Sweet Chilli BBQ Beef on Noodles

Inspired by a recent trip to a “Every Asian cuisine under the same roof” restaurant, I decided to give this simple dish ago. It was supposed to be a Vietnamese sort of dish, but this recipe was wayyy too far from the original to be categorized into Vietnamese food. Still, it was good fun experimenting with sauces and frying the beef on my grill pan.

I used noodles that resembled pad thai-mainly because that was what I have in hand. What I like about this grilled beef is that the sauce went really well with the noodles-almost like a gravy style noodle dish rather than a stir fry or soup.

Will I give it a go again? Certainly! Maybe even with chicken or seafood!

Sweet Chilli BBQ Beef on Noodles
300 grams of lean beef (or heart smart steaks)
sea salt

1 red onion
2 generous tablespoons of sweet chili
1 tsp of fish sauce
2 tsp of sesame oil

Flat noodles blanched
bean sprouts blanched
1/4 cup of cashews

1) Season beef with sea salt liberally. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Cut it in cubes (This will help tenderise the beef). Marinate with sauces.

2) Cut red onion up. Heat up grill pan and grill onions. When pan is really hot, stir fry beef! Add some stock if needed to create gravy.

3) Serve mixture on top of noodles. Sprinkle cashews on it.

I’m dishing this out on Presto Pasta! Founded by Ruth from Once Upon a Feast. This week, it is hosted by Food Hunter’s guide to cuisine.

Tofu Mushroom Stir Fry

My favourite food these day consists of one pot meals. Anything that can be stir fry is added into my shopping trolley.

I’m also a big fan of tofu. It’s a substantial additional to a meal. Not to mention, the protein that goes with it.

For this particular dinner, I chose to pan fried few pieces of tofu cut into small cubs. Upon draining them with papertowels, I stir fry chilli, garlic shoots, mushrooms and prawns. The result was a comforting satisfying dinner…that didnt take long to wash up!

Tofu Mushrooms Stir Fry
2 cubs of tofu blocks cut into smaller pieces.
oil for frying

1 cup of small prawns
1 tsp of garlic
1 small chili chopped
1 bunch of garlic shoots-chopped into bite size
2 cups of chopped mushrooms

Seasoning
2-3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2-3 tablespoons of water
salt,
1 tsp of sugar
pepper

1) Heat oil in pan and fry tofu till brown. Drain on paper towels.

2) Heat 1 tsp of oil and fry chili and garlic. Quickly add the prawns and cook till nearly done. Fry up the garlic shoots and mushrooms. Add tofu last. Add seasoning and simmer for a few minutes.

3) Serve with hot rice

Char Siew Bao

Since getting a bread maker, my mind wanders to all the possibilities one can do with it. One of life little luxuries is to wake up to the scent of fresh bread…but given it makes dough, I begin to explore the option of making other dough food items with it as well.

My first attempt outside of break making is BAO- or a chinese dough wrapped around some filling. With my grandmother here a couple of weeks ago, we began a grand-daughter and grandma project- Char Siew Bao making!

She of course, decided to go with cooking the filling. First we bought some char siew, and she choppped it up into small pieces, frying it with some oyster sauce and sugar.

On my part, I followed instructions from my Christmas present… a book titled “Food around the world”.

And of course, in true blue Daphne fashion, things went wrong.

1) I added too much yeast. And our bao dough BALLONED into a HUGE mess! U should see the bread machine!

2) I did not add enough salt.. Yup! The dough was a little tasteless.

Nevertheless, my grandmother was braved enough to take a few bites..and then say…

“Not bad! The filling is good!”

DOH!

Tomato Spinach Basil Pinenut Fettuccine

There are nights when I just want a simple clean tasting dish. Tomato Spinach Basil Pine Nut Fettuccine was inspired by my recent trip to the in Singapore. The combination of fresh tomatoes and olive oil motivated me to create a simple tasting dish at home.

I like nuts in my pasta. It just create this additional crunch factor. This time though, I chose to use pinenuts-just a light nutty taste.

Tomato Spinach Basil Pine Nut Fettuccine
2-3 fresh vine tomatoes chopped
1 cup of baby spinach leaves
4-5 basil leaves
1/4 cup of good olive oil
1 few tablespoons of toasted pinenuts.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the tomatoes till it releases the flavour. Toss pasta, spinach leaves through. Add basil leaves last. Season. Toss pinenuts through. Serve with cracked pepper.

Dishing this up to Pasta Presto Nights founded by Ruth from Once Upon a Feast. This week, Niffy from Noobcook is hosting!

White Choc Mud Cake with Dark Choc Frosting

I have a friend who dislikes dark/milk chocolate. I know. How can it be right? One thing though is that she eats white chocolate (which really isn’t chocolate at all…). When we gather together recently, I decided to bake a cake that incorporate our likes and dislikes.

White Chocolate Mud cake with Dark Choc Frosting. Good compromise hey? This recipes comes from Donna Hay-and Bless her heart, she comes up with the most amazing stuff that is easy to do as well. It is a melt and mix recipe. Quick measurements, fold the ingredients, spoon into prepared pan, put it in a preheated oven and viola…cake appears.

It was a moist cake and the dark chocolate frosting certainly adds to the flavor. To me anyway. She scraped the dark choc frosting off.

White Chocolate Mud Cake with Dark Choc Frosting
185 grms butter
1 cup milk
1.5 cups of caster sugar
160 grams white choc
2 cups of plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

1) Preheat Oven to 160C. Place butter, milk, sugar and choc in low heat and stir till melted and smooth.

2) Line 9inch cake tin.

3) Place flour n baking powder in a bowl. Whisk egg with vanilla. Add in chocolate mixture and egg mixture slowly to the batter. Fold till smooth. Pour mixture into tin. Bake for 50 mins.

4) Cool. Spread cool cake with choc frosting.

Choc Frosting
Melt 150grams of dark choc with 1/2 cup of cream. Keep stirring over low heat. Allow mixture to stand for 10 mins till it thickens. Pour glaze over cooled cake.

Coffee and Fruit Walnut Loaf

Another long over due post but here is introducing you a new gadet that has appeared in my kitchen!

A BRAND new bread maker!

YEAH!

AR gave me 5 presents for Christmas..Very generous huh..They are

1) a new bread maker
2) 1 packet of Coffee and Fruit Walnut Loaf bread mix
3) 1 packet of Tuscany Tomato bread loaf mix
4) 1 bottle of yeast (yup, he wrapped that one up too!)
5) Bread slicer (not a real bread slicer, just something that keep your bread in place when you slice it)

AND that loaf is the first loaf of bread that was baked. YEAH!

Not much of a recipe but I added extra coffee into the mix, extra fruits and walnuts as well.

This bread maker + pre packed flour made it sooo easy to bake a loaf of bread. Just measure, preset and wait!

Woohoo! FRESH BREAD in the kitchen. hehehe.

Honey Roasted Pumkin Ravioli

It is horrifying to learn about the Victorian Bush Fire tragedy. Day after day, as I switch on the telly, I cannot help but feel the sense of sadness when I hear those awful stories… imagine losing our home, our memories..and all those items that has a sentimental value attached to it. Just watching the fire on telly makes me feel sick. Families crying as they found out about the death of their loved ones. No words can ever describe the horror. The nation is horrified as well.

As an appeal, do consider giving generously via the Red Cross Victorian Bush Fire Appeal. Every penny helps.
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I would also like to dedicate this post to Presto Pasta Nights #100! Goodness! Has it been #100 already? Wow! That is still my favourite event and what a joy for Ruth to have seen #10o weeks of pasta!

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli
1 packet of Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Ravioli (250 grams)
1 butternut pumkin
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp of chilli

100 grams of baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup of Pepita seeds
1/4 cup of olive oil

1) Toss cubed pumpkin with olive oil, chili and honey. Roast 200C for around 35 mins.

2) Cook pasta in boiling water till done. Drain.

3) Heat olive oil up in a pan and saute pasta in it. Add pasta and spinach leaves and toss well. Sprinkle toasted Pepitas and toss it again. Serve with freshly grounded black pepper.

Sharing this with my friends at Pasta Presto Nights hosted by Ruth from Once Upon A Feast.

A Simple Beef Burger

I have always wondered why burgers at Fast Food chains are so popular. When I was in their trap previously, I like the juicy, fatty quick fix…but now, I just can’t stomach the oil from burgers in Fast food joints any longer..

and GASP..I have sort of become a fast food snob.

Not that I’m turning my back against them, I have my rare occasion Golden arch lean beef burger and just couldn’t resist that ONE more fry that magically appear in front of me. But overall, most people would say that their burgers aren’t always the best.

Not that mine is that great either. I just somehow feel better chewing a burger that I know exactly what goes in there.

A Simple Beef Burger (for 4)
300 grams lean beef mince
1/2 red onion chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 chilli finely chopped
2 tsp of corn flour
1 egg
1 tsp of chilli powder
1 tsp of cumin
1/2 cup of spicy bread crumbs
1 tsp of mixed spice
seasoning.

1) Marinate lean beef mince with everything listed. Shape into patties and fry it (no oil).

2) Cut a bread roll into half and toast it. Assemble with your favourite real cheddar cheese (not the fake kraft type!) and tomato sauce. Serve with salad and potato wedges.

Seafood Omelette

Amazingly, I saved this post since the 1st of Dec 08! Still, eggs never go out of fashion right?

Life has been pretty exciting recently. With our pre wedding photoshoots, visits to our parents and detail planning, we realize that we have 82 days before the big day. That’s scarily…short!

So what has been on our dinning table? Simple food. Too simple. Like this dish for instance, I made a similar version for lunch on Sunday. If you ask me, eggs are probably one of the most versatile ingredient ever. You can make it as a side dish, breakfast dish, expensive looking (think hotel…) or a cheap looking one (hawker centre 1 fried egg please!).

I thought of making this as I had bits and piecs of seafood left in the freezer. You know the drill, the 1/4 packet of squid, handful of prawns…what can one do with it? So I saute it with some butter and garlic..and used them in an omelette!

I have to admit, I’m still mastering the skills of making a good Omelette-this one was a tad dry if I recall correctly. But then it just gives me the reasons to keep on practicing.

Seafood Omelette
mixed seafood of your choice
garlic
1/2 tablespoon of butter/spread

4 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
seasoning

1) Saute Seafood. Set aside.

2) Whisk eggs with milk till well combine. Heat pan with butter. Add eggs mixture when butter has melted. Cook covered for around 3-4 minutes. Add seafood and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Try to flip it..or if you are like me… make a mess out of it and serve it rustic. LOL