Beef Stroganoff

From Russia with love. A quick and easy 30-minute meal that is hearty and satisfying.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef filet, sliced thinly (I used round-eye steak)
• 1/3 cup onions
• 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Parsley (dill would work too)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 6 Tbsp of butter
• Worchester sauce
• Corn starch
• Salt and pepper
• Egg noodles

 Instructions: 

1. Slice beef into thin strips
2. Add corn starch, 2 tablespoons of worcester sauce, salt and pepper to beef and marinate for a few hours
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in frying pan at high heat, then turn to medium hea and brown beef slices. Set aside.
4. Add another 3 tablespoon of butter and fry the brown onions. Add beef broth to dissolve the caramelized burnt bits on the pan. 
5. Add mushrooms, tomato paste and parsley, and turn up the heat to cook the mixture.
6. After the mushrooms and onions are soft, turn down the heat before adding the sour cream. Important: Keep heat low, do not allow mixture to boil or simmer to ensure the sour cream does not curdle.
7. Add beef to the sour cream and mushroom sauce and mix well.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve hot over egg noodles, with parsley as garnishing.

Serves 4.

Adapted from this recipe from Simply Recipes.

Bubur Cha Cha

This is one of my favorite Straits Chinese dessert originating from Singapore/Malaysia.

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato (or 2 small ones) (orange)
• 1 yam (purple)
• 1 Japanese yam (yellow)
• Sago pearls
• 1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz, 400 ml)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pandan (Screwpine) Leaves

Steps:

(A)

• Dice yams and sweet potatoes into small cubes
• Place in a heat resistant container, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar
• Steam over a covered wok for about 45 minutes or until they are soft, set aside to cool.

(B)

• In a separate small pot, add 2-3 tablespoons of sago pearls into bowling water. Boil until pearls are translucent. Sieve and set aside.

(C)

• Once you have steps (A) and (B) ready, add 3 cups of water to the can of coconut milk and boil. If you have screwpine leaves, take one and tie them into a knot and add to the mix.
• Once the liquid starts to boil, add sugar to taste. I added around 3/4 cup but you can add more or less as desired.

To serve, combine (A), (B) and (C). Can be served both warm (my preferred way) or cold.

10 servings.

Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings

A very easy, low-prep recipe for weeknight (or weekend) dinners!

Ingredients:

10 chicken wings
3 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1.5 Tbsp sesame oil
1.5 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp chinese cooking wine

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Marinate overnight or at least 4-5 hours before cooking.
3. Preheat oven to 375 deg F.
4. Coat baking tray with double layer of alumnimum foil.
5. Spray tray with cooking oil.
6. Lay chicken wings on tray, topside up.
7. After about 20 minutes, turn chicken wings.
8. After about 10 minutes, turn chicken wings again. Wings should be topside up again.
9. Turn oven to "Low Broil" for the last 5 minutes, do watch to make sure they don't burn.
10. Serve with rice.

Serve  2.

Notes:

Steps 7-9 seem a bit troublesome but worth the effort to avoid the chicken wings sticking to the tray due to the honey in the marinade. Doing it will help you get shiny, well-glazed, finger-licking good chicken!

Banana Nut Bread

This is a pretty fail-proof recipe which I adapted from this website.

Ingredients:

1 stick (4 0z) butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (substitute: add 1 teaspoon vinegar in 1 cup whole milk)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
11/4 cup mashed bananas (3-4 ripe (blackened) bananas)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour two 8"x4" loaf tins.
3. Cream butter and sugar well, about 5 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time and mix well.
5. Sift dry ingredients.
6. Add 1/3 of dry mixture then 1/3 of milk. Repeat until dry mixture is mixed well with milk.
7. Stir in mashed bananas, chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
8. Pour into greased loaf tins.
9. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 55-60 minutes.

Makes 2 loaves.