Leftover Bak Kwa is a major pain every Chinese New Year, I’m sure you can identify with me. Bak Kwa is meant to be eaten by itself, and there’s only so much you can eat before you get sick of it. The main problem with using Bak Kwa in other recipes is that its taste is overpowering (mostly the sweetness) and drowns out everything else, and also its texture is too tough. When used in combination with other food, you’ll most likely feel like you’re only eating Bak Kwa and nothing else.
I’ve tried many ways (including with ice cream and seaweed wrapped rice) but I think those didn’t really work out so well because of the texture – Bak Kwa is much tougher than the other ingredients, so in the end it’s still more like eating Bak Kwa alone. I suppose if the Bak Kwa is minced those combinations might work better.
Anyway, something new for this year. Bak Kwa sandwich with cucumber, pork floss, seaweed strips (Yaki Kizami) and mayonnaise. The idea is to try to match the texture by choosing ingredients that are not too soft (bread and pork floss), and to add distraction by way of texture and taste. Pork floss works very well in providing tiny crunch to every bite, and its taste, being slightly sweet, does not clash with the Bak Kwa. It is also softer, making it easier to bite. When combined with bread, there are more soft items per bite compared to eating Bak Kwa alone, so it’s less tiring.
For further taste distraction, there’s cucumber slices to make it more refreshing, seaweed strips to give Umami and complexity and finally Mayonnaise to counter the dryness and for taste enhancement. Overall, i think it works well.
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