Korean Stewed Short Ribs

Got this recipe from a Korean friend, M. It is a really simple recipe but it's SO GOOD!!!!
Didn't managed to get a good shot because I have a hard time trying to assemble it! The meat has been stewed to 'fall off the bone' soft...
Here's the recipe......

What You Need:
About 1.2kg korean short ribs
2 carrots, sliced about 1cm thickness
1 potato, cubed
1 red onion, cut into big wedges
5 cloves garlic, skinned
About 5 dried prunes (Del Monte type)
10 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1tbsp Chinese wine

What To Do:

1. Blanch ribs with boiling water and place them in a slow cooker
2. Add water till it covers the ribs
3. Let it boil for about 30mins. Add everything except prunes
4. Add prunes about 30mins prior to switching off the cooker (when the meat is soft enough)
5. Serve!
   

Black Pepper Fried Steak with Mushrooms

Bought 2 slab of premium ribeye steak (with lots of fatty corners!) which I planned to make on Valentine's Day but Hub and I ended up having Vietnamese Pho for Valentine's Day dinner...Reason: We were out shopping till late and it is going to be another hour plus drive home before we can have dinner plus well, I have cravings for Pho
; p

Anyway made this the day after, I seasoned the steak with salt and pepper and shallow fry it in a saucepan till brown and the fatty part crispy (as I can only eat "well done" steak now).
As for the sauce, saute 2 heap tablespoon of garlic till brown, add in 2 cups slices mushroom and continue to saute till mushrooms are soft. Add 4 heap tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee's Black Pepper sauce and half a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup (mix with 1/2 cup water). Add lots of cracked black pepper if you want...
There you have it, easy to make black pepper sauce ; P
The steak was.....Shiok!

Made this Jellyhearts for dessert, attempted this in Singapore before but somehow it wasn't very pretty. Thanks J for pointing out that I need to add gelatin for the cheese layer ; )
Guess I need more practice to cut it into nice slices...

Beef & Pearl Onion Casserole

I have been making soups and stews these couple of days because of the change in weather, this is the lastest casserole I have made. I got the recipe from "Just 3 Steps" by Love Food. Hub didn't really like it...he prefers my old asian recipe for stew beef which I left back home....

He said that the spice taste is overwhelming, overall so-so....He doesn't even want to bring it for lunch this morning.....*Rolled eyeballs*

Simple Homecook Dinner

Hub's cough is getting better so that means I can start cooking spicy food, made this beef rendang on Monday. No I didn't make it from scratch; I do not want to buy too much spices as I will be here for only 3 mths, plus I don't have a grinder nor pestle/mortle to pound those spices...So I used Delimas Rendang Paste to make this. For those staying in Singapore, you can only get this premix from Sheng Siong supermarket. For those staying in States, you can order it from My Taste of Asia. I added carrots and tomatoes to the rendang, it's not too bad. Not very spicy though but I think they are better than Prima Taste premix (which I think is too sweet)

This is one of my favourite soup and it is suitable for those who doesn't like herbal tasting soup. Hub and T love this, they can finish 2 big bowls at one go. Especially when the weather is turning cold...Trust me you don't have to add any seasoning, it has all the sweetness from the veg and red dates : )

Here's the recipe:

Good ol' Chicken, Carrot & Corn Soup

1 big chicken, chopped into 4 pieces

3 sweet corn, break into twos

3 carrots, cut into abot 1 inch thick

1 handful of dried red dates (okok, about 18 dates)

1 handful of dried longans

1/2 cup of wolfberries

3 to 4 dried scallops (I did not add this as I can't find dried scallops in NC)

Method:

1. Scald the chicken with boiling water to remove all impurities (blood, fats and all)

2. Put all ingredient (except wolfberries) into a pot and fill up with enough water to cover all

3. Boil on high heat for 1 hour and switch to low heat and continue to boil for 3 hours

(If you are using slow cooker, fill up with hot water boil on High for 4-5 hours)

4. Add in wolfberries and let the soup boil for about 15mins before you serve

5. Big bowl of soup for everyone ; P*

Asparagus and mushrooms with oyster sauce and dried shrimp (to replace dried sole fish which can't be found here)

Stir Fry Pork and Kidney with Ginger

Think I finally mastered it, Stir fried kidney with lots of ginger. My MIL can cook this very well, but somehow she is not willing to share the recipe....Maybe the maid cooked it not her?! keke..

I spent the whole afternoon cleaning the kidneys and rinsing it, maybe I am paranoid but the pork kidneys here seem to be more pungent than the ones back home....My hands stinked the whole afternoon. Well, the boys like it so I guess it's worth it although I hardly touch the kidneys...Here's the recipe:

Stir Fry Pork & Kidney with Ginger

1 pair of pork kidney (deveined and make criss crosses on it)

200gm sliced pork (optional)

1 big thumb of ginger, juliened thinly

2 stalks of spring onion, sliced about 2 inches long

2 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tbs sesame oil

2 tbs rice wine (or Hua Tiao)

2 tbs sugar (my MIL uses honey)

1 tbs wolfberries, soaked with a bit of hot water (optional)

150ml water

cornstarch + water (as thickening)

Method

1. Scald kidneys with boiling water (I prefer to get rid of the pungent smell) & drained
2. Stir fry ginger with sesame oil till frangent and brown
3. Add in spring onion
4. Add in pork, wolfberries and all the seasoning except water
5. Add in kidneys and stir fry it till well mixed
6. Add in water, cover for 5 mins
7. Add in thickening
8. Enjoy!
   

Made this Stir Fry Black Pepper Beef with Celery & Mushroom in case T doesn't take kidneys. I used Lee Kum Kee's Black Pepper sauce. It was disappointing as it is more sweet than firey, the boys kept insisting the 2 dishes were made with the same sauce....Sigh *roll eyeballs*

The boys are into their Playstation, Hub kept giving excuses that he needs to go to T's apartment to 'discuss work'....Sigh, since he has been studying very hard for the past few days and their exams are over I allowed him to go and enjoy himself.....Boysss......

Black Pepper Angus Steak

The craving starts again and this time I just have to give in. Past few trips to Harbor Cafe proved to be fruitless; they are obviously closed on weekends.....
Hub & I decided to DIY again...Yes I have this craving for black pepper steak...Happy Belly loves it hot and spicy!
This time, we chose the Black Angus which set us back st $30 for two (200g) pieces.

Bought some baby spinach and honey tomatoes for salad....with Japanese dressing. Happy Belly's into this Japanese-Americano thing these days.....how to describe it? Comtemporary Japanese style? Kinda like Lisa Ono style if you know what I mean ; )

Anyway this is the dinner I prepared, Angus steak with sauted mushroom, caramelised onion and fiery black pepper sauce! It is really good but would have been better with Wagyu beef.....

Paired with Lambrusco, it is a lightly spritzed sweet red wine. It is really cheaper to DIY your steaks in S'pore. The whole meal (there's mushrrom soup as well0 costs us around $50 excluding the wine.....If you dont mind the greasy stove and kitchen.....

DIY Wagyu Steak

Hub and I have heard so much about Wagyu beef that we decided to try it. From what we gather, these cow are fed with sake and beer and there's something about their special genetic predisposition that gave their meat the unique marble effect. Well, their meat contains about 60% fats; good fats high in omega3 and omega 6 fatty acids. And yes Happy Belly loves fatty stuff...
But these beef don't come cheap, in fact they are really expensive! Expect to pay about $100 plus for ONE good steak in restaurant*Roll eyeballs in disbelief*
Anyway, a lot of food critics/self-acclaimed chefs said that it is so good you don't have to season it at all.....Or just season with salt and pepper.....So here's the thing, if no need to season=no need to go to restaurant to eat it....I can just make it myself...And I finally get to use the grill pan I bought a few months back..*Evil Grin*Bought these 2 beautiful steaks from the Mmmm at Square 2 for about $70+. You can see the marbling score on the label, it's between 8 and 9. It's still quite expensive but well,it's less than half the price you will pay in the restaurant.....
Anyway I season it with a dash of salt and black pepper and off the pan they go. I prepared some sauce for dipping. Decided to use the Masterfood White Wine Finishing Sauce from Melbourne last year but I saw these at Mmmmm too. I saute some sliced onion and a cup of sliced button mushroom with avocado oil and add in the sauce. I prefer to serve them in small dipping bowl instead of pouring it over the steaks.
As you can see, or rather, can't see.... There are no pictures of the “After” product... we were busy enjoying the steaks that we forgot to take any pictures....Yes, it's really Really good.!!! Oiishi.....
Honestly I will mke this again and no, you don't have to go to a restaurant for these....Hub and I had fun making these steaks together....Try it.