Beef & Broccoli
Thursday, January 22, 2009 | Author: A Vegetarian that Cooks Meat
Ok, as per request by my friend, James (who apparently doesn't want to call for take-out), here is your Beef & Broccoli. I'll just get straight to the point.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb beef
1 cup broccoli
2 tbs of corn/tapioca starch
chopped garlic
1 tablespoon rice wine*
1/4 cup soy sauce*
2 teaspoons sugar*
1/4 cup water*
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil*
some white pepper
1/4 tsp MSG (if you MUST have it... and knowing you, probably)
2 tsp of corn starch mixed with 1 tbs cold water (to thicken the sauce)



Directions:
1) In a bowl, mix the meat and 2 tbs of corn starch:


2) In a pot, boil some water. Once the water is boiled, throw in the broccoli. Swirl around for 20 seconds and quickly remove the broccoli from the pot and run under cold water for about 30 seconds. You want the broccoli crunchy, not all wilted and soggy by the end of all this.


3) Add 2 tbs of oil (if you want it as oily as the the take-out places near home, then throw in an additional 2 tbs) to your wok/frying pan. Under high heat, start stir-frying the beef until it is no longer pink. Remove the cooked meat from the wok and set aside on a plate.


5) Add all the ingredients with the asterisks (*) together in a bowl. Now, in the same wok (under medium-high heat) that you cooked the beef in, add the garlic and stir fry for about 10 seconds or so. Then pour in the (*) mixture you just combined and let it cook for about a minute.


6) Now add the beef and broccoli back into the wok and stir-fry for another minute. Now is the time to add the MSG, if you should decide to.


7) To thicken the sauce, pour in the cornstarch mixture ( 2 tsp of cornstarch + 1 tbs cold water).
Stir around until the sauce thickens (sorry, had a hard time taking a picture of that while stirring). Dish it out on a plate and eat! Don't forget your rice!



Hopefully, the pictures help!
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Overstuffed Dumplings
Monday, January 05, 2009 | Author: A Vegetarian that Cooks Meat
I think out of everything I've made, the most enjoyable have always been dumplings... mainly because I can make them however I want and they never turn out bad! The wrapping is fun, too!


Most of the complaints I get from dumplings from my friends boils down to one problem, really; too little filling .

I tend to REALLY stuff my dumplings. They look much cuter and palatable that way. This recipe makes about 50 dumplings. I didn't have time to make my own dumpling wrapper this time, but will do so next time. I saw these green vegetable dumpling skins the other day at a nearby Asian supermarket (in NYC) and I'm just dying to make my own version!


Ingredients

Group A:

1 pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

1 egg

Group B:

1 ½ cups Napa cabbage diced

¼ cup green onions, finely chopped

⅓ cup shitake mushrooms, finely chopped

¼ cup onions, diced

1 ½ tbs minced ginger

Group C:

2 tbs light soy sauce

1 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tsp Shaoxing wine or other Chinese rice wine

1 ½ tsp sugar

½ tsp corn or tapioca starch

1 tsp sesame oil

¼ tsp pepper

Extra Salt & Pepper to taste

50 dumpling wrappers and a bowl of water

Directions:

1) Use your hands to mix the ingredients in Group A together in a large bowl

2) Mix all the ingredients in Group C together in a small bowl and pour it on top of the meat mixture in the large bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. **Most people usually add the ingredients in Group C to the meat one by one, but I find that hard to distribute all the ingredients evenly into the meat.

3) Now using your hands, mix Group A and B together. You may find the mixture very watery now, but once all ingredients are incorporated, you will barely see any liquid.

4) One by one, slowly mix in the ingredients in Group B.

5) Add extra salt and pepper to your liking.

6) To wrap the dumplings, place a wrapper in palm of one hand. Place a heaping tablespoonful of the meat mixture onto the center of the dumpling wrapper.

7) Using your fingertip, wet the outer edge of the dumpling wrapper with water. Fold up the sides of the dumpling into a half-moon shape and firmly press it together… or you can pleat it to make it prettier!

8) Line the up the completed dumplings on a cookie sheet and pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then you can throw them all in a zip-lock freezer bag and store them for later use (up to one month!). No need to thaw them when you’re ready to cook.

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Spicy Soy Sauce Chicken
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 | Author: A Vegetarian that Cooks Meat
I haven't been able to focus too much on my cooking since my visit to New York City. Been quite sick, frankly. But today, since my mother is sleeping at my grandparents' house, dinner is on me! This is my version of the classic soy sauce chicken. So far, no complaints so I guess it’s safe to eat! =)

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken thighs, skinned (you can choose to leave the skin on if you wish)
1 small onions, chopped
Some olive oil for frying
Dried shitake mushrooms (about a handful)
Salt & pepper

Marinade Ingredients:
1/3 cup of soy sauce
1/3 cup of water
1 ½ tbs thick soy sauce (or dark soy sauce)
2 tbs rice wine
4 tbs brown sugar
2 stalks of scallions (green onions), chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 thick slices of ginger
2 tsp crushed pepper flakes (omit if you’re not a fan of spicy foods)





Directions:
- Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
- Make a couple of slits on the chicken thighs and place chicken in a large zip-lock bag.
- Pour the bowl of marinade into the zip-lock bag and marinate for 2 hours (the longer the better).
- In the meantime, soak the shitake mushrooms in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze any excess liquid out of the mushrooms.
- After the chicken has been marinated, remove it from the zip-lock bag and reserve the marinade. In a wok/pan, heat up the olive oil on high heat and brown the chicken thighs on both sides.
- Add onions and saute for about 1 minute.
- Bring the reserve marinade to a boil in a separate pan and pour over the chicken.
- Add the shitake mushrooms, along with some salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
You can reserve the marinade for braising vegetables or other meats!








This serves 4 people.
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5 Spice Beef
Monday, December 29, 2008 | Author: A Vegetarian that Cooks Meat
I'm in New York City at the moment and the weather here can be unpredictable... It's blistering cold one day, and unseasonably warm the next. This dish here is simple and suitable for the winters, due to the different spices in there.

I'm in love with Asian spices, and there isn't anything more Asian than five spice powder! The fragrant is undeniably heartwarming, and chances are, if something is marinated in five spice powder, I am most likely to chug it!

Ingredients:

  • ½ pound of thinly sliced beef
  • some dried mushrooms (optional)
  • 1 onion, cut into wedges
  • 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 3 or 4 leaves of Napa Cabbage coarsely chopped
  • 1 small tomato cut into parts (optional)
  • 2 scallion stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tbs soy sauce*
  • ¼ tsp five spice powder
  • ½ tsp sugar*
  • ¼ cup beef broth*
  • 1 tsp cornstarch*
  • 1 tsp sesame oil*

Feel free to throw in any other vegetables you like! I just used whatever is conveniently in my fridge~







Directions:

1- Combine all starred (*) ingredients and set aside.
2- Heat up some oil in a wok/frying pan over high heat. Stir fry garlic and five spice powder until fragrant (about 25-30 seconds).
3- Add beef and stir fry until meat is no longer pink and fully cooked. Remove from wok and set aside.
4- In the same wok, add onions and stir fry for a minute and add cabbage. Stir-fry until the cabbage starts to wilt, but still looks crisp (2-3 minutes). Add peppers and stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
5- Add the cooked beef and scallions and cook for about 2 minutes.
6- Remember the mixture of starred (*) ingredient you set aside earlier? Start pouring them over your meat and veggies for about a minute. Sauce will thicken. Stir in the tomatoes and scallions for another minute.


Serves 2 people, or one REALLY hungry dude! I don't need to mention that it's best with rice.... right??


So it’s not the fanciest dish, but it tastes good! >_<
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