Bag and Tag - Pork

Ever since watching Alton Brown's episode on pouch cooking, I've been experimenting with a few pouch configurations myself - starting with the timeless combination of pork and asparagus. You could of course use aluminum foil instead of greaseproof paper, but I think some acids react with aluminum, so if you do take care not to use acids like lemon.





Pork and Asparagus Pouch

1 pork chop, deboned
5 asparagus spears
3 lemon slices
2 tbsp chopped spring onions
Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp stock (home made preferred, of course) or water
1 tbsp oil

Special Equipment:
Toaster or Microwave oven
Oven tray
Greaeproof paper - make sure it's oven and microwave safe!

1. Preheat toaster oven (if needed). Tear out a square of greaseproof paper twice as big as your oven tray. Fold in half.

2. On one half of the paper, lay out asparagus, topped with pork which has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Pour on liquid seasonings (soy sauce, oil and stock) over pork and asparagus before covering with lemon slices and spring onion.

3. Fold other half of paper to form a pouch (see image), fold the sides and staple shut - but not airtight. Or, if you don't have a stapler like me, just crimp the sides as best you can. It's won't be an airtight seal, but that's ok.

4. Bake in the toaster for 12 min, or in a microwave for 10 min. Remove from oven, let it sit for 5 minutes (and relish the wonderful smell), cut open the pouch and enjoy. Watch out for hot steam!


Cost Breakdown:
Total Cost: approx RM5++ - a little pricey, but well worth it!
Pork chop RM2
Asparagus RM2
Lemon RM0.50

Tags: Pork and Asparagus, Bag Baking

Arrabiata Malaysia

This spicy tomato-based pasta sauce is easily made from local ingredients. It's cost-to-serving ratio is also hard to beat! Dried chillies are quite potent, so adjust according to taste - although don't go more than four or you'll be stuck with a bowl of liquid fire that will kill your tongue long before you can taste anything.


Arrabiata Malaysia
4 large tomatoes, seeded
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
2-3 dried chilis
Salt
Pepper

Optional: Blender, 2 tbsp wine or rum

1. Blend or chop fine onions and garlic together, and then the same for the tomatoes and chilli. Keep the tomatoes separate for now.

2. In a saucepan, sweat onion and garlic mixture in low heat for 15 min with a pinch of salt.

3. Add tomatoes and chilli mix and continue cooking on low for 30 mi n- the mixture will start out looking pink but end up a dark red. If using alcohol, now is the time to add it.

4. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon on your favourite pasta and enjoy, or keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. Serving size is 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons, recipe makes 8-10 servings.

Cost breakdown
Total cost:: RM3 ++
Cost per serve: 30 cents ++
Tomatoes: RM2
Onion, garlic and dried chilis: Less than RM1

Tags: Arrabiata, pasta sauce

Vegetarian Enchiladas

Enchiladas are like wraps baked with lots of cheese, taco sauce and various fillings. I'm not sure if it a Mexican dish. After all, burritos are an American invention!

Not being a lover of kidney beans and meat, I was not sure how I would take to this but the good people at Taste.com.au convinced me likewise! This is a fantastic recipe sans meat with plenty of sweet corn. Big yum and makes a great packed lunch.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

12 soft tortillas
1 red onion - diced
1 red capsicum - diced
1 zucchini - grated
1-2 teaspoons chilli powder
1 large tomato - diced
310g corn kernels
400g kidney beans
200g taco sauce
3/4 cup tasty cheese

1. Heat oil in a frying pan, add onion, capsicum and zucchini and cook stirring for 3 minutes until slightly softened. Add chilli powder and cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Add tomato and cook until soft. Add the corn kernels, beans and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Remove pan from heat.

3. Grease a large baking tray and place about 3 to 3 and a half tablespoons of filling in the middle of 1 tortilla. To roll the tortilla, fold the bottom of the tortilla length-wise (it should look like you have a little half moon at the bottom of your tortilla) and roll tightly. Leave the top end open and place on the tray seam side down. Repeat until all tortillas are used.

4. Spread the taco sauce over the rolled tortillas fairly evenly. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until the cheese melts.

Voila!

* Note: It takes a bit of practice to roll the tortillas without making it look like the Bride of Frankenstein spilled her guts. Be patient. If guts are everywhere, just spoon it into the top end of the tortilla and give the tortilla a bit of a shake. The trick is to roll it tightly so you won't have so much spillage.

Soba Noodles with Tofu & Mushrooms

A recipe that unites my love for tofu, mushrooms and soba!

Extremely easy to assemble and a great winter warmer. Do note that you can use any mushrooms of your choice. Dashi Miso paste is available in Asian grocers.

Soba Noodles with Tofu & Mushrooms

(Makes 500ml of broth)

Mushrooms of your choice (Chinese, button, enoki, etc) - chopped
Dashi Miso paste
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
4 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 carrot (thinly sliced)
4-5 shallots (thinly sliced)
300g firm tofu (cubed and dried in paper towels)
Cornflour to dust
Soba noodles (cooked according to packet instructions)
Oil for frying

1. Make 500ml of broth according to the packet instructions. Simmer over medium heat.

2. Add the dark soy sauce, mirin, sugar, mushrooms, carrots and shallots to the broth. Leave to simmer.

3. Heat oil in a pan until hot.

4. Prepare a plate of cornflour seasoned with salt and pepper. Dip tofu cubes into flour and fry in pan until golden brown on both sides. Set aside on paper towels.

5. Assemble a steaming bowl of noodles: Place soba, a few cubes of tofu and pour broth over noodles and tofu to preference.

Voila!

Sweet Couscous

This recipe is unique in the sense that it is sweet and can be eaten as a meal or dessert.

Either way, it is extremely appealing for sweet tooths and cashew lovers; very filling and comforting on a cold winter night.

Sweet Couscous

250g couscous
150g sultanas
150g cashew nuts
50g butter
120ml honey
600ml boiling water
2 oranges (peeled) - optional

1. Place couscous and sultanas in a large, heat-proof bowl and pour boiling water. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed and sultanas are plump. Use a fork to separate the grains.

2. Heat a frypan, throw in cashews and stir quickly until roasted. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in a pan. Add couscous mixture and honey. Cook stirring well until heated through.

4. Serve pipping hot with pieces of oranges and roasted cashews.

Tofu Don

A recipe dedicated to my love affair with tofu!

You can use silken tofu in this recipe, that is if you have a deep fryer. I found out that no matter how long you wrap your silken tofu in bundles of paper towels, it's really hard to dry out.

But if you're okay with facial injuries, then go for it!

If not, use the safer option: Firm tofu.

* Many thanks and love to Andi who created this recipe!

Tofu Don

320g firm tofu (cubed)
2 brown onions (sliced thinly)
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably Kikoman)
3 to 4 eggs

1. Deep fry tofu cubes and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Pour the mirin, sugar and soy sauce into a bowl and mix until most of the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

3. Fry onions until fragrant and soft. Add tofu and half the liquid mixture.

4. Crack the eggs on to the tofu and mix quickly. When the egg is cooked, throw in the remaining mixture.

5. Serve with hot, steamed rice.

Voila!

Nasi Paprik

Here in the northern part of Malaysia, where I'm closer to the Thai border one begins to see a closer melding of culinary influences between these two countries. Nasi Paprik (or Phadprik or phad prik or without the 'h') as it is sometimes spelled is typical of this kind of culinary hybrid Consisting of chicken or beef stir-fried with vegetables in a savoury and slightly-sweet sauce. I'm not sure where the name comes from: nasi is Malay for rice and I'd always thought paprik referred to the green or red peppers in the dish. Phadprik sounds more Thai, of course, and there is a side dish called pad prik, which is a beef and veggie stir fry. So that sounds about right, no?

When I was first introduced to this dish (ironically, in Singapore) it was the beef version, but chicken and tofu are both worthy substitutes. In any case, the dish is suprisingly simple prepare. For veggies, the lemongrass and capsicum are NOT optional, ie they're mandatory. The rest is up to you, though I'd recommend using at least three different greens for colour and flavour.


Nasi Paprik, aka Nasi Phad Prik or Nasi Phadprik (4 serves)

2 chicken breasts, sliced thin in 1-inch chunks
Vegetation - cut in 1 inch chunks
One stalk of lemongrass, white parts only
One capsicum
(other veggies optional, use at least 3. I used these:)
2 cloves garlic, whole
Small onion
Baby corn
Broccoli
Large red chillis
Carrot
(these are also great)
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Lime leaves

Sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp kicap manis (Sweet black sauce)
Sugar
Pepper
Water or stock
Oil

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the wok in medium low heat and toss garlic for a couple of minutes to absorb flavour

2. Remove garlic, turn up heat to high and brown chicken until not visibly raw. Remove from wok and set aside.

3. Replenish oil if necessary and add vegetables, starting with the harder ones (Like carrots) and ending with onions. Reintroduce the chicken and stir well.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low and make space for sauce. Start with oyster sauce, kichap manis, 3 tbsp water/stock and 2 tsp sugar. Combine thoroughly before integrating with rest of the meat and veggies.

5. Add sugar and pepper to taste; serve with white rice.

Tags: Nasi Paprik

Chinese Vegetarian Curry

When I was a child, my mum would sometimes buy lunch back in a tiffin carrier. One of my favorites in the tiffin was vegetarian food and among the vast amount of vegetables and flour-based delights, there was always the vegetarian curry.

What I remember most about this curry was the vast amount of long beans and cabbage. And my god. The tau foo pok. Or tofu puffs. I believe that my unshakable love for tofu stemmed from this dish. The curry itself was thin and very drinkable. At the end of the meal, my face would be practically in the bowl.

Unlike Indian and Malay curries, this curry is very thin, light in taste and doesn't have as much fragrant spices as per normal. Nevertheless, like all curries, this dish keeps well in the fridge and tastes better as the days go by.

Chinese Vegetarian Curry

Spice paste:
1 teaspoon turmeric
5 red chillies
1 tablespoon chilli powder (Baba's brand if possible)
3 stalks lemongrass
2 tablespoons Baba's Fish Curry Powder

2-3 sprigs curry leaves
1 litre water
200ml coconut milk
long beans or french beans
half a head cabbage
1 packet tofu puffs (cut in half)
Salt and sugar to taste

1. Blend the spice paste ingredients in a blender. Add some water to form a paste.

2. Heat some oil in a wok or pot, pour in blended spice paste and curry leaves. Fry until fragrant.

3. Add water and coconut milk. Mix well and season to taste. Bring to boil.

4. Lower heat, throw in vegetables and simmer for 5-1o minutes. Check on seasoning regularly.

5. When vegetables soften, add in tofu puffs and boil for 5 minutes.

6. Voila! Serve with steamed rice.

The not-quite-French Onion Soup

When life gives you onions... you make onion soup.


1kg onions, sliced
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
Rum (Optional)
1litre beef or leftover stock
Salt and pepper


1. In a large soup pot, brown onions with butter and a little salt for 45 min over low heat. Stir occasionally to allow for even browning.

2. Add stock and sugar, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until it loses a third of volume.

3. Mix in a tablespoon of rum before serving. Serve with crusty cheese toast. Makes a litre of soup.

Cost breakdown:
Kilo of onions $1.20
Gee, that's about 20 cents a bowl.

Tags: Onion soup

Soupe Al' Oignon (French Onion Soup)

Just like Noel, I became a student again and therefore had to start living and cooking cheaply again.

Because I have 22 contact hours a week at uni, I am always home at nightfall and by then I am just simply too tired to even think of boiling water. So I decided to be smart and cook 3 large freezer/fridge-friendly meals every weekend.

This is part one: Soupe al' oignon or French onion soup. I discovered this recipe while watching the excellent food program, Food Safari on SBS. It is extremely cheap to make and taste better the longer you keep it. Perfect for winter too!

The most expensive thing here would be the gruyere cheese. But believe me, it is definitely worth buying it because it is the tastiest cheese I have ever eaten and blends extremely well with the soup. I got my cheese for AUD $5 from a deli in the market. NEVER buy cheese from money-sucking Safeway or Coles. Markets are the way to go.

I believe it's always handy to have a bottle of white wine in the fridge. It gives food (even pasta) the extra kick. Any cheap white wine would do; even cask wines (the bottom of the barrel). In this recipe, I used Muscat (a very sweet dessert wine) and it turned out wonderful. Besides, Muscat is a wonderful thing to take a swig from everyday!


Soupe Al' Oignon

Unsalted butter (60g)
Brown onions (5; peeled and finely sliced)
Flour (50g)
Water (2 liters)
White wine (1 glass)
Gruyere cheese (French or Swiss; 100g; half cut into cubes, half grated)
Baguette (1)
Salt & pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, add onion and cook stirring for 25 minutes (yes, that long) over a low fire until the onions are a deep golden brown colour and beginning to caramelize. They should be extremely soft and look as though they've got stringy bits of cheese mixed into it.

2. Add flour and stir quickly for 2 minutes.

3. Add water and the wine. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the cubes of gruyere cheese, stir in and bring to boil.

5. Turn the fire down to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Give it a stir once in a while and check the seasoning.

6. While simmering, slice the baguette into thick slices and sprinkle with the grated cheese on top. Place under a hot grill and remove when cheese melts.

7. Spoon the soup into a bowl and serve with the toasted baguette on top.

Voila!

Ratatouille - the recipe, not the movie!

Yes, it's a recipe for ratatouille (rat-at-too-ee), inspired from watching the movie. (You should go watch it, it's really good!) In the movie, ratatouille was described as provincial - peasant food - but being a gourmet restaurant it looked better in the cartoon than how it is usually presented:



Basically, a ratatouille is a toamato-based vegetable stew, which explains the provincial description as peasants couldn't usually afford meat. I also suspect that every French provincial household has their own version of ratatouille, so feel free to change the ingredients as you see fit! Except for the tomatoes. Gotta have tomatoes. And the bacon. The bacon was there for flavour. Now, this recipe can easily be a throw-everything-in-one-pot and boil kind of stew, but if you have a little extra time, you might want to roast some of the veggies first (like in this recipe) for a richer flavour.

Noel and May's Ratatouille
1 carrot }
1 eggplant } cut into 1-inch chunks
1 zucchini }
1 pound mushrooms }
1 onion, sliced
2 rashers of bacon, sliced
2 cans of fresh chopped tomatoes
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp tarragon
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp sugar
A dutch oven/roasting pan
Oil

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
2. On medium heat, brown bacon with a little oil until cooked crisp. Drain bacon and reserve for later.
3. Brown onions in remaining fat, making sure to scrape bottom of pan for bacon bits. Season with herbs and spices.
3. Turn off heat, add garlic, zucchini, carrots and eggplant and mix well to coat everything with fat
4. Put the whole pan, uncovered, into the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35 min.
5. Put in mushrooms and tomatoes, mixing in sugar as well.
6. Return to oven, covered, for 30 min.
7. Top with bacon and enjoy! Makes approx 4-6 servings.

Before you start roasting the zucchini and eggplant, you might want to take some of the bitterness off by putting both ingredients in a colander, mixing in 1 tsp of salt and letting rest after putting a plate on top of the mix to apply pressure. Leave bowl or container at the bottom of the colander to collect the drained bitter water.

Tags: ratatouille vegetarian stew budget recipe

Spicy braised eggplant

recipe inspired from Umami's dish of the same name

ingredients:
1 onion, VERY thinly sliced
5 dried chillies (can add more or less according to personal perference)
500-600g eggplant, sliced into 2 inch strips
200g chicken mince (can use any other type of meat as well)
tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar (can adjust according to taste)
2 tbsp dark vinegar

2 tbsp corn starch w/ 4 tbs water

meat marinate: dash of sesame oil, white pepper, dash of light soy sauce, 1 tbsp corn starch

method:
1. Marinate meat and leave for 20 minutes.
2. Add oil into pan. Wait til it's hot. Add onions. Fry til light brown.
3. Add chillies and fry til they are BLACK. There will be choking smoke, this is normal.
4. Add meat and stir fry for a while. Add eggplant and the rest of the seasoning.
5. Add 250ml of water and bring to boil.
6. Simmer for 20 minutes and add the corn starch mixture. Stir and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve with white rice and a sprinkling of scallions.

comments: This is really comforting and goes so well with rice...MmmmmMmmm...try it!! You'll be surprised how good it is!!!

Tags: spicy braised eggplant budget recipe

Quick Rosti

Ah, the ubiquitous potato. What's one to do when one needs the carbs but is bored with rice? The trusty potato comes to the rescue. I was wondering what kind of carb to pack for my lunch meals this week, and instead of going for the mash, I decided to whip up a quick* rosti instead.

* err, that's quick if you have a large grater. And I only spent 20 min preparing the whole dish, so that's pretty quick - I have a policy of not spending more than half an hour preparing my pack meals every night.

Quick Rosti

2 large potatoes, grated in long strips
1/2 inch knob of butter
1 tbsp plain flour
Pepper
1/2 tsp Tumeric
1/2 tsp chili powder

1. In a shallow pan, melt butter and reserve half for later.
2. Mixed grated potatoes with flour and spices.
3. Heat pan with melted butter on medium-low heat. When the butter bubbles, lay potato mixture on pan, spread and flatten.
4. After two or three minutes, use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom of the potato pancake to separate it from the pan. Fry until crispy. (Or smells a little burnt. heh.)
5. Pour the remaining butter on the uncooked side of the rosti. Flip over and fry until crispy.


Note: Two large potatoes for me work nicely with my 12" pan. You might want to experiment the amount of potatoes with your pan. Also, tumeric isn't part of the traditional rosti recipe, but I added it in the keep the pancake a nice yellow colour.

Tags: potato rosti budget recipe

Green Pasta

The first recipe post for the year! I was in a pasta-ish sort in preparing my packed lunches for the week, but I wasn't sure whether I wanted a tomato-based sauce or a cream one. In the end, I settle for neither and opted for a green-vegetable based sauce. The result is almost like a pesto, although I took inspiration from a green pea soup as the sauce base.

(there would've been a picture here. but i forgot to take it. d'oh! -_-)

Green Pasta Sauce
1 cup of frozen green peas
2 cups of fresh spinach leaves
1 medium onion
1 tbsp garlic
1 bunch of mint leaves
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil to flavour
Leftover Christmas meat (I used a combination of cooked chicken and ham, chopped)

1. Boil the peas in salted water. Once cooked, drain and reserve cooking liquid
2. Blend peas, spinach, onions, garlic and mint in three equal parts; for two parts, use the reserved cooking liquid to moisten the mix, for the last part, use olive oil
3. Combine the sauce together in a shallow pan and cook lightly over low heat, stirring continuously until fragrant.
4. Mix in meat and season to taste.
5. Spoon over cooked pasta for a satisfying lunch!

By itself, the sauce tastes like a blended salad (whici is what it is, essentially). Combined with pasta, the meat and mint make this a surprisingly refreshing - and nutritious - meal!

Tags: green spinach pea pasta budget recipe

Zucchini Slice

I finally got this recipe right!

Ingredients

Olive Oil
2 Zucchinis
150g Mozarella Cheese
1 Onion
300g Streaky Bacon
3 Eggs
2 Large Tomatoes
1 cup (150g) Self Raising Flour

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. Get hold a large and fairly deep baking dish. Brush the sides and base with olive oil.

3. Grate the zucchini and mozarella. Place in a large bowl.

4. Chop the onion and bacon as finely as possible. Place both in the bowl with the zucchini and mozarella.

5. Add the flour to the bowl.

6. Whisk the eggs then add to the bowl. Add the eggs to the mixture then season with salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt because the bacon already makes it quite salty.

7. Mix everything together. It's a bit of a pain at this point in time because of the flour but don't give up. If you get a bit pissy (i.e. me), use your hands. It always works. Your mixture should look like this:


8. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish.

9. Chop up the tomatoes then lay the sliced tomatoes on top of the mixture. Drizzle some olive oil over the top.

10. Place the mixture in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is evenly brown.

Top Tips:

Never, NEVER compromise on the bacon. Streaky bacon (bacon with streaks of fat) is the way to go because it will make your zucchini slice really tasty. But if you're still waist-conscious, just put in 150g of streaky bacon.

Enjoy and don't share with your friends if you love it too much.





Tags: zucchini slice budget recipe

Spicy Tuna Rice Paper rolls

I was in a hurry to dash out for a couple of errands this afternoon and didn't have much time to map out lunch for us at home. I opted for a 'no-cook' meal of quick healthy rice paper roll ups for my 'babies' before running off. I call them my babies because I love them to PIECES and I'm the self-proclaimed 'mommy' of the house.*laughs* Rice paper rolls are so quick to make; and they didn't take me much effort at all....*sigh* an ingenious culinary discovery by the Vietnamese!
I dug around the pantry and refrigerator for loose bits of vegetables and came up with a delicious "tuna-combo" which had our taste buds tingling with satisfaction.

Makes 8:

8-9 Rice paper sheets
2 cans of spicy tuna
1/4 iceberg lettuce leaves shredded
1/2 cucumber sliced into thin strips
1 carrot grated
1 red chilly sliced
2 stalks fresh mint leaves (roughly diced)
fried crispy shallots ( available at asian supermarkets)
Sauce: 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce+2 tbsp light soy sauce+ 1 tsp fish sauce + 1/2 red chilly sliced+ 1 inch cube ginger sliced thinly+ 1 garlic clove crushed and roughly chopped+ 1 tsp sugar

Stir sauce ingredients in a small container till well incorporated and set aside.
Soak 1 sheet of paper in a shallow bowl filled with water for approximately 30 seconds. Gently remove and lay on a flat work space. Arrange filling ingredients in the center horizontally, sprinkle mint leaves+ fried shallots and fold the left and right corners in by 1-2 inches. Gently roll up the rice paper roll into a long cyclindrical shape. Repeat with the rest of the rolls. Serve with spicy chilly+ ginger sauce!
The rolls may turn out a little messy in the beginning but keep in mind that practice makes perfect. Try not to soak the paper for too long or it may tear too easily. Throw out the torn ones...start over with a new sheet...unless you want to end up with rice paper rolls leaking like a worn-out faucet.

Tags: tuna rice paper rolls budget recipe

pommes de terre mousseline

that's just french for creamy mashed potatoes . recently , i've been browsing in borders trying to diversify my cooking . i peeked into a delicate blue book that provided this simple recipe to start off my re-appearance here . i know it's a common dish...but i dare guarantee that this is the richest one i've ever tasted :

what you need ar ?

1 kg potatoes (er...ya...i made this in bulk...adjust accordingly hor)
200 g unsalted butter
300 ml whipped cream
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

fresh green herbs ( e.g. parsley , chives )

how liao ?

boil the potatoes until soft . cool sufficiently . the skin should peel off easily by now . mash the potatoes and set them aside ( i realise everyone has their own ways of mashing...from efforting a spoon to classy kitchen utensils...so i leave it up to you lar hor )

heat the butter in a pot / pan (depending on how much you're making lor) and chuck in the mashed potatoes . mix thoroughly .

fold in the whipped cream .

finish off with the ground nutmeg , salt and pepper (optional) and garnish with freshly chopped chives and a hint of parsley .



voila...pommes de terre mousseline.

Tags: mashed potatoes budget recipe

Checking up on our waistlines ;)

As vanity takes it's course, us 3 Malaysian girls are feasting-"healthy" in preparation for the expensive,stylish and extravagant annual Malaysian ADnD event (Annual dinner and dance). I'm not usually present at such ball/prom-ish occasions; and I blame pure laziness. I hate fussing over getting dressed up fancy, etc. I love having a "dress-up" session with my girlfriends for a fun night out in town but my wardrobe isn't exactly "dainty, formal and elegant" -friendly. This year, the ADnD will be organized by a couple of very special friends of mine..and I couldn't possibly miss the chance to cheer my very pretty ex-housemate "Jia" dancing on stage! *gets excited*
The dinner is this friday.. and considering how I only have 1-2 "formal"-ish outfits...I'll have to make sure I squeeze in cozy and snug *wink*
hehe...
Cheers to delicious oil-free stir fried vege's!
For those who are sick and tired of soy sauce or stereotypical Chinese flavored stirfried dishes. Try this combo.Its fairly unorthodox, but lemon juice, lemon grass, chilies, fish tofu and greens are a lipsmacking medley. I used green beans, watercress stalks, carrots and lettuce in this sweet and sour stir-fry combo.

1 tbsp thick chilli sauce
1/2 tsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 inch lemon grass stalk sliced
1 red chilli sliced
salt and pepper to taste

"Fish tofu?!" you say...
Another one of those great diet-days freezer-friendly items! They are golden cube nuggets of fish paste mixed with soy bean (tofu). Healthy and a perfect substitute for fat laden mince meat. They can be grilled, steamed, pan fried...skewered....ample options for what to cook them with!

Where to get a bag?: Most Asian marts, frozen aisle

Tags: fish tofu budget recipe

Veggie Dumplings

I like dumplings, the Chinese kind (guo tie), a la Shanghai dumplings when I was in Melbourne. Of course, they're oily as hell, but it's one of those party foods that a few friends could get together and share while having their meals on their own.

I was planning my packed lunches for the week when I thought about making Shanghai dumplings as part of my menu. I didn't feel like having any meat, so I made it a full vegetarian dish. Be warned though, this isn't the kind of dish that you can whip up in half and hour - you've gotta make the dough, then make the dumplings and cook them how you want it. If you want it as straight dumplings, just boil and enjoy. If you want the guo tie/potsticker style, then add a further step of pan frying after boiling. In both cases, enjoy with black vinegar and ginger.

Veggie Dumplings

The dough:
200 gm plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp oil
Warm water

The filling:
1 package frozen spinach
Equal amount of chives
1 tbsp light soy
1 tbsp chinese wine



1. Make the dough! Add small amounts of warm water to form a dough. It's as easy as that. And yes, that means you've got to get your hands dirty. We're aiming for a consistency that is not too hard to mould and too soft that it breaks apart easily. After a good amount of kneading, cover with a damp cloth and leave for a few hours in the fridge.

2. For the filling mixture, drain and squeeze dry the spinach and chop it coarsely. Add chopped chives and season with soy sauce and chinese wine.

3. The magic number to this dish's serving size is 16. So split the dough in two parts, and then split each part in two, and then split in two again. With each serve, roll out on a floured surface and make a flattened disc. Seal the edges and pinch the sides to secure it.

4. Cook the dumplings in boiling water until skin is translucent. If you want it potsticker style, pan fry the dumplings until skin is golden brown. Enjoy!

Tags: spinach chives chinese dumplings potstickers gyozabudget recipe

mum's ginger soy beef and oyster sauce broccoli

i had been craving for mum's cooking lately and having indulged in too many luxuries during the holidays , my pockets are losing their depth liao . furthermore , my housemate and i have also decided to cut the cost of eating out . so i attempted to recreate two of mum's most basic dishes that will ultimately cost only a total of six dollars . split that into two and it's only three dollars a meal . good value leh?

what you need leh ? (for ginger soy beef...serves two hungry growing guys)
500 grams of beef (stir fry cuts are readily available in makets)...i used stroganoff hor.
2.5 inch piece of ginger , peeled and cut into thin strips .
marinade : depending on how much you require , keep the dark soy sauce to oyster sauce ratio one to one . i normally use five full tablespoons of each . add the ginger slices and also white pepper to taste (a little spicy taste will make it taste better hor) .
1 tablespoon of oil (any oil will do lar)

then how liao?
wash the beef to get rid of excess blood and massage your beef . that's just an option hor haha . then let the beef mixed with marinade sit for at least an hour .



after that , it's just as simple as heating the oil and cooking the beef in the wok for a few minutes till the beef is cook lor . so simple hor? if too salty add brown sugar lor . if too sweet , add soy sauce lor . if not nice , don't eat lor haha .



for the oyster sauce broccoli leh?
a bunch that is of a nice size ( i believe mine was about 300 g) , big fat stalk chopped away and the rest split into feasible mouth sizes .
sauce : a cup (250 ml) consisting of 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce , 1 tablespoon of cornflour and the rest is water . my bottle of oyster sauce was finishing...hence , the opportunity to just mix the stuff in the bottle...heh heh :



5 cloves of garlic , chopped . most people like to mince it well , but in this case , because of the time used to cook this , i recommend the garlic to be a little coarse hor .
1 tablespoon of oil .

how to cook leh?
wash the brocolli properly and after splitting it accordingly , leave it aside hor . heat the oil in a pan / wok , and then fry the garlic until fragrant . then ar , throw in the broccoli and cover for awhile to let it cook in it's own water and also seal the garlic flavour into them . i do this so that you don't get the raw broccoli taste later too hor . after a few minutes , the broccoli should be soft without the raw taste liao . then quickly stir fry the broccoli with the prepared sauce . everything should be done within a minute hor . don't leave it too long or the broccoli becomes too soft lor . oh ya...if got money , then add chopped chinese mushrooms too .



that's it . time your rice to be done at the same time and eat everything warm ( i assume everyone know how to cook rice hor ? ) .

Tags: ginger beef broccoli soy sauce budget recipe