Turning Canned Food Into An Epic Home-Cooked Meal

In survivor shows, canned food is always manna from heaven, but on a daily basis - admit it, it is kinda meh.

The COVID-19 pandemic put us into Survival Mode (remember the panic buying?), and even now, although the situation has improved greatly thanks to the tireless efforts of our healthcare and frontline workers, we're still on guard and observing safety measures, and have given up much of the comforts of our previous lifestyles for a "new normal".

But hor.

When it comes to food, we Singaporeans simply cannot settle for "meh". So, while we're staying home as much as possible, how do we replicate the same sort of epic flavours we find at our favourite hawker centres and zi char restaurants in our own kitchen?

In this episode of "Aaron Wong's Stay-Home Survival Cookbook", our beloved Ah Beng turns a can of sliced stewed pork (which you can get very easily from a convenience store or supermarket near you) into a savoury bowl of deliciousness that your tastebuds will kow tow and thank you for.

This is comfort food at its very best!

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Here’s the unexpected part 2 of my feature on this can of ‘stew pork’ goodness. A good friend suggested making it into a ‘mui fan’ and I thought, why the hell not?! Sure feels like that shit would work! So thanks @tinkerfun for the idea! For my overseas friends who have no blinking clue what this weird sounding dish is, well, it’s basically thick eggy gravy over steamed rice. Think of it as a Chinese risotto without all the heartache of cooking it ladle by ladle! Here’s how this baby works. . Get some oil and chopped garlic in a pot and fry them. Just as they brown, empty the liquid from the can of stew pork in. It will splatter a little as moisture meets hot oil, but you are not gonna die from it and that’s the part that puts that char into your gravy. Once you put that in your mouth, I assure you that splattering was worth it. Then add 150ml of water followed by oyster sauce to taste. I say ‘to taste’ because every can / brand is different, or you might want to make more gravy, so it’s difficult to give a fixed portion. Just add little by little as you go until it’s right for you. The art of guesstimation in all it’s full glory. Once good, throw 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 2 tablespoons of water and a dash of sesame oil into a bowl, mix it well and pour into your sauce while stirring. As the gravy slowly thickens and boils, separate 1 egg white (save the yolk) and pour it very slowly into your simmering gravy as you SLOWLY stir. It’s an egg for god’s sake so be gentle! Once egg is in, turn off the stove and let the heat in the pot finish the eggs off. Don’t over cook it! You want the egg white soft and silky. Throw the pork in now to get them warmed up. You do not have to cook them because they are cooked! They came out of a can remember?? Now get some rice on a plate, drop the yolk you saved in the middle and pour that sexy orgasmic gravy over everything!! DONE! . The raw yolk is optional, and you can skip it if you are not a fan. . This shit is comfort food max. It’s one of those dish where I’ll actually lick the plate clean!! Like literally. Just look at that video and tell me that’s not food porn! . Now go try, enjoy, and thank me later!

A post shared by Aaron Wong | MasterChef SG (@aaronwong.sg) on Jun 5, 2020 at 7:33pm PDT

This video is part of "Aaron Wong's Stay-Home Survival Cookbook", a series offering food hacks, tips and tricks, and delicious, easy-to-make, survival-mode recipes to help you stay fed while you stay home and stay safe.

Fronted by the 42-year-old commercial photographer and avid diver, this useful and mouth-watering show brings to life the series of the same name on Aaron's Instagram.

"Aaron Wong's Stay-Home Survival Cookbook" is also available on Wonderwall.sg's IGTV channel.

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