This is one dish I always love growning up. Here I cut up a small chicken, browned it a little with a little ginger and garlic, then stewed it for about half an hour with xiaoshing wine, dark and light soy sauce, and a little water, salt and sugar.
Sometime I leave it sauce but this time, when it is almost done I started to boil away most of the sauce to make a thick coating sauce. Because it is cooked in skin and with bones, the reduced sauce is very sticky already and need no extra thickening. Very simple to make and so very tasty.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Fun Snack
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Pop-The-Losing-Rose-Over Pudding
Since my last attempt at Yorkshire pudding was not entirely successful, I am making this again, in a muffin pan this time. Exactly the same batter but I had no more beef fat so I used something healthier--grapeseed oil. Without the beef dripping, these are more popover than Yorkshire puddings, if you insist on making a distinction. In any case, they are crispy on the outside and creamy in the inside. Wonderful!
Put them together this way, it is just like they are being served in an old pub.
Put them together this way, it is just like they are being served in an old pub.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Yorkshire Pudding by Request
A friend of mine told me about her visit to the old GB and how she enjoyed Yorkshire pudding. She asked me to show her how the pudding is made here. So, here is my attempt.
First, of course, roast the beef. I brown the meat first after salt and peppering the rib cut. I got it to 145℉ in a 400℉ convected oven. This is not how people usually like to do it, the oven is a little too hot, they say. I like the crispy bits so I cook it this way.
After the roast is done, there is fat in the pan. And the brown things are great for the sauce. But the thing this time is the pudding so I used it all in the pudding.
I also got these wild chanterelles and they go well with the beef. I toss them with some of the beef fat and roasted them.
Back to the pudding, the batter, made of ¾ cup of flour, an egg, ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of water and a little salt. The steam from the liquid in the hot oven will puff it. I just poured the batter into the roasting pan and put it back into the 425℉ oven.
This is how it came out of the oven. I realized I didn't have enough batter to make it look proper but it still puffed. Unfortunately it collapsed into pancakes.
The beef cut up very nicely.
And the final ensemble. Really good eatin'! And the Yorkshire pancakes are really really good too.
First, of course, roast the beef. I brown the meat first after salt and peppering the rib cut. I got it to 145℉ in a 400℉ convected oven. This is not how people usually like to do it, the oven is a little too hot, they say. I like the crispy bits so I cook it this way.
After the roast is done, there is fat in the pan. And the brown things are great for the sauce. But the thing this time is the pudding so I used it all in the pudding.
I also got these wild chanterelles and they go well with the beef. I toss them with some of the beef fat and roasted them.
Back to the pudding, the batter, made of ¾ cup of flour, an egg, ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of water and a little salt. The steam from the liquid in the hot oven will puff it. I just poured the batter into the roasting pan and put it back into the 425℉ oven.
This is how it came out of the oven. I realized I didn't have enough batter to make it look proper but it still puffed. Unfortunately it collapsed into pancakes.
The beef cut up very nicely.
And the final ensemble. Really good eatin'! And the Yorkshire pancakes are really really good too.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Shanks and Tendons
This is one of the all time favorites with Cantonese: stewed beef tendons and beef shanks. This is the small shank meat and "double" tendons. It is cooked in a pressure cooker with dark and light soy sauce, rock sugar, Chinese cinnamon, star anise, sichuan pepper, ginger, rose cooking liquor, yellow wine, and water (okay, my spicing is not exactly classically Cantonese). Perfect for the pressure cooker, done in an hour. The tendons are creamy and the meat soft and smooth. Looks good in the clay pot too.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Repackaging
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Eel
One of my all time favorite dish is the stir fry eel from Shanghai area. I found these precut 'yellow' eel in frozen packages. I figured this would take the difficult part--prepping the eel--out of the recipe, so I decided to try to make it myself. The first attempt is not entirely successful. I turn the stove off accidentally when I need the heat the most and I should have used lard and dark soy sauce instead of peanut oil and light soy sauce. It is very eatable but not quite the way it should be. Need work.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Pork Chops
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Serving
Friday, October 20, 2006
Stew Ham Hock
This is a favorite cut, particularly cooked this way. It is cooked in a pressure cooker with ginger, star anise, dark and light soy sauces, dark raw sugar, rock sugar and water. A lot of people think this is a very fatty dish, and it does taste that way. It is, however, not very fatty at all. The mouth feel is mostly due to the creamy connective tissues so abundant here. After cooking for a long time, it has the most decadent texture. I felt asleep and cooked this for too long. As you can see here, it is not dry at all but soft and creamy, just falling apart a little bit. Lovely as can be.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Importance of the Noodles
I have made this a hundred times, just some mao gua, some dry shrimp, a slice of ginger, some stock and a couple pieces of meng bean noodles. This time, unfortunately, didn't turn out very well. The problem is the a new brand of noodles and it is not good, starchy; and it just about kill the dish, still eatable but not too enjoyable. Why did I take the 50 cents sale?!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Wired Grill
Cast Iron Grill
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Cleanup Meal
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
One Pot
Monday, October 09, 2006
Lamb Shoulder
Most people like roast lamb. Racks are great and my dad likes to say mine is better than anyone else's, well he is just use to eating mine. Leg are comforting, it is the holiday cut, family and friends. Shoulder though is my favorite. All that flavour, not lean like racks and legs so you can cook it pretty much to medium. I pounded some parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle then spread the paste on to the boned shoulder, rolled it up, tied it, brown it on a pan and then roasted it in 450 until it reads 150F. With fluffy pita just out of the over and tomato from my own garden, this is a happy meal. Looks Eastern Mediterranean, does it?
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Bread Balloon
I like to make bread dough and then leave it in the fridge until I want it. When I want it, I shape and bake how ever much I like and then put the rest back in the frideg. This way, I always have fresh bread. When I am making pita, it is very quick indeed. This time though, I think there is almost too much dough for the bag.
The final products are pretty good
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Almost Instant
Friday, October 06, 2006
Rib Steak
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Sausage and Rice
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Stove Top Grill
I got this stove top grill thing from a Japanese store for a couple of bucks, so I was testing it out with some garlic, salt, pepper, chili, lemon juice and olive oil marinated squid. It actually work reasonably well, not as well as the cast iron grill but a lot less smoky.
It work perfectly with pepper. I am hoping that the weather stay warm and dry for a while yet so all my pepper will ripen.
Put them over a pot of rice made with onion, carrot and tomato. Looks pretty good in the pot, don't you think?
It work perfectly with pepper. I am hoping that the weather stay warm and dry for a while yet so all my pepper will ripen.
Put them over a pot of rice made with onion, carrot and tomato. Looks pretty good in the pot, don't you think?
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Pepperoni with Extra Cheese
Sandwich
Monday, October 02, 2006
Smoked Salmon Spread
I am going to the Film Festival on a matinee pass and there is not going to be much time for lunch. To pack lunch I decided to make some sandwiches. One of the easiest one is with this spread. I cut up some of that smoked coho, half an onion, a hand full of parsley, some capers and a small ancho chili to mix in with some Island Farm Spreadable Victoria Style Cream Cheese and the juice of a lemon. This is a very mild cream cheese. I found Philly too heavy and needed cream to thin it and Winnipeg a bit too rich. This cheaper and otherwise undistinguished one fit the job perfectly.
And it fit back into the container too!
And it fit back into the container too!
Sunday, October 01, 2006
"Baked" Rice
I have some pizza fixing left but no more dough. I was just too hungry to wait for new dough so I made what you may called Pizza Rice. I sauteed some onion, pepperoni, mushroom then added tomato sauce. I topped the rice with this and then mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses before passing it all under the broiler. This is a popular cooking method in Hong Kong's "western" style (some call it soy sauce continental) restaurants. They usually use some sauce--tomato, Bolognese, Bechamel, curry, for example--and some meat and vegetables, cheesed or not, then browned in the oven right before serving. A pretty nice way to eat and I found a good way to use leftovers.
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