Almost the end of february and bacon bak kwa.. finally ^^

I've said it many times, I'm a non-traditionalist, ok, I'm a laggard.

CNY is so over ^^||, but it's only now I found the time (it's been an extremely busy cny this year going without aunt's maid, as well as an uncle's passing all in one week) and groove to make the promised bak kwa.. not just any bak kwa, mind you.. bacon bak kwa. ^^

Anyway, I'm really behind in the bak kwa world, having sworn off buying bak kwa for many years now. This year I finally stepped into one, because of a good friend who loves this certain brand of bak kwa, and I knew he would appreciate my getting it for him. And lo and behold.. bacon bak kwa.. am I slow or what?! haha ^^

Bacon bak kwa @ jerky (adapted from melspantrykitchen and nasilemaklover)
~ serves 5, and 1 small eater, maybe ^^
600g bacon slices, cut into half
100g sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp chinese rice wine
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark caramel sauce
a dash of pepper
2 tbsp honey
no salt please! bacon is salty enough!

1. Mix all ingredients except bacon slices in a bowl. Then add bacon slices and coat well with marinade. Leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

2. Place the bacon slices onto a baking tray (no need to grease or line with grease paper).

3. Bake in a pre-heated oven of 160C for 15-20 minutes. Remove and wipe off grease on baking tray if you wish.

4. Increase oven temperature to 200C, turn to grill function. Place bacon slices back in the oven and grill for about 7 minutes, then flip over and grill for 4 minutes. Do watch out so that meat doesn't over burn.

Whoa, them jerkies sure look awful! But, ooooohhhhhh... they are sooooooo-yums!!! Then again, how can bacon taste anything but yums! ^^

Anyway, as good as these jerkies are, I'm unlikely to make them again. Bacon is as bacon good, it doesn't need anything to make it better ^^! Now, the traditional bak kwa.. they are so worth making from scratch! ^^

I made yummy bak kwa! ^^

Fatty hubby and piggies love bak kwa @ long yoke @ pork jerky. Me, I can pretty much go without it and not miss it at all ^^

But we don't eat much of it these days due to the nitrate scare, and the other additives/preservatives that (might) come with it.

This CNY, fatty hubby and I shared the tiniest piece of bak kwa ever! So fatty still craves for a bite or two, or more! Hence when I told him about the homemade bak kwa I read in mel's blog (thanks, mel ^^), he's been bugging me with.. "when are you going to make bak kwa???"

Bak kwa (recipe inspired by mel@melspantrykitchen, adapted from nasilemaklover)

450g minced pork (I used 100% minced pork belly ~ a mistake! best to use a mixture of lean and fat)
100g sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp chinese rice wine
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark caramel sauce
a dash of pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a chopstick. Blend and stir in one direction till the meat comes together or becomes "gluey". Store in the fridge for a few hours (Oops! I missed this part and used immediately! ^^|| no harm, I think :p)

2. Spread the marinated minced pork thinly onto a 13x13 inch baking tray (no need to grease), using fingers to spread.

3. Bake in a pre-heated oven of 160C for 15-20 minutes.

4. Remove baking tray from oven and turn oven to 240C.

5. When meat is cool, cut into desired size and shape using scissors, knife or pizza cutter.. ~ makes 9 pieces.

6. Place meat back into oven and grill (using top heat only) at 240C (I recommend using 230C) for 10 minutes, or when it's golden brown. Then flip meat over and grill for 7 minutes, or till golden brown. Be very careful while grilling, as meat tends to burn very fast at 240C! 

I cannot believe I made bak kwa! So easy! And the best part, EVERYONE loves it! Especially the thick bak kwa over the thin ones ^^! Yes, greedy me made 2 portions! ^^

And now, I'll just leave you with the thought of baby pig licking his bak kwa ^^ It's that good!!!