Pork with Choi Sum

This is what i called a quick dinner when i come into work and i just want to eat. Some veg some meat on top of some rice - Voila!  My mum used to cook this quickly for me when i walk home for lunch, or days she feel just cant be bothered with doing all the washing up, so everyone one plate.


















Ingredients:

1) Choi-Sum - use this recipe

2) 1 clove of garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
    1 thumb-size Root Ginger, de-skinned & coarsely chopped.
    1 piece of Pork loin, cut in fine shreds

1 Tbspn Veg Oil
1/4tspn of Sugar
1/4tspn of White Pepper
Drizzle of Sesame Oil
1tspn Light Soy Sauce
1tspn Chinese rice wine/cooking wine
1 Tbspn Oyster sauce
2Tbspn Water
Sprinkle of salt to taste. 
1.5tspn Cornflour - mix with a little water


Method:

1)First stir-fry choi-sum as this recipe and set aside.
2)Heat up the oil in a wok over a high heat, add the garlic & ginger and give it a quick stir.
3)Add in the pork, and quickly stir fry - so it does not stick to the wok.
4)Add sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, wine and soya sauce and again give it a good stir approx 3mins.
5) Add water, and cover the wok with a lid to let the flavour all infuse for 1-2mins.
6) Stir in the oyster sauce, then add the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce. If its too thick, add a little more water, vice versa if its too watery, mix abit more cornflour and add to wok to further thicken. Lastly, when it is nearly done, sprinkle with salt to taste. 
7) Scoop some fragant white rice on plate, chopstick the choi sum on top of the rice, then scoop the pork in oyster sauce on top.  Ready to serve.

Tip:
This is a very basic recipe for meat and veg, so can substitute other ingredients. i.e Shredded Chicken on Romane Lettuce, or Beef on broccolli.

Happy Cooking!

Stir-Fried Choi Sum

Stir-fried Choi-sum is a very popular dish in my household when growing up.  Its a good complement for any other dishes, especially with the Lemon sole i got fresh from fishmonger with my mum. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 If you ask me what is my favourite vegetable ever, then Choi sum is THE one.  I love it so much as a kid that my parents will buy it every week from the chinese supermarket.  Its that type of dish where i keep my eyes on until i see the last stalk is eaten,  or even stir in the oyster sauce from the veg on to the rice. Think this is also one of the first things my mum taught me to stir-fry when i was 7yrs old, and i was pretty happy to help her give the wok a stir when choi-sum is in it ;)

One day, when i was around 16yrs old, i asked my mum not to buy it, because she was cooking it literally everyday for 2 months, both my mum & dad was really surprised, and thought i was coming down with a bug or flu.  When i said,  i just need a little rest, coz it doesnt taste as good.  Then a day later, i overheard my dad speaking on the phone to his friend, about the quality of the veg you get in supermarket, and heard him say, 'my daughter love choi sum and can eat it everyday since a baby (toddler), and few days ago she told my wife not to buy it, if she think it doesnt taste good, it must be really bad.' haha i felt soo bad,  for causing soo much hoohaa.... 

Well these days, price of choisum is very expensive, my mum call it gold veg.... so if i get it - it is really a superb treat, and whenever my dad orders it at restaurant, it makes my meal taste better. 

Ingredients:
Choi Sum
2Tbspn Veg Oil
Salt
drizzle of sesame oil
Oyster sauce (can be left out)

Preparation

Wash the vegetables and use your own judgement to break into mouthful pieces(usually 3-4 inches long). All fresh Chinese vegetables (like choi sum, pak chop, gai lan, chinese spinach) should be crisp and tender and should snap easily. Its best to buy younger choi sum but if your choi sum is large - you might want to peel away some of the outer skin near the root - this is usually tough. Choi Sum stands for vegetable heart so you can bet that the best bit is the heart of the choi sum. :)


Cooking

1)First heat up your wok until its very hot. Add the oil and even out over the surface of the wok by tilting it. There should be a loud sound as you add the choi sum, like thunder due to water on oil.
2)Stir-fry for around 5 minutes. Drizzle the sesame oil and sprinkle of salt. Then after 10 seconds, its ready to serve. If you want you can stir-fry in the oyster sauce, or drizzle it when served on the plate.


Tip:
This dish is best cooked last because it is so quick to make.
To make the dish smell more fragant, can add some crushed garlic whilst stirfry.
Can cook exactly the same with other veg i.e pak choi, chinese spinach, broccoli, Gai-lan.

Happy Cooking!

Steamed Lemon Sole

Today, I am very lucky to spend a day with my mum shopping, cafe stops, more shopping, and finished back to my place, and whilst she relaxed on my sofa with some TV, and enjoying my shiatsu massage and she eventually took a nap.... i was very excited and nervous to make dinner for us both.

Lemon sole is my THE favourite fish in my family, mum said she fed me from a baby with just the soya sauce and hence why i am soo intelligent hahaha. When i was growing up, my mum and many relatives will promote the benefits in eating fish, one that it make you clever, two make you look more beautiful  and three, it make you see better, and eat enough of it you might prevent from wearing glasses. Oh well, i worn glasses since i was 12, guess i not eat enough fish because some are really smelly ;p
My mum still give me lecture now to eat more fish and how i must learn how to cook it, but most of time - she let me watch her prepare it, i just eat it.  

Anyway, prices of fish esp for lemon sole is very expensive, so when we do have it on our dinner table, its a really good treat - so this time fresh from the fishmonger and prepard by me - steamed, served with some rice and shared it with my lovely mummy ;)



















Ingredients

1 Lemon Sole (pick a lively looking fish at the fish market)
2 Spring Onion, chopped
1Tbspn Great Wall Tianjin Preserved Cabbage (Winter Vegetables)
1 clove of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 small piece of root ginger, thinly sliced
1Tbspn light soy sauce
1 tspn Sesame Oil
1 Tbspn of Veg Oil
sprinklie of salt

Method:

1) For the lemon sole, use a pair of scissors and trim off the fins and bit of the tail.  Give it a good rinse, then place it on a plate.
2) Sprinkle a little salt on the fish. Sprinkle the winter vegetable, garlic and ginger on top of the fish.
3) Season with light soy sauce, sesame oil, and veg oil.
4) Wait for the steamer to be steaming hot, then place in steamer for 20-30mins. Then ready to serve with some rice and maybe with some veg side dish.


Tip:
Lemon sole is usually sold gutted and de-gilled but if not its fairly easily to do - some people simply cut the whole head off but I'd recommend keeping the head on. Use a butchers knife to scrap off any slime from it's scales.


Happy Cooking!

Pear & Chocolate Crumble

I had 3 very ripe pears in my fruit basket, but i do not want to let it go to waste, so with some time searching the internet i found this recipe on the Waitrose. So with some adaptation this is my attempt of a Pear & Chocolate crumble.

I think this is a great pudding, full of different textures, the warm crumble and melted chocolate accompanied  with the cold vanilla ice-cream is delightful! Alternatively, you can leave it to cool, then chill and serve with extra thick cream. 

Time: Approx 50mins

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3-4 Pears, peeled, cored, cubed
1/4 Lemon juice & grated zest
20g Golden caster sugar
50g Plain chocolate, roughly chopped (i used half of dark and half of milk chocolate)

For the crumble

85g Butter, chilled & diced
100g Plain flour
25g  Mixed chopped nuts/chopped hazelnuts
30g Ginger nut biscuits - crushed/crumbed
50g Demera sugar

Method:

1)Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the pears, lemon zest and juice, sugar and 50ml of water in a large pan and heat gently for 10mins or so until the pears are tender.
2)Meanwhile, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the chopped nuts, ginger-nut biscuit and sugar.
3)Spoon the pear with a little juice into an ovenproof dish. Scatter over the chocolate, then the crumble mixture, and place on a baking sheet.
4)Bake for 25-30mins until golden. Meanwhile, return the remaining pear juice to the hear, bring it to the boil and reduce by half. Serve the crumble warm with ice cream or chill with extra thick cream and the reduced pear juice.

Note: i went way ahead of myself and mistakenly put the chocolate in with the pear (oh dear!)... but i carried on. So toward the end instead of reducing the pear juice - i reduced the pear & chocolate liquid in to a thick sauce to serve. 

Happy Baking!

Blueberry Muffins

Wow, can you believe it its already August, time have flown, and i certainly been abit lazy in the baking.
Anyway, fingers was itching to bake - and why not start with something yum like Blueberry muffins/cupcake.

I was going to try out Nigella's recipe, hmmmm yummmie... thinking should i add a few chocolates as well. However, as i was peeping on Joy of Baking, i came across this recipe - normal blueberry muffins are very yum but also contains a lot of butter which equals to lots of saturated fat (not good).

So this recipe is fabulous - low in saturated fat because of the natural yogurt, so when baked and bite into it the cake it is moistful & flavourful, yet not too sweet, but have the burst of the blueberries. Perfect treat together with a lovely cappucino or mocha...hmmmm.

Makes 12 (cupcake size) Or  8 muffins
Time: Approx 30-40mins

Ingredients:

1cup/240ml Low Fat Natural Yogurt
1 Large egg, lightly beaten
1/4cup/60ml Canola or Corn Oil
1/2tspn Vanilla Extract
2cups/260g Plain Flour
1/2cup/100g granulated white sugar
1tspn Baking Powder
1/2tspn Baking Soda
1/4 tspn Salt
100g fresh blueberries


Method:

1)Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
2) In a bowl whisk together the yogurt, lightly beaten egg, oil and vanillat extract.
3) In another large bowl whisk together th flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4) With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined.
5) Gently fold in the blueberries into the mixture, without bursting it.
6) Evenly fill the muffin/cupcake cases with the batter, either with 2 spoons or an ice cream scoop.
7) Place in the oven to bake for about 15-20mins or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool down.

Tip: - Do not over mix the batte ror tough muffins will result.


Happy Baking!