Hello Again!

March 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Hello all, if there is anyone there…

I can’t believe that is has been well over a year since I last posted on this blog; time passes so very quickly when you are busy. 

I haven’t forgotten about this blog and the fact that even after leaving it for so long we still get many visitors shows that I need to get myself into gear and start uploading more recipes. I am also thinking of starting a You Tube channel…stay tuned for that!

If anyone has any requests until then, do let me know. It’s always interesting to see what people like and also what people think of Chinese food. 

Till the next time (hopefully not in a year). 

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How to make Chinese Sticky Rice Or Glutinous Rice Recipe

October 27, 2011 by 6 Comments

Happy Thursday everyone!

Today I have quite a classic Chinese dish for you – Sticky Rice or Glutinous Rice (depending on where you are!).  It is a savoury dish, characterised by a sticky, stodgy white rice with lots of meat in it.  It is quite rich so is sometimes served as a dim sum, or wrapped up in some leaves. It isn’t the kind of thing you’d sit and eat a whole plate of, like Fried Rice, because the texture is quite heavy.

To start, you need Glutinous Rice. I don’t know how easy this is to find in a regular supermarket – hard probably, but if you go to a Chinese supermarket, then there’s loads of options and it is inexpensive:

Chinese Sticky Rice Or Glutinous Rice Recipe 7

Mother used half a bag, 1kg for this but this is a highly exaggerated quantity! For two you would need far less than that, more like a third of the quantity – we were feeding 6 adults though.

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A Picture of Nana!

October 21, 2011 by 2 Comments

Here’s a picture of Nana.  I noticed this the other day whilst sitting in her kitchen!

I like her combination of trendy and old style….

Grandmas feet

Just a bit of Friday Fun for you.  Does your Nana do anything funny?

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How to make Congee (Rice Porridge or Juk): A Spare Ribs and Peanut Congee Recipe

October 18, 2011 by 2 Comments

Congee is one of those dishes that is a absolute staple in Chinese families and yet it’s not something that is widely known to the masses.

Congee is a popular food to give to children and babies because it is simple so easy on the stomach. My babies will be raised on this stuff, I promise you! (well…and carrots).

It’s great when you’re not feeling well. It’s a comfort food without all the unhealthiness of other comfort meals!

My English other half had never ever heard of it and never tried it until he we started dating and now he loves it.  A friend of mine is English and is married to a Chinese man and thinks it reminds her of wallpaper paste. Perhaps Congee, or Juk (as it’s pronounced in Chinese) is a love or hate thing?

Congee is basically a rice porridge.  The rice is cooked until it breaks down and becomes  a soft porridge like consistency and it can be as thick or thin as the cook prefers. It sounds so simple but trust me I screwed it up a few times when trying to make this because I used a ‘easy cook’ rice (food of the devil).

I don’t know what they put on easy cook rice but it seems like it’s some kind of coating which means the damn thing will NOT break down, ever. I guess this suits people who can’t cook rice to save their lives, but for congee, it is absolutely not suitable!

Just use simple long grain rice (white).

You need a very small amount of rice compared to water and you keep adding it as you go along.  To serve 6 adults my mother used 1 cup of rice. To serve 2 you’d need a 3rd.

Step 1:

Wash the rice and wash it really really well, then leave it for an hour in a sprinkling of sugar and a dash of oil.

How to make congee

You must soak the rice in salt and oil! If you are in a rush leave it for 30 minutes but it is important that you do do this step.

Continue reading “How to make Congee (Rice Porridge or Juk): A Spare Ribs and Peanut Congee Recipe” »

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How to make Easy and Yummy Chinese Fried Rice Recipe (Bacon and Vegetable Rice!)

October 13, 2011 by 3 Comments

Fried rice is another one of those dishes that is commonly associated with Chinese cooking.

To be honest, I have never cared for it. I prefer squidgy plain boiled rice.  However, in the last year or so it has grown on me; it’s highly convenient to eat and can have lots of different textures (crunchy, soft, salty, sweet). You can add your own condiments (for me, Mouldy tofu, soy sauce light and chilli turnips).

My mother also happens to make the most delicious fried rice and it almost never features chicken – it’s much nicer with ham or bacon in my opinon!

One of the reasons she makes it so often is because it’s great for leftovers including rice.  Rice can be reheated successfully when you refry it (provided you cook it throughly).  Rarely will she actually cut up fresh vegetables or make a new batch of rice unless I request it for a meal! It’s leftover city at her house!

Here is how to make fresh fried rice or indeed, chuck in your leftovers if you like!

Chinese Fried Rice Ham Sweetcorn

Ingredients:

1 Can of Sweetcorn (Green Giant – you can try others but it is the best)

One bowl of frozen peas

RIce to serve around 3-4 people

3-4 slices of Bacon

2 Eggs

Salt and Pepper

(Any other veg or meat you fancy really).

 

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How to make Chicken Sweet and Sour Step by Step! – Homemade and Authentic Recipe!

October 11, 2011 by 1 Comment

There probably isn’t another dish that epitomises Chinese food in Britain more than Chicken Sweet and Sour.

Served in a bright orange-reddish thick sauce, it’s sweet, sour, tangy, fruity.  It’s so popular Uncle Ben sells it ready made in a Jar.  In truth, the sauce is easy, the method is more difficult but only because of the chicken.  Remember our Salt and Pepper Chicken recipe? The method is pretty much the same.

Unlike Japanese Katsu which is covered in shards of Panko Breadcrumbs, the Chinese method is low budget and can be done with super cheap and accessible ingredients. Let’s start!

Firstly – this was the sauce base (here is how it made – let me get back to you on quantities although trust me a lot of it is through taste). If you make this up, this is like cordial, but for sweet and sour. It is concentrated and you only need a bit. Alternatively you can buy jars of ready made Sweet and Sour sauce which is already thick.

Ingredients:

Chicken – Breasts, boneless thighs – it’s up to you. My mother used about 2 breasts sliced but Chinese people are very frugal with their choice cuts of meat. Chicken breasts usually cost far too much in the UK for what it is (I saw a pack of 4 in Sainsburys for £8!).

Chicken Sweet Nad Sour recipe

1 White onion

1 Green Pepper

2-3 Pineapple Rings from a can (save about 4 tablespoons of juice, optional)

1 Egg

A few tablespoons of cornflour

A few tablespoons of custard powder

Salt and Pepper to season

Continue reading “How to make Chicken Sweet and Sour Step by Step! – Homemade and Authentic Recipe!” »

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Quick and Easy Comfort Food! Chinese Salt and Pepper Chips Recipe

October 7, 2011 by 5 Comments

Happy Friday!

Originally this was supposed to be Sweet and Sour Chicken – apologies, its 3.30am and I need to get a shorter post up!

Here is a quick easy dish, which is comfort – snack food and amalgamates Chinese and English food types!

Salt and Pepper Chips – in Chinese Takeaways and Chippy’s this is surprisingly popular.

Step 1.

Cook chips. Up to you what kind. Probably not curly or anything that already has flavour. We used thick cut steak chips.

Step 2.

Prep your seasoning:

White Pepper

1 Chopped green or red pepper

Chopped garlic

Chilli chopped (we used green, I prefer red)

Chopped Spring Onion.

Everything is fried in a hot wok, but the spring onion:

Salt and pepper chips wings food

Fry for a few minutes so the onion softens but doesn’t brown. Are you ready for the technical bit?

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Homemade Chinese Sweet & Sour Sauce Base Recipe!

October 6, 2011 by 2 Comments

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the delay in posting new posts!  It’s been a busy time and I’m finally back with lots of different dishes for you!  This one is a precursor to the recipe I will be sharing with you tomorrow.

Today we’re looking at Sweet and Sour.  Do you love it or hate it?

Sweet and Sour is one of those recipes that is heavily associated with British Chinese food.

It has that sort of kiddy appeal; it’s sweet and tangy, there’s pineapple, and battered chicken. Yet I rarely eat it, my mum rarely makes it; it isn’t believe it or not, a regular dish that Chinese people eat at home.  I guess it’s in the same way that some people presume Indian people must eat Tikka Massala a few days a week when some say it was infact was created in England, tailored for the British audience!

Home made sweet and sour sauce begins life like this:

Homemade sweet and sour recipe

A sweet and sour sauce base incredibly simple and is a mixture of:

White Vinegar

Tomato Paste

Tomato Puree

Orange Juice

Sugar

Lemon Juice

Notice how liquid it is before it is cooked.

Maybe after seeing what we do with it you won’t need to buy Uncle Ben’s premade sauce again! Come back next week for the cooking method and step by step Sweet and Sour Chicken!

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How to make Chinese Style Steamed Fish Recipe

September 8, 2011 by 3 Comments

Hello everyone!

Today is something criminally simple – it’s not even a recipe really, but just a cooking method.  This is how many Chinese household serve fish.  The fish is almost always whole, although the fishmonger tends to scale it, and gut it too first:

Chinese steamed fish turbot

Ok, so I forgot to ask my mama what kind of fish this is. Does anyone know!?

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Fairly Healthy Chinese Soup: Salted Duck Egg, Marrow and Pork Soup

September 1, 2011 by 1 Comment

There’s all kinds of reasons why the combination of Salted Duck Egg, Marrow and Pork don’t quite seem right, but when my ma made this for me a few weeks ago, it was so scrummy I just had to share this with you.  It has vegetable, dairy and meat.  It’s a clear soup with lots of chunk to it – it’s quite filling and refreshing too.

Additionally, it’s quite salty (hence the salted duck egg!).  You could use regular egg if salty is not your thing.

Speaking of salted duck egg, my mum preserves her own (she said she will show me how to do this) otherwise you can just buy it from the Chinese supermarket.  You will notice the shell has a blue-ish tinge and preserved eggs may be covered in charcoal or ash.  You just wash this layer off.

Additionally, salted duck eggs are high in iron, calcium and zinc and have more protein than regular eggs but you can’t have it all the time – it’s super salty after all so you shouldn’t have it too often!

First of you need a marrow. One of my Nana’s neighbours, a lovely German lady grows these so gifted us with some:

Marror Chinese Soup Cooking

A meat cleaver! Get one! They look scary but if you can get one from Chinatown.  Get a sharpener too – they’re cheap from the Chinese supermarket.

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