Monday, December 22, 2014

Simple Chinese Roast Pork Belly Recipe

Homemade Roast Pork Belly Chinese Style
Homemade Roast Pork Belly

Ingredients:

  • 600 grams pork belly
  • 2-3 tbsps. Five Spice Powder
  • rock salt (enough to cover the top part of the meat entirely)
  • 2 tbsps. rice wine
  • salt
  • pepper

Pork Belly with Five Spice Powder
Steps:
    Pork Belly with Rock Salt CoverRoast Pork Belly
  1. Rub rice wine on the meat part of the belly. Follow it with salt, pepper, and the Five Spice powder. 
  2. Careful not to have any of the powder on the skin part. 
  3. Let the meat sit in the refrigerator skin-side up for at least 4 hours uncovered. 
  4. Preheat oven to 200°C (set to "bake"; top and bottom function)
  5. Take meat out and poke a lot of tiny holes on the skin without getting through to the fat layer. Make sure you've gotten rid of the hairs on the skin. If you find it difficult to poke the skin while raw, you may wait until step 9 to do this.
  6. Wrap the meat snugly in aluminium foil (skin-side up) leaving the top uncovered. Try to make the foil tray-shaped to avoid the fat spilling out. Leave about half an inch allowance on the height of the foil to accommodate salt.
  7. Cover the skin entirely with rock salt. 
  8. Put in oven, and bake for 40-45 minutes.
  9. Take meat out of the oven and completely get rid of the rock salt.  If you haven't pricked the skin yet, this is the time to do it. 
  10. Set meat on a wire rack and place foil underneath to catch the drippings.
  11. Put it back into the oven, and "Broil" for 10-15 minutes or until the skin is crackling and crispy.




Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Hairdresser in Stuttgart

After almost three years of living in Deutschland, I've finally found a hairdresser who I'm comfortable with. I've been to one of those cheaper salons downtown which offer cuts for 15 euros, however, I've always left feeling unsatisfied. I know that for that price, one can't really expect a great haircut, and that the stylists will often rush to finish the job so that they can move on to the next customer. It still isn't an excuse for doing a piss-poor job. Since my hair is pretty thin and I sport a simple style (long unlayered hair), I've been pretty hesitant to go to the more expensive salons which charge at least 40 euros for a cut.

A couple of days ago, a classmate from my B2+ Deutsch class casually mentioned that she had a haircut appointment later that day. Seeing that her hair was actually cut nicely, and that I've been on the hunt for a hairdresser for a long time, I asked her where she usually goes.

The hairdresser is in Stuttgart-Ost and it is called Friseursalon Lederle. It is owned by a nice lady originally form Thailand who's been here for 22 years. I forgot to ask if she spoke any English aside from Thai and German, but I think it would be safe to bet that she does.

I liked that she asked me what I wanted done and then offered suggestions on how the cut could be better. Unlike the stylists from the salons I went to, she took her time cutting my hair and made sure that I was satisfied with her work. I paid 28 euros for the cut opting to blow-dry my hair myself to save 10 euros.

Friseursalon Lederle is definitely my go-to salon from now on.


Friseursalon Lederle contact information:
Ostendstraße 52 (U4 Line, right by the Ostendplatz Haltestelle)
70188 Stuttgart
0711 241420
mail(at)friseursalon-lederle(dot)de