Sweet Potato Cho-Cho Bread

I have named this quick bread, using Jamaican Patois terminology. That is not to say it is something “Jamaican”. The Sweet Potato is used in Jamaica mainly in soups, but also to make Sweet Potato Pudding. The Cho-Cho or Chaoyte squash is used in soups, steamed as a vegetable, or pickled to make “Escoveitched Fish”, a very Jamaican way of preserving fried fish. This was very important in the days before refrigeration and probably came from the European method for pickling fish in order to preserve it. In any event, neither the sweet potato or Cho-Cho is used in Jamaica to make bread. I thought it would be interesting therefore to try using these two Caribbean staples to make something different. As inspiration, I drew on the sweet potato and zucchini bread made in the US. Both the Boniato and Cho-Cho are not exactly like the American Sweet Potato or Zucchini. They differ in starch and water content! My recipe therefore is unique, and based on experience gained by making other quick breads on this site.  This bread is very moist, dense, and with a thick crust. A slice will really "fill U Belly!"  It’s delicious with a thick spread of sweet cream butter, or jelly of your choice. As I said, it is very moist, and if you can wait a day before slicing, it gets even more moist and flavorful!

Ingredients

2 cups bread flour

1/3 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoon honey OR Maple Syrup OR Golden Syrup

1 tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup dried fruit of your choice (small, dark currants or raisins. Dried mango etc. I used dried mango because that’s what I had available)

¼ cup hot water

1 1/2 cups grated chayote (cho-cho)

1½ cups grated sweet potato (not the American variety but the Latin American and Caribbean type called “Boniato,” peel before grating)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Juice and zest from 1 Lemon or Lime

3 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.      Grease a 9" × 5" × 3" baking pan with butter. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and then flour the sides of the pan.

3.      Soak the dried fruit in the hot water and set aside

4.      Grate the chayote and the sweet potato using the fine holes on your grater. Mix together in a small bowl with the molasses, honey, lemon/lime juice and zest (the juice from the citrus will help stop the potato from discoloring). Add the soaked dried fruit to this mixture.

5.      Combine the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

6.      Beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla until pale in color.

7.      Stir in the grated chayote and sweet potato mixture.

8.      Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix all together quickly. It doesn’t matter if the batter is slightly lumpy, just don’t overmix it. This is the stage that starts the reaction between the acid in the lemon/lime juice and the baking soda that causes the bread mixture to bubble and make it light. You do not want to waste time mixing at this stage or the bread will be too hard.

9.      Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 50 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (this time may vary depending on the efficiency of your oven). Decrease the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit during the last 15-20 minutes if the bread appears to be browning too much. As it is baking, you may notice the batter bubbling a bit, almost like a pudding. When the bread is done, turn off the oven and leave the bread in for another 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack.

 

Slow Cooker Hakka Cantonese Pork Belly with Red Bean Curd

Last year I published a recipe for Hakka Cantonese style pork ribs done with red bean curd, and cooked in a slow cooker. This is along the same lines but the sauce is far more complex, and is real Hakka comfort food! It is not easy to make. The easiest part is dumping it all in the slow cooker but like with many Hakka dishes, this one requires a lot of preparation (as you will see from the ingredient list). The key is to have everything ready to stir fry, then put in the slow cooker. The end product is very worth it! Spread over a bowl of rice, there’s nothing better! There are many variations of this dish throughout China, and Southeast Asia but this is the version I like best! It embodies the flavors that I remember from my childhood spent at the dinner table in the home of my Hakka childhood friend where there was always a place set for me, whether I came or not.

Ingredients

2 lb pork belly strips. With or without skin is your choice

2 ozs wood ears fungus

2 ozs dried Shitake mushrooms

2 pieces of dried orange or tangerine peel

6 cloves garlic

1 large shallot

1” piece ginger root, peeled

1 small tin chicken broth

 Marinade (which will be discarded after use)

1/2 tablespoon dark soya sauce

1/2 tablespoon light soya sauce

2 teaspoons five spice powder

2 teaspoons sesame oil

4 tablespoons red fermented bean curd liquid (this is what gives the dish the specific “Hakka” flavor

1 egg

4 tablespoons cornstarch

 Sauce

4 large cubes of red bean curd

2 tablespoons red bean curd liquid

2 tablespoons dark soya sauce

2 tablespoons light soya sauce

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine

1 1/2 oz Chinese rock sugar (you can use brown sugar but I can’t guarantee the results)

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon five spice powder

2 teaspoons sesame oil

½ teaspoon white pepper

 Directions

1.       Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms and orange peel in a large bowl, and allow to soak and rehydrate. When soft, cut the mushrooms and wood ears into small pieces. Scrape the pith off the rehydrated orange peel, and mince finely. Put this minced peel in a small chopper along with the garlic, ginger and shallots. Chop all finely and set aside.

2.       Cut the pork belly strip into small cubes (I do 1 ½”x 1 ½”)

3.       Boil a pot of water large enough to hold the pork belly pieces, and blanch them for about 2-3 minutes in the boiling water. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces from the water. Discard the water.

4.       Season the meat with the marinade ingredients. Stir to ensure that all the pork pieces are coated with the marinade. Put this aside to marinate (the longer you allow to marinate, the more flavorful it will be. I marinated mine in the fridge for 1 hour)

5.       Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

6.       In small batches at a time, deep fry the pieces of marinated pork. Remove from the marinade and put in the hot oil. Fry till dark brown. Drain on a paper towel on a plate. Discard the unused marinade, and the oil.

7.       Heat 2 tablespoons fresh cooking oil in a wok and add the rock sugar. Stir fry in the oil until the “rocks” melt and caramelize. Add the minced shallot, garlic, ginger and orange peel and fry until the fragrance is released. Add the mushrooms and wood ears to this and stir fry for another minute or two. Mix in the drained, deep fried pork, and the sauce mix. Stir fry quickly then transfer all from the wok to a 3 quart slow cooker. Pour the chicken broth over this and cook on high for 2 hours, and low for another hour.

8.       Remove pork and mushrooms with a slotted spoon, and transfer the liquid to a small pot. Bring to a boil to reduce until the sauce is thickened. Pour over pork mixture. Serve with rice.