Homemade BBQ Pork (Char Siew)

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I’ve always been a fan of roast meats, especially roast duck and roast pork belly. If you follow me on instagram, I actually head to Golden Harvest Restaurant at Footscray for their roast duck and it’s the best roast duck I’ve had!

It’s usually a treat when we head there for dinner. A celebratory meal (:

Of course another favourite of mine is BBQ pork (char siew) and not just any char siew, specifically my mum’s. Ever since she made her version of BBQ pork, my brother and I have never liked any other versions that we had that is bought. Something that bothers my dad alot is the artificial red colouring of most of the store bought BBQ pork. And mum’s has no sign of that at all.

Tender and juicy pieces of BBQ pork that were cooked in an AMC pot! AMC pots are magic, really. And I’m a super lucky girl, cos whenever I am back for a holiday, mum would surely make her char siew for me. (:

So when I’m back here in Melbourne. Of course I miss mummy’s char siew and I decide to give it a shot, without the AMC pot. haha with my fingers ans toes crossed, I marinated the meat and baked it in the oven!

I have to say, it was close but it’s still lacking the same punch and kick as the one mummy makes. But for now this would have to do and we will just have to keep trying and altering the marinade until we get it spot on! But this definitely satisfied our cravings that night!

So here’s my take on BBQ pork, how do you usually make yours?

Homemade BBQ Pork (An original recipe of Food Made With Love)

400g pork fillet (or any tender cut)

2 tbs Lee Kum Kee Char Siew Sauce

1 tbs Hoisin Sauce

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, chopped garlic

1 tbs shao xing wine

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

Steps :

1) Marinade the pork fillet with all the other ingredients listed above for at least 2 hours (even better overnight).

2) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. In a deep baking tray, place the marinated pork and pour 1/3 of the marinade on top of the pork. Cover the pork with baking paper to make sure the top doesnt burn (not yet anyways!). Bake for 20 mins and take it out to flip it to the other side.

3) Pour another 1/3 of the marinade on top and bake it for another 15 mins without covering this time.

4) Take it out and flip it for the last time, pouring the remaining marinade on top of the pork fillet and bake it for another 10 mins, or until tender.

5) For the last 5 mins, turn the grill on and allow the top of the pork fillet to char.

6) Allow the pork to rest for 10 mins before slicing it to thin pieces. Remember to scrape all the yummy sauce on the baking tray and serve it with the pork or on the side. ENJOY!

I prefer to have the sauce on my char siew. Have it with your choice of carbs. Of course mine is quinoa, how bout you?

Mummy’s Claypot Rice

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When I first came to Melbourne about 8 years ago, I didn’t know how to cook at all. The only thing I actually knew how to cook was fried rice, and it was horrible. haha. So you can imagine, 1 month before I came here to study, how hectic it would be in the kitchen as mum tries to teach me some basics. So for the first year, I survived on a cyclical menu of decently flavoured fried rice, spaghetti and different simple stir fry. And of course, lots and lots of trail and error. haha

I have to say, all the experimenting spurred my interest in cooking and of course baking. Each time I head back during my long breaks, mum would teach me a few new dishes to cook. I keep the recipes in a notebook, just in case I forget them. (: It’s like a mother-daughter bonding session. Absolutely love it. I know i’ve said it before, but she is my inspiration in the kitchen.

One dish that I absolutely love is her version of claypot rice, with a twist! If you’re thinking, “I don’t have a claypot and I have to get one”. This recipe is for you! Cause it’s cooked in the rice cooker!

I know most people have claypot rice for the crispy and charred parts at the bottom of the claypot, I do have to warn you that this recipe doesn’t have the crispy bits, but it is definitely as yummy! So don’t dismiss this dish just cause it’s missing the crispy bits (although I know how important that is for an authentic claypot rice) but this is really a quick fix for a claypot rice craving!

Mummy’s Claypot Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice

2 chinese sausages, sliced

2 chinese liver sausages, sliced (optional)

5 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced

250g chicken thigh, cut into chunks

10 pieces of chinese cabbage, cut into big pieces

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs shaoxing chinese wine

1 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

50ml water

ground white pepper, to season

2 tbs thick dark soy (caramel thick sauce)

spring onions, chopped (to serve)

fried shallots (to serve)

Steps :

1) Rinse the rice and add water (according to the cooking instructions behind the packaging) and take out 2 tbs of water. Leave it aside.

2) Place the chinese sausage and liver sausage in a bowl and steam for 15 mins. Drain the oil and leave it aside.

3) In a heavy based frying pan, heat the vegetable oil and fry the garlic till fragrant, careful not to burn them. Add the mushrooms and fry till fragrant. At this time, start cooking the rice in the rice cooker.

4) Add the chicken pieces and brown them. Add the sauces, pepper and shaoxing wine and 50ml of water. Add the chinese cabbage and allow it to simmer for 20 mins and make sure the liquid is almost completely reduced. Add in the chinese sausage and liver sausage. The rice should be almost done, pour the mixture onto the rice and give it a good stir. When the rice cooker clicks, leave it in the “keep warm” mode for another 20-30 mins.

5) Just before serving, pour the thick dark soy over the rice, top with spring onion and fried shallots. ENJOY!

Even without the crispy bits, this is one solid claypot rice that reminds me of home (:

Easy Peasy Fig Tart

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FIGS. Believe it or not. Just a month ago was the first time I ever had fresh figs! When I tried it, I wish I had it sooner! Fortunately, I scored a bargain at Springvale Market and bought 7 for $2.50! I had to head back to buy more.

Just couldn’t get enough!

So the first time I had it, I slid the top of it twice and stuffed them with ricotta and topped it with honey. It was DELICIOUS! But to be honest, I preferred mine without the ricotta. Just honey! The mr loved his with the cheese though.

So after a few nights of having the same thing, I decided to do something different. Looked into the freezer, and VIOLA! Puff pastry! Perfect. A quick tart it is.

Trust me, it’s the quickest and yummiest thing you would have! The sweetest of the figs, with the buttery-ness of the pastry. That made our night. Of course, to top it up, some macadamia ice cream from Connoisseur. The mr had two! (: Always a joy to see him eat the food I make with the satisfaction on his face.

So for a quick fix to your sweet tooth, I urge you to give this easy recipe a try!

Easy Peasy Fig Tart

1/2 sheet of store bought puff pastry (with butter), cut into 3 or 4 rectangles

3-4 fresh figs, sliced into quarters

caster sugar, enough to lightly sprinkle on top of the pastry

tightly packed brown sugar, to sprinkle on top of the figs

scoop(s) of ice cream, to serve (flavour is up to you!)

Steps:

1) Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius. On the rectangular sheets of puff pastry, lightly sprinkle caster sugar on the top.

2) Place the figs, aligned in the middle. Leaving some space on the sides.

3) Sprinkle some brown sugar on the figs. Bake the pastry for 15-20 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown.

4) Serve with a scoop of ice cream and ENJOY!

ps : you can either place the ice cream on the side, or put it on top like the mr did! haha

Crab, Prawn & Cherry Tomato Linguini

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Yes, I know. I’m proclaiming my love for Italian food again. But I am not going to apologise for that. I really do love Italian. If not cause of the carbs, I would eat pasta every single day. haha. But I have limit to once a week. The most! That’s okay, right? haha

Well. I didn’t intend to have Italian until my bestie sent me photos of what she was having at Da Paolo @ Rochester last night and I knew instantly what I wanted to try making : Crab meat linguini. That’s the only thing I order when I head to Da Paolo. Just saying the name of the place is making me want to have their crab meat linguini again. That’s how much I LOVE it. and how delicious it is!

Sorry bad lighting cos of the ambience!

I attempted to make a healthier version. Well by healthier, I mean leaving out the cream. As you will be able to see soon, everything else is healthy and not that sinful, really. Well without or without the cream, my version is nothing close to the one from Da Paolo though it was still satifying and yummy (The mr finished every single drop in the pot! hehe). But it was still a recipe worth blogging about! Hope you all will give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did!

Crab, Prawn & Cherry Tomato Linguini (an original recipe by Food Made With Love)

Ingredients :

1 canned crab meat (170g, 120g drained)

10 pieces of prawns, shelled & deveined and cut to small pieces

10 cherry tomatoes

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 chilli, deseed and chopped finely

5 pieces of sundried tomato, chopped finely

3 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

120ml dry white wine

300ml fish stock

salt & pepper, to season

grated parmesan, to serve

300g pasta, cooked according to the back of the packaging and drained

Steps :

1) Season the cherry tomatoes with a bit of the chopped garlic, 1 tbs olive oil and dried oregano and place them on a baking tray. In a 180 degree celcius preheated oven, bake the tomatoes for 15 mins.

2) Heat a deep dish pan over moderate heat, add the olive oil, garlic, chilli and sundried tomatoes and fry till soft and fragrant. Careful not to burn the garlic, or it will taste bitter.

3) Add the prawns in the mixture and fry till they turn from opaque to white. Add the baked cherry tomatoes (including all the juices) and the tomato paste. Mix it well but gently, not to mash the cherry tomatoes. Add the white wine and allow it to reduce by half.

4) Add the fish stock and allow it to simmer over low-medium heat for 15-20 mins. Season with salt and black pepper and add the crab meat at this point. (Don’t add it too early, as it might break down and you won’t be able to taste it).

5) Toss in the cooked pasta and mix well. Serve with grated parmesan and ENJOY!

Tip :

Instead of chopping garlic when you need it, chop it before hand and place it in a air tight glass container. Cover it with olive oil and you’ve not only got garlic-infused olive oil to use whenever you need to, you have chopped garlic all ready to go! (: Place them in the fridge and you should be able to keep it for up to a month! I would recommend not making too huge a container. Maybe prepare a container every 1-2 weeks depending on how big a fan you are of garlic!

Steamed Seafood Egg Toufu

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The Mr and I have decided to abstain from meat on Fridays so we either go full-fledged veg or have an addition of seafood. And I must say, it’s not a bad idea at all! (:  Of course, it’s so much easier to cook meat dishes. But this makes me think out of the box and try things that I don’t usually cook! Just the thought of it makes me excited!

My brother stopped eating meat about 2 years ago and there are a few dishes mummy makes for him that I decided that I should give it a go. Mummy is really amazing. She tries her best to cook a whole variety of things for korkor and they are all super delicious. Needless to say, mummy and my grandmother are the 2 people who inspires me to cook. (:

One of my favourite seafood dishes I love (and there is quite a list haha) is mummy’s steamed seafood egg toufu. It’s healthy and super good. You could easily eat a whole bowl. Mum usually makes hers with fresh soy bean milk (unsweetened) but I went a quicker way (and cheated) and used soft toufu instead. Of course the texture is not as smooth as it could be. But the flavour was close!

So I would recommend this for people who don’t eat meat, and are aiming to get healthier in time to come! I think most of us are striving for a healthier us, right? Take the first step! Of course, exercise is necessary! So here’s the recipe :

Steamed Seafood Egg Toufu (Adapted from Mummy)

Ingredients :

1 tube of silky toufu

3 whole eggs, lightly beaten

250g prawn, cute into small pieces

100g fish paste

3 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

ground white pepper, for seasoning

fried shallots and spring onion (for garnish, optional)

Steps :

1. Cut the top of the tube of silky toufu and squeeze the toufu into a big bowl. (Don’t worry, it should be mashed)

2. Pour the beaten eggs into the bowl and mix well with a whisk. Add the fish paste and prawn. Whisk the mixture till well combined.

3. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Steam for 30-35mins or until cooked through.

4. Pour the sesame oil over the egg, and garnish with fried shallots and spring onions.

DONE! (:

Give it a go and let me know what u think! (:

Garlic Mushroom Quinoa

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I have a new obsession. Actually. Not completely knew.

I have been obsessed with it for the past 6 months. At first, I didn’t know if I would like it. Cause it looked like a seed. But when its cooked, it blooms to almost barley-like. We first only had the white ones. But recently we had a new addition of red ones. Equally delicious. Equally healthy! Have you guessed it yet? QUINOA of course! (:

I think adding the red ones makes it look much prettier don’t you think? hehe

Something I LOVE to have with my quinoa is stews. Anything with gravy really. It goes like two peas in a pod! Even better than rice, in my opinion. My mum would probably say otherwise, especially when having my grandma’s pig trotters. haha It’s been done and tested. But, I prefer it with quinoa. Personal preference I suppose.

Anyway! One of my favourite ways of cooking quinoa is cooking a mixture of mushrooms on the side and stirring it into the cooked quinoa and that to me is a complete meal! I could have that everyday. haha Just saying (: Obsession to a whole new level. oops.

Before stirring it in!

For photo-taking purposes, I’ve placed the mushroom on top of the quinoa and have not mixed it together yet. haha Of course, you don’t have to mix it in. It will still be equally delicious, I promise!

So here’s my favourite recipe! Hope you guys will like it as much as I do!

Garlic Mushroom Quinoa (an original recipe)

Ingredients :

1/2 cup quinoa (cook according to the package, take off heat once it’s cooked)

1 tbs olive oil

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (this can be altered to your liking)

300g fresh mushrooms, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup water

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garlic salt

freshly ground black pepper

Steps :

1. Cook the quinoa according to your package. It will differ with different brands. It’s either 1 cup of quinoa to 3 cups of water or 2 cups of water. (Please read the cooking instructions carefully! Too much water, and the quinoa might turn mushy, and that wouldn’t be nice anymore.)

2. Add the olive oil to a fry pan and heat over moderate fire. Add the garlic and fry till almost golden brown, careful not to burn them as it will turn bitter.

3. Add the mushrooms and fry for about 3-5 minutes, until the mushrooms starts to soften. Add the chilli powder, garlic salt and pepper.

4. Add water and allow it to cook until all the water has evaporated, stirring occasionally. If mushroom are not soft enough, add a bit more water (1 tbs at a time) and once again allow it to evaporate. (Do make sure the mushrooms are almost completely dry so as to not make the quinoa mushy when stirred together)

5. Add the mushrooms to the quinoa and mix well. Serve!

Enjoy! Remember you can definitely have this on its own or have it with dishes, just like rice! (: Hope you enjoy quinoa as much as I do!

just one more picture, just cause (:

Have a great Friday and weekend ahead everyone!

A Come Back : Ragu

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I do apologise sincerely for my lack of posts since the end of last year. For those who don’t know, I was really busy with my wedding preparations and that’s really all I have been up to the past 3 months! and yes, I am married! (:

And after the wedding, it was our amazing honeymoon in Bali and then it was Chinese New Year. Not sure about you guys, but CNY is a time to just spend with family and feast! haha

Well. I am back! And for the first post of 2012, I am blogging about one of my favourite cuisines. Italian.

Who doesn’t like Italian? I love love love love pastas. Creamy, tomato-y, squid ink. You name it, I love it. haha. That’s how much I love pastas. A habit of mine (a good one I think!) is to try out some of the yummy dishes I had in restaurants/cafes. So far, I’ve tried making lasagne, gnocchi, risottos. One thing that I’ve always wanted to try is ragu.I remember watching the Italian Food Safari and said to myself “You really gotta try to make this one day”

Tonight was the night. I took out my “Simply Italian” cookbook bought by my mummy (underused in my opinion) and flipped through the book from the first page to the last and found a ragu recipe! So I decided to swing by Springvale Market after work & got the ingredients and whipped it up for dinner.

A keeper. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I could just eat the ragu without any pasta. The flavour was amazing. I use to think it’s like a bolognese. But it’s so much more. A pity I didn’t have time to cook it a little longer, I’m pretty sure it would taste even better when the meats have all broken down into the tomato base. mmm.

Ragu (adapted from Simply Italian by Sophie Braimbridge)

Ingredients :

60g butter

90g pancetta, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

250g minced beef

200g minced pork

200g chicken livers, trimmed and finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

125ml milk

125ml dry white wine

250ml beef stock

400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 heap tbs tomato paste

salt and pepper

grated Parmesan, to serve

Steps :

1. Heat the butter in a heavy based saucepan and add the pancetta. Cook until lightly brown and add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook over moderate heat for about 8 mins or until soften, stirring from time to time.

2. Add the minced beef, pork and oregano to the saucepan. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper.

3. Cook for about 5 mins, or until the meat has changed colour but not browned. Add the chicken liver and cook till it changes colour.

4. Stir in the milk and simmer for a couple of minutes. Pour in the wine and increase the heat and allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes or until the wine is absorbed. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and half of the stock, partially covering the pan and allow it to cook for a minimum of 1 hour (optimally, 3 hours). Add more stock as it is needed to keep the sauce moist.

6. To serve, cook pasta of your choice according to the package, drain and toss the pasta with the ragu sauce and serve with grate Parmesan.

ENJOY! (:

ps : store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month (:

Back in a Jiffy!

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Sorry for the lack of posts guys. I have been slobbered by a sudden influx of assignments due on the 7th of Nov!

But I will definitely be back with more posts of yummies soon! Stay tuned! (:

Minced Pork with Thai Basil (pat Krapao Moo Sap)

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Thai food. Absolutely adore them. The spicy-ness, the tangy-ness.

There is something about the combination of sweet, sour and spicy. Especially on a cold day. The spicyness would definitely help warm your tummy up! (: I first had this at a small, authentic thai restaurant on Lygon Street called Ying Thai 2. Their food, is absolutely delicious! I remembered having this particular dish, and they having different level of spice. And being gungho. I decided to be brave and ordered the spiciest, level 3. It was soooo spicy but sooo good! The tummy suffered a little after that. Just a tad. But all was worth it. haha

But of course, I didn’t wanna put my stomach through the same thing again, so I reduced the spicyness when attempting to make it at home! A very good idea, by the way. (:

Minced Pork with Thai Basil and A Sunny Side Up

Ingredients :

1 tbs olive oil

450g mince/ground pork

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 chilli padi, deseed and chopped finely

yellow onion, halfed then finely sliced

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tsp fish sauce, extra for fried egg

pinch of sugar

handful thai basil leaves

handful of dried shrimp, fried till crispy

Sunny-side-up egg (optional)

spring onion, finely chopped for garnish

Steps :

1. Heat a wok on medium to high heat and add the olive oil. Fry the garlic and chilli till fragrant (not brown) and add the ground pork. Fry till brown. Make sure there are no lumps.

2. Add the oyster sauce and fish sauce and fry for 5 minutes. Add the sugar, onion and basil leaves and fry for a further 5 minutes.

3. Top the mince with the crispy dried shrimp and garnish the sunny-side-up with the spring onion and a sprinkle of the fish sauce

4. Serve with steamed jasmine/long grain rice.

ENJOY! (:

ps : So please share with me what is the dish that you MUST ORDER when you’re at a thai restaurant?

Not Your Usual Lasagne.

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Who doesn’t like lasagne? The layers of rich meat sauce with cheese. Doesn’t just saying that line make you want to sink your teeth into it? It’s one of my source of comforts. Besides garlic mash, mac and cheese. haha okie. the list could go on. I think food, on the whole, is my comfort. hee.

When I was deciding what to cook for dinner, lasagne came straight to my mind. But I was hoping to cook something a bit healthier. so layers of vegetables was the only thing that I could think of! And as colourful as they can get! I think I got it all covered. Swede (yellow), eggplant (purple), zucchini (green) and the meat sauce (red/orange). I couldn’t help myself. (:

of course, I made a little bit of white sauce to combine all the veg together so that they could stay (kinda) in shape! Guilty! but SO GOOD! (:

Tomatoey goodness (: It was a big hit among the boys! They loved it. I know it looks heavy, but i only sprinkled a bit of mozzarella cheese on the top to melt under the grill for the last 5 mins before serving. It’s worth the extra calories, I say. haha

So here’s the recipe, a Food Made With Love original (:

Ingredients :

400g mince (beef or pork)

1 big onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbs olive oil

1 carrot, grated

1 green capsicum, finely diced

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

3 tbs tomato paste

1 can (400g) tinned chopped tomatoes

3 swedes, sliced thinly

1 large eggplant, sliced thinly

2 zucchini, sliced thinly

100g spinach

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the simple white sauce :

150ml milk

50g butter

3 tbs plain flour

50g parmesan

salt and pepper, to taste

grated mozzarella, to finish

Steps :

1. After slicing the eggplant, salt both sides and allow it to stand on a rack for 30 mins. Pat them dry and set them aside. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celcius.

2. Heat a frying pan with the olive oil, fry the onion and garlic till soft and fragrant. Add the carrot and capsicum and fry for a further 5 minutes.

3. Add the mince and fry till brown. Make sure there are no chunks. Add the tomato paste and dried herbs, stir till well combined. Add the chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, stir and allow the liquid to reduce till almost totally dry.

4. In a baking dish, lay the eggplant at the bottom and top with the meat sauce. Top with a layer of spinach. Then layer the zucchini, another layer of eggplant and swede.

5. The white sauce : Melt the butter in a small pot over low-medium, add the flour and stir, allowing it to cook for 3 mins. Add the milk and using a whisk, make sure it is well combined and there are no lumps. Add the parmesan and stir until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. If it is too thick, just add a bit more milk.

6. Pour the white sauce over the baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes. Take the baking dish out and top with mozzarella cheese and put it under a grill for 5 minutes or until golden brown!

SERVE and ENJOY! (:

What is your favourite comfort food of all time ?