Wednesday 29 June 2016

Fried Okra with minced pork



Okra is originally from Africa and known as lady’s fingers in most English-speaking countries.  It is now widely used in cuisines such as Caribbean, Creole, Cajun and Indian. It has long been favored as a food for the health-conscious. It contains potassium, vitamin B, vitamin C, folic acid, and calcium. Also it is low in calories and has high dietary fibre content.  After I bought a pack of salted and crispy okra, I cannot stop eating this healthy “veggie chips” as snack.  I bought a pack of fresh okra yesterday and stir-fry with minced meat.  It tastes so good.  If you are a vegetarian, you can stir-fry it with mushroom.

Ingredients:
l  ½ onion
l  180g minced pork
l  140g okra
l  40g red pepper
l  2 garlic cloves
l  ½L water
l  ½ tbsp oyster sauce

Seasoning:
l  2 tsp soy sauce
l  1tsp sugar
l  ½ tsp corn flour

l  1/8 tsp black pepper

1.
Season minced pork with soy sauce, sugar, corn flour and black pepper.

2.
Boil water in a small saucepan.  Add okra into the boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and cut the okra into pieces.  Set aside.  

3.
Add oil into a pan or wok over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and red pepper into the pan or wok.  Fry for 2 minutes.


4.
Meanwhile, add the minced pork into the pan or wok.  Use a spatula to break the minced pork and stir fry for another 2 minutes.


5.
Reduce heat to medium low; pour water into the pan or wok.  Add the oyster sauce and stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes until the pork is well cooked.

6.
Then add the okra and stir-fry for 2 minutes.  Serve with rice.





Tips:

Avoid cooking okra for too long. Its color will change and become sticky.

Friday 24 June 2016

Chicken with Vermicelli noodle soup

I love summer.  It is the most beautiful season.  It is becoming warm in UK.  The weather is very nice during these two weeks. My family members would like to have a change of appetite.  They like eating some with sweet and sour, some with soup and more cold desserts.   Today I cooked chicken with vermicelli noodle soup using my husband's favorites, like mussel meat and dried shrimps.  He loved it very much.






Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serve: 2

Ingredients:
l  100g chicken breast (shredded)
l  12g dried shrimp (cleaned and soaked in half cup of water for 10 minutes)
l  70g mussel meat
l  130g dried rice vermicelli
l  100g chinese leaf (sliced)
l  1 spring onion (diced)
l  10g Tianjin preserved vegetable (cleaned)
l  6g ginger (shredded)
l  ¼ tsp salt
l  ¼ tsp sesame oil
l  ¼ tsp dried coriander or a handful of fresh coriander
l  6-8 ice cubes
 
Seasoning:
l  ½ tsp fish sauce
l  1 tsp soy sauce
l  1 tsp sugar

Method:
1.
Marinate the chicken with fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar.

2.
Boil 1L of water in a saucepan.  Add the dried rice vermicelli noodles into the boiling water for 3-4 minutes.  Give the noodles a stir to loosen them up for every minute. Stop cooking until tender.  Do not overcook the noodles, otherwise they will become mushy.

3.
Place ice cubes into a bowl of water, add the cooked rice vermicelli noodles.  Stir to loosen them up and let it cool down.  Use a colander to drain them once.  Transfer the noodles to two serving bowls.

4.
Boil 1L of water in a pot over medium heat, add in ginger, Chinese leaf and dried shrimp and boil for 15 minutes.

5.
Reduce heat to medium-low, add mussel meat, chicken and Tianjin preserved vegetables and boil for 5 minutes.

6.
Season with salt and add sesame oil.  To serve, divide the cooked mixture between bowls and scatter over spring onion and coriander.



Tips:
1.
Since this dish is in a soup, add the noodles just before serving.  Monitor closely to make sure they don’t over-cook.
2.
If the noodles will be used in a stir-fry dish, they should be under-cooked a bit. They will absorb the sauce and become more moisture.  Then they will be more tendered in the stir fry. If the noodles are perfectly cooked from the very beginning, they will turn to mush in the stir fry. 
3.
The Tianjin preserved vegetables is quite salty.  It is still a bit salty after cleaning.  Then do not add too much salt into the soup.

嫩雞煨米


近日這兒天氣漸暖,夏天到了。家人提議吃點較爽口的東西,來轉一轉口味。前天買了一個來自西班牙的西瓜,不是很大像一個西瓜波,但爽兼甜,非常有口感。今天煮了嫩雞煨米,過了冷河的米粉份外爽口,配上蜆肉、雞肉、冬菜和蝦米,各人讚不絕口!




準備時間:15分鐘
烹調時間:20分鐘
份量:2

材料:
l  雞肉100g
l  蝦米12g
l  蜆肉70g
l  乾米粉130g
l  紹菜100g
l  1
l  天津冬菜10g
l  6g
l  鹽¼茶匙
l  麻油¼茶匙
l  乾芫荽¼茶匙 (可用新鮮芫荽 / 可删減)

醃料
l  魚露 ½茶匙
l  生抽1tsp
l  1tsp

做法:

1.
用魚露、生抽和糖醃雞肉。

2.
1公升熱水將乾米粉泡約 3-4 分鐘至軟熟。泡米粉時要用筷子將米粉弄開,避免米粉粘在一起。注意切記將米粉煮至過熟。

3.
準備一大碗凍白開水,放入冰塊6-8粒,將已泡熟的米粉放入冰水內過冷河。用漏鍋或過濾器將已米粉瀝乾,平均放置在兩個湯碗內備用。

4.
用中火煲滾1公升水,加入薑、紹菜和蝦米煲約15分鐘。

5.
將火調至中細火,加入蜆肉、雞肉和冬菜再煲5分鐘。







6.
放入鹽調味,再加入葱、麻油和芫荽。將已煮好的湯料淋在米粉上即可。

Sunday 19 June 2016

Pineapple Fried Rice

Today is Father's Day.  My dad loves pineapple very much.  He always buys and eats pineapple.  He likes using pineapple to make desserts and main dishes.  He loves cooking pineapple fried rice to celebrate his birthday and Christmas. "My dearest dad, I miss you very much.  Happy Father's Day!"




Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serve: 2

Ingredients:
l  Leftover rice 2 bowls
l  90g pineapple (diced)
l  1 egg (beaten)
l  2 tbsp fish sauce
l  2 tbsp vegetable oil
l  ¼ tsp salt
l  8 shrimps (peeled and deveined)
l  120g mixed pepper 
l  150g chicken breast (diced)
l  1 chicken sausage (sliced)
l  2 tsp spring onion (finely chopped)
l  1 tsp ginger (grated)
l  2 tsp garlic (finely chopped)
l  3 tsp shallot (finely chopped)
l  2 tsp turmeric powder

Seasoning:
Chicken:
Shrimp:
l  2 tsp soy sauce
l  ½tsp fish sauce
l  1 tsp sugar
l  A pinch of salt
l  ½ tsp sesame oil
l  A pinch of black pepper
l  A pinch of black pepper


Method:
1.
Season the chicken with soy sauce, sugar, black pepper and sesame oil.

2.
Season the shrimp with fish sauce and black pepper.

3.
Add salt into egg and beat it with a fork. Heat the pan over low heat, then add ¼tsp oil, pour the egg mixture into the pan.  Cook first side and then flip and cook other side until it is done.  Let it cool down and cut into small pieces.

4.
Heat pan on medium, add ¼tsp oil, add the shallot, shrimp and spring onion to stir-fry until the shrimp is done.  Set aside.

5.
Heat pan on medium heat, add ½tsp oil, add garlic and chicken until well cooked .

6.
Heat pan on medium heat, add ½tsp oil, garlic, shallot and cook the mixed pepper and chicken sausage for 3 minutes.  Set aside.

7.
Add oil into a non-stick wok over medium-high heat, add the leftover rice and stir-fry for 3 minutes.  Add turmeric powder, fish sauce and salt into the rice, mix well and fry for 2 minutes.



8.
Put back the cooked chicken, shrimp, mixed pepper, sausage, egg and pineapple into the rice.  Stir-fry for another 2 minutes.




Tips:
1.
Fried rice is best made with leftover rice which had been refrigerated. 
2.
For better results, it would be better to cook the ingredients well before mixing with the leftover rice.  Do not press the rice when stir-fly, otherwise it would be very sticky.
3.
Remember to taste before serve.  In general, more oil is to be used in fried rice recipes.  As this is a healthy version, less oil is suggested to be used. 
4.
Turmeric powder is optional to be used.

菠蘿炒飯

今天是父親節,記起老爸非常喜愛吃菠蘿。每次菠蘿熟成季節,他都每隔幾天買一個回家,吃得津津有味。他最愛吃浸過鹽水已經急凍切片的菠蘿當我們年幼時,每逢我們生日或聖誕節,他愛弄菠蘿腸仔和菠蘿炒飯以示慶祝。



準備時間:20分鐘
烹調時間:25分鐘
份量:2



材料:
l  隔夜白飯2 (用筷子或义將飯弄散)
l  菠蘿 90g (切粒)
l  雞蛋 1
l  魚露 2湯匙
l  菜油2湯匙
l  鹽¼茶匙
l  8(已去殼挑腸)
l  紅椒40g, 青椒40g, 橙椒40g
l  雞肉150g (切粒)
l  雞肉腸1 (切薄片)
l  葱蓉2茶匙
l  薑蓉1茶匙
l  蒜蓉2茶匙
l  紅葱蓉3茶匙
l  黃薑粉2茶匙

醃料
雞肉:
蝦:
生抽2茶匙
魚露½茶匙
1茶匙
黑胡椒粉少許
麻油½茶匙
鹽少許
胡椒粉少許




做法:

1.
用生抽、糖、胡椒粉和麻油醃雞肉。

2.
魚露椒粉和醃蝦肉。

3.

將少許鹽加入雞蛋,用义拌勻。加入¼茶匙菜油入鑊煎蛋皮,切碎備用。
4.
以中火加¼茶匙菜油入鑊,放入1茶匙紅葱蓉、葱蓉將蝦爆香煮熟,盛起備用。

5.
以中火加入¼茶匙菜油入鑊,放入蒜蓉1茶匙和雞肉,炒至雞肉全熟,盛起備用
6.
以中火加入¼茶匙菜油入鑊,放入薑蓉、蒜蓉和紅葱蓉炒香,再加入紅椒、青椒、橙椒和肉腸炒2分鐘,盛起備用。
7.
以中火加入剩餘菜油入鑊,放入隔夜飯後炒3分鐘。再加入黃薑粉、魚露和勻再炒2分鐘。

8.
菠蘿、碎蛋、雞肉、蝦仁、紅椒、青椒、橙椒和肉腸加入,用鑊鏟撥鬆白飯和材料兜勻即可。






温馨提示:
1.
炒飯用的白飯是隔夜飯。應在炒前的一天將飯煮好,放在雪櫃中一晚以便乾身。
2.
把全部材料先各自炒好,才與白飯同炒。
3.
由於個人偏喜吃清淡,盡量少油和少鹽。*記緊試味,加減鹽油量。
4.
如果不喜歡黄薑粉可以不用,炒飯材料可隨個人喜好添加