Baked Beans and Pork in Tomato Sauce
茄汁焗豆五花肉
My family like baked beans but canned baked beans may be too sweet too salty, thus I would prepare it myself. Baked beans is not actually ‘baked’ but ‘stewed’ in tomato sauce. Most white beans would do, such as soy bean, navy bean, or black eyed bean, sometimes even kidney bean. Adding a large piece of pork or beef would boost more umami of the dish. The acid from the tomato help to tenderize the meat more quickly.
Lycopene
Tomato contains lycopene, an antioxidant beneficial to heart health and some cancers. Research suggest that intestinal absorption of lycopene is enhanced by the presence of fat and by cooking. To stir-fry tomato in generous hot oil can help to release more lycopene from tomato.
This dish can be served with steamed rice, noodles, pasta or even on toast.
Check more recipes with tomato stew –
Tomato and Mackerel Curry
Japanese style Tomato and Chicken Stew
Ingredients – for 2 serving
- Pork belly, 350g
- Soy bean, 50g, soaked in water for at least 5 hours
- Tomato, 3, in large size
- Shallot, 3
- Garlic, 3 cloves
- Bay leaf, 2
- Salt, 1tsp
- Sugar, 1tsp
- Dried basil, a nip
How to do –
- Blanching the pork – blanch the pork belly with cold water, bring to boil then remove from the heat; keep the meat in the pot for 5 more minutes then cool down for a while before cutting into chunks;
(It’s no necessary to blanch the pork belly, but when I prepare fat meat, I’d like to remove the scum and excess fat on the surface.)
2. Tomato peeled, 2 cut to big quarters and 1 cut to small dices. It’s also no necessary to peel the tomatoes but this would bring out the flavour easily;
3. Heat some olive oil in a casserole, sauté the pork till golden, then stir-fry the shallot and garlic till fragrant;
4. Put in tomato, in medium-high heat, stir-fry for a few minutes till juice releases;
5. Put in soy beans, bay leaf and a cup of water (or unsalted stock), bring to boil, season with a nip of salt and sugar, have a taste and season to your preference. Lid on and stew in medium heat for about 40 minutes till beans turn tender;
6. I don’t reduce the sauce, it’s better keep more sauce to go with steamed rice, sprinkle a nip of dried basil for garnishing.
用料
- 五花肉 350克（2人份）
- 黄豆 50克
- 番茄 三大个
- 红葱头 3个
- 蒜头 3颗
- 香叶 2块
- 盐 适量
- 糖 适量
- 干罗勒末 适量
做法
- 做五花肉我喜欢先焯水去油，不介意的朋友也可以直接切块。冷水下锅，水沸后转中火煮2分钟后熄火，焖5分钟后取出，稍微晾凉后切块；
- 煮肉的时候处理一下番茄。番茄去皮后口感更好也更容易出汁。2个切大块，1个切粒；
- 热一焖锅，放一点橄榄油，放入五花肉煎至金黄后，放蒜和红葱头炒香；
- 放入番茄，中大火炒至出汁；
- 放入泡一天的黄豆、香叶、1量杯水，大火煮沸后放约1茶匙盐和糖调味，按自己喜好增减；盖锅盖转中火焖煮至黄豆煮软，约需要40分钟，中途搅拌；
- 留多一点汤汁更好；撒一点罗勒末。
