wee bit of time today after so many consecutive days of 10am - 11pm's, and I got around to clear some of my clutters on this laptop, and had a productive coffee sesh + work from the cafe nearby (which I've stopped for 2 weeks or so of intensive here and theres in addition to waking up later than expected) and managed to make progress on the remaining pending graphics side-gig I have (Thank You Lord) , and finally got a temporary work-around to uploading the few audio recordings of church that I half-abandoned the plan for .... 4-5 months?

But I suppose the highlight of my day is this. I managed to discipline myself and follow my heart to just register (and purchased the tickets) for the KingdomCity Conference18 that's happening this October. I suppose it is a leap of faith indeed, seeming my position/and availability (if I am still with the co, hopefully) isn't all that guaranteed; but I believe in Him and in our prayers.
I am also looking forward to more signs on how I am going to accommodate Joshua when he is coming down for the conference, of course I'd love to put him up at the exact hotel itself , in which I suppose I could afford it.. I mean, I saw on Agoda it is going for RM350/night; rather than the usual rate of RM600) but I am keeping it wide-open, and somehow I got the prompt to message his wife and let her know my half-plans on the accommodation bit; and so we shall wait and pray about it :D

yikes, mozzies.
well, I reckon I didn't do half bad today eh?

I'll hopefully update in a while once back to the room.

https://kingdomcity.com/conference18/

Keeping the Faith

It has certainly been a great year for me.
From a standpoint of anyone; I am still the same unemployed jock and alarmingly close to wondering how on earth I could hole myself up in Taiping for another year. I couldn't have done it by myself, as I have to give glory to His name with His love for me as how I managed to live by faith and paying forward the love given to others.
I am amazed by Him in what He has made it possible to me in times of need and the constant protection and provisions.

To the uninitiated; I am pretty busy doing His works day in day out. Yes, secularly it does seem why am I wasting my time not making money like any other person, or building my own dreams by being in the rat race; but I am well-aware in my doing His good works coupled with sporadically (and blessed) given chances to do my multiple pipelines (although, to be honest, most of it are non-duplicables; but hey, i am grateful for the things and money coming my way )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(update ~ late January)
As I am resuming this composition (since it has been stuck on my G.Keep for weeks) in a café nearby my rented room in Sect.14 PJ, I am on my first 6 days here (well, not counting the 2 separate consecutive work weeks being down here as Mr. MT Suitcase in hotels (and occasional motels) and it has been an adventure thus far.
Office is in KL city center, yet this week I've yet to touch the office but rather doing mobile offices in cafés wherever I wish (or afford anyway)
The Lord showed His way and guidance, evidently in how I get to the room as it is finely situated in between a good location between a LRT station (which is my main commute, coupled with GrabCar and OBike) and Lifeline Harvest Church (which has a night course that I felt-led to attend since last year) and additionally as I being the dumb-fool I am; found out there's another church that I would definitely want to visit; I am even nearer to this Kingdom City church.

I am looking forward for this (these few) season(s) working in KL and travelling back to Taiping indeed as I know have Him this time around and it will definitely be different, hallelujah!

Disappointment/Attainment

Talk about disappointments, came home last night after that 1-nil defeat to Chelsea and basically just sunk myself into the bed and tried hard not to touch the phone (and check twitter feeds and articles  about the match)

To be honest, I found myself thinking that I really am starting to doubt United could ever come back into any game once they got behind, finally after all these transitional years. It was hard to admit that I, the now-casual fan, the ever believing in our epic comeback belief and 'standard', that as of last night I was still meditating on the positive that they'd somehow turn that deficit and finish the game with 3 points but it just went on and on that I had the dread that, yes, it is true I shall admit I would be willing to boldly say "phew, what a relief, what a lucky save from defeat" rather than the old "I knew we can do it!"  

Read some articles before that Mourinho doesn't really have a good record of coming back from the (half)dead, and I suppose that is a major factor in me finally conceding that the fighting spirit isn't as it used to be, well, ditto the other 2 nincompoops before him; that's another level of frustrations (and heaps of it) then.

okay, enough football.

The previous week was a bit a of disappointment too, I was down for an extended full week of fever-cold-cough hybrid, busy as ever; but I had to postpone a couple of things to this week, thank God for the in-betweens that I was well enough for certain activities throughout the week that required certain health status, I mean, I know right. There by the grace of God, really a case of it.

But praise be to Him, I went through pretty well, and as I woke up today I feel like a million bucks and ideas aplenty for the week! Hallelujah

But since I am on here about disappointments, I was pretty messed up with them feels some time ago, I suppose 2 weeks back? Mayhap it culminated in me falling sick and didn't get in the right frame of mind to get out of it; hence being sickly for the duration, I mean, I thanked God for the time to rest and heal my hurt and really reflect upon things (or thangs, ala Rick Grimes) and even to try and practice what I preached (oh yes, I missed out on writing about my little sharing a couple of days ago! watch this space) 

I was a wee bit discouraged in the sense that my designs weren't getting anywhere somehow, it kinda happened sometimes I suppose; and since it happened pretty much back to back during that period it did affected me in such a way that perhaps I ain't that good in copying styles, and thanks to my ego of thinking designs are basically re-using other styles and incorporate it in a new canvas per se, it certainly didn't help when I kinda put much thought on it and I always thought this year itself my designs has been inspirations from my many meditations with Him and it has and felt time-and-time again that it really is something fresh and somewhat attractive and I've really progressed as compared then. But you'd be sure the Devil or the devil in you would inexplicably make things a bit of a self-searching somewhat; I suppose I'd take it as I've been having little victories here and there and somehow I'd fall, when I did it for my own glory, yes? I would say this wasn't the case, and I'd take criticism well I suppose; but being human, I'd fall nevertheless eh?

Short version: went through 2 bouts where I questioned whether I am on the right path; it gave me a good wake-up call indeed. I was having a round of building castles in the sky (can't brain what was the Arabian Nights equivalent at the mo') when I was so bent on calculating what are the 'riches' (hey, RM150/job is good money right now) would be once I nailed that one gig, but alas it was disappointing indeed when I didn't receive a single reply from the potential client. Furthermore, the self-doubt kicked into effect when I ostracized myself for sharing the testimonial of my alleged triumph in creating the 6 variant designs in a day with the inspiration from the Lord; and to add salt to the wound, I received a comment on how visually stunning it is to compare the graphics done by so-and-so church and getting ideas from so-and-so mega churches from KL; and yeah, it kinda kicked this ol' dog further down the rung when I've been following these fellas and accommodating a more traditional approach recently since most of us aren't used to it when the actual is upon us (I used to copy and simplify to minimalist styles for trendier distribution; but it kinda missed the plot as I'd have to add more 'details' to clutter my designs) and so I was quite discouraged.

But then again, as I think, thank, (speak) tongue, try, trust and triumph in the Lord, this is a good opportunity as I see the light of how I should pick myself up from my own self-wrought prison. With the advent failure of getting that gig; I have a good look at the designs I made (of course there is a tingling curiosity to check their new ads from now on) and kinda realized it is another sign that I should start to continue being serious about this MSI and build my own portfolio. I mean, I know a bit of website making at the moment (and learning more hopefully with the next church project) and all in all I could even start a site without committing to a domain , as yet. 

All hope isn't lost, eh? hallelujah

I thank You Lord, for this, amen!

Trainspotting much?