Minced Beef Fried Bread Cake (Roti Goreng Daging Cincang)

It's a long weekend for a start.  For me at least!  I applied for leave and therefore will not be working on the coming Monday and to make it more wonderful, Tuesday is a public holiday due to Eid-ul-Adha or better known as Hari Raya Haji in Singapore. My work week will only start on Wednesday, next week.  Don't be jealous about my long weekend ok! ;p  Time flies and next year will be here before we know it.

I had already planned what to make for breakfast today. I was slightly unwell actually but for the love of cooking, I was willing to risk anything! So, I went to the supermarket after work yesterday evening and got whatever I needed for the most part of next week. Put the minced meat out from the freezer to thaw just before I go to bed yesterday midnight.

I had planned to make fried bread in the style of my favourite local Chinese dish, the fried carrot cake! Now you know why I named it Minced Beef Fried Bread Cake! Like my mother always said, "You are the one cooking the food and not the other way round! You can edit cooking here and there." Of course, you can substitute everything with something though you must sometimes make sure that it is not just anything. I think you know what I mean.

So, I substituted the carrot cake with white bread and added minced beef for a little bit of change. Unlike carrot cake, most households would have white breads available in their kitchen so it would be quite easy if you decide to make this dish. However, I could not give the preserved radish or "lobak masin" in Malay (more commonly known in Chinese as "chai por") a miss. That is the essential ingredient that gives carrot cake it's unique fragrance and wonderful taste and in this case, the flavour of this fried bread cake.

Fried Carrot Cake has always been my favourite but the halal certified ones are not so readily available.  I always go to Bedok Corner (the nearest to my place) and buy my favourite carrot cake from the halal certified stall there.

As always, my two soldiers were wide awake very early this morning. My husband and mum-in-law took care of them and I was in the kitchen with my kitchen-ing assistant preparing breakfast. So on a cool Saturday morning, we were at the dining table at 8.30 am eating a marvellous breakfast instead of still sleeping in bed.  I don't mind sacrificing good sleep for good food however.  Not that I have a choice to stay in bed without being harassed either.

Especially for the Malays, you can also substitute the white bread in this case with "ketupat", "nasi himpit" or "lontong".  I am sure it will taste just as good. 

I bought the preserved radish or "chai por" from NTUC Supermarket at the preserved/dried goods section.  For those living in Malaysia, I think you can easily find these in supermarkets too.  If you are living in any other country other than Singapore and Malaysia, you should be able to find preserved radish or "chai por" in places that sell Chinese foodstuff like a Chinatown, maybe.  Trust me, "chai por" is good stuff that you would not want to miss trying!

Close up version of preserved radish or "chai por"!

Ingredients:



200-250 grams of minced beef - rinsed

2 garlics - crushed

2 cm ginger - crushed

5 garlics - chopped

2 tablespoons of preserved radish or "lobak masin" or "chai por" - rinsed and soaked for two to three minutes

16 pieces of white bread - cut into cubes

1 teaspoon of chilli powder - add more if you like it hot

8 eggs - beaten together with a bunch of chopped spring onions and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 a teaspoon of sugar (or Ajinamoto/Seasoning)

**Nope, I did not forget.  We don't need salt for this dish as chai por is already salted.**

Method:

1.  Heat oil in pan.  Add in the crushed garlic and ginger.  Saute for a few seconds.

2.  Add in minced beef.

3.  Stir fry until the water given out by the minced beef is dried.

4.  Off fire and set fried minced beef aside.  Remove the crushed garlic and ginger pieces.

5.  In a slightly bigger pan, add in about two to three tablespoons of oil.  Once hot, add in the chopped garlic and preserved radish or "chai por".  Saute for a minute or two.

6.  Add in fried minced beef and stir for a few seconds.

7.  Add in chilli powder and stir.

8.  After about half a minute, bring fire to medium.

9.  Add in the white bread pieces.  Fold the white bread into the minced meat mix so that they are thoroughly coated.

10.  Pour in the beaten egg with spring onions mixture all over the frying white bread and leave be until the egg mix at the bottom of the frying bread are cooked.

11.  Flip by folding in from the bottom of the frying bread, section by section.  Keep folding in the same way until the egg mix coating the bread pieces are all cooked.

12.  Off fire and serve.

Best enjoyed with stir-fried chilli paste or famously known as "sambal tumis" in Malay.  Happy Kitchen-ing!