Homemade Sardines (Bangus)

Ing.
1 kg bangus(milkfish), fresh and small
(about 6 to 8 pieces)
½ c tomato sauce
½ c cooking oil*
2 c water
1 tbsp salt, iodized
2 pcs laurel leaves
1 tbsp pepper corn, black
2 pcs chilli pepper
* if intended to be stored in the chiller, substitute with corn oil or olive oil to prevent from solidifying

Instruction
1. Clean bangus. Cut into serving pieces.
2. Arrange bangus pieces in the bottom of the pressure cooker.
3. Add all other ingredients.
4. Cook for 45 minutes.

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Easy Peanut Sauce

Truly authentic peanut sauce is made from fresh peanuts, but you can still get that authentic taste without all that hard work and time. Here’s a simple recipe that can be ready within minutes.

Ingredients

•    1 cup crunchy peanut butter
•    3 tbsp brown sugar
•    2 cloves crushed garlic
•    1/2  cup water
•    2 tsp vinegar
•    2 tsp sesame oil
•    1/4 tbsp soy sauce

This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups of peanut sauce. 

Preparation

Simply add all the ingredients into a bowl. Use a bowl with an airtight lid if you are going to be storing your sauce.

At first, it may look like the ingredients won’t mix together thorough, but with a little elbow grease, it will come out smooth and creamy.

Serve with satay, Vietnamese salad rolls and more. Store any unused portions in the fridge. Just stir well when you’re ready to serve it again.

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Vietnamese Shrimp Salad Rolls

Salad rolls look fancy, but they’re really not that complicated. They use simple and mostly inexpensive ingredients and are served cold, so you can take them with you to enjoy on the road. The trick is in the rolling of the rice papers, but with some practice, it gets a whole lot easier. We’re still working on our technique, but no matter how the folding goes, the results are always delicious.

Ingredients

•    8 oz package of rice vermicelli noodles
•    ½ pound of cooked shrimp
•    1 julienned carrot
•    Iceberg lettuce
•    8 rice papers

This recipe makes 8 salad rolls.

Preparation

Cook the vermicelli according to the package directions. Then rinse with cold water and strain.

Peel and remove the tails from the shrimp. Then cut them in half lengthwise, so you have a flat bottom to each piece.

Get your julienned carrots and lettuce pieces ready.

Now fill a large skillet or dish with a few inches of water. The skillet or dish needs to be large enough to put the rice paper in as the water will soften the paper, so you can make your roll. Dip the rice paper into the water for a few seconds to soften. Don’t wait too long or the paper will be too soft and will break. After a few tries, you’ll know exactly how long you should dip the papers.

Put the wet paper onto a rolling surface (a cutting board works well) and top with vermicelli, lettuce, shrimp and carrots.

Take the sides of each wrapper and fold them inward.

Then take the bottom and fold it upward.

Then roll the wrapper closed. Serve with peanut sauce and enjoy.

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Fried Rice

Ingredients
4-5             Cups    cooked rice
¼         kl         ground pork
1          med      sized egg
1                      large onion
4          cloves garlic, minced
1          tsp        vetsin
salt to taste
3          tbsp      atchuete oil
1                      red bell pepper, chopped
2          tbsp      chopped spring onions

Procedure
Beat egg, add a little salt. Heat a lite oil in frying pan, spread beaten egg thinly and fry. Slice into thin strips. Set aside.
Sauté garlic till brown in atchuete oil. Add onion, when wilted add pork. Stir in 3 minutes. Season with salt and vetsin. Cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in rice and egg strips. Mix well. Fry for 10 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with chopped spring onions.

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Basic Tempura Dipping Sauce

One of the best parts of tempura is the dipping sauce and it’s a good thing that it’s very easy to make.

Ingredients

•    1 cup water
•    ¼ cup mirin
•    ¼ cup soy sauce

This recipe makes about about 1 ½ cups dipping sauce and can be stored for later use.

Preparation

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve with prepared tempura vegetables or seafood.

Sweet Potato Tempura

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Sweet Potato Tempura

This recipe is demonstrated with sweet potato, but you can substitute other vegetables like onion, carrot, beans, mushrooms and more. You can even do seafood like shrimp, carb and fish. Try a variety batch to see what you like best.

Ingredients

    Enough vegetable oil for deep frying
    2 sweet potatoes

Batter:

    1 egg
    1 cup flour
    ½ teaspoon baking soda
    ¾ cup ice water

This recipe makes about 6-8 servings.

Preparation

Fill your pan or deep fryer with vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 375 F.

In the meantime, peel and slice the sweet potato into ½ thick pieces.

Mix the batter ingredients in a large bowl, whisking until well combined. The batter should be fairly runny, but add more flour or water if you need to adjust the consistency.

Dip the potatoes into the batter and let the excess run off.

Carefully place the potatoes in the oil with a fork or tongs. Hold the potatoes above the bottom of the pan for a few seconds to prevent them from sticking. Fry until golden brown on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oil and allow them to drain on a paper towel. Serve with tempura dipping sauce and enjoy.

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Thai Chicken Satay with Curry

Satay is a traditional dish that consists of marinated meat on a skewer that is grilled and then served with sauce. It originated in Indonesia, but is served in a number of different countries. Here’s a delicious Thai version with curry that you can serve with peanut sauce.

This recipe includes lemon grass, which is used often in Thai cooking and gives a lemon scent and flavor to dishes. 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken
• 1 tablespoon curry
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 stalks lemon grass

This recipe makes about 12 large skewers.

Preparation

Cut the boneless chicken into 1 inch thick strips. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an air-tight lid, add the curry, garlic, vegetable oil, soy sauce, fish sauce and lemon grass. NOTE: To prepare remove the tough outer layers to get to the softer inside. Then cut the bulb off the bottom end. Then you can cut it into thin slices. You can use a food processor or chopper to cut it more finely to ensure the flavor gets into the chicken. 

Place the chicken in the mixture and allow it to marinate for 2 hours or overnight. 

If you are going to use wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. This will keep them from burning.

When you’re ready to start cooking, preheat your grill to medium. While the grill is preheating, carefully thread the chicken onto the skewers.

Place them on the grill, away from direct flame to prevent the marinade from burning.

Cook about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked all the way through. Serve with peanut or another favorite sauce. 

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Vegetable Chop Suey

Chop suey is another dish that you can make into just about whatever you want. You can add meat like pork, chicken or beef. You can also mix and  match vegetables to your own unique tastes. This is quite a simple recipe, so modify it to your heart’s content.
This recipe makes about 6 servings.
Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons shortening
• 1 cup diced onion
• 4 chopped carrots
• 4 chopped stalks of celery
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower
• 1 ½ cups chopped broccoli
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup bean sprouts

Sauce:

• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions:
Heat the shortening in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery.

Sauté until softened slightly. Add the cauliflower, broccoli and the 1 cup of water.

 

 Place a lid on your pan and bring to a boil. Then simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and add the bean sprouts, cooking for a few minutes more.

In a small bowl, whisk together the 2/3 cup water, soy sauce, cornstarch and sugar. Add it to the vegetable mix and stir until thickened. Allow to simmer for a few minutes more or until the vegetables are at your desired softness.

Serve with rice or alongside your favorite Chinese dish.

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Vegetable Chow Mein

While this recipe is a veggie-based, your favorite meats can certainly be added. Whether you want boneless chicken, strips of beef or shrimp, you can add them to this recipe quite simply. Chow mein is a very versatile recipe and you can even substitute or add veggies if you prefer.

This recipe makes about 8 side dish servings.

Ingredients

•    1 – 14 oz package of chow mein noodles
•    1 tablespoon soy sauce soy sauce
•    3 tablespoons fish sauce
•    1/2 tbsp sesame oil
•    2 tablespoons vegetable oil
•    1 julienned carrot
•    1 teaspoon crushed ginger
•    1 teaspoon crushed garlic
•    1 cup coarsely chopped bean sprouts

Preparation

Start by preparing the noodles, according to the package directions. Rinse and set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, you can prepare your sauce. Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil in a bowl and set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the julienned carrots, ginger and garlic and sauté until the carrots have softened.

Now add the cooked noodles, the sauce that you set aside. Stir until heated through. Add the bean sprouts and cook for a few minutes more.

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Thai Fried Rice

Fried rice is always a versatile dish because you can 

incorporate any meats and vegetables you have on hand. This is our version of Thai Fried Rice…feel free to modify it as needed.


Ingredients

•    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•    1 diced onion
•    2 cloves of crushed garlic
•    2 cups cooked rice
•    1 tablespoon soy sauce
•    1 tablespoon fish sauce
•    2 sliced tomatoes
•    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•    4 eggs

Garnish:

•    Chopped green onion  
•    Cucumber slices (we also cook some into the rice, but it’s traditionally a garnish)
•    Lime wedges

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Preparation

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok at medium high. When it’s hot, add the garlic and onions and cook until tender.

Next add the rice and stir to heat all the way through. Add the soy and fish sauce and continue to stir until everything is fully combined.

Next, you can remove the rice from your wok or pan too cook the egg. Or if you prefer, simply heat up a new pan on medium high heat with vegetable oil.

Cook the egg until the white is cooked, but the egg yolk is still a bit soft. When the egg is ready, add it to the rice. You can also add the tomato and cucumber slices at this time. Of course, if cooked cucumber slices sounds a little strange (even though they are delicious!), you can reserve the cucumber for a garnish only. You can also add the green onion at this point, but not everyone in our house likes it, so we add it when serving.

Keep stirring until all the ingredients are fully combined. Get your chosen garnishes ready including the cucumber slices, green onion (if you didn’t cook it into the rice) and a lime wedge.

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Gyoza Dipping Sauce

Gyoza dipping sauce is easy to make and all it takes is two ingredients. Serve with homemade gyoza for a delicious appetizer that’s sure to please.
   
Ingredients

•    ½ cup soy sauce
•    ¼ cup rice vinegar

Preparation

Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and cabbage and sauté, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes. Serve with hot gyoza.

For recipe on how to make Homemade Vegetable Gyoza, click here!

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Indian Curry with Paneer and Peas

This is a very satisfying vegetarian Indian dish made with a tomato cream base and include paneer and peas. If you’re not familiar with paneer, it’s a rennet-free cheese product that is popular in South Asian cooking. While it is technically a cheese, it has the texture of tofu. It also absorbs the flavors of what it’s cooked in, much like tofu. This recipe is is quite easy to make and can be on your plate in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

•    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•    1 diced onion
•    1 clove crushed garlic
•    1 teaspoon crushed ginger
•    1 tsp chili powder
•    2 tsp curry powder
•    1/4 tsp cloves
•    1/4 tsp cinnamon
•    1 tsp crushed red peppers
•    1 – 14 oz can stewed tomatoes, blended into a puree
•    8 oz paneer diced into 1-inch cubes (half a package)
•    2 cups frozen peas
•    3 tablespoons sour cream

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Preparation

Gather up and prepare all your ingredients including dicing the onion, creating your tomato puree, dicing the paneer, etc. You can also put all your seasonings and spices into a small bowl and set them aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the garlic and onion. Cook for a few minutes until tender. Add the seasoning and mix thoroughly. Now add the tomato puree and continue to stir until heated through.

Next add the peas and paneer, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 3 minutes to fully heat the paneer and cook the peas. Add the sour cream and mix thoroughly. Serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

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Homemade Vegetable Gyoza

Gyoza seems like a complicated appetizer, but with ready-made wonton wrappers, they’re easy to make. Plus, they’re very delicious. Following this recipe will make about 36 gyoza.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup shredded carrot
2 cups shredded cabbage
36 wonton wrappers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Water – you’ll need some on hand for sautéing the vegetables to moisten the wrappers and for cooking the wrappers

Preparation

Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and cabbage and sauté, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.

If you want softer vegetables, add a ½ cup of water or so and put a lid on your pan, continuing to cook until desired tenderness.  Set the vegetable mixture aside and let it cool slightly.

Now add about 1 tablespoon of the mixture to the middle of each wonton wrapper. Fold it over, moisten your fingers with water and seal it with your fingers.

Preheat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan at medium high heat. Add the gyoza and cook for approximately 1 minute on each side. Then add ¼ cup of water, place a lid on the pan and cook until the water evaporates.

Serve warm with gyoza dipping sauce.

For recipe on how to make Gyoza Dipping Sauce, click here!

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How to Make Japanese Sticky Rice

If you’ve ever wondered how they make that deliciously moist and sticky rice in Japanese restaurants, wonder no longer. It’s easy as picking up some sushi rice at your local grocery store (most large chains carry it) and following these instructions. Serve with your favorite Teriyaki or enjoy it on its own.

Ingredients

•    2 cups sushi rice
•    2 ¼ cups water

This recipe makes 6 cups of cooked rice.

Preparation

Place the rice in a cooking pot and fill it with water. Stir the rice with your hands and drain the pot. Repeat this process a couple of times to rinse the rice properly and until the water is nearly clear. Drain the rice in a strainer for about 30 minutes.

Now place the rice back into your pot and add 2 ¼ cups of water and let soak for about 1 hour. After soaking, make sure the pot lid is on and turn your stove to medium high heat. Bring the rice to a boil and leave it at medium high heat for about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium for about 5 minutes and then bring it down to medium low, letting it cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and drape a cloth over your post and let it sit for another 15 minutes before serving.

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