Kong Bah Pao - Dark Soya Pork Belly in Chinese Buns

mmmmmm...i love this dish. Dave and J had it for dinner tonight. I know how many of us cringe at the afterthought of having eaten too much pork fat but it really isn't so bad once u remove the topmost layer of fat in the pork bellies. And it still melts in your mouth. J walloped his portion in minutes while Dave puked all his out (he over-ate).

What goes in:
pork belly, 4 slabs (look for those with intricate lines of fat throughout)
dark soya sauce, 2 T
light soya sauce, 2 T
garlic, 6 cloves, crushed
ginger, two 2-inch pieces (size of two thumbs)
cinnamon, 1 piece
star anniseed, 3 pieces
cloves, 1 stalk
sugar, 1 T
rice vinegar, 2 T (optional)
coriander, one spring
water
Chinese open-mouthed buns
lettuce, any type (i use butter lettuce jus cos its the right size), fridging the leaves immediately after washing gives a refreshing crunch upon serving.

1. Brown meat on both sides over high heat to seal in flavour and "juices".

2. Place browned meat in a deep pot and add dark soya, light soya, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, star anniseeds, cloves, sugar and rice vinegar.Add enough water to cover meat. Boil for three minutes, secure lid and let simmer for two hours.

3. When meat is done,steam buns for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, scoop up the slabs of pork belly and slice (1-inch thick) on a chopping board. Meat should be soft and easy to slice. Remove topmost layer of fat if u want to stay healthy!

4. Line the inside of buns with lettuce and serve hot with sliced pork and coriander.
Enjoy!!

Healthy Sliced Beef Bee Hoon

A nutritious, low-fat meal loaded with veggies. I added egg tofu for this dish tonight just for a change from the usual. Plus, I used "Golden Boy" carrot-rice vermicelli....it claims to be "made with all natural carrot juice" and has the Health Promotion Board's Healthier Choice Label on it.

What goes in:

sliced beef, 2 servings
bee hoon, 2 servings
bean sprouts, 2 handfuls
2 carrots, slivered
4 leaves of cabbage, chopped
spring onions, chopped 5-cm length
6 oranges, juiced
ginger, sliced
light soya sauce, 3 T*
sesame oil
pepper


1. Soak beef in the OJ, light soya, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and ginger. Set aside in fridge. You can use this anytime but if you wish to have more intense-flavoured beef, marinade overnight.

2. Boil bee hoon in pot of water.

3. Meanwhile heat wok and quickly stir fry bean sprouts, carrot, cabbage and spring onions. I use a bit of evoo** for this. Do not over-cook, veggies should still be crunchy to the bite. Dish out cooked veggies.

4. Using a pair of tongs or chopsticks, fish out beef slices and sear on wok over high heat. Turn beef slices over once it begins to cook. Over-cooking the beef will be tough and rubbery to the bite. So nice and pink is good. Remove beef from wok.

5. Boil the remaining OJ and let simmer for 30 seconds. If u prefer to preserve the Vitamin C of the oranges, you could omit OJ in STEP 1 and add it straight into bowl upon serving.


* Tablespoons
**extra virgin olive oil

Easy Carbonara

Mmmm...Deliciously creamy. We had this for dinner tonight. Make sure to achieve the right flavour by balancing the amount of cream, egg and salt.


what goes in:

farfalle (or other pasta), 200g
bacon or ham, 7 slices, finely sliced.
frozen petit pois(green peas), 1 1/2 cups
2 eggs
double cream, 200ml
fresh mint leaves
salt
freshly ground pepper
parmesan


1. Boil pasta in water.

2. Whip double cream and eggs (ratio 1 egg: 100ml cream)in a big bowl till smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Stir-fry bacon till its oils are released. Meanwhile add frozen peas to boiling pasta in the last two minutes. Drain and add the lot to the pot of cooked bacon. Immediately pour in cream and egg mixture and stir around to get sauce into pasta. The residual heat from pasta will cook the carbonara sufficiently. DO NOT overcook. Flame should be turned off or on low when cream is added.

4. Serve with chopped mint leaves and parmesan.

Oxtail Soup

Invigorating and comforting....

What goes in:

oxtails
potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
onions, skinned and roughly chopped
celery stalks, roughly chopped
cloves, 3 pcs for one big pot
coriander
freshly ground black pepper


1. Preboil oxtails in a pot of water to remove excess fat and blood.

2. Dump all ingredients (except coriander) into a slow cooker and let simmer for 3 hours.

3. Serve hot with chopped coriander.

Que Pasa Quesadillas with Mango Salsa

"Salsa" (not the dance in this case, but equally reverberatingly "hot") in the Spanish language simply means "sauce". Mango salsa is probably a mexican invention but u could substitute the fruit with another personal fave eg. pineapple.

A versatile, all-savoury yet refreshing dish served at brekkie, lunch or dinner. Generally a hit with both young and old. Enjoy!

U'll need:

tortilla skins (say it aloud now, "TOHR-TEE-YAHH")
a strong cheddar, grated
ham/salami

1. Sandwich ham/salami & cheese with tortilla skins.

2. Grill in a flat pan over low heat till cheese melts. Flip

3. Cut into pieces (like pizza slices)and top with chilled mango salsa.


For the mango salsa:

2 ripe medium mangoes (but not over-ripe as they'll be too soft, slice into cubes(approx. half cm cubes)
half a large white onion, finely diced
one sprig of fresh coriander, washed and finely chopped
3 or 4 chilli padis, seeded and finely chopped
12 small but potent limes, juiced

Mix the above salsa ingredients in a bowl and chill sufficiently.

For best results, serve with some spicy Latin music.

Strawberry Kisses Oatmeal Cookies

I am not a usual fan of strawberry flavours but this recipe combining strawberry choc and oatmeal melts deliciously in the mouth. "Hacer la boca agua"

What goes in:

1/4 C butter
1/2 brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 C milk
1/4 t pure vanilla extract (the real stuff vs vanilla essence)
3/4 C strong flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C raisins
1 C roughly-chopped strawberry chocolate
1/2 C roughly-chopped white chocolate (optional)

C-cup
t-teaspoon

1. Prehaet oven to 175 degrees celsius. Grease cookie sheets.

2. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add egg, beating well, then stir in vanilla and milk. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. Mix well then gradually stir into creamed mixture. Finally, stir in rolled oats, walnuts, raisins, strawberry & white chocs. Drop by rounded spoonfuls unto prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 10-15 min in pre-heated oven.

Mushroom Pepper Steak with Orange-Flavoured Onions

Orange adds a nice twang but not too much of a twang as lemon does.


What goes in:

tenderloin, 5 medium juicy ones
garlic, 5 cloves
portabello mushrooms, 5 large caps, soaked and washed
one large purple onion, sliced into thin rings
one orange, the best u can find
butter
dried myrtle leaves
HP sauce
corainder to garnish
S&P to taste


1. Massage steaks with crushed garlic, freshly-ground pepper, salt, myrtle leaves and a dash of HP sauce. Leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes, overnight if possible. Meats usually taste best when they've been pampered with TLC "spa treatment".

2. Cut some butter onto heated pan/grill. Toss the mushrooms till soft. Add some HP sauce to help them soften. Set aside.

3. Cut butter onto heated pan and toss onion rings till they soften. Add a pinch of salt, dash of pepper and 3 T of freshly squeezed O juice. Set aside.

4 Lay steaks onto heated pan and cook over high heat for one minute or till one side is slightly charred. Turn fillets and heat for 30 seconds till centre of steak is pink.

5. Serve tenderloin with mushrooms and onions. Add garnishing.

TIP: Steak sets off nicely with mashed potatoes.

Bon Bon "Spaghetti" Bolognese

A must-have staple at any restaurant. Someone told me that this should only be served with "angelhair" pasta and nothing else,...no, not even spaghetti. Hmmmm...

What goes in:

evoo
bacon, 5 slices
garlic, 5 cloves
fresh rosemary leaves, 2 stalks
one large white onion
dried oregano leaves, 2 heaped T
minced beef, 450g
sherry cooking wine, half bottle (this makes the difference!)
7 large fresh tomatoes
one fresh chilli, finely chopped OR tobasco sauce
a handful of fresh basil
Parmesan cheese, grated
angelhair pasta

1. Boil angelhair.

2. Heat evoo and add ingredients one by one in the above order (except basil and parmesan). Remember to add ingredients individually to enjoy each layering of aroma. This is an important part of the experiential process for the chef....TAKE IT ALLLL IN....Ahhhhhhh....

3. Once the meat sauce has simmered sufficiently (say about 30-40 mins), ladle some pasta onto a plate, top it with the sauce and throw some basil & parmesan over it. Voila!