Mongolian Beef

Sorry for my lack of action in the past few weeks. Been super duper busy with work and study and haven't had time to do anything. I leave home in the morning and only come home to sleep and do the same cycle the next day. do forgive me. The story behind this was that I was craving some Asian food and didn't have enough money to go get take out so I decided to make some at home with ingredients I had lying around. Anyway, this recipe is a mix between a Mongolian beef and a beef in oyster sauce, because I'm an oyster sauce addict and thought it would taste better with some oyster goodness. Either way, it's yummy.

Your challenge: Mongolian beef to go head over heals.

Ready --- Steady --- Cook!

Mongolian Beef

(Serves 4) 

Ingredients

300g Beef tenderloin, thinly sliced against the grain

1 Red bell pepper, sliced 

2 Green onion, sliced 

2 Bunches of Bok Choy, cut

50g Cornflour

2 Cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ginger, grated
1 Teaspoon chilli flakes
1 Tablespoon Corriander, chopped 

4 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons oyster sauce

3 Tablespoons agave nectar (or sugar)

3 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry or any red wine

3 Tablespoons water

1-2 Tablespoons oil for the pan

Method:  

1. Stir together soy sauce, agave nectar/sugar, water, and Chinese rice wine/dry sherry. Set aside. 

2. coat the beef in cornflour

3. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Make sure the oil completely coats the bottom of the pan. Add the beef and quickly sauté until lightly browned.

 

4. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for a few seconds. 

5. Add onions, bell peppers, bok choy and cook.

6. Add the sauce from step 1. The sauce should quickly come to a boil. Lower the heat a bit and allow it to bubble. Keep stirring. Reduce until it becomes thicker and glazes the beef. It should happen very quickly, within minutes. 

serve with steamed rice

Note: The corn starch helps to brown the beef and thicken the sauce once the sauce is added to the pan. 


Challenge Accepted ??? 

Enjoy!

Tosakanth 

Tomato, Basil & Cheese Soup

Last day of Week 2 (Soup and Fruit Week) and I stumbled across this recipe for a Tomato, Basil & Cheddar soup. It looked tempting and since I had most of the ingredients at home, decided to add my own Thai twist to it by adding coconut milk and chilli powder. I tastes great. A very nice vegetable soup for a quiet spring Sunday night. Wish I had some bread rolls and butter on the side. sigh.

Your Challenge: A Thai-ish soup to soothe your lazy Sunday moods.

Ready ---  Steady --- Cook

Tomato, Basil & Cheese Soup

(Makes 4 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tomatoes, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp olive oil 

1.5 cups of vegetable broth
1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1/3 coconut milk

1/2cup cheddar cheese or mozzarella, grated
1/2 cup basil, chopped, loosely packed
2 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon sugar 

2 teaspoons corn flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Boiled Chicken pieces (optional) 

METHOD: 

1. Over medium heat, add the olive oil to a large pot. Add the chopped onion and allow to cook until tender, about three to four minutes. 

2. Add in chopped garlic and cook for an additional two minutes.

3. Put the tomato, vegetable stock and Coconut milk.

4. Stir in the basil, oregano, sugar, corn flour, salt and pepper.

5. Place the lid back onto the pot and allow to simmer ten minutes. 

6. At the end, stir in the Greek yogurt and cheddar cheese until well blended. 

Note: Use either a blender or food processor to puree the soup if you prefer a smooth texture. Garnish with chopped basil and grated cheddar cheese if desired.

Challenge Accepted?

 
Enjoy!

Tosakanth

Chili Chicken

Back in 2008 my sister cooked this amazing Chili Chicken and Sticky Rice for my mom and I when we went to visit her in the UK. It was out of this world. super spicy and super awesome. I've been telling her to recreate that for years now but she has never been able to get it right. When they came to visit me in June 2012, she tried making it but wasn't as good because she made it a curry instead of a dry Devilled Chili Chicken. Yesterday, I was craving some super yummy chicken and also my food stock for the week had finished so I decided to try whipping up this amazing Chili Chicken. I must say that it turned out really really really well. A pretty close match to my sister's one. 

Your Challenge: Cook some Chicken in your kitchen!

Ready --- Steady --- Cook

Chili Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

300g Chicken (roughly 3-4 thighs)

1 Onion (sliced)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

3 tbs Chili Paste 

2 tbs Sugar

3 tbs Sweet Chili Sauce

3 tbs Cooking Oil

Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil, add the garlic and onions and temper until onions are soft or brown and set aside.

2. Add the chicken to the pan with some oil and cook for 10 mins or until chicken is cooked.

3. Add the onions to the chicken and mix well

4. add the chili paste, sweet chili sauce and sugar and mix well.

5. add salt if needed

6. taste and adjust spicy-ness to taste.. if too spicy add more sugar, if you want it to be dynamite add more chili paste or dry chili pieces

Note: You can buy Chili Paste in any Asian shop or Supermarket. It's generally made with garlic, shallots, Thai dried chili peppers, tamarind, shrimp paste and palm sugar. Alternatively, if you want to go totally home-made, here's a thai chili paste recipe or the best one to use is this dynamite recipe.
You could also add some broccoli and red bell peppers to the chicken to make it extra Thai like.

Challenge Accepted ???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth