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Honoring a decade in the food industry, these two iconic recipes represent a perfect balance of roots and innovation. As fall nears, comforting aromas like those in Taiwanese stew become particularly satisfying. At the same time, daikon tots offer a crunchy and pleasantly enjoyable snack that began as a serendipitous kitchen accident.

Taiwanese Braised Pork (Serves 4)

This classic recipe involves a dual-phase method to achieve succulent meat that absorbs savory seasonings.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 4 hours or more
Cook Time: 3 hours

For the Poached Pork

• 500g streaky pork
• 0.3 fl oz michiu
• 2cm fresh ginger, flattened
• half a garlic clove, chopped

Stew Components

• ¼ tbsp rapeseed oil
• ¼ shallot
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• red pepper
• anise spice
• 7.5ml Shaoxing rice wine
• 3.75ml sweet rice wine
• peeled garlic, crushed
• ¼ red apple, prepared
• small piece ginger root, flattened
• scallion piece, halved
• 3.75ml rice vinegar
• spice stick
• 1.25ml rich soy
• Cooked rice, as an accompaniment

To begin preparing the meat. Put the pork in a saucepan filled with cool water, heat until boiling, and boil for five minutes. Remove the pork and discard the water.

Place the pork with skin facing down in a new pan, pour in enough water to immerse, then add the cooking wine, ginger, and garlic clove. Let it simmer, then reduce the heat and cook gently for 20 min, until the pork is cooked through and the skin looks clear. Remove the heat and let the pork chill in its cooking water for at least four hours, preferably through the night, sealed and in the fridge.

Once cooled, take out the pork from the broth and slice it into chunks, including the skin. Drain the liquid and reserve it.

Next, heat the oil in a pot with a lid over medium heat. Include the shallot pieces and meat cubes and fry gently, mixing regularly, for roughly 10 minutes, until the shallot wilts. Include ½ cup of the reserved liquid and every the additional seasonings omitting the dark soy sauce. Heat until boiling, then turn down the heat to a simmer, seal, and braise for two hours, topping up with broth if necessary.

Take off the lid, stir in the rich soy, turn up the heat to moderate, and cook for an additional 20 minutes, until the sauce concentrates and turns sticky.

Enjoy over steamed rice – the fatty sauce blankets the kernels beautifully. The trick is to prevent rendering the fat too much, so the pork dissolves in the mouth while holding its texture.

Fried Radish Cubes

You will need prepare these a day ahead.

Prep Time: 5 min
Freezing Time: 8–12 hours
Cook Time: 40 min
Makes: 10 to 12 pieces

• 850g white radish, skinned and grated
• ⅔ cup plain flour, plus ¾ cup extra for breading
• 1⅓ tsp salt
• beaten eggs, beaten
• 200g Japanese breadcrumbs
• 16 fl oz vegetable oil, for frying

In advance, place the daikon shreds in a big dry frying pan over moderate heat and cook for roughly 15 minutes, until most of the moisture is evaporated. Pour in up to 3.5 fl oz cool water to achieve a 1:3 ratio, lower the heat to simmer, then mix in the 90g flour and the salt until thoroughly mixed.

Prepare a small baking tin with clingfilm, then pack in the daikon mixture so it's an even 2½cm deep. Put the tin in a steamer, and steam over medium heat for half an hour (keep an eye on the water level to prevent boil dry). Take out the tin, let cool completely, then seal tightly and freeze for 8–12 hours.

When ready to cook, retrieve the daikon tin from the freezer and let it rest at room temperature for 10 min, just until easy to cut. Open, remove the brick of daikon and cut it into 2.5 cm pieces – these are your bites.

Prepare a breading station with the extra 100g flour, beaten eggs, and crispy coating in separate shallow dishes. Cover each tot initially in flour, dip it in the egg (employing one hand), then into the panko (alternating the other hand; this keeps the crumbs from clumping).

Heat the oil – enough to cover the tots – in a deep pan to 320F (or until a ginger piece fries and browns in about 20 seconds). Cook the tots in batches for 120 seconds each, flipping them lightly for even coloring, then take out and rest on absorbent paper to cool completely.

Turn up the heat slightly and bring the oil to high heat (or until a ginger piece sizzles and darkens in about 10 seconds). Deep-fry the tots a once more, in small groups, this time for about a minute in total, until golden and crisp – the two-stage frying gives a airy coating and a tender inside. Remove thoroughly and serve warm with your preferred dipping sauce; tasty options include spicy sauce or spicy oil.