Bangkwang Chah (from Matt Tan’s Daily Nyonya Dishes)

Yam bean stewed in garlic and fermented soya bean paste

1.5 kg (3.5 lb) bangkwang (jicama or yam bean)
6 medium taukwa (firm soya bean cakes)
20 cloves old garlic
4 tbsp taucheo (fermented soya beans)
3-4 drops dark soya sauce
Groundnut oil
Salt
Sugar

Pork Belly
600g (1.3 lb) pork belly
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt

Prawns
1 kg (2.2 lb) small or medium prawns
1.2 tsp pepper

Prawn & Pork Stock
Reserved prawn heads and shells
1 kg (2.2 lb) large pork bones
½ tsp pepper
1 litre (4 cups) water for first boil
2 litres (8 cups) water for stock
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp groundnut oil

Preparation
Slice off the tops and bottoms of the yam beans. Peel, then wash and drain them. Quarter the yam beans then cut into 2-mm (0.08-in) slices. Arrange the slices into stacks and shred them finely into 2-mm (0.08-in) strips.

Rinse and drain the firm soya bean cakes. Cut each in half, and slice each half into 5 mm (0.2-in) pieces. Cut these pieces into 3-mm (0.1-in) strips. Peel the cloves of garlic and pound them with a mortar and pestle to a smooth paste. Remove and set aside. Drain the fermented soya beans and pound them to a fine paste.

Pork Belly
Rub pepper on the pork belly and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Rinse and drain.

Put the pork belly and dissolve the salt in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer for 20 minutes with the pot partially closed. Remove the pork belly when it is cooked and soak it in cool water.

When the pork belly has cooled, cut it crosswise into 5-mm (0.2-in) slices. Next cut lengthwise into 3-mm (0.1-in) strips.

Prawns
Peel the prawns. Rinse and drain the prawn heads and shells and keep them for making the stock. Devein the prawns and rinse and drain them too. Mix the prawns with pepper and refrigerate. Rinse and drain before use.

Prawn and Pork Stock
Mix the prawn heads and shells with the ½ teaspoon of pepper and set them aside for 15 minutes.

Fill a large pot with 1 litre of water and bring to a boil over a high flame. Put in the pork bones and bring to a boil again. When the scum surfaces, drain and discard the water. Rinse the bones. Bring another 2 litres of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pork bones and once it comes to a boil again, adjust the flame to low and simmer for 2 hours.

Season the prawn heads and shells with the salt and sugar. Heat a frying pan till hot, then add 1 tablespoon of groundnut oil, and heat till hot again. Stir fry the prawn heads and shells till they change colour and become fragrant. Take the prawn heads and shells and add them to the pork stock. Simmer gently for another hour.

Frying
Heat the wok until it is hot. Add enough oil to deep fry the sliced firm soya bean cakes. When the oil is hot, lower the flame to medium and put in the slices of soya bean cake in batches to fry till light golden. Remove to a tray lined with paper towels to absorb the oil. Continue frying the remaining taukwa.

Remove all but 3 tablespoons of oil in the work. Adjust the flame to medium and fry the pounded garlic till light golden and fragrant. Next, add the fermented soya bean paste and stir fry till fragrant.

Put in the pork belly and fry till aromatic and lightly browned. Push it aside. Add the prawns to fry over high heat till cooked. Remove the prawns and set aside. Spoon in the yam bean in batches, mixing it with the pork belly. Stir fry for around 10 minutes till the yam bean starts to soften. Add the prawn and pork stock tablespoons at a time, continuing to mix well. Add the remaining stock after 10 minutes. Next, include the fried firm soya bean cakes and the prawns. Continue to braise till the yam bean has softened.

Transfer the contents into a big pot and push the vegetables to the sides of the pot to form a well. Cover the pot, and simmer over a low flame, opening it once in a while to ladle the soup from the centre over the vegetables. This is to infuse the yam bean with the sweetness of the stock. Season to taste with salt, sugar and dark soya sauce. Cook till the vegetable take on the light brown of the stock.

Serve it a day after cooking to allow the taste to develop.