Asian Style Cooking for the Weekend

Sweet and Sour is not something I generally order when I go out to eat, but I figured that by making it at home, I could control the tastes. And I was right.

This quick and easy to follow recipe is definitely a WINNER

What's Needed

1 cup long grain rice (I used tastic)

1 Tablespoon cornstarch (Maizena)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup white vinegar

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

about 500 grams boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces

2 peppers (any colour), seeded and diced

½ pound green beans, trimmed and halved

5 spring onions thinly sliced

1 tsp ginger (or you can use a piece of fresh minced ginger)

3 garlic cloves, minced (or u can use a tsp or 2 of chopped garlic)

2 Tablespoons roasted peanuts (almonds or pecan nuts)

And Then

1.                  Cook rice according to packet instructions and set aside

2.                  In small bowl, whisk together Maizena, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar and set aside

3.                  In a large wok, heat some oil on high heat. I like my oil to just start smoking a bit then I know that its really hot. Add the cubed chicken, peppers and green beans and cook. Make sure to stir so that it doesnt stick/burn. Once the veggies have softened, add the ginger and garlic and cook.

4.                  Keep stirring until the chicken has cooked through. (between 5 and and 10 minutes?)

5.                  Whisk the soy sauce combo again and add to wok. Stir frequently until the sauce has thickened. This step should not take long – about 3 minutes of stirring.

6.                  Remove from the heat and prepare to serve.

 

Serve on bed of rice and garnish with nuts. T doesn't like nuts so I saved the roasted goodies for my own dish. The dish is just as good sans nuts.

Some side notes:

• The sweet and sour flavours in this dish are subtle, but just enough to excite the taste buds
• Add mushrooms instead of chicken for a vegetarian option
• A nutritious meal that's easy to prepare
• For a healthier option, add less brown sugar and use brown rice instead of white

 Feel free to have more than one helping :)

I'm writing exams in the next week and doubt that I will be trying anything new...the dubious take outs and late night popcorn snacks with coffee are what will sustain me until the dreaded papers are over....It's just one week ;) I shall be back soon ;). Have a fab weekend and week everyone *chest bump*

Hearty Beef Stew served with Sweet Roasted Butternut

What better way to fill your tummy with a healthy hearty stew. Though this dish may take some time to make (read a lot of time) it is well worth the wait. 

We (I say we because in actual fact, T made this meal and I was there for picture taking and moral support) made this on one of our days off last week (we were both on leave for a week – more on that in another post wink wink). 

To get the best results, make this dish when you are sure have at least 2hours to spare OR if you are blessed with a slow cooker, you can throw it together before you leave for work and leave it on all day ;)

700g stewing beef

1 onion

1tbsp sunflower oil

¼ tsp chopped garlic

½ tsp thyme

1 ½ tsp steak and chops spice

1 bay leaf

1 can chopped tomato

3 medium sized carrots (roughly chopped)

2 potatoes (although we used more because its my thing – we used 5)

1 cup beef stock

salt and pepper to taste

Slice onions and brown over medium heat.

Add meat to pot and brown with onions (you can coat meat in flour prior to adding it to the pot to help thicken the sauce.)

Preheat oven to 180° C
Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf and steak and chops spice to meat and onion mix. Cook for 2 minutes until garlic has cooked.

Add tomatoes, stock, potatoes and carrots and bring to the boil.

Place pot (lid on) in oven and cook for 2-2 ½ hours.

If you're at home making this dish, stir the pot every 45 minutes and add water as needed.

For last ½ hour of cooking, remove the lid from the pot to help thicken the stew.

Butternut

2 medium sized butternut

Preheat oven to 180°C

Chop butternut in half (lengthways) and remove seeds – you should have 4 pieces of butternut.

Place butternut in baking tray and bake for an hour or until soft.

I chose not to add any sugar to the butternut as I'm trying to keep the calories down. If you would really prefer additional sweetener, drizzle some honey on the pumpkin.

To serve

Use a fork to fluff up the butternut while still in its casing. Take care not to tear to the butternut skin as this makes for a better display :)

Place stew on top of fluffed up butternut and serve!

Enjoy!

Going the extra mile to plate the food well will be appreciated by your guests/family/better half/friend whoever you choose to share this meal with. And trust me, US, this meal is DEFINITELY worth sharing. 

"Hanging-onto-the-last-few-days-of-Winter" Mushroom Soup

I really am hanging onto the last few days of winter. Everytime I look at a social network or look at the ads on tv, it seems as though everyone everywhere is wishing away winter. I, unlike the majority, am in love with winter so will relish in these last few days. 

Soup is definitely synonymous with winter and I LOVE mushrooms so why not make mushroom soup. As much as I love mushrooms, I have never made mushroom soup, until tonight that is :)

This is a very easy recipe to follow and if you chop onions and mushrooms really fast, you can have the meal done in 30 minutes :)

This meal serves 2 people. Perfect in my household because its just myself and the love of my life :)

What's Needed

Olive Oil (EVOO)

½ small onion chopped finely

2tsp crushed garlic

2 trays of mushrooms (500g), sliced

3 tsp thyme (I used Robertsons)

1/2 white wine

¼ cup cream* Optional

2-3 cups chicken or vegetable stock. I made use of the woolworths powdered stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic Bread, Olive Loaf, Plain Toasted Baguettes

How To

Heat a “glug” of oil – think a tablespoon

Add chopped onions and fry until soft and clear (this requires a low heat)

Add garlic and gently fry until fragrant (or slightly brown but not burned)

Remove from pan and set aside.

Add chopped mushrooms to same pan that you used to fry the onions and garlic in.

Fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Feel free to add a little more oil here if the mushrooms are sticking. High heat is needed for this.

Reduce the heat and add the onion and garlic mix to the mushrooms.4

Add thyme and wine.

Let the wine mix reduce a bit...you want the alcohol to essentially cook out but you do not want the mix to be dry. Remember this is soup you're making.

Add the chicken or veg stock and allow to simmer for 5/10 minutes.

Remove about 2 tablespoons from mix and set aside while you blend the soup mixture. Add the cream at this stage if you are including it.

When you're done blending the mix, return the mushrooms to the pot and allow to heat for a few minutes. 

Serve with garlic bread, olive ciabatta or plain toasted baguettes. 

Enjoy!

Needless to say, I really enjoyed my meal, along with the warmth that came from my heater AND my hot water bottle!

Little secret: I ate about 5 pieces of garlic bread while taking pics..I'll work on my nutritional value tomorrow :)

Dinner for 2 to the power of 2.

P squared – Prego and Potatoe

T has been working late lately and when this happens, I somehow lose my lustre for exotic cooking, Not wanting to starve myself or constantly eat take-away's, I opted to make something simple, quick yet still tasty – I call it p-squared :)

Side note: I always opt to cook the starch first, as it takes longer to make than the Pregos *however* because Pregos take long to marinate, they appear first in this recipe list. 

 Pregos

2 cups of white wine

5 minute steaks (I bought mine from Pick n Pay)

1 generous spoon of garlic( less if you're not a fan of garlic)

A good pinch of salt

1 tsp meat tenderiser

Drizzle of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) (Think Jamie Oliver drizzle)

Method:

Place steaks in glass bowl and smother in wine, spice, salt and garlic. Allow to marinate for a few hours, The longer the better. You could marinate the night before you intend to cook it. Or throw it together before you leave for work in the am – bottom line is the longer it marinates, the better it will turn out :)

Gently fry the steaks in a hot pan that's been drizzled with EVOO.

Add some of the marinade to the pan while steaks are frying. They don't need to fry for more than approx 5 minutes (these steaks are very thin)

Potatoe Bake

6 medium sized potatoes (I used 7 for good measure :))

400ml cold milk

Royco spring onion potatoe bake mix (Yes I know foodies reading this are probably frowning upon this as some see it as cheating – yes I cheated this one time :))

3 sprigs spring onion – chopped (Optional)

Cayenne pepper (Optional)

Generous Splash of Cream (Optional)

Slice the potatoes into thin slices and layer in oven proof dish.

If you're adding spring onions, add them now by sprinkling over the potatoes

Mix Royco mix according to packet instructions and pour over the potatoe bake. (If you're adding cream, mix it into the Royco mix or pour a generous amount over the potatoes)

If using Cayenne Pepper, add some now before putting dish in oven.

Bake at 180 degrees celcius for an hour.

When complete, add some grated cheddar to the dish and grill for few minutes until cheese reaches desired “golden brown” colour. I like the taste of slightly overcooked cheese so usually leave it in for quite a few minutes.

Serve with some veggies or salad. Lick yo lips!! :)

It's 10:06 and T is still not home. So glad I've already had dinner :)

This post was written the other day! Thankfully today is FRIDAYand I am looking forward to lots of QT with him yayyyy :) :) 

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! 

PS: It's even better to make this over the weekend because you marinate them tonight and cook them tomorrow later afternoon....juicy! Lick yo lips :)
 

What comes from a cow....

.....MILK TART :) :) :)

I generally enjoy eating Milk Tart but have never atually gone to the store to buy one (which reminds me - Woolies now sell Milk Tarts - I haven't tried them yet - let me know what they're like ;))

Anyway back to the matter at hand...I made my own Milk Tart or Melk Tart (is it tart or tert)!!! I got the recipe from a colleague at work, who I think got the recipe from The Hulletts website? Took about half an hour to make? No baking is needed for this tart (I laugh eveytime I say that - TART haha)

Considering it was made so quickly, it was really tasty - REALLY TASTY :) Soft, smooth and creamy like milk tart should be :)

Crumb crust made with 1 packet of crushed Tennis biscuits and 125g butter, melted.

FILLING:
500ml (2 cups) milk
Piece of cinnamon stick
60 - 100ml Huletts White Sugar, depending on personal taste
2 eggs
45ml (3 Tablespoons) cornflour
45ml (3 Tablespoons) flour
3ml (½ teaspoon) vanilla essence
30ml (2 Tablespoons) butter
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

The really good part

1. Heat the milk with the piece of stick cinnamon to just under boiling point. - I used two cinnamon sticks
   
2. Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs with the sugar, then add the cornflour and flour. - with an electric beater
   
3. Pour the hot milk onto this mixture, stirring rapidly. Return the mixture to the heat and cook, stirring till the mixture becomes very thick. Thorough stirring is important to prevent the mixture from catching on the bottom of the pan, and to prevent lumps.
4. Off the heat, add the essence and add the butter. Stir well till the butter is melted.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tart crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

{SIDE NOTES}

Soo, the recipe didn't say anything about greasing your pie dish before placing the tenis biscuits in the dish?? Guess that's common sense though? Well last night, I lacked that common sense and I struggled to get the base (of the tart) out of the dish this am! haha

Mixing the actual tart mixture - U need strong arms and quick movement to make sure that the mixture doesn't stick to the base of your pan OR get lumpy. Next time I make this tart, I will have my blender whisk close by - less of a workout :)

Enjoy! And let me know how your turns out...