Vietnamese Beef Stew

This is a delicious aromatic stew. The Vietnamese meal excels at subtle mixtures that are fragrant rather than spicy.You won't believe the delicious, cinnamon and star anise - scented aroma that fills the kitchen when you make this. As with most stew, this tastes even better when made in advance and then reheated, making it taste perfect.






Vietnamese Beef Stew

For the marinade

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and very finely chopped
2 tsp mild curry paste or powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp light brown sugar
4 tbsp tomato purée
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce

For the Stew
900g lean stewing steak, cubed
3 tbsp corn oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
750 ml water
1 tsp salt
2-4 star anise
freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, cut into chunks
2 potatoes, cut into chunks
2 small turnip, cut into chunks

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the meat and toss to coat completely. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a flameproof casserole dish. Add the onion and garlic and fry, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Remove from the dish with a slotted spoon.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the dish. Add half the meat and brown quickly on all sides. Remove from the dish. Add the remaining meat and brown quickly. Return the rest of the meat, any remaining marinade, and the onions and garlic to the pan.
4. Stir in the water and add the salt and star anise. Add a good grinding of the pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour.
5. Add the prepared vegetables and simmer gently until everything is tender, a further 30 minutes.
6. If necessary, remove the lid and boil the stew rapidly for 1-2 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly. Taste and re-season if necessary.
   

Egg Shaper

The first time I saw this on the internet,I was curious on how can the hard-boiled egg be made in different shapes. Well, there's no surprising for Japan to discover this as they have beautiful food presentation especially the foods that cater kids. They are very artistic in presenting their sushi and other foods. So I went to searched if I can find this item here in UK as most of the shop selling this can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, China and other Asian countries. Thankfully Japan Centre just opened in Picadilly,London. I purchased different bento items and different molds for sushi, cookie cutter and bento lunch box.





After boiling and shelling the boiled egg, just pop the egg in the base moulder, cover and lock it. Set aside until its cooled and well formed. Making the kids food attractive help them to eat, enjoy and finish their food.

Eggplant with Chilli Sauce

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetable. It's versatile to cook with other dishes. This dish can be an appetizer or have it with steam rice. Eggplant with chilli sauce is famous in Chengdu, China. That's were you can fine different kinds of chilli. If you cannot find the pickled chilli paste you can make it yourself. Soak the whole fresh chillies in salted water for 1 month. Drain from the liquid and blitz in a food processor with vegetable oil.







Eggplant with Chilli Sauce

800g eggplant (aubergine)
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 tsp pickled red chilli paste
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 tsp crushed Garlic
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
200ml chicken or pork stock
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
5 tsp sugar, or to taste
½ tsp salt
½ tsp chicken bouillon powder
3 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp chilli oil, or to taste



1. Remove the skin from the eggplants and cut the flesh into even chunks about 5cm x 1.5cm x 1.5cm.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok and deep-fry the eggplant until soft and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Set aside.

3. Drain and discard all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan. Add the chilli paste, ginger, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the chopped spring onion - stir-fry for 30 seconds.

4. Pour in the wine and stock, bring to the boil and reduce for 2-3 minutes. Return the eggplant to the sauce.

5. Season with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt and chicken bouillon powder - cook for a couple of minutes. Taste for sweetness - you might like to add an extra spoonful of sugar. The sauce should be sweet and tangy.

6. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and add to the sauce. Stir until thickened over a moderate heat. Season with chilli oil.

7. Serve garnished with remaining chopped spring onion or coriander leaves.

make pickled red chilli paste by soaking whole fresh chillies in salted water for 1 month. Drain from the liquid and blitz in a food processor with vegetable oil.