Sweet Pea Journey

Family, Friendship, Food, Fun and Everything in Between!

Category: Cooking

Cooking

Red Wine Braised Oxtail and Vegetables

I made this dish tonight for dinner pick up. I have to say, the house smells so good, and I am very much tempted to keep it for myself!

 

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 lb fresh oxtail, cut into 1 inch sections

1 onion, cut into wedges

2 carrots, cut into chunks

4 medium white potatoes, cut into chunks

2 ribs of celery, cut into small chunks

5 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of flat leaf parsley

5 cups of beef broth

1/2 bottle of red wine, heated on stove and reduced to half

1 tbsp of each: salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

2 tbsp butter, divided

 

Method:

Combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder in a plate, dredge oxtail on all sides and shake off excess flour mixture.

Heat up 1 tbsp butter in a heavy bottom pan (I used my trusty dutch oven) on medium high heat, brown dredged oxtail on all sides, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Brown in batches if needed.

Heat up oven to 325 F.

When browning oxtail, prepare your veggies. Once oxtails are browned, go in with the rest of 1 tbsp butter, throw all vegetables into the pan and lower heat to medium, soften vegetables for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally. I like the caramelized colors on my vegetables, adds flavor. Add parsley, thyme, bay leaf, beef broth and reduced wine. Layer browned oxtail on top of vegetables.

Bring pot to a boil, lid on. Kill the heat. Put whole pot into oven, let it go for 3 to 3.5 hours.

By the time the oxtails are done, most of the liquid is absorbed into the luxurious falling-off-the-bone meat, and the vegetable are semi melted into the sauce, with a bit of a bite left.  Flour in the juices will help thicken the gravy. Add a knob of butter if preferred, ladle the gravy over dished up oxtail and vegetables and serve.

 

 

Cooking

Ultimate Chocolate Chunk and Whoppers Cookies

Who doesn’t like cookies, not to mention fresh out-of-the-oven chocolate chunk cookies loaded with whoppers!

I made some today. Let’s just say, you will never miss those cookies came in a box from the grocery store again.

 

Dry Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

 

Wet Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter, melted and browned

about 2 tbsp water, maybe more

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp espresso powder

1/2 cup white sugar (I used raw sugar, nice touch)

1 tsp vanilla

1 whole egg plus 1 egg yoke

 

Surprises:

1 bar of dark (or semi sweet) chocolate bar, cut into chunks

about 20 whoppers, cut into halves or smaller pieces, larger pieces may get hard after baking

 

Method:

Sift all dry ingredients into a medium bowl, set aside.

Brown butter in a sauce pan over medium heat, stir constantly. It will foam up and get bubbly. If you don’t constantly stir it, it may splatter too. After butter is browned, set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

Pour cooled browned butter into a glass measuring cup at least 1 cup capacity. Top it off with water to exactly 1 cup. Either leave on the counter to cool for about 20 minutes, or leave in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to cool faster.

Use this down time to heat up oven to 350 F degrees, and roughly chop chocolate bar and finely chop whoppers. Be careful not to chop fingers!

I like the baked whoppers to have a bit of a bite, almost like caramel pieces, so I only halves them. If you don’t like harder texture in your cookies, chop the whoppers finely.

In a large bowl, add brown sugar, white sugar, espresso powder, vanilla and cooled browned butter. Use an electric mixture, mix until pale and fluffy, for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the egg and egg yoke and mix.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into wet by the third. Mix with the electric mixer thoroughly after each addition.

Fold in the chocolate chunk and chopped whoppers.

Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray really well.

Drop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper or cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches in between. Roughly 3 table-spoon size dough is ideal, or a small ice cream scoop size. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Leave cookies in the pan for about 2 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack or cutting board to cool further. I love a warm cookie with a glass of milk or a cup of nice dark coffee.

Cooking

Best Pad Kee Mao Ever

I have perfected this dish. I have not met a single person that didn’t like it, that’s including kids, and not just my own…Everyone has way over eaten when this dish is served. So, if I can make a suggestion, pack up the rest of the dish and put away, before eating, otherwise you will go back to serve more.

Of course, I tweak the recipe with what I have on hand all the time. As long I have the delicious fat rice noodles on hand, I am golden!

Disclaimer, if you are not familiar with some of these sauces or seasoning, they are all very common sauces in Asian cooking, they are available at pretty much all Asian markets.

Here is how I made today’s version:

Ingredients:

1 package of fat rice noodles, left on the counter for a couple of hours to bring up to room temperature, then taken out of the packaging and microwaved on high for 5 minutes to completely soften.

4 large eggs

1 chicken breast, thinly sliced

4 Swiss chard, hard stem removed (I saved the stem for juicing later, no waste!) and thinly sliced

2 carrots, cut length wise in quarters and cut into match sticks

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cabbage leaves (I had Taiwan cabbage, so much softer than regular American cabbage), thinly sliced

4 cloves of large garlic, minced

1 knob of ginger, about 1/2 inch long, minced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced

 

Marinade for chicken:

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp cooking wine (I used Shaoxing wine, available at any Asian market)

1 tsp mushroom bouillon

1 tbsp rice vinegar

 

Seasoning for Pad Kee Mao:

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sweet soy sauce

1 tbsp of Maggie sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp mushroom bouillon

 

Method:

Marinade chicken with the chicken marinade above, mix well and set aside. Let the chicken soak up the flavor. Wash hands well.

Prepare vegetables as mentioned in ingredient list.

The noodles come in a package, stuck to each other. If you throw the whole clunk into the wok, they will never separate. So, heat them up in the microwave, and separate them with your fingers. Try not to break the noodles, because you don’t want to end up with a bowl or 1 inch long pieces. Be very careful, it can be hot. This is by far, the most time-consuming process.

Wok on high heat, go in with one table spoon of cooking oil. Once oil is hot, go in with chicken slices. Stir fry until chicken is cooked and pull out chicken and set aside.

In the same wok, add 2 tbsp cooking oil, crack all 4 eggs directly into the wok. Use spatula to break up the yokes and scramble the eggs.

Once eggs are set, go in with minced garlic and ginger. Stir around until fragrant. Dump the whole plate of prepared vegetables into the egg mixture and stir fry as if you are making a vegetable dish (hint, this could be a main dish itself, if you add the chicken back in after the vegetables are cooked).

Just look at the color of the vegetables! It’s such a colorful and healthy dish! Stir fry for about 3 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Go in with the separated noodles.

Add all sauces on top of noodles. At this time, you will need 2 spatulas to move the noodles and vegetables around and evenly distribute the flavor. Go in with the cooked chicken.

A very important trick to have amazing tasting Pad Kee Mao is to leave it alone at this point, with heat on. Yes you read it right, heat on, and leave it alone. The bottom layer will be slightly charred, the edges of the noodles will be slightly crispy and browned a bit. That, my friend, is priceless flavor! That is what makes an amazing Pad Kee Mao rather than regular stir fried noodle dish.

Kill the heat, go in with sliced fresh basil and green onions, stir up and dish up. You can garnish with the best looking piece of basil to impress!

 

 

 

 

Cooking

Amazing Salsa, All Goodness, No Joke

I know, you may think what would an Asian know about making salsa? I got the basic recipe from one of my good friends for over 10 years, since I made it the first time, I was hooked. I made so many different versions of it.

Today I made a mild yet super flavorful version, even my kids love it.


Ingredients:

3 large tomatillos, roughly chopped

2 medium size tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 jalapeno, roughly chopped, seeds and all

1 yellow onion, roughly sliced

juice from 1 lime

large handful of cilantro leaves

salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:

In a medium sauce pan, heat up 1 tbsp cooking oil on medium high heat. Go in with first 4 ingredients and stir for about 10 minutes. Vegetables will soften and release juices. Reduce heat to medium so the vegetables would not burn. Kill the heat once all vegetables are softened, and let cool for 10 minutes.

Add cooked vegetables and remaining ingredients into a blender. I used a bullet blender, I don’t like wasting a lot of the precious delicious goodness on the side of the cup after making it. Yep, I may be a bit weird like that.

Lid on and pulse 20 times, it would be one cup of golden scrumptious salsa! Use with chips, spread on your tacos. I promise you, this will beat majority of the restaurant salsa!

You can adjust the spiciness by adding more jalapeno peppers, or use serrano peppers, or even habanarro peppers (I call this one my “suicidal salsa”. I swear, one time this suicidal salsa made one of my friends hiccup until his face turned bright red and we thought he was going to stop breathing :p).

Keep this recipe handy, it would be a huge hit for any party!

Cooking

Simple yet Scrumptious Oyster Mushroom

Oyster mushrooms are my absolute favorite mushroom growing up in China. I remember I would not want to leave the farmer’s market until we got some oyster mushroom when I was a kid.

These mushrooms are so delicious and satisfying, if you have never tried these, please go get some from your local grocery store. Most stores have these nowadays, if you can’t find them, they are always available in Asian markets. Every time I go to my local Asian markets, I have to get some. The possibilities are endless. You can do stir fry these with any meat, mince them up and use in dumpling fillings, enjoy these in hot pots…

Today, I made a simple vegetarian version stir fry. It is so delicious, I did not miss the meat at all.

 

Ingredients:

1 lb oyster mushrooms, cleaned

1 handful of fresh basil, optional

2 green onions, thinly sliced

3 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp mushroom bouillon

 

Method:

Wok on stove, heat on medium high. Oil into wok,  in goes the garlic slices. Use your hands, tear mushrooms into smaller pieces along the stem fibers. Don’t worry about the thicknesses of each piece, the goal is to have them roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

The garlic slices are covered under all the torn up mushrooms at this point. Don’t panic, lower the heat as needed so the garlic won’t burn, or once you tear up a few pieces of mushrooms, stir the mushrooms and garlic a bit so the mushrooms are at the bottom of the wok, instead of the garlic.

Once all the mushrooms are torn and dropped into the wok, stir them real quick, and pour about 1 cup of water and add the mushroom bouillon. Or, go in with vegetable broth instead. Lid on, simmer for about 5 minutes until mushrooms are cooked through and softened.

Mix the corn flour with about 1/4 cup of cold tap water, and pour into the wok. Stir the mushroom around until it’s thickened. Tear the larger basil leaves by hand and drop into the wok, add the green onions. Add salt to taste and dish up.

The sauce is so shiny and glossy, mushroom is so meaty, with the fragrance of fresh basil. It’s a healthy tasty home run!

Cooking

Herb Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower can be one of the vegetables that a lot of people have no clue what to do with. In fact, cauliflower is quite mild in flavor, which makes it a fantastic canvas for any flavor you would want it to taste like. It can also cover the texture rainbow from crunchy, to mushy and anything in between. So, let’s make humble cauliflower fabulous!

I am making a herb roasted version today, to go with Memorial day feast!

 

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp chili powder – this is to give a warm flavor and color, it won’t taste spicy at all

1 tsp dried basil – I don’t want fresh basil to burn in the oven

2 long sprigs of fresh thyme

1 long sprig of fresh rosemary

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread cauliflower pieces in a large baking dish, I used a half sheet pan. Pick leaves off fresh thyme, throw on top of cauliflower. Pick leaves off fresh rosemary, roughly chop, throw on top of cauliflower, along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well with a spatula, or clean hands (like me).

Stick in the oven for 35 minutes, if you like it a bit on the crunchy side, 40 minutes if you like it soft. Dish up and serve! Just because I am Asian, I had to throw in a little thinly sliced green onions as garnish :p

Cooking

Ice Cream Cake with Shortcuts

OK, I have to admit, this picture is almost one year old. Believe it was taken last July, but I seem to keep forgetting to make this super easy yet tasty treat for the kids this year.

We went to DQ today, eating the blizzard, I suddenly remembered this treat to keep in my freezer for a quick summer night dessert. Guess what’s going onto my do-make list? :p

Ingredients:

1 tub (or 2 tubs, or 3, if you want mixed flavor) store-bought quality ice cream, or your home-made ice cream. Let me tell ya, the home-made ice cream is SO MUCH better than store-bought! I will talk about the home-made ice cream in another blog another day. This is shortcut #1

1 loaf of store-bought sponge cake – shortcut #2

Toppings and surprises, such as M&Ms, chocolate chips, sweetened shredded coconut, minced gummy worms, crushed chocolate cookies or peanut butter cups, chocolate or strawberry syrup, heck, why not both? whipped cream, cherry…You get the idea, this is the part you unleash your creativity and imagination and make this ice cream cake with your flare.

 

Tools:

1 bread loaf pan, or tin foil loaf pan

Plastic wrap

serrated knife – this will make a HUGE difference cutting the sponge cake

 

Method:

Line the bread loaf with plastic wrap, leave plenty on both sides of the pan, so at the end of the process, you can fold the plastic over the top of the ice cream cake. This step is crucial, it keeps the ice cream cake isolated from the rest of the freezer items.

Slightly soften the store-bought ice cream. Tip, if the ice cream tub is too frozen, stick it in the microwave for 5 seconds, add a few more seconds if needed. Works like magic.

Unwrap the store-bought sponge cake from packaging, lay it sideways on your cutting board. Use the serrated knife to slice the sponge cake into three equal thickness slices. Be careful don’t crush your cake. Put the bottom slice in the loaf pan, just on top of the plastic wrap. Push it down snugly. Take first flavored ice cream, use a large spoon, or ice cream scoop, scoop about 3 large balls and line them onto the bottom layer of sponge cake. Use the back of the spoon to gently even out the ice cream. Top it with surprises.

Layer the middle sponge cake on top of the ice cream and surprises. Push it down gently. Repeat with the ice cream, same flavor or different, top with surprises again. Layer the top of the sponge cake on top. Top with ice cream. Repeat with topping or surprises.

Fold the over-hang plastic wrap from both sides to cover ice cream with toppings. Stick the whole thing into your freezer for a couple of hours before serving, so the softened ice cream has a chance to set again.

When ready to serve, take out the whole loaf pan from freezer. Unfold the plastic wrap from the top, use them as a handle to lift the cake out of the loaf pan – SMART! I know! 😀

Slice up the cake about 1 inch thick, or 2 inches, however you like. lay the cake sideways on a serving plate. Drizzle chocolate syrup or strawberry syrup, or whipped cream, stick a cherry on top – Again, let your imagination and taste buds take control and watch those happy faces!

Cooking

Letter Pasta Soup

Don’t ask me why, because I have no clue, why my kids are obsessed with these. May it be the alphabet letters of the pasta, may it be the chicken broth, I have no clue. In ideal world, I’d love to have some vegetables in it, or shredded chicken or something, but my kids really love it as is right now. I will have to figure out a great way to add more nutrient into it.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb alphabet pasta, good enough for 3 to 4 servings for little kids

about 4 cups of chicken stock, or 4 cups of water plus 2 chicken bullion cubes

 

Method:

Bring chicken broth or water to a boil. If using water, add chicken bullion cubes, or vegetable bullion cubes and dissolve. Add alphabet letters and cook according to the instruction on the packaging. Or, just let it boil for about 5 minutes. I like turning off my stove and put the lid on the pot and let the residual heat to finish cooking the tiny little pasta, and give the pasta another chance to fully absorb the flavor of the broth.

Dish up and serve! Another great hint, if you got little kids who are not really patient enough to wait till the soup is no longer piping hot, I like to serve the pasta into a bowl and throw in a few ice cubes into the bowl and mix. The letter pasta soup will cool down instantly, without diluting the flavor much.

 

Cooking

Simply Boiled Ribs – Nothing Ordinary About It!

Simplicity is quite often the best recipe. I love this recipe, even though I can hardly call it a recipe. It’s super simple and quick, and you will be making it over and over. Great for kids and adults! I heard on the radio one of the local grocery stores is having pork spare ribs on sale for 99 cent / lb. What a great deal! So, I went and got myself 2 slabs of meaty ribs, for 13 dollars! One slab went into the freezer for later, the other one is going onto my lunch table today, since I won’t have the kids for dinner.

I could only fit 4 ribs in this large bowl I got, but I have way more ribs in the pot on the stove. May not even need to refill the bowl.. These are so meaty and tender!

 

Ingredients:

1 slab of pork spare ribs, or baby back ribs, or rib cutlets, or even cubed meat… you get the idea, any cut of somewhat lean pork meat would do!

1 knob of ginger root, sliced to about 1/4 inch thickness

4 green onions, use the green part – yes green part, the part most recipes tell you to throw away. Save the whites for other recipes, we only need to borrow the flavor of the green onions, we are not eating it!

 

Sauce:

This, my friend, is the money-maker. I will tell you this one, as one of my top-secret recipes. Write it down, print it out, save it, book mark it, put it on your fridge.. do any of that. You will be making this over and over and over! Let me put it this way, I have not yet met a single person so far that is not obsessed with this sauce!

Kids version sauce:

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1/4 tsp dark vinegar, use Asian vinegar if you can find it

1 tsp sesame oil, this is very strong potent flavor, you can even use 1/2 tsp if you prefer. A little goes a long way!

1/2 tsp powdered chicken bullion

Optional:

Remember the white part of the green onions? thinly slice it up and use about 1 tsp of it in the sauce for older kids, may be too strong for little kids

 

Adult version sauce:

All the above in kids version sauce, plus:

1 tsp hot chili oil (I have a family recipe, which is another greatest top-secret of my cooking, stay tuned!) store-bought is fine, but I find the flavor varies a lot. Find a brand you like and stick to that

1/4 tsp white sugar or honey. A little sweetness really balances out the spiciness of the chili oil

1 clove of garlic, finely minced, or grated

 

Method:

Slice between the bones of the ribs, and separate ribs. Put the ribs into a large pot and fill up with cold water. Slice up ginger root and throw into the pot. Fold the green part of the green onions and shove them into the water too. Put pot on stove, lid on, heat on high until water starts to boil. Lower heat to medium, skim off the impurities of the soup and discard. Leave the lid half on, so the water doesn’t over flow. Boil the ribs till tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Take ribs out using a pair of tongs and place on a plate or in a shallow bowl.

Dip the ribs into the sauce and enjoy! Hint, make an individual dipping sauce bowl for everyone, you will for sure want to double dip!