SAWCLicious: Kiam-Pong (Chinese Fried Rice cooked in Pork Stew)

When I went to New York, I had the chance to visit Chinatown. I was quickly mesmerized with the number of stores and selection of items they have. It's like you are in Hong Kong. With some quick shopping around Chinese stores, I was able to buy some dried scallops and dried oysters. Two of my favorite dried Chinese ingredients I like to eat.

As Chinese New Year was approaching, I decided to make use of the ingredients I bought and tried my first attempt of Kiam-Pong. According to Wikipedia, Kiam-Pong is a variant of fried rice considered as a Filipino-Chinese cuisine. I believe this dish originated in the Southern Region of China (maybe around Xiamen area).

I just used jasmine rice to cook my version although some would use a combination of white and stick rice. It's normally best accompanied with ma-kut soup or pork bone soup with radish. As I love broccoli, I had some veggies on the side instead.

I should say it's not that easy to cook this dish. There's a lot of preparation and measuring the water to add into the rice is also a tricky part. The latter seems to be always a gamble, the probability of success and failure is 50/50. Whether it is cooked with perfect rice or a little bit overcooked, it is still a really delicious dish. 

Kiam-Pong (Chinese Fried Rice cooked in Pork Stew)

Ingredients

• 3 cups of white rice
• 300 grams of cooked pork adobo (see below on how I cooked adobo)
• 1/4 kilo of cooked chicken adobo (bones taken out)
• 5-6 pcs. of dried scallops soaked in a bowl of water overnight
• 5-6 pcs. of dried oysters soaked in a bowl of water overnight and sliced
• 5-6 pcs. of dried mushrooms soaked in a bowl of water overnight and sliced
• 1/4 cup of cooked salted peanuts (preferably with the skin on)
• 3 cups of mustard leaves
• a knob of ginger, sliced
• 5-6 pcs.of shallots sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 3 tbsp. corn oil
• 4.5 cups of liquid (either from Adobo, Chicken/Pork Broth/water)
• Fish Sauce (as needed)
• Lemon slices (for garnishing)
• 2 Chinese sausage sliced diagonally (optional)
• Sliced spring onions/leeks (for garnishing)
• 1-2 tbsp. soy sauce

Procedure

1. In a pot, saute ginger, garlic, and shallots with corn oil. 
2. Remove scallops, oysters, and mushrooms from the water and add in the pot. You can save the soaked water from the mushrooms and scallops to add to the rice later on. I would prefer not to include the one from the oysters as it is a bit smelly.
3. Add the rice, sesame oil, and soy sauce and mix together for a minute. Then add in the cooked Adobo and mix liquid together. Mix together and cover the pot. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat.
4. When rice is almost cooked, add in the mustard leaves, chinese sausage, and fish sauce. Mix together and cover the pot again until it is cooked. 
5. You can season with salt and pepper. To server, add the fried rice and garnish with peanuts, some lemon slices, and spring onions.

To cook adobo, in a pot, place the meat and chicken, 1 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 cup of water, 6 tbsp. white vinegar, 3 pcs. star anise, 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 bay leaves, and 10 whole peppercorn. Let it simmer until cooked.