Beijing Beef Pancake (20 November 2011)

I enjoy making this as it can be quite fun kneading flour into dough. 

This recipe is not as yummy as I have expected...   :-(   ...thinking back, I should have added some salt to the flour and some Maggie seasoning to the beef (or more soy sauce).....but it did inspire me to make Roti Prata next week! :-)

Ingredients (makes 3 pancakes):

• 300g minced beef
• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tsp salt
• Some white pepper
• A few drops sesame oil

Preparation:

(1) Add water to the flour and mix well.

 

(2) Spread some flour on your working area and continue kneading it there until the dough becomes smooth. Let it seat for about 15 minutes.

(3) Beat egg and combine with beef, salt, sesame oil and white pepper. Mix the ingredients for two minutes. Then add onion and soy sauce.

(4) Cut the dough into three pieces. Flatten each pieces and spread the beef mixture onto the flatten dough.

(5) Cut the dough four times and fold it. See pictures on method to fold. :-)

(6) Fry the pancakes in medium low about 8 minutes or until the pancake becomes golden.

 

Stew Pork in Soy Sauce (17 November 2011)

Ingredients (serve 4):

• 300g pork steak cut in cubes
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil
• 1 thumb size ginger, chopped
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• A pinch of sugar
• 2 big potatoes (or 4 small), cut into 8 pieces (or 4 piece) each
• 1 carrot stick, cut into thumb size pieces

Note: In this recipe, I have decided to include potatoes and carrots which will help thicken the stew. You can exclude these two ingredients and instead include cornflour slurry.


Marination:

• 3 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Maggie seasoning
• some White pepper (depending on preference)
• A few drops sesame oil
• A few sprinkler salt

 

Note: If you don't have Maggie seasoning, you can substitute with dark soy sauce. Marinate for at least 15 minutes. I started marination in the morning and left it in the fridge.

Preparation:

(1) Heat pan with oil, stir-fry garlic and ginger till fragrant.

(2) Add marinated pork together with the remaining sauce during marination, dark soy sauce and stir-fry for two minutes.

(3) Add 1 cup water, sugar, potatoes, and carrots and covered the pan and let it cook over low heat for 30 minutes.

 

Ready to serve!

Singapore Chilli Prawns (16 November)

Ingredients (serve 4):

20 prawns/ 550 grams prawns, peeled and deveined
2 chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 thumb size ginger, chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp peanut oil
50 grams baby spinach (optional)

50 grams straw mushrooms (optional)

 

Singapore Chilli sauce:

8 Tbsp tomato sauce
4 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 Tbsp white vinegar

2 Tsp salt

1 Tsp sesame oil
2 Tsp sugar
Cornflour slurry (1 Tbsp cornflour with 1/4 Tbsp of water)

 Preparation:

(1) Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

(2) Heat pan with oil, stir-fry garlic, ginger, chilli and onion till fragrant. Then, add prawns. Fry for about 2 minutes.

 

(3) Add the sauce mixture (spinach and mushrooms) and bring it to a boil.

 

(4) Quickly stir in lightly beaten egg and continue stirring until egg is well mixed and cooked, about 1 minute.

Done!

Egg Tarts (16 November 2011)

Pastry Ingredients (12 tarts)

• 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 150 grams butter
• 1/2 egg, beaten

Stuffing Ingredients

• 1/2 cups sugar
• 11/4 cup water (300 ml)
• 4 eggs
• 80 ml evaporated milk

Preparation:

(1) Firstly to prepare the pastry: mix together the powered sugar and flour. Mix in butter with a fork until it is in small crumbs.

(2) Stir in the egg until the mixture forms dough. Spread some flour on your working area and continue kneading it there.

(3) Refrigerate the dough for about 20minutes.

(4) Now to prepare the stuffing:  Bring water to boil and add in the sugar. Leave the sugar water to cool.

(5) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

(6) When the dough is ready, shape dough balls into cupcakes tin to form a “tart” shape. The dough balls are about 1 1/2 inch.

(7) After the sugar water has completely cool, mix in the milk and eggs.

(8) Sift the mixture and pour it into the tarts at 80% full.

 

(9) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown, and the filling is puffed up a little bit.

 Done! :)))

Sweet and Sour Pork (15 November 2011)

I am sick today. The doctor gave me 3 days of medical leave including today. I am down with a bad cold. :-( 

I have to stay at home all day and didn't have anything much to do. :-(

I thought maybe I should make some delicious food ready for Hijiki when he is back from work. Hijiki has been asking me to make Sweet and Sour Pork for him for some time already. It is actually an easy dish to make. Just that there are two steps involved in the cooking process; deep frying the pork first before stir frying it later in the sweet and sour sauce and the fact that it requires the use of garlic and other chopped fruits/vegetables that could mean requiring more preparation time.

Personally, I prefer using fresh ingredients in my cooking. Therefore I do not use garlic from a bottle in my cooking or any pre-mixed sauce mixtures in a packet. Thankful Hijiki is the main cook in the house! Occasionally I will cook some nice dishes to pamper him! xoxo

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 300g lean pork, cut into cube-sized 
• 2 small fresh tomatoes, cut into 8 pieces each
• 1/4 small pineapple, cut into thumb size
• 8 small champignon mushrooms
• 1 onion, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 cup cornflour
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil

Note: I prefer mushrooms to capsicums thus I am using mushrooms in my recipe instead.

 

Marination:

• 2 Tbsp Maggie seasoning
• some White pepper (depending on preference)
• 1 egg

Note: If you don't have Maggie seasoning, you can substitute with dark soy sauce.

Sweet and sour sauce:

• 6 Tbsp tomato sauce  
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tsp white vinegar
• Pinch salt
• Cornflour slurry (1 Tbsp cornflour with 1/4 Tbsp of water)

Note: If your tomato sauce is quite watery, (in my case I am using MasterFood Brand which is quite watery) use more Cornflour slurry to thicken it.

Preparation: 

(1) Beat egg and combine with pork cubes, Maggie seasoning and white pepper. Marinate for at least 15 min.

 

(2) Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

(3) Coat marinated pork cubes with cornstarch.

(4) Deep-fry pork on high heat for 5 minutes or until golden browned. Remove and drain on kitchen towel. Set aside.

(5) Heat pan with oil, stir-fry garlic till fragrant. Then, add tomatoes, pineapples, and mushroom. Fry for about 2 minutes.

(6) Add the fried pork cubes, onion and pour in sauce mixture. Stir-fry to combine well for about 1 minute.

Done!