: : Pork Leg Stew ~ Nonya Style : :

A CNY treat for everyone. How to make Pork Leg Style, Nonya Style. Can’t find it in Kuching coffee shops, that’s for sure but it’s a great tasting dish. For the Muslims, I think you can substitute it with chicken. Granny is going to try it one day to see how it tastes like.

Morning.

Wena : Wait wait ah! Gotta rush to office ah! Forgot got meeting today! Can cook this afternoon ah?

Granny : Aiya you! So forgetful one! Ok lah! I wait till you balik (return home).

Afternoon.

Wena : Ok back. Wah! Everything ready already ah?

Granny : Ya! Half pork leg and I tumbuk (pound) the things already lah! I tumbuk the small onion, ketumbar (coriander powder used for making curries, but no tumeric/kunyit added into it) and cekuk.

Wena : Cekuk? What that ah?

Granny : Neh! Like some root herb lah! Need to put in.

Granny : First ah! Put oil into claypot and make sure hot hot first ah! Then put in tumis (paste) and fry until harum (fragrant). Must not burn one!

Granny : Then hor, put in pork leg.

Granny : Campur (mix) until cover with tumis (paste) ah. Cook until water come out ah.

Granny : Then ah, put in light soy sauce. Campur (mix). Add some pekat kicap (thick soy sauce) until get color you want lah! Add in 1 and 1/2 tablespoon sugar ah. Campur (mix).

Granny : Put in 2 tablespoon rice vinegar ah! Must put in one.

Granny : Cook on low fire until lembut (soft, the meat that is).

The meat after 1 hour of simmering. Still a bit hard but definitely cook. Another way to do this is to cook everything in a frying pan on a low fire and then put it all into a crock pot to let it cook for a long time. No black mushrooms were added because it would change the taste of the stew.

The claypot can be put into the stove with no problems but it does take a long time for the pot to heat up. Still, it retains the heat quite well and the sauce and herbs really soak into the pork after a long time. One of my favourite dishes although she doesn’t make it that often.

What is cekuk? According to Granny, it’s a root used as a herb in Malay cooking although not easy to find in Sarawak. Anyone knows the English word for it? Tried to google for it but nothing pops up.

Anyway, a CNY treat for everyone.

Granny : I tell you, ha, long time ago, one CNY, your Kuku (Uncle) bring his friend to the house. He makan (eat) my pork leg and want to know recipe to do business ah! I dun wan to give him know.

Haha! Ah well. She’s not getting any younger and I don’t think he reads blogs. At least, I hope not. But, she enjoys cooking a lot and now doesn’t mind letting other people know how to cook it.

So, let me know how it turns out ya!