Stir-Fry Broccoli with Beef Tenderloin Recipes

Carlos is not a big fan of my Malaysian food so if I am cooking Chinese at home I have to create something simple that he will eat. I will usually cook some quick stir-fry of vegetables like French beans, broccoli, red and yellow peppers with either beef or chicken like this dish. This is another popular dish at the Chinese take out place here. A stir-fry is absolutely wonderful to go with rice. I just love the way the broccoli soaks up all the flavors of the sauce and the thinly cut beef are so tender and flavorful.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of beef tenderloin or flank steak , sliced thinly into bite-sized pieces
1 pound of broccoli - cut small
1/2 red pepper - cut into bite size pieces
1/2 yellow pepper - cut into bite size pieces
1 small onion - cut into bit size pieces
1 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 tbsp of chopped ginger

Marinade for Beef:

2 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of cooking wine
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp of oil

For Sauce :

2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp of pepper
1 cup of chicken stock (more or less depend on how much sauce you like)
1 tsp of cornstarch

1. Marinade sliced beef for thirty minutes. Mix all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat pan with about 2 tbsp of olive oil. When oil is hot, add beef and stir-fry until it is nearly cooked. Remove beef and set aside.
3. In the same pan, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil, stir fry garlic, ginger and onions until fragrant and lightly brown.
4. Add in the peppers and broccoli and stir fry for a minute. Add in the sauce and bring it up to a boil. Cook until the broccoli and peppers is cooked but still crunchy.
5. Lastly add in the beef, stir-fry for a few second or until sauce thicken and everything is well mixed. Check seasoning. Dish out and serve with warm rice.

I'm submitting this dish to Weekend Wokking , a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks to celebrate the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient. The host this month is Noobcook and this month secret ingredient is Broccoli. Do check out her blog on the 3rd of December 2008 for the round-up.

POM Braised Pork Recipes

I love pomegranate be it fresh or juice but I never cook with it. The people at POM email me asking me to participate in their POM Wonderful contest and I created this recipe just for that. As you know pomegranates high level of antioxidants. Beside its rich flavor and the number of ways to eat and drink it, studies have shown that pomegranate contains more antioxidants than green tea, cranberries and even red wine! Pomegranate also promotes healthy blood pressure levels and low cholesterol. For more information about POM do visit their website.

This is a simple dish with very few ingredients and the pork turn out really soft and tender and the sauce was really good. It’s sweet and with a slight tangy taste to it and it goes really well with either rice or sandwich it between some bread. Do give this recipe a try and I am sure you would be please with the results.

Ingredients :

1 Ib of pork tederlion - leave it whole
1 8 fl oz of POM juice
8 fl oz of water
1 " of ginger - slice thinly
2 cloves of garlic - smash
1 tbsp of hoisin sauce
3 tbsp of soy sauce
1 star anise

1) Put all the ingredients except for the pork in a medium size pot and bring it up to boil.
2) Once it's boil put in the pork and bring it up to boil again. Then lower down the heat and slow simmer until the pork is tender and the sauce thicken.
3) Line a baking pan with some aluminium foil and place the pork on the pan. Broil the pork until it brown and lightly charr on the outside. Turn the pork a few time for even browning.
4) Slice the pork thinly, drizzle the sauce on top and garnish it with some fresh pomegranate.

Note : You can replace the pork with beef tenderlion or chicken for this dish.

Happy Thanksgiving!! Recipes

May your thankgiving be blessed with the bounty of the season
love of family & friends and a harvest of smiles.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Madeleines II Recipes

There is something about Madeleines that I love. Is it a cake or a cookie? For me I think is a little bit of both. Carlos just loves these Madeleine as it’s crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. Its best enjoyed when it’s freshly out of the oven. They can be stored for a day or two but will lose that just cooked crisp outside if you store it longer.

Ingredients:

1 stick or 1/2 cup butter
1 cup of flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp of orange zest
1 tsp of essence vanilla
2 tbsp of dark cocoa powder + 2 tbsp of water (make into paste)

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove and let it cool down.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Beat sugar and eggs until it triple the volume. Add in vanilla and orange zest.
3. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add in the flour, a little at a time until its well mix. Fold in the melted butter. Set the batter to rest in the fridge for half an hour.
4. Pre-heat oven to 325 degree F. Brush madeleines pan generously with melted butter or spray it with non-stick spray.
5. Remove about 1/2 of the cake mixture and mix it with the cocoa paste. Mix well. Fill the pan with batter. Half plain and half with the chocolate batter.
6. Bake for 12-15 min or until the edges are golden brown and center spring back when lightly touched
7. Remove the pan from oven and remove the madeleines, and then leave them to cool on wire racks.

Similar recipe : Madeleines

Fried Shrimp Recipes

I have always loved shrimp and used it a lot in cooking especially stir-fry. Fried shrimps are popular among all ages especially with kids if you serve it with some special dipping sauce. These crispy and crunchy shrimp make a tempting appetizer or main dish. Just serve it with some salad or French fries.

Ingredients:
1 pound of medium size shrimp
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of pepper

Batter
5 tbsp of flour
2 tbsp of cornstarch
1 egg
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of pepper
½ tsp of baking powder
1 small handful of cilantro – chopped
2 spring onions – chopped
1 cup of water – more or less

1. Shell shrimp and devein, retain the tail. Pat it dry and marinate with salt and pepper and set it aside.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the batter, add in the water slowly and mix it until it’s thick and smooth. (I used about 1 cup)
3. Heat up oil to medium heat, hold the tail of the shrimp and dip in batter. Deep fry for 2 min or until golden brown.
4. Remove shrimp on a paper towel to absorb the oil. Serve with chili sauce and any kind of dipping sauce of your choice.

POM Wonderful Recipe Contest! Recipes

I love Pomegranate a lot especially with my fruit salad. As much as I love tearing apart each seed and sucking the juice out of them, taking Pomegrante juice is so much easier. POM Wonderful is the largest producer of California Wonderful pomegranates, which the company exclusively grows and sells. The company also juices its fresh pomegranates to make its delicious, all-natural, POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice. POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and POM Tea are available year-round at retail and are found in the refrigerated section of supermarkets and grocery stores nationwide.

POM sent me a case of POM 100% for me to try and they also invited me, my fellow bloggers and readers to participate in their Pomegranate Recipe Contest. Submit your recipe that includes POM Wonderful Pomegranates and you could win a chance to be a POM Wonderful featured blogger for 1 year and win $5,000. You can enter whether you have a blog or not, to find out more go to http://www.pomfresh.com/Fun/#/recipe. For rules and regulations check out here . Your recipes must be submitted by 11:59 PM Pacific time on November 30, 2008. So let's get cooking!

Pecan Tarts Recipes

The holidays are fast approaching and everyone will be planning of what to cook or bake for the holidays. The delightful smell of pies, cakes and cookies fill the air as the memories of holidays past fill our mind. Nothing makes the holiday season more inviting than the delicious aroma of these freshly baked pecan tarts. These individual tarts will make an elegant dessert presentation at any party or gathering.

Ingredients for the Tart Shells

1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
3 tbsp of sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cup flour

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes) Add in egg and mix well.
2. Add flour and mix until combined. Shape dough into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
3. Roll out dough into 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Place the dough over the tart pans and gently press the dough against the sides. Trim excess dough off the top.
4. Set the tart shells aside.

Filling Ingredients

1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the over to 350°F.
2. Whisk the first five ingredients in a medium bowl to blend.
3. Mix in 1 cup pecans.
4. Place the prepared tart shells on a baking sheet. Pour the pecan mixture into each tart crust about 3/4 full. Do not overfill since the filling will expand while baking.
4. Sprinkle each tart with the remaining 1 cup pecans.
5. Bake until set, about 25 - 30 minutes.

Similar Recipes :
Berries Tarts
Coconut Tarts
Fruit Tarts
Egg Tarts

Claypot Chicken Rice Recipes

I had a wonderful surprise when I received an email from Leemei of My Cooking Hut , and as you can imagine, I was tremendously flatter that she would asked me to be a guest blogger at her blog. Leemei is a fellow Malaysia living in London with great culinary and photography skills.

Since we are both from Malaysia so I prepared this simple claypot chicken rice which is a very popular dish from Malaysia. Claypot chicken rice can either be served as dinner or lunch. It is a dish that you can find at most of the hawker places in Malaysia. Claypot chicken rice is cooked in the claypot first. Then, the rest of the ingredients like chicken, mushroom and Chinese sausages are added to the top. Thus, I reckon, it can be easily categorized under one-pot cooking.

Do stop by at My Cooking Hut and check out the recipe there. Leemei, thanks for having me as your guest.

General Tso's Chicken Recipes

General Tso's Chicken, is actually an American creation. It is a sweet deep fried chicken dish served in American Chinese restaurants and also very popular at the buffet line. Regardless of its origin, this is an easy dish to make at home without the gloppy sauce and soggy thick breading that you get from the take out place and you don’t have pay the expensive price for it.

Ingredients :
1 pound chicken meat cut into large chunks
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp white pepper
1 egg white
3 tbsp of cornstarch
1 tbsp of oil
4 green onions – cut into thin strip
6 dry hot peppers – cut into ½” length
1 tbsp of chopped ginger
2 cloves of garlic - chopped

Sauce:
2 tsp of cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp of sugar (more or less depend on the sweetness you like)
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp of white vinegar
2 tbsp of cooking wine
3/4 - 1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp of pepper

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients and set it aside for later use.
2. In separate bowl, mix chicken, soy sauce and white pepper. Set it aside to marinate for 30 minutes. Stir in egg white and add in the cornstarch and mix until chicken pieces are coated evenly.
3. Add the 1 tbsp of oil to the chicken as this will help to separate chicken pieces. Deep fry chicken until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Remove all the oil from the pan and leave about 1 tbsp.
4. Stir-fry garlic, ginger and peppers until fragrant. Stir sauce adding to wok. Bring it up to a boil and when sauce thickens add in the chicken. Stir and toss until chicken pieces well coated with sauce. Add in the spring onions.
5. Dish out and serve with warm rice.

Banana Walnut Cranberry Bread Recipes

What do you do when the bananas are so over-ripe that they're practically inedible? In our house, there are basically two choices, freeze them for smoothies or make banana bread. I’ve been making banana bread for years and I always tweaked it up a bit by adding sour cream and different types of nuts or dried fruits to it. For this loaf I added walnuts and dried cranberries that I received from the nice people of Oh! Nuts . This is a really moist banana loaf and the big and plump cranberries gave it a sweet tart taste to the bread, definitely not too sweet. This banana bread taste even better the next day.

Ingredients:

¾ cup of butter
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
3 eggs
½ cup of sour cream
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of baking powder
½ tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of vanilla
½ tsp of salt
1 cup of mashed bananas
¾ cup of chopped walnuts
¾ cup of dry cranberries

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degree F. Prepare and greased a loaf pan. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set it aside
2. Place butter and sugar in a mixer and cream until light and fluffy. Gradually add in one egg at a time and beat until incorporated. Add in the sour cream. Mix well.
3. Add in bananas and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour and mix well.
4. Fold in the nuts and cranberries and transfer the batter to the baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
5. Turn the bread out of the pan and let it cool completely before serving.

Similar Recipe :
Banana Bread

Stir-Fry Beef with Sugar Snap Peas Recipes

A simple quick stir fry dish is what I like to cook for our dinner. You just toss everything in a hot pan, season it with fresh ingredients like ginger and garlic and you are good to go. This recipe uses beef but you can change it to chicken or shrimp and it would be equally delicious. As for the vegetables you can change it to broccoli, asparagus or any type of greens.

Ingredients:

1 pound of flank steak
2 cups of snow peas
Half red pepper – cut into strip
Half yellow pepper – cut into strip
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 egg white
1 tsp of grated ginger
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
3 tbsp of soy sauce
½ tsp of sugar
1 tsp of cornstarch
1. Cut the flank steak across the grain into very thin strips about 1 1/2 to 2-inches long. Marinate it with egg white, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and cornstarch. Marinate the beef for 15 minutes.
2. Heat up 3 tbsp of oil in a hot pan. Add the beef and cook briefly until lightly browned (2 to 3 minutes). Remove the beef from pan.
3. In the same pan add in 1 tbsp of oil, add ginger and garlic, stir-fry until fragrant. Add the snow peas and peppers. Stir-fry for 1 minute and add the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce and the sugar. Add the beef back into the pan. Mix everything together and serve.

Fried Flat Noodles/Char Kueh Teow Recipes

Char kueh teow, which means "fried flat noodles," is a popular and cheap dish found in Malaysia and Singapore. People eat this noodles all day long from breakfast to supper. Hearty and filling, originally stir-fried in lard and it got a reputation for being unhealthy. But now most people used vegetable oil to make this a much healthier dish. The trick to this dish is to use high heat and cooked one serving at a time for maximum 'wok hey' (wok's breath)

Ingredients :

250 gm Kueh Teow (flat rice noodles)
150 gm prawns - shelled
100 grm of meat or cockles (I used char siew)
a handful of beansprouts
5 stalks chives or spring onions - cut into 2cm lengths
2 eggs
3 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
2 tsp of chili paste - optional
3 tbsp of light sauce sauce
2 tbsp of dark soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat up wok to high heat, add oil and garlic and fry till fragrant.
2. Add prawns, meat and ground chili and stir-fry for about 20 secs.
3. Add noodles, stir fry for a few second, add in soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Continue to fry until everything is well combined. Add in beansprouts.
4. Push mixture to edge of wok, add a little oil in centre. Add and fry the eggs and then mix everything together. Check seasoning.
5. Lastly add in chives or spring onions and give the noodles a few toss.
6. Dish out and serve hot.

Pumpkin Tarts Recipes

When the frost is on the pumpkin you know that fall is here. At this time of year when the air is nippy, the skies are autumn blue, and the leaves are turning orange, yellow, red, we begin to think of pumpkin. We see the pumpkins piled beside the roadside stands, among the cornstalks in farmers' fields, and on front porches. I grown up eating lots of pumpkins as it’s my mom’s favorite so you can find pumpkin dishes on our dining table pretty often.

Pumpkins are nutritious. Rich in minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, and iron, the pumpkin also is high in carbohydrates. It contains Vitamin A as well. Often, it is made into pie, soup for I will usually roast it with other vegetables.

This month wokking team ingredient is Pumpkin and I am cracking my head to come up with something different. Since it’s often used in making sweet pie I thought it might be a good idea to make it into a savory pie or tarts and I came up with this recipe.

Ingrediets for the tart shells

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Form dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour.

Ingredients for tart filling

2 cups Pumpkin - diced pumpkins into cubes and roast it in the oven until tender
1 cup of cooked chicken meat - diced
2 roasted red peppers - slice
2 spring onions - diced
3 eggs
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 tsp of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Roll out the pastry to 1/8" thick. Place pastry in the tart pans, press to fit into bottom and up the sides of pan. Trim excess pastry.
2. Fill up the tart pans with pumpkin, chicken, red peppers and some spring onions.
3. In a mixing bowl mix all the rest of the ingredients. Fill the custard into the tarts and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven until golden brown and the custard it's set.
4. Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.


I'm submitting this recipe to Weekend Wokking , a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks celebrating the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient. The host this month is Heart and Hearth and the secrect ingredient is Pumpkin. The dateline for submission will be on the 3rd Novemeber 2008. Do check out her blog on the 5th of November for the round up.