Garlic Noodles

I just recently saw an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network Channel where they featured Garlic Noodles. I got curious how a simple noodle dish can be so good  to be featured on TV. Although, they did not reveal the secret, I found this recipe pretty easy to make. In search for the garlic noodles recipe online, I came across to Budget Bytes. But instead of using the angel hair pasta noodles, I replaced it with fresh chow mein noodles. I do not know if it is because I only made a small batch but it made my husband craves for more. He said it is addicting. Try it yourself  for you to decide.


Ingredients:

½ lb (8 oz) fresh chow mein or angel hair pasta noodles
4 cloves minced garlic
½ bunch of green or spring onions
4 tablespoon of butter
2 teaspoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoon of brown sugar
t teaspoon of sesame oil
2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2-3 tablespoon of hot water

Cooking Directions:

• Cook pasta as per box directions. If you are using fresh chow mein, no need to boil.
• Mix the oyster sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Make sure that they are all well incorporated. Set aside.
• On a medium skillet or wok, melt the butter under medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute until soft but not browned.
• Add the noodles, stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoon of hot water to loosen the noodles up.
• Add the soy sauce mixture to the noodles. Make sure noodles or pasta is well coated.
• Serve hot. Garnish with spring onions. Enjoy!

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Pepper Steak Stir Fry

Pepper Steak Stir fry is quick ,easy and delicious healthy food. This easy Chinese stir fry dish does not  require any ingredients you can't find in just about any store. If you are in search of Asian recipe where you want to use your leftover meat or vegetables, this dish is for you. Try and I guarantee you will absolutely enjoy it.

Ingredients:

½ - 1 lb of stir fry meat pre-sliced  ( 1 lb flank steak ( stir fry sliced)
2 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Marinade:

2 tablespoon of soy sauce
½ tablespoon of rice wine vinegar or dry sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Sauce:

1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of water
1 tablespoon of corn starch
½ tablespoon of soy sauce
½ tablespoon of rice wine or dry sherry vinegar
½ tablespoon of sugar
½ teaspoon of sesame oil

Vegetables:

2 teaspoon ginger (finely chopped)
2 scallion (chopped)
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 onion ( thinly sliced )
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

Cooking Directions:

• In a medium mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients for marinade. Add the stir fry meat and marinade and chill for 1 hour.
• Combine ingredients of the sauce. Set aside.
• Prepare vegetables. Cut and sliced onion and bell pepper. Set aside.
• Heat pan or wok with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
• Drain excess marinade off the beef. When wok is smoking hot, add beef, stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until beef is just cooked. Remove from wok. Set aside. Wipe wok or pan with paper towel.
• Heat wok or pan with the remaining vegetable oil. When smoking hot, add the vegetablesstir fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Return beef to the wok. Add the sauce and mix well to coat. Cook for 1 more minute or until sauce thickens.
• Serve over white rice or with corn tortillas. Enjoy !

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Spring Rolls ( Lumpiang Shanghai)

Lumpia is a traditional Filipino dish normally served as appetizer or side dish. It is considered the egg roll of Filipinos. The main ingredient for this recipe is ground pork mix with vegetables and spices, rolled in lumpia or spring roll wrapper. The Filipino cook this by deep frying in vegetable oil and serving with sweet and sour sauce. If you want to taste this out of this world spring rolls, i suggest that you have to attend a Filipino event or party, i bet Lumpia is one of their planned menu to serve.

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg small shrimps (minced)
• 1/2 kg ground pork
• 1/4 chopped green onions
• 1/4 chopped carrots
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• dash of salt & pepper
• 2-3 pkg. of Spring Roll Wrapper
• Vegetable oil for frying

Cooking Instructions:

• Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Put 1-2 tablespoon of the mixture onto the spring roll wrapper.
• Seal the seam with water or egg wash.
• Deep fry on medium high heat until golden brown and meat is no longer pink.
• Drain in a paper towel and transfer into a serving tray.
• Serve with a Chili Sauce or Sweet and Sour Sauce. Enjoy!
  

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 6 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolve in 3 tbsp water

Cooking Instructions :

• In a small saucepan, mix all the first 6 ingredients.
• Bring the mixture to boil under medium high heat.
• Lower the heat and then ass dissolved cornstarch. Stir vigorously until thickened.
• Remove from heat and transfer to a sauce dish and serve. Enjoy!

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Siomai - Siew Mai ( Chinese Pork Dumplings )

Siomai( or Siew Mai )  is a steamed pork dumplings originated from the Chinese. It is basically a combination of minced pork and shrimps semi wrapped in wanton wrapper. You can tell a good Sio Mai if it is crunchy and savoury. This Chinese Dumplings is always present in any Dim sum or Chinese Tea Lunch. I decided to give this a try, the real challenge here is the wrapping technique, you must have the skill in stuffing the minced meat and shrimp mixture on to the wanton wrapper and shaping them into a
cylindrical parcels at the same time. It looks pretty easy watching the Chinese make this. But for me, i have yet to perfect that part. More practice makes it perfect, right?

Ingredients :

2 lbs of ground pork
1 package of wonton wrapper
1 cup shrimp, minced
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 can of water chestnuts, minced
4 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 cup of white mushroom, minced
¼ cup scallion or spring onions
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 teaspoon of corn flour, or all purpose flour
1 egg

Cooking Directions:

• Combine all ingredients except the wanton wrapper. Mix thoroughly.
• Wrap the siomai. ( siew mai )Put about 2 teaspoon of filling mixture to a
  wonton wrapper, gather up the sides and leave the center open.
• Prepare steamer. Steamed wrapped siew mai for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve hot with soy sauce and lemon dipping sauce. Enjoy!

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Gyoza - Pot Stickers Dumplings

Gyoza-a Japanese Pot Stickers( other call it Chinese Dumplings ) is one of my husbands favourite dumplings.He has tried some of the Asian dumplings but this is the one for him . There are different variation of Pot Stickers, it can be filled with minced chicken, ground pork, shrimp and cabbage mixture. For first timer, like me, do not overwhelm yourself too much in this recipe. Make it simple, make it easy and fast.You can always make a twist the second  time you make them.

Ingredients:

1-½ lb ground pork
2 cups of Napa or Chinese cabbage ( blanched,squeezed dry and chopped finely)
½ cup of chopped onions
1 package of Gyoza skin or dumpling wrapper
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoon of rice wine
1 tablespoon of green onions or chives

2 tablespoon of ginger ( minced)

2 tablespoon of garlic ( minced)
1 tablespoon of Sesame oil

1 cup water or chicken stock

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

pinch white or black pepper

½ Oyster Sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

Cooking Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, add  the soy sauce, rice wine,sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, garlic,ginger with the ground pork. Mix it thoroughly.
• Add the Napa cabbage, onions and chives to the mixture. Make sure they are all well incorporated.
• Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit inside the fridge for around 30 minutes. This to make sure that all the ingredients are well blend together.
• Scoop about 2 teaspoon of pork mixture and spread it on the Gyoza skin. Wet edge of the Gyoza skin, then fold the dumpling so that the ends meet, and press firmly to seal them. Then pleat the edges a few times to ensure a good seal. Place this on a baking sheet with parchment while you do the rest.

• When ready to cook dumplings, heat some sesame oil in the pan over medium heat.
• Line up the Gyoza dumplings in the pan, folded side up. Brown the bottom for around 3-5 minutes. then add  ½ cup of hot  water ( or chicken stock ) and cover immediately. Steam them off for 5 minutes,then remove the lid.When water completely evaporated, continue fry the dumplings for a couple more minutes.

• When the bottom of the Gyoza dumpling become golden brown. Carefully take them out off the pan.
• Serve the Gyoza with a dipping sauce, bottom side up. Enjoy !

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Chicken Lo Mein Stir Fry

Growing up in the Philippines and living in Taiwan for several years, I learned to love cooking and eating Lo Mein. This is really a fast and easy stir fry recipe. When my in-laws were here, i wasn't sure if they would like to try this dish since i haven't seen them eating it before. The response was really good - it was a relief for me.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Lo Mein Noodles ( can be replace by spaghetti noodles )
• 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, julienne cut
• 1 cup pea pods, whole or sliced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 2 Tablespoon Light soy sauce
• ¼ cup chicken broth ( or 1 bouillon chicken cubes )
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Cooking Directions:

1. Cook Lo Mein noodles as per package directions.
2. In a wok, bring 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a smoking hot state.
3. Add the chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes. Set aside.
4. In the same wok, heat another 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil until it's smoking hot.
5. Add the garlic and onions. Stir fry for few seconds. Add remaining vegetables and stir fry for 2 minutes. Season with pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Clean the same wok with paper towel. Re-heat the wok again with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil , add the cooked noodles and stir fry for 1 minute, add the chicken broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
7. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil.
8. Taste and season with salt and pepper as preferred. Enjoy!
   
   

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Sio Pao Asado ( Steamed Bun )

Siopao is a steamed bun with pork filling. This is a popular dim sum dish for Filipinos and Chinese. While there are different variation of steamed bun ( e.g. Pork filled buns, Chicken filled buns,BBQ pork buns), the classic for each is pretty much the same - plain dough rolled into rounds and filled with mixture of your choice and seasoned with Asian sauce like Hoisin sauce , Oyster sauce and Soy Sauce.

Ingredients:

( adapted from panlasangpinoy, made few changes )

For the Dough

• 2 cups of warm water ( 110°F- 115°F )
• 2 ½ tbsp sugar (added to yeast mixture)
• ½ cup sugar (added to the flour mixture)
• 1 pouch dry yeast
• 3 cups bread flour
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 ¼ tbsp baking powder
• 6 tbsp shortening

Cooking Instructions:

1. Place the warm water in a mixing bowl . Add the yeast and sugar . Mix well and let it stand for 10-15 minutes or until foamy.
2. In a separate mixing bowl. Prepare the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, baking powder,shortening. Mix with the yeast mixture.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking.
4. Place dough in a deep greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at cool room temperature for about 2 hours.
5. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a well-floured surface and knead a few times until smooth.
6. Form the dough into a flat ball, pinch a hole in the center, and stretch the dough into a uniform loop. Continue stretching until the dough rope is about 1 1/2 inches in thickness. Cut the dough into pieces about 1 inch long, dust with flour, and cover with a damp paper towel.
7. To make a wrapper, lightly flatten a piece of dough with your palm. Roll the piece of dough out into a thin, even round using a rolling pin.
   Place the wrapper flat in your palm and add about a heaping tbsp full of filling in the center. Pinch the edges up into folds towards the center while turning the bun in your hand until all the edges have been pinched up.

Prepare your steamer. Place your Siopao buns into the steamer and steam for 15 minutes. Serve hot with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

For Asado Filling

• 2 lbs pork, chopped into small pieces
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, diluted in 1/4 cup water
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce

Cooking Instructions:

1. 1. In a saucepan,under medium-high heat, stir fry the garlic and onions.
2. Add the chopped pork, cooked until brown.
3. Season with soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sugar. Mix well and let it simmer for 40 minutes.
4. Add the diluted cornstarch, continue to simmer until the sauce thickened.
5. Remove from heat and let it cool.

To Make the Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, under medium-high heat, bring 2 cups of water to boil.
2. Add in sugar lower the heat to medium , stir and simmer until dissolved.
3. Add in the Hoisin Sauce and soy sauce, simmer for a minute.
4. Dissolved the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and add in to the saucepan.
5. Cook for another minute until sauce thicken. Remove from heat and let it cool.
   

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Pan de Coco ( Coconut Bun )

Pan De Coco ( Bread with Coconut filling) is one of my favorite snacks back home. This traditional Filipino bread brings me back childhood memories of my neighborhood bakeshop. Since my stay in Panama- Latin America, i have not yet found Asian or Chinese bakery that carry Custard Bun or Coconut Bun. I decided to make it a try using the Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix. It turned out really good, my husband and my neighbor loved it.

Ingredients :

For the bread

• 1 Pillsbury Hot roll mix
• 1 egg ( for egg wash )
  

For the Filling

• 1 cup grated coconut or Desiccated coconut
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of water

Cooking Directions:

1. To make the bread or rolls, follow the procedure on the box of Hot roll mix.
2. Flatten each piece of dough. Top each with a heaping tablespoon if coconut mixture.Fold dough over filling to meet in center; pinch edges to seal.
3. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubles,about 30 minutes.
4. Brush with egg wash and bake at 350°F for 15-30 minutes or until golden brown.

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Dongpo Pork Recipe ( Braised Pork Belly )

Dongpo pork is a famous Chinese dish, it is like pork belly adobo in Philippines.The general ingredients for Dongpo pork are pork belly, wine, ginger and Welsh onion; and it involves a long cooking time (2-3 hours) to give the tenderness.Eat as little of the fat as you choose. The accompanying ginger help offset the fat.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) piece pork belly


• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil


• 1 tablespoon tea leaves


• 4 stalks welsh onion or spring onions
  

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup water


• 8 cloves garlic, lightly crushed


• 5 slices old ginger (or 7 slices young ginger)


• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns


• 4 tablespoons soy sauce


• 2 tablespoons yellow wine (e.g. Shaoxing wine)


• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil


• 2 tablespoons sugar

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cut the pork belly into cubes (~ 4×5 cm).


2. Blanch the pork belly in a pot of boiling water for a 5 minutes and clean it with cold water.


3. Put the pork belly in the pot and cover with water. Make sure the skin is facing down. ( Important ). Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.


4. Heat a wok and add the sauce ingredients. Mix well and bring to a boil.


5. Add the pork and cook each surface for a few minutes over a medium heat.


6. Remove pork and drain well. Pour the remaining sauce into a small saucepan and set aside.


7. Clean and drain the wok. Heat the vegetable oil to a medium heat. Fry the pork on all sides until it is well browned, making sure the skin side is a little crispy.


8. Steep the tea leaves in hot water for a couple of minutes, remove and set aside.


9. Place the pork in the pot of water again–topping up the water if necessary.


10. Add the tea leaves and simmer for 30 minutes.


11. Place the spring onion stalks on the bottom of a steamer.


12. Transfer pork to the steamer. Steam for 2 hours, turning the pork after 1 hour (because of the long steaming time, you may need to replenish the steamer water). Serve with white steam rice. Enjoy !
    

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