dong bo rou

Dong Bo Rou

Dong Bo Rou is actually a chinese classic dish which has been a delicacy in Asian cuisine for centuries. Named after the famous Sou Dong Bo, the famous scholar in Hangzhou long time ago. The story goes that the great Sou Dong Bo was gifted with wine and the finest pork by the people of Hangzhou after he ordered the dredging of the West Lake and saved the people from the annual floods. When he saw the gifts, he asked them to be given to the people who were working so hard instead. "Let them eat together." The servants misunderstood and thought Sou Dong Bo said cook them together. So what turned out was a great dish where the meat is soft and juicy. It's a very tasty dish, given its heavy fat content, should really be enjoyed by everyone. 
I personally tried making my own version of Dong Bo Rou after referring to a couple of recipes and i came up with this recipe that can actually reduce the fattiness in the pork and oiliness you get when you eat it. Hope you guys like it!


Recipe:


500gm                         pork belly with skin on
1/2cup                         soy sauce
1/2cup                         dark soy sauce
1/2cup                         oyster sauce
1/2cup                         sugar
1/2cup                         chinese cooking wine
5slices                          thinly cut ginger
1stalk                           spring onion


Method:

1. Par boil the pork in boiling hot water for 5 minutes until the meat turns pale. (Best to use a wok for even heat)
2. Remove the pork from the water. Pour out the hot water and place it back on the stove. Place the pork onto the wok, adding the ginger and spring onion. (No fire at this point)
3. Pour all the sauces onto the pork, and pour in water enough to fully submerge the pork. Bring it to a boil.
4. Once its boiling, lower the heat to low fire and cover with lid. Let boil for at least 2 hours, simmering slowly. 
5. After 2 hours, remove the pork from the liquid and place it on a place. With the sauce in the wok, turn the fire up to high and reduce the sauce until its thick, sauce consistency. 
6. Pour over the pork and serve. 

claypot chicken rice

Claypot Chicken Rice

This is my personal recipe for a simple and delicious claypot chicken rice. You may have heard some of my friends or relatives mentioned about it, so I am sharing my recipe here with you guys, hope you guys enjoy! 

Recipe:

1cup                             long grain rice (washed)

1 1/2cup                       water

500gm                          chicken (chopped into small pieces)

4 cloves                        garlic

1tbsp                            ginger

4                                  dried chilies (soaked to soften)

10gm                            spring onions

5tbsp                            oyster sauce

5tbsp                            soy sauce

3tbsp                            fish sauce

3tbsp                            dark caramel soy sauce

1tbsp                            sesame oil

1tbsp                            sugar

Method:

1. Get a claypot. If you do not have one, invest in one. It won't cost you a lot so for the best experience, get a claypot. After buying the claypot, give it a good wash and oiled. 
2. Place the rice in it and wash it thoroughly. Add the water into the rice, cover it and boil over medium heat. 
3. To make the chicken, lightly fry the garlic, ginger and chilies till fragrant. Add the chicken and fry for 3 minutes continuously stirring. While stirring, add in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, dark caramel soy sauce and sesame oil. 
4. Fry for another 2 minutes then over high heat. After 2 minutes, add enough water to cover the chicken and over medium heat let it simmer until the water is reduced to 1/4 from its original amount. The sauce should be thick, and enough to cover all the rice. 
5. Keep an eye on the rice, stirring it if it starts to burn on the bottom. Once the rice is done, and the chicken is done, add the chicken into the rice and give it a good stir to assure that all the rice is covered in the sauce. Add an egg at this stage if you want to. 
6. Sprinkle some spring onions on the top of the rice and serve. Enjoy. 

top 10 celebrity chef earners salary

Name: Rachael Ray

Position: 1

Earns: $18 million

Show: The Rachael Ray Show

Awards: FHM 100 Sexiest Women in 2004 & 2005 / Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Service Show / Times 100 Most Influential People

Books: 18

Name: Wolfgang Puck

Position: 2

Earns: $16 million

Awards: 2 Michelin Stars in 2008 / Nation's Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame in 1993 / Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show in 2002. 

Restaurants: 16 restaurants in USA and Canada

Books: 4

Shows: 13 tv shows and movies from 1992 - 2011.

Name: Gordon Ramsey

Position: 3

Earns: $7.5 million

Awards: 3 Michelin Stars for his Restaurant / Independent Restaurateur of the Year in 2006 / Catey Awards in 1995 / Newcomer of the Year in 1995 / Chef of the Year in 2000 

Restaurants: 26

Shows: 13

Books: 24

Name: Nobu Matsuhisa

Position: 4

Earns: $5 million

Awards: Michelin One Star for Nobu Las Vegas

Restaurants: 27

Books: 4

Name: Alain Ducasse

Position: 5

Earns: $5 million

Awards: Three Michelin Star restaurants in three cities / Only Chef to hold 19 Michelin Stars throughout his career

Restaurants: 22

Name: Paula Deen

Position: 6

Earns: $4.5 million

Awards: Daytime Emmy Awards (Outstanding lifestyle Host) in 2007

Shows: 6

Books: 8

Name: Mario Batali

Position: 7

Earns: $3 million

Awards: One Star Michelin / Three Stars from The New York Times / Best New Restaurant 1998 / Man of the Year 1999 / D'Artagnan Cervena Who's Who of F&B 2001 / Best Chef 2002 / All-Clad Cookware Outstanding Chef Award 2005 / Best Restaurateur 2008

Shows: 14 (Including Iron Chef)

Books: 8

Name: Tom Colicchio

Position: 8

Earns: $2 million

Awards: Five James Beard Foundation Medals for Cooking Accomplishments 2010

Shows: 2

Name: Bobby Flay

Position: 9

Earns: $1.5 million

Awards: Restaurant of the Year 1992 / Rising Star of the Year 1993 / Outstanding Graduate Award 1993 / Award for Design 1995 / Outstanding Service Show 2000, 2004, 2005, 2009

Shows: 11

Books: 9

Name: Anthony Bourdain

Position: 10

Earns: $1.5 million

Awards: Food Writer of the Year 2001 / Food Book of the Year 2002 / Outstanding Informational Programming 2007 / Best Blog - Culture 2008 / Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming 2009

Books: 10

Shows: 3

second last gen-Y out of Masterchef

A taste test has claimed yet another young contestant from the Masterchef kitchen this week, Matthew Caldicott. The 21 year old accountant in Sydney joined Masterchef with his passion for food and cooking for his family, hoping one day he would leave his accounting job and open up his own restaurant. Matthew found himself got kicked out of Masterchef after wrongly identifying one of the ingredients for George's carrot cake. "I said apricots as there were little silvers on top of the cake. When the judges asked me to specify, i shivered and said dried apricots, when it is apricot jam." Matthew's exit interview by Brisbane Times. After failing the Qantas A380 challenge, the blue team was lead into the elimination round yesterday. "The few best top cooks in Masterchef this season is standing right in front of me in this elimination round." said Gary. Marion, Alvin, Matthew, Jonathan and Claire was in the blue team, losing the challenge sending them straight into elimination. I watched the elimination round and thought. Hey, this is a tv show. They will keep whatever audience wanna see. So, i bet Matthew is going home tonight. Well, he did. So im thinking of all this Masterchef thing is actually a show with script or not. I wonder.... 

beef lasagna

Beef Lasagna

This is an awesome recipe for beef lasagna. Very easy to make and this is one of my favorite Italian dishes. 


Recipe:
1tbsp                          olive oil
1                                brown onion
2tsp                            garlic (chopped)
750gm                        minced beef/pork/chicken
700ml                         tomato pasta sauce
2tbsp                          tomato paste
2tbsp                          chopped fresh basil and oregano
3sheets                       fresh lasagna (from supermarket)
375gm                        smooth ricotta cheese
1/3cup                        grated parmesan cheese


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220'c. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add brown onion, garlic, and minced beef. Cook and constantly stirring for 3-4 minutes or until mince changes colour.
2. Stir in tomato pasta sauce and tomato paste. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes, or thickened slightly. Stir in herbs. 
3. Spoon 1/3 beef mixture over the base of a square 8 cup-capacity ovenproof dish. Top with 1 fresh lasagna sheet, trimming it to fit. Repeat process twice, finishing with lasagna sheet. 
4. Spread ricotta over top of lasagna, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender and cheese browns. (if you have gas oven, cover your lasagna with aluminium foil before baking, and remove it after 15 minutes cooking to brown the top of the cheese).
5. Serve with a simple green salad. Enjoy.

kitchen gardens: school program gets results

A team of researchers from Deakin and Melbourne universities have found that children involved in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program show clear changes in attitude, knowledge, skills and confidence in relation to cooking and gardening. 

The program, which operates in 139 schools around Australia, helps primary schools set up a kitchen garden, allowing children to grow their own fruit, vegetables and herbs. Kitchen classes encourage students to use the produce to create dishes and learn skills. 

By comparing children at non-participating schools with children at the Kitchen Garden schools, researchers were able to see the impact of the program. Key findings included increased willingness to try new foods, great enjoyment of kitchen classes and cooking in general, and flow-on effects in the home environment. The program has also been successful in engaging 'non-academic learners' and children with challenging behaviors. 

While the participating schools showed an increase in food literacy, the comparison schools also showed an increase; suggesting that food literacy in Australia is generally on the rise among primary school aged children.

The researchers also reported one particularly valued outcome of the program; children's competent use of knives in the kitchen, which was valued by all involved as both evidence of skill and a symbol of trust.

So next time when you think of kicking your children out from the kitchen when you are cooking, try getting them involved instead. Provide a friendly and easy going environment and kids might just fall in love with cooking immediately. 

an aussie classic

Beef Stroganoff

A definite Aussie 70's classic dish that cannot be missed in every dinner parties. Beef Stroganoff is proudly a Russian originated dish that has proved its delicious from time to time again. The dish contains slices of lean beef and served with sour cream sauce and mushrooms. This dish got its name from a famous celebrity, whom is friend to Alexander III and his name was Count Pavel Stroganoff. 

Recipe:

2tbsp                       olive oil

500gm                     beef loin (sliced )

1                             medium brown onion

2                             garlic cloves

300gm                     mushrooms (button preferable)

2tsp                        sweet paprika

2tsp                        corn flour

250gm                     light sour cream

2tbsp                       tomato paste

1/2cup                     beef stock

1/4cup                     brandy

2tbsp                       parsley

400gm                     fettuccine pasta 

Method:

1. Mix the smoke paprika and corn flour together, add the beef into it and give it a light toss. Heat up oil in a pan, and fry the beef until it starts to color. 
2. Lower the heat. Add the onions and garlic and sweat them for 5 minutes until tender. Add mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes until mushroom is soft. 
3. Add the brandy into the pot and let simmer for 1 minute to burn off the alcohol. You can do flam be if you have the knowledge. Do not set yourself on fire! =)
4. Then add the tomato paste and sour cream and give it a good stir. Add stock into the mixture, close the lid and let it boil for 10 minutes. When done, your beef Stroganoff should be nicely medium thick consistency. If its too thick, add more sour cream. If its too thin, reduce it down for a bit more. Do not overcook the beef. 
5. To cook the pasta, boil water and add salt. The water should be as salty as the sea. Place the pasta in to it and boil until al dante. Drain when cooked, and when its hot stir in chopped parsley. 
6. Serve the beef Stroganoff with the pasta. Bon appetite!

cruelty or exquisite?

We've seen a lot of these ads on the internet about eating foie gras. What is foie gras? Foie gras directly translates into "fat liver" and refers to duck or goose liver from force-fed animals. The liver, which is grossly enlarged by methodically fattening the bird, (also called: cramming) has been counted as a delicacy since classical times, when the force-feeding of the birds was practiced in Classical Rome. It is commonly accepted that this practice dates back much further, to ancient Egypt and was possibly picked up by the Jews during their period of "bondage" and passed on to the classical civilizations. In modern times the foie gras of the south west of France and that of Strasbourg, in the Alsace, have been the most renowned, although much of what is now consumed in France has its origin in Eastern Europe. There has been a debate going around for the past century about the cruelty of consuming foie gras. But is it really an big issue? Or its just a nature's balance? I've read a book regarding foie gras which i will later post up the link on the bottom if readers wish to purchase. "It is difficult to even phrase an initial question concerning the foie gras controversy because the phrasing might bias the answer, or the question may be ambiguous. For example, say we ask, is the production of foie gras cruel? The problem is with the definition of "cruel?" Couldn't we say that the raising of nearly all animals is cruel in some respect? As another example, we might ask whether ducks raised for foie gras suffer? But then what is the definition of "suffer?" Doesn't the raising of all animals involve suffering in some respect?" Indeed foie gras is a very delicate and high standard delicacy. When properly prepared and cooked, foie gras can be better than wagyu beef. But do you think it is too cruel to have the animal suffer for our own benefits? Or its just mother nature's call? I will leave it to my readers to comment whether you guys think that eating foie gras is ok or should be stopped. Some pictures to show some dishes of foie gras. Click on the duck picture to buy the book!

sunday family roast

Roast Chicken

This is a simple sunday family roast that anyone can do it at home. It is always great to see a beautiful roast on your lunch table on a sunday afternoon. 

Recipe:
1 x 2kg                         whole chicken
1whole                          garlic bulb
2tsp                              cayenne pepper
2tbsp                            fresh ground pepper
4tbsp                            salt
2tbsp                            fresh rosemary
1whole                          lemon


1/2kg                            potatoes
2cloves                         garlic
5tbsp                            olive oil
4tbsp                            salt


Method:

1. Rub the chicken with cayenne pepper, ground pepper, salt and rosemaries with olive oil and let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 
2. Cut the whole garlic into half, drizzle it with olive oil and place it in the oven for 30 minutes at 200'c. Roast the garlic until soft and golden brown. 
3. Remove the garlic, smash it with a fork and rub it under the skin of the chicken. (For presentation purposes, try not to break the chicken skin when rubbing garlic)
4. Remove the chicken from fridge and drizzle with some extra olive oil. Place on a roasting rack. Stuff the chicken cavity with a whole lemon. (poke some holes on the lemon to release juices when roasting)
5. Prepare the potatoes. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the potatoes in the same tray as the chicken and place whole garlic cloves into the potatoes to extract flavors. 
6. Roast the chicken for 40minutes at 180'c or until the juices run clear when you poke it with a fork or knife. 
7. Serve with the potatoes. 

goodbye Skye!

A sad ending for Skye today on Masterchef after her defeat in an elimination match against Jonathan. So the show started with Jonathan, Aaron, Skye, Alvin, Joanne and Sharnee when they have to cook up a chicken kurma dish. They were all asked to taste the dish, and then given the basic ingredients, but without spices. Indian cooking without spices? Woohoo.. won't happen right? Contestants were given a whole range of spices to pick from to cook their chicken kurma, but none of them actually got it 100% right. Some started with turmeric and garam massala. And throughout the whole match, only Alvin got most of the ingredients right. Well, he's Asian anyways! How can he not know how to cook chicken kurma. So that's a big advantage for him. Well, at the end it was Skye and Jonathan that went to the 2nd round of elimination since their curry was a failure. In the elimination round, they were tested with spices. Various spices were put on a plate, and they were to name them. Skye got the ground cloves wrong when she guessed garam massala. It was actually pretty close because, basically they look the same. Is the fragrance that is different. Lucky Jonathan. Well, Skye did a great job throughout the whole competition and has always been outstanding with her platting skills. After Skye left Masterchef, she quit her career as a designer and opened up a dessert bar in Brisbane called Wild Sugar (www.wildsugar.com.au). All the best to you Skye! On the bright side, this means less competition for Marion to win the Masterchef this season! 

chicken kurma

Chicken Kurma

Recipe:

1kg                         Chicken

1cup                        onions (sliced)

2tbsp                      poppy seeds

1tbsp                      coriander seeds

1tsp                        cumin seeds

1/2cup                    coconut cream

1/2cup                    yogurt

2cloves                   garlic

2tsp                        ginger

3                            cardamoms

3tbsp                      vegetable oil

6                            red chilies (whole)

                              salt
                              potatoes (optional)

Method:

1. Clean, wash and skin the chicken. Cut the chicken into manageable sizes (12-14pieces)
2. Soak poppy seeds in 1 cup warm water for 10 minutes.
3. Grind socked poppy seeds with red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic and cardamom in a mortar (or food blender). 
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and cook till they are translucent. Add ginger paste and stir until fragrant. 
5. Add the chicken into the pan and cook on high heat for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Make sure the chicken does not get too brown.
6. Stir in the ground paste and add 1 cup of water. Add salt and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and add yogurt. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
8. Finish with coconut milk, stirring at medium heat for 30 seconds. (Do not over boil the coconut milk as it will separate from the curry).
9. Serve with hot rice.