Fish slice with Mix Veg Stir-fry 魚片炒什菜

Walked in today and me & mr C were really hungry - so quickly threw this meal together - fish slice with whatever vegetables i had in the fridge. So 15minutes with my microwave rice-cooker and whilst i let it cooking, did all chopping, and by the microwave, start bleeping, i'm already stir-frying it all together.
Fishslice is basically fishball in rectangular blocks, it is very tasty and convenient to use and can be purchased in most oriental supermarket, some can be spicy, but i just go for the plain and simple.  It is very versatile too just like matteson sausages - can be boiled, stir-fry, with noodles or rice.

Ingredients:

2 x Fish Slice, sliced
handful bunch of green beans
half of a red pepper, sliced
3Tbspn of soya beans
1 clove garlic, crushed
small piece of root ginger, sliced.

1Tbspn Veg Oil
2Tbspn Light Soy Sauce
1Tbspn Oyster sauce
sprinkle of  white pepper
a drizzle of sesame oil
a drizzle of cooking wine (i used any white wine i can see)

Method:

1) Using a non-stick pan over a high heat, heat up the oil, throw in the garlic & ginger and give it a stir until the you can smell the aromas
2) Add the fish slice in to the pan, give it a good stir for 2-3mins, then add green beans and soya beans.
3) Add in the wine, white pepper, light soya sauce, sesame oil, give it a good stir for 1-2mins.
4) Add a little boiling water that is level to the ingredients in the pan and cover with a lid to simmer for 2-3mins.
5) Add the red peppers, and oyster sauce, give it a good stir. Ready for serve.

Tip, if its too watery you could add a little cornflour (mix with a little water) to thicken it
      if the water is been soaked up in the ingredients, and you want some sauce, you can top up with a little amouts of boiling water, but also remember to taste, and if needed add salt to your preference.

Happy Cooking!

Pork loin with onions & mushroom 洋蔥蘑菇豬排

After such a good day of walking, coming home I was looking  forward to making dinner - and going to make something me & Mr C enjoy timelessly!
洋蔥蘑菇豬排 Pork loin with onions & mushroom with plenty of gravy/sauce - is another classic dish my mum/grandma cooked at home when growing up. It is their interpretation of having a western dinnner - english pork chops with lots of gravy but serve with rice. Me & my sister get so excited when we have this, because it is different when its going to be served on a plate and using knife & fork oppose to the norm of rice bowls & chopsticks, and importantly, the prospect of being able to have tomato ketchup! My mum was strict about what we can eat - and ketchup is a very special treat - which normally is english meals or MaccyD's.
Now, is still have a dollop of ketchup on the side, and enjoy this very tasty meal, yet fairly simple to put together.

Make for 2 people

Ingredients:

2 Pork loin, use a meat pounder gently to tenderise the meat
2 small onion, peeled and sliced
10 mushrooms, washed, and finely sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed & sliced
a few slices of root ginger

2Tbspn Veg Oil
1/2tspn sugar
1/2tspn white pepper
1Tbspn sesame oil
1Tbspn of ShiaoHsing Wine
2Tbspn Light soy sauce
2tspn Dark soy sauce
1Tbspn Oyster sauce
300ml Boiling water
2tspn cornflour - mix it with a drizzle of cold water


 Method

1) Place a non-stick pan over a high heat and let the oil heat up, add the pork loin and let it pan-fry for 3-4mins or till brown. Whilst pan-frying sprinkle a little sugar, white pepper.Turn the pork loin on the other side and also let it pan-fry for 3-4mins or till brown.
2)Add in the garlic, ginger and onions - give it a stir, then add mushrooms.  Add in sesame oil, light soy & shiaohsing wine.
3) Add some boiling water then cover it and let it simmer abit for 2-3mins
4) Once the water had reduced slightly, add oyster sauce, and dark soy, and give it all a good stir
5) Use a teaspoon to taste, check the pork is fully cooked and if okay, pour in the cornflour to let the sauce thicken, and season with salt to your own tasting.  (if the cornflour make it too lumpy or too thick, just add little more water, and if its too watery - just add more cornflour mix - but be reasonable).
6)Once done, ready to serve on a bed of white rice. 


Happy Cooking!

Soba Noodle Salad with Chicken

Today, Me & Mr C went on a 3.5hrs (6.5mile) walk in Castleton, Peak District. So, with an early start, i decided to prepare our lunches last night - ham sandwiches, and on a last minute i decided to make this Soba Noodle Salad with chicken.
It is really simple to make, healthy, and when we got to the peak of the mountain, it was deliciously moreish compare to the ham sandwiches. I only made enough for a small pot, and i was surprised how filling it is, and was a perfect re-fuel to get us back full of energy and look forward to go down-hill. 

Ingredients:

1Tbspn Sesame Seeds
80g Soba Noodles
100g Soya Bean (frozen or carton)
2tspn rice vinegar
2tspn runny honey
2tspn sesame oil
1tspn dark soy sauce
2 spring onion, finely chopped

100g chicken breast
drizzle of olive oil
1Tbspn light soy sauce
1tspn rice vinegar
1tspn mirin

1) First marinade the chicken with light soy sauce, rice vinegar and mirn, use cling-film to cover and set aside or put it in fridge for 5-10minutes
2)Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden brown. Set aside.
3)In a large pan of boiling water cook the soba noodle for around 6 minutes or see pack instructions. When the noodles are cooked but still have some bite, drain and refresh with cold water under the tap.
4) If you have frozen soy beans- in a small pan of boiling salt water, blanch for 5-6minutes. But if you would like had soy bean in carton - place in the microwave for 1.5minutes. Either way, when cooked, refresh with cold water under the tap.. Set aside and is if so discard the shells.
5) Meanwhile, in a small non-stick fry pan, drizzle a little olive oil and cook the chicken with the marinade. cook for 5-6mins or until fully cooked. Once done, get a fork to shred it.
6)In a large serving bowl mix the vinegar, dark soy sauce, honey, sesame oil. Then add the soy beans, noodles, sesame seeds, spring onions & chicken and toss it together.
7)Leave to infuse for half an hour in the fridge in order for the flavours to develop and serve. (or like me put it in a container and ready for the next day lunch)

 Tip: For vegetarians you can remove the chicken.
       For those dont fancy chicken, add cooked prawns to be a bit different.

Happy Cooking!

Pan-fried Salmon with garlic & black bean sauce

Yum yum, i love eating salmon, but would prefer it pan-fried than steamed... coz salmon can be abit smelly.  Quick and easy meal to make, perfect for a sunny warm day, and ready in time and fill my hunny belly and have plenty of concentration for the first world cup match - England vs USA!

Ingredients:
2 fillet of salmon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2tspn of freshly grated ginger
2 Tbspn of Veg Oil
1 Tbspn of light soy sauce
2 tspn of jarred garlic & black bean sauce
1 Tbspn of white wine
1 tspn sugar
pinch of white pepper
a handful bunch of green beans, blanched
2 spring onion, finely chopped.

Method:

1) In a non-stick pan over a high heat, add oil, once oil is bubbling put salmon fillets skinned down, and let it fry abit on that side for  2-3 minutes.  Turn the heat down and use a spatula to turn the fillet on to the other side, then back on high heat for 2-3 minutes.(this is to get both side slightly crispy, but inside fillet just right)
2) Turn down to medium heat, add the garlic & ginger. Add in sugar, pepper, soy sauce, garlic & black bean sauce and white wine. Add a little of boiling water, and let it simmer 2-3mins
3) Add in the green beans and spring onion for 1 min, give it a gently stir to mix in with the sauce.
4) Ready to serve on a bed of white rice.

Happy Cooking!

Pork & Potato 薯仔煮豬肉

Pork & Potato 薯仔煮豬肉 is one of the dishes where its simple, and always taste good and most importantly reminds me of home, my mums cooking and my childhood. Its definitely not a dish you will find in any chinese restaurant, as this is chinese home-cooking food.  Its something my mum always make when growing up, and its something we still have. Whenever, me or my mum feel stuck in what to cook for dinner - this is quickest and easiest to make, and be cooking on auto-pilot mode.  ;p
In fact, talking to my grandma, this dish was also made when my dad was growing up - and back then in Hongkong, a big pot of stew is the best way to get a few pototoes and some belly pork to feed a very big family where there was many hungry children.  (my grandma had 10 kids... so would be very challenging in the kitchen!)
So its great to know that its a timeless dish. My mum will normally use belly pork - but eating the fat is not too good for health, so these days i just use lean pork loin, and add a few onions.

Ingredients:
6 small new potatoes/ 3 big potatoes, peeled, chopped in chunks
2 Slice of lean pork loin, diced
1 Onion, chopped
a few slices of fresh root ginger,
1 clove of garlic, sliced

1 Tbspn Veg Oil
1/2 tspn Sugar
Sprinkle of White Pepper
1 Tbspn of Sesame Oil
2 Tbspn of Light soy sauce
1 Tbspn of Dark soy sauce
1 Tbspn of Oyster Sauce
2 tspn of ShiaoShing Wine/ cooking white wine
salt for seasoning
2 tspn of cornflour, little amount of water
approx 500ml Boiling water

Method:

1) Heat a wok over a high heat with oil, put in ginger, garlic, let it fry a little, then add the chopped onions.
2) Add the pork then sugar, white pepper, wine, light soya sauce and give it a good stir
3) Adding the boiling water so it enough cover the pototoes, then cover it and let it simmer until potato goes soft on a medium heat.
4)Once the potato is soft, finally add the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and cornflour. If the water retends to much add abit more boiling water, so you end up with lots of sauce. Finally, season with salt, and serve.
5)  Ready to serve, with some white rice.

Happy Cooking!

Garlic Bread

A perfect accompaniment for pasta dishes, and/or it could be a quick snack.  Very easy to make and take little time. 

Serves 2-4
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min


3 large garlic cloves
100g softened butter
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 ciabatta or 1 small baguette

Method:

1)Pre-heat the oven to 400F/200C/gas mark 6.
2)Peel the garlic and finely chop.
3)Mix with the butter and stir in the parsley.
4)Using a sharp knife, make diagonal incisions about 3cm apart, as if you were slicing the loaf but without cutting right through.
5)Take a sheet of tinfoil large enough to parcel the loaf and place the loaf in the middle. Use a knife to smear the garlic butter between the slices, close up the parcel and bake for 10 minutes.
6)To achieve a crusted top, open the foil and bake for a further 5 minutes.

Happy Cooking!

Spagetti Carbonara

Everyone will have had Spagetti Carbonara some time in their life. I remember mine was at Pizza Hut with my really good school friends.  Nowadays , with so many special offers from the supermarkets you can fill your trolley full with jars of sauce -and carbonara is great treat from the tomato sauces - then go home boil the pasta and stir in the sauce, voila.. meal done!  I certainly had a lot of it when i was a student.

But it is also a very simple dish to make it from scratch too, so here is the recipe taken from my very helpful student cookbook, 'Cheap as chips, Better than Toast' by Miranda Shearer.

Ingredients:

200g Spagetti (I used Tagliatelle)
4-5 rashers bacon or pancetta
2 tspn Olive Oil
4 Tbspn White wine
1 Whole Egg
1 Egg Yolk
4 Tbspn freshly grated Parmesan cheese (use cheddar, if you prefer)
250g single cream (optional)
1 rounded Tbspn butter
black pepper

Method:

1) Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling water.
2) Meanwhile, cut off the bacon rind and cut the bacon or pancetta into chunky pieces. Fry in the olive oil for 5 minutes until crispy.
3)Throw in the wine and bubble for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4)In a bowl, beat together the whole egg, egg yolk, cheese and cream (if you're using it) and pepper with a fork
5) When the pasta is ready, return the pan with the bacon and wine to a medium heat and add the butter.
6) Drain the pasta and return it to its hot pan. Add bacon and wine to the pasta, then pour in the egg mixture and quickly and thoroughly turn the pasta so it is entirely covered by the sauce.
Divide and ready to serve and maybe with some garlic bread.  

Tip
Don't put the pan on the heat, be patient and the eggs will set from the heat of the pasta. If the pan is too hot they will scramble!!! ( i tell you its does not look good)


Happy Cooking!

Singapore Vermicelli

Since the weather have become much warmer, my appetite prefer to have something lighter, more fish, noodles.
Singapore vermicelli is one of those take-away favourite - all-in-one meal with lots of veg, varied of meat and whats best a kick of spice - good for lunches, dinner or late-night snack ;p
This recipe is taken from Chinese Food Made Easy by Ching-He Huang.  I am delighted to find this recipe because when watching my dad and uncles cook it - i can see what sort of ingredients they use - but it is very hard to guess when they add the seasoning and sauces like a lightning shot - so having this recipe most important is knowing how to flavour the vermicelli.  Other than that, i think ingredients are very flexible - just cook what you have in the fridge. 

175g Tiger Prawns
100g Diced Char Siu Pork/diced smoked bacon
100g Shredded cooked chicken breast
250g Dried Vermicelli rice noodles (pre-soak in hot water for 10min & drain)

5 Shitake Mushroom (chinese mushroom) Sliced
1 Red Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 Red pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 handful of julienne carrot strips
1 handful of Beansprouts
2 Spring Onion, sliced lengthways
1Tbspn freshly grated root ginger
1 beaten egg

2Tbspn Groundnut Oil
2Tbspn Tumeric
1/2tspn dried chillies
2Tbspn Light soy sauce
2Tbspn Oyster sauce
1Tbspn clear rice vinegar
dash of sesame oil

Serves: 2

Method

1) Heat the groundnut oil in a wok and stir-fry the ginger, chilli, mushrooms and tumeric for a few seconds
2) Add prawns and stir-fry for 1 minute until they start to turn pink, then add the bacon and cook for les than 1 minute. Add the rest of the vegetables and cooked for 1 minute, then add the cooked chicken and stir well to combine.
3)Add noodles and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then season with the chillies, soy sauce, oyster sauce and vinegar and stir to combine
4)Add the beaten egg, stir gently until the egg is cooked through (less than 1 minute and then season with sesame oil. Sprinkle with the spring onions and serve immediately.

Tip: Don't get scared with the long list of ingredients - if you dont have all but some, i.e have prawn but no beansprouts - you can still go ahead. Most important is the seasoning/sauces.

Happy Cooking!

Steamed Spare-ribs with garlic, ginger and black bean

Hmm, steamed spare-ribs is another dish that really make me think of chinese home cooking and my mummy! Even when there is no more spare ribs to chew, just rice and a few scoop of sauce, its delicious.  Now and again, when i'm not too lazy i make it for a treat.  I thank my mummy sharing this recipe for a really simple and yummy dish.

Ingredients:

300g Spare ribs, chopped up into small pieces.
2 Tbspn of fermented salted black bean, rinsed first then finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped (can use a garlic grater)
1 Tbspn root ginger, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded, and finely sliced (optional)

1tspn sugar
1/2tspn white pepper
1/2tspn salt
1Tbspn sesame oil
1Tbspn Shiaohsing Wine
2Tbspn Light soy sauce
1tspn cornflour
2tspn veg oil


Method:

1) On a chopping board, first finely chop the fermented salted black beans, garlic, root ginger & red chilli.
2) In a bowl, marinate the spare ribs with sugar, white pepper, salt, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, and give it a good mix.  (a pair of wooden chopsticks would be very handy)
3) Add the grated/finely chopped garlic, ginger, chilli & black beans with the spare-ribs, again give it a good mix.
4) Finally, add the cornflour and veg oil - again give it one last mix so its all even.
5) Ensure put it in the steamer when the water is boiling hot, place it in the centre and leave it to steam for 35-40mins (or until its cooked). Ready to serve and eat with some rice. 

Happy Cooking!