Stir Fried Chicken with Zucchini

I have made this dish quite a few times and it has now become part of my usual repertoire. I often bring left-overs to work and I like to keep the vegetables crunchy so I tend to keep the cooking time short. The zucchini should just start to soften before you turn the heat off. This way they will keep the texture even after re-heating.
In Australia (and a lot of Western countries) most people prefer cooking with chicken breast than chicken thigh, probably because it is healthier (less fat, more protein, etc). But I have never been converted to use breast because thigh is just so much tastier and more tender! But feel free to use the fillet of your choice. Just make sure you marinate the breast fillet for long enough.

Stir fried chicken with zucchini

400g chicken thigh fillet
4 medium-sized zucchini
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Marinate: 2 tsp raw sugar, cracked pepper, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp corn starch
Sauce: 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp corn starch and 2 tbsp cold water

1) Cut the chicken fillets into 1-cm strips. Combine with the marinate and leave for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2) Chop the zucchini into 2-cm sections. Finely dice the garlic. Roast the sesame seeds if desired.
3) Heat 1 tbsp olive oil on a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add in the chicken fillet and cook until browned on both sides. Push the fillet to the side of the pan and add the garlic in the centre of the pan. When the garlic start to become fragrant, stir in the zucchini. Add about 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini start to soften.
4) When the zucchini are cooking, prepare the sauce in a small bowl. Pour over the stir-fry when it is ready. Stir well to distribute the sauce. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds on the top. Serve with rice.

燉蛋

If I were to name my five favourite desserts, this one would DEFINITELY make it to the list. I was actually a bit surprised by the simplicity of the recipe when I first found it. But to me cooking should be like this; simple ingredients, easy recipe, yummy food.

燉蛋
(from Christine's Recipes)

125mL milk
1 egg
1 tsp sugar (adjust to taste)

1) In a big stockpot, bring enough water to boil for steaming. (or use a steamer)
2) In a small bowl, beat the egg well. Heat the milk until slightly warm. It has to be hot enough to dissolve the sugar but not too hot that it can cook the egg. Add sugar to the milk.
3) Pour the warm milk into the bowl with the egg and stir to combine. Remove any bubbles on the surface.
4) Cover the bowl with foil and seal the edges. Steam the egg mixture above boiling water on a low heat for 10 minutes. Lift up the lid half way to let the steam escape then replace the lid. The egg mixture should firm up when done.

YUMMMMM!

焗豬扒飯！

Sometimes I think that my interest in cooking is partly due to the limited choice of restaurants in Brisbane when you eat out. Instead of trying to find a nice restaurant that serve decent food (that is reasonably priced), it is far easier to learn to cook yummy food. (Not to mention how much healthier it is for you!) This dish is really something I would never make when I'm at home in Hong Kong. I mean why would you go through the trouble of all those chopping and stirring and baking and washing up when you can get the same dish (probably a better version of it), along with a drink, at 大家樂 across the road at $40?
This rice dish is probably the most classic Hong Kong fast food dish. I have yet to come across a person from Hong Kong who has not had it before. It's got fried rice, it's got pork chop, it's got tomato sauce, and it's cheesey and so so so yummy. The pork chops are juicy and flavoursome. The rice has absorbed all the flavours from the cheesy tomato sauce, the eggs and all the vegetables. On its own it is such a satisfying meal, and a little antidote to homesickness.

Baked fried rice with pork chop adopted from Christine's Recipe

2 bowls cooked brown rice
1/2 onion, diced
2 capsicums, diced
3 small tomatoes, diced
150g frozen mixed peas, corn and carrots
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
2 eggs, beaten well
2 pork chops
all-purpose flour
salt & pepper, to taste
soy sauce, to taste
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup of cheese (I used a combination of shredded Parmesan and ricotta)

1) Sandwich each pork chop between two layers of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin or a meat hammer to flatten the pork chop to half its original thickness. Remove any visible fat. Marinate them in sugar, pepper, sesame oil, soy sauce and cornstarch overnight (or at least 30 minutes)
2) Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees C.
3) Heat oil in a pan on a medium-high heat. Place the pork chops in the beaten eggs, then cover both sides with flour. Cook the pork chops in the pan until both sides are golden brown and about 90% cooked through. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
4) In the same pan, heat oil on a medium heat. Cook the chopped onion until transparent. Add the garlic and stir for about one minute. Stir in the capsicum and frozen vegetables. Cook until they are warmed through and soft. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5) In the same pan, heat oil on a medium heat and pour in the eggs. When the eggs are starting to set, mix in the cooked rice and break up the rice if there are any clumps. Continue to stir until the eggs are well combined with the rice. Then add in the tomatoes and 2/3 of the cooked vegetables. Mix well and season with pepper and soy sauce. Pour the rice mixture in the baking dish. Top with pork chops.
6) In the pan, heat up the tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water on a high heat. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil then reduce to medium heat. Slowly add in small amount of flour (about 1/2 tsp each time) into the mixture until it thickens to the desirable consistency. Mix in the remaining vegetables and season with sugar and pepper. Pour the sauce over the rice and the pork chops. Sprinkle cheese on the top. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the pork chops are cooked through. Serve immediately.

Pork chop with pineapple and capsicum

I find it quite funny that a few colleagues at work are always so interested in what I bring to lunch. They can be fascinated by basic dishes like fried rice, 梅菜蒸豬肉 (steamed pork mince with dry pickled Chinese vegetables) 、蒸水蛋 (steamed egg)、豆腐煮魚 (tofu with fish) etc. And I can never find the most perfect and accurate way to explain to people exactly what ingredients such as 豆豉 (Chinese fermented black beans) or 腐乳 (fermented bean curd) are. I guess in Hong Kong, we are pretty lucky to be exposed to cuisines from so many different countries and we have become accustomed to a wide variety of cooking and flavours.
I remember when I first came to Australia, a friend from boarding school told me that she would never eat fish that had any skin or bones attached to it. That was almost incomprehensible to me as we would have steamed whole fish at home at least two to three times a week and it is a dish that I really enjoy (not to mention how much I love those fish eye balls!) And think of all those delicious sashimi that she is missing out just because she's scared of raw meat!
Anyway I cooked this dish a few nights ago and brought the leftover to work for lunch the next day. A colleague couldn't help ask me what I was having because she reckoned it smelled really good. I got kinda embarrassed because, after all, there isn't anything impressive about pork chop in a pineapple sauce right? But I guess this is part of what they call cultural differences. And maybe I can start spreading the message that home-cooked Chinese meals are nothing like the greasy Chinese takeaway that you get from next door!

Pork chop with pineapple and capsicum

2 slices of pork chops
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 yellow capsicum
1/2 green capsicum
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
1 can of pineapple pieces
Sauce: pineapple juice from the can, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste), 1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1) Place pork chops between 2 layers of cling wrap and flatten with a meat mallet or a rolling pin to half of its original thickness. Slice them to 1cm-thick pieces and marinate with sugar, soy sauce, ground pepper, sesame oil and corn starch.
2) Heat oil in pan. Cook pork chop pieces until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
3) In the same pan, add sliced onion and cook until transparent. Add garlic and capsicums and cook until capsicums start to soften. Stir in pineapples, pork chops and the sauce into the pan and bring it to boil. Then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
4) Thicken the sauce by adding a mixture of 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp of corn starch. Serve with rice.

Beef Stir Fry with Garlic Shoots

I have always been a baker more than a cook. Baking just seems so much more enjoyable and so much more fun. In my opinion, there are not many things in the world that give more pleasure than the smell and the taste of homemade cookies and cakes. But not living at home means no meals readily prepared by dad. So if I want home-cooked meals the only way would be to do the cooking myself.
This is one of those dishes that every family seems to know and can be easier prepared within thirty minutes. Before I came to Australia I don't think I have had garlic shoots very often. But they are really yummy and nutritious vegetables. Rich in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. And I really like their subtle spiciness and the crunchy texture. And, unlike some leafy vegetables, they retain their shape and crunchiness very well after reheating so they are good for lunchbox.

Beef stir fry with garlic shoots1 bunch of garlic shoots
stir fry beef
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
sesame seeds, slightly toasted
sauce: 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp corn starch, 1 tbsp water

1) Marinade beef with sugar, sesame oil, ground pepper and corn starch for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
2) Cut off the ends of garlic shoots and cut them into sections. Blanch them in boiling water for approx. 1 minutes. Set aside.3) In a heated frying pan, add oil and cook garlic until fragrant. Add the beef and shallow fry them until almost cooked through. Stir in garlic shoots.
4) Combine the last 4 ingredients to make the sauce. Pour the sauce over the pan and mix well. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top to serve. Serve with rice.

機動飯盒之陳氏炒飯

After a 47-hour week, I feel exhausted. I need sleep. I need food. I need time. I need a break. I need to relax. Having no internet at home, it almost adds to the stress. Fingers crossed I hope all will be fixed by the end of this week. (and there REALLY needs to be a patron saint for the internet)

Fried rice is a dish that you can find on the menu of any Chinese take away shop. But we're talking about home cooked fried rice here, not its greasy, heavy and fattening cousin. It is a great way to use up any leftover veggies / meat in the fridge. From the flavoursome XO醬 or juicy pineapple, to the humble grated ginger, almost anything that you have on hand can be used to make this easy healthy dish.

My favourite version of this recipe calls for 叉燒, a lot of eggs, heaps of extra frozen corn and chopped tomatoes. But do experiment with ingredients that you like. Chop all the ingredients into similarly-sized small pieces for even cooking. It gives better presentation at the end too. Things like prawns, salmon or sausages can take the place of 叉燒. Make sure you don't add the tomatoes until the heat is turned off at the very end or they will release too much moisture, making the rice soggy. Any leftovers are fine to be reheated later in a microwave oven.

1.5 cups cooked rice, preferably cooked the day before
2 eggs
1 onion
A couple of mushrooms
3/4 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 can of mixed beans
1 capsicum
2 tomatoes

1) Chop all vegetables into small cubes.
2) Beat 2 eggs together. Heat oil on a wok / a large frying pan. Shallow-fry the eggs on both sides and cut into slices / pieces. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3) In the same pan, add chopped onion and saute until soft. Add in the mushrooms and stir until cooked. Mixed in canned beans, frozen vegetables, capsicum and rice and stir to mix all ingredients. Add about 1 tbsp soy sauce and stir. Turn off the heat after all the ingredients are hot and cooked through. Add in the eggs and tomatoes and mix evenly. Season with freshly grated pepper for seasoning if desired. Enjoy!