Char Sui Pork Bun, De-Constructed!

WARNING: Long ingredient list…but don’t be put off!

You could call this ‘De-constructed Pork Buns or Pot Stickers’…almost. As you know (if you read this blog regularly), I am into anything that is easy and quick, can be adapted to feed 1000′s, and naturally, gotta be tasty. Pork Buns officially fill most of the said requirements, but these are easier and quicker still! And yes, I did the Char Sui Pork myself…see note below.

NEED:

Water Dough Pastry;

50g rice

150g bakers flour

50-100g boiling water

pinch salt

Oil Dough Pastry;

200g bakers flour

pinch salt

50g oil

50-70g hot water

Dressing;

1 dried chilli

2-3 cloves garlic

2cm piece peeled ginger

1-2 tbsp sugar

50g soy sauce

20g Chinese black vinegar

Juice 1 lemon

Remaining Filling;

600g Char Sui Pork, sliced

1/4 Chinese cabbage, shredded

A few sliced spring onions (shallots)

Bean shoots to taste

Crispy fried shallots to taste

500g cubed and roasted sweet potato

Roasted peanuts to taste (optional)

Few sprigs coriander

DO:

To make hot water dough, place rice into Thermomix bowl and mill for 1.5 minutes on speed 10. Add remaining ingredients and only about 50-60g of the water, mix for 6 seconds on speed 6.

With dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1 minute on Interval speed. (Add more water at this point if not forming sticky dough.) Turn out onto Silpat mat and wrap tightly. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the oil dough by placing all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mixing for 6 seconds on speed 6. With dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1.5 minutes on Interval speed. Wrap tightly and allow to rest for at least 10 mintues.

Place both doughs back into Thermomix bowl and with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 2 minutes on Interval speed.

Roll into long sausage shape and cut into rounds which you then roll flat into large circles before placing into a hot, well oiled fry pan. Add a ‘slosh’ of  water and cover the pan immediately so that the wrap is steamed. When the water has almost evaporated, remove lid and when golden, turn and brown the other side. Set aside, but keep warm until service.

To make Dressing, place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and blend together for 15 seconds on speed 6. Set aside.

Assemble wraps as you would any other, salad, sweet potato, dressing, pork, garnishes and more dressing…don’t forget anything now! Is there something you would like me to ‘de-construct’ to make it simpler? Let me know…perhaps that should be my new alter ego…Recipe Doctor.com, or De-Constructs R Us! (Only in my spare time of course!)

Char Sui Pork

Make the Char Sui marinade by placing to taste honey, sugar, oyster sauce, five spice powder, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, Chinese wine, chilli, garlic and ginger into Thermomix bowl and mixing until blended. Heat for 4 minutes at 60C on speed 1 to form a syrup. Marinate up to 2 kg of pork fillet slices for several hours. (I marinated for around 24 hours) Cook under a very hot grill until charred and fragrant. Slice as needed.

Chilli Cheesy Scones

Chunky Chili with Chilli Cheesy Scones

I have been completely snowed at work, I mean I am not even Twittering…well not as manically as usual anyway. And might I add it’s a thankless task, insanely cooking day and night, night and day as though every recipe in the world has to be Thermomixed! Sometimes, I just like to cook using something else….(Pick yourself up off the floor, don’t give up on me just yet!)…I DID still use the Thermomix in this recipe, how could I not? Just not the entire recipe! This is really family food at its best; savoury, rustic, easy, loved by all. It is easily tweaked to increase or decrease quantity, and of course wholesome!

A little while ago, I purchased an enormous  Cuisinart slow cooker which has proved very useful on many family occasions. It holds up to 6.5 litres and so therefore this recipe feeds up to 12 adults…but simply halve recipe if not feeding an army. And FYI the Cuisinart mob do smaller slow cookers for those of you who don’t HAVE to feed an army!

So, to the Chunky Chipotle Chilli with Cilantro/Coriander and Chilli Cheesey Scones! I always was a sucker for alliteration…

NEED:

Scones;

1 small dried chilli

170g good quality Parmesan cubed

110g Taleggio (no substitutes please, and yes I know I jumped continents and cuisines…but oh YUM!)

50g unsalted butter

SR flour

Good pinch salt

210g sour cream

DO:

Preheat oven to 200C.

Place chilli, cheeses and butter into Thermomix bowl and chop for 8 seconds on speed 8.

Add remaining ingredients and with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1 minute on Interval speed or until well combined.

Turn out onto floured Silpat mat and bring together with hands and extra flour if needed. Roll out and cut into scone sized rounds. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Keep warm until service.

NEED:

Chilli;

3-4 onions peeled and halved

5 cloves garlic

2-3 dried chipotle chillies soaked and rehydrated in boiling water or to taste

3tsp each ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and sweet paprika

1tsp ground cinnamon

1kg cubed casserole beef

1kg cubed pork neck

Sea salt to taste

2tbsp rapadura sugar (or brown sugar)

680g tomato puree

140g tomato paste

2x tins kidney beans drained and rinsed

1 tin chick peas drained and rinsed

2tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Fresh coriander (cilantro), oregano, mint to taste

Diced fresh tomatoes, black olives and lime wedges for garnish

Steamed rice to serve

DO:

Place onions, garlic, drained chillies and all ground spices into Thermomix bowl and chop for 5-6 seconds on speed 7. Scrape into Slow Cooker and add meat, tomato puree and paste salt and sugar.

Now this is where you gotta love a Slow Cooker…turn it onto the lowest setting and cook for 24 hours…yes folks, you read it correctly, 24 hours. It smells divine after about 4 hours, and simply mouthwatering any time after that.

During the last hour add the vinegar, beans and chick peas, they really just need to heat through without breaking up. (If you wanted to use dried beans you can add them in with the other ingredients at the beginning of the cooking time.)

SERVE:

Scoop some rice into each bowl, split the scones and top with the chilli. Add fresh chopped herbs, tomatoes, olives and lime wedges to taste.

I have made this many times over the years and have added a few touches here and there…needed a blog post this week, got invited to bring a dish tonight to friends, and voila, two birds with one stone. Here we have Chicken Kaukswe, a Burmese (P.C. Myanmar) curry, very mild, very fragrant with any number of possible variations. The recipe I worked from originally was one my mother used to make who had been given it by a Burmese friend, and because I like to think I’m Australia’s answer to Martha Stewart, I have tweaked it a few times, and Thermomixed and induction-ed it as well…enjoy! (This is not unlike my Mexican Chicken Soup, though different flavours completely…but the same help yourself idea…which you will remember I love!)

NEED:

1 whole free range chicken

3-4 tbsp turmeric

enough water to almost cover chicken

200g rinsed yellow lentils

1-2 tins coconut cream

salt to taste

juice 2 lemons

Paste:

5-6 cloves garlic

2 large brown onions peeled and quartered

3-4 cm peeled fresh ginger

3cm shrimp cake/paste

2 dried chillies

2 tbsp turmeric

50g oil

Accompaniments:

5-6 sliced hard boiled eggs

1/2 small finely shredded cabbage

5-6 spring onions/shallots sliced

crispy  noodles

soft egg noodles

coriander/cilantro sprigs

sliced fresh chillies

sliced white onions

lemon wedges

DO:

Rub chicken with turmeric and place into large pot. Fill almost to cover the chicken with water and simmer on Induction 6 for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is well cooked. Turn chicken over and allow to cool before removing flesh from bones and discarding bones.

Make curry paste by putting all paste ingredients into Thermomix bowl and chopping for 4 seconds on speed 7. Scrape down lid and sides of bowl and repeat. Scrape down before sautéing for 4 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1. Place into pot with de-boned chicken and stock. Add lentils and cook on Induction 5 for 15 minutes.

Reduce temperature to Induction 4 and add 1 tin of coconut cream, salt and lemon juice. Simmer for up to an hour or until flavours are well blended and lentils are disintegrated. Add additional coconut cream if soup thickens up too much or as needed. (It bears noting that this tastes better the next day…so the Curry No Hurry adage holds…the flavours meld together better if time is on your side.)

Prepare accompaniments in separate dishes and allow everyone to help themselves, ladling the hot curry soup last over the top of noodles, cabbage, herbs, onions and eggs etc.

The great thing about this dish is that it can serve as many as you need it to, simply by adding accompaniments, or lentils and stock ad infinitum!

Having returned from Singapore with more baggage than I left with (and I’m not talking about the check in kind), largely because I ate my way through as much food as possible in the two weeks…I am now contrite…time to pay up.  But then, I did tell you I was getting on a healthy kick…I have been drinking more water than any bladder should legally hold, trying to cut carbs, and stick to high protein…this was fairly light as a meal, and certainly delicious. The double bonus was that is was quick and pretty well a self assembly job. I lined everything up on the bench and let them at it. To make it slimmer, leave the grated cheese out, though it does help stick everything together! ‘O’-le!!

NEED:

Handful each coriander (cilantro) and oregano

120-130g each Parmesan and cheddar cubed

140g chorizo sausage chopped in large pieces

1/2 red onion

2-3 cloves garlic

few spring onions/shallots

3 cherry tomatoes per quesadilla, halved

1 green capsicum/pepper diced

1-2 avocados

Kernels cut from 1 ear of corn

200g crumbled feta

8-10 large tortilla wraps (I used 1/2 spinach and 1/2 sundried tomato wraps)

Olive oil as needed for frying

DO:

Place coriander and oregano into Thermomix bowl and chop for 3-4 seconds on speed 7. Set aside.

Place cheeses into Thermomix bowl and grate for 10 seconds on speed 7. Set aside.

Place sausage, onion and garlic into Thermomix bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 6. Cook for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed soft.

Prepare remaining toppings and set aside.

Lay out each wrap and top with grated cheese, sausage mixture, herbs, and a little of each of the other toppings finishing with the feta and a small amount of the grated cheese. Top with another wrap of choice.

Meanwhile heat a large fry pan on Induction 6 for around 6-7 minutes.The pan should not be smoking, but fully heated.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and place the quesadilla into the pan, cover and cook for around 2-3 minutes, turn over carefully and repeat.

Slice into quarters and serve with fresh lime wedges and additional coriander leaves. You could add a dish of sour cream and fresh sliced red chillies to serve if desired.

Thai Beef Salad

Sorry, its Friday afternoon at the end of a long week, and so I am not only tired, but silly to go along with it! Thai Beef Salad is one of my favorites and lately I have been on a mission to find a nice one in a restaurant that I could rely on to deliver the taste hit that I crave…no luck! So had to come up with my own, here it is. Although we have had  nothing but rain here all week (mid November, what is going on??) I am primed and ready for some hot weather eating. Hope you enjoy this on a leisurely evening…cooking time of approximately 5 minutes…how much more leisurely could you get? Enjoy!

Thai Beef Salad

Marinade NEED:

55g Tamari or soy sauce

55g fish sauce

50g honey

Juice ½ orange

Juice 1 lime

Handful coriander leaves

Handful mint leaves

1 small chilli (deseeded if desired, for more heat leave seeds in)

2 large cloves garlic

3cm piece peeled ginger

Marinade DO:

Place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 8. Drizzle over meat and leave for around 3-4 hours if possible.

Dressing NEED:

Juice 1 lime

25g Tamari or soy sauce

Juice ½ orange

2tbsp sesame oil

20g fish sauce

1 small chilli (deseeded if desired, for more heat leave seeds in)

2 large cloves garlic

3cm piece peeled ginger

Few coriander leaves

Few mint leaves

Dressing DO:

Without washing bowl after making marinade, place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and blend for 10 seconds on speed 8. Set aside until assembling the salad.

Salad NEED:

100-150g Asian vermicelli noodles

400-500g rump steak cut in strips

2 tbsp olive oil

200g sliced mushrooms

3 diced tomatoes

½ thinly sliced red onion

1 ruby grapefruit peeled and segmented

Few sprigs mint/coriander

Mixed salad greens of choice

Salad DO:

Place vermicelli noodles into insulated bowl and cover with boiling water.

Drain marinade from beef strips and set aside. Place olive oil into Thermomix bowl and heat for 2 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 2.

Place beef strips into Thermomix bowl and cook for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on Reverse + speed soft.

Meanwhile, assemble the remaining salad ingredients on large platter.

Drain noodles and toss with about half the dressing.

Place dressed noodles on top of the salad, add beef and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

Chorizo and Lime Fajitas

If it is Mexican, Thai, Italian, involves cheese, (or as you  know can be classed as dessert), I am there! This is Mexcian flavored and involves cheese, so a big scorer…plus with lovely weather, this is great for a day by the pool. I have been looking at Christmas recipes as well, and will have to increase my bakers dozen to a few bakers dozen I think! I have so many in my head…(and therefore providing me with my own built in flotation device) that I just don’t have the time to get them all on here! (Any volunteers out there for testing/eating/writing?) Life is never dull and in fact I am heading off to Canberra and Sydney in literally moments, so this is my attempt at keeping you all on the hook! Keep in touch via comment, (yes folks, if you have seen Julie and Julia you will know that comments are the lonely bloggers life line!!) and I promise to be back soon to flood your inbox with amazing Christmas stuff…K? In the meantime, enjoy!

Chorizo and Lime Fajitas

NEED:
170-200g red onions peeled and halved
Generous pinch sea salt
Juice 2 limes
150g long grain rice rinsed
250-300g sweet potato peeled and cubed (approx 1-2 cm square)
1L water
2 chillies
350g sliced chorizo sausage (approx 3)
7-8 flour tortillas
Crumbled feta to taste
Salad greens to taste

DO:
Place onion, salt and lime juice into Thermomix bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 5. Set aside and allow to marinate for a couple of hours if possible.
Place rice into basket with sweet potato on top, add water to Thermomix bowl, insert basket and cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 3. Set aside and empty water from bowl.
Place chillies into Thermomix bowl and chop for 4 seconds on speed 6. Add chorizo and sauté for 10 minutes at Varoma temperature on Reverse + speed 1. Spoon off excess fat if desired and add rice and sweet potato to bowl.
Stir together gently for 5 seconds on Reverse + speed 1.
Cook one tortilla at a time over a direct flame for 10-15 seconds on each side, or in a dry hot fry pan. Arrange on work surface.
Divide the chorizo mix between tortillas, top with red onion and lime relish, crumbled feta and fresh greens. Wrap tightly and cut in half to serve.

]]> http://tenina.com/2009/10/feeling-chilli-tonight/feed/ 2 http://tenina.com/2009/09/if-you-shred-the-beef-does-it-have-less-calories/ http://tenina.com/2009/09/if-you-shred-the-beef-does-it-have-less-calories/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:18:41 +0000 Tenina http://cravepublishing.com/steamovencooking/?p=842

Beef Steak, prior to cooking!

Just a little ego stroking first…see that button to the right of screen? CLICK on and VOTE…5 hats for me…please! Someone has nominated me as a top food blog…we are not talking Perth, or even Australia, this is a global thing and I have to say, the company I am in is awesome, as far as food blogs go. I am flattered, but have now become competitive, so go vote. (That out of the way, we can proceed!)

I saw a friend in Singapore shred beef, painstakingly, one shred at a time, with a fork…not kidding, a table fork, and although the end result was stunning, I couldn’t quite imagine spending a couple of hours cooking, then shredding beef, chicken or any other meat for it to be wolfed down as quickly as it would be in my household! So; in a fit of daring, I gave the old Thermomix a chance to prove to me once again that it is the appliance in my kitchen and sure enough, we have been shredding all over the place! (Is that a good thing?)
I also love Mexican food and so yes, here we are, South of the Border again…perhaps I should start a restaurant…any takers?
Shredded Beef Taco Salad

NEED:
Dressing:
Handful coriander
1 chilli
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp ground cumin
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Juice 2 limes
100g olive oil
Beef:
500g beef steak
1 litre GF beef stock
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
150g vintage cheddar cheese cubed
Iceberg lettuce to taste
1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
100g sliced black olives
Few spring onions/shallots sliced
1 punnet grape tomatoes halved
1 red capsicum diced
1-2 avocados pitted and diced
Corn chips to taste

DO:
To make dressing place coriander, chilli and garlic into Thermomix bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 6. Add remaining dressing ingredients and blend for 10 seconds on speed 6. Set aside.
Without washing bowl, prepare beef by placing into basket and inserting into Thermomix bowl. Pour stock over and cook for 20 minutes at 100ºC on speed 2. Drain stock and reserve for another use. Place cooked beef into Thermomix bowl and shred for 5 seconds by turning the dial slowly up to speed 6.
To assemble salad, place cheese into clean and dry Thermomix bowl and grate for 8 seconds on speed 9.
Arrange lettuce over the bottom of a shallow serving dish or platter.
Spoon beef mixture evenly over lettuce and then top with layers of beans, olives, spring onions, tomatoes, capsicum and avocado’s. Finish with corn chips and drizzle with dressing just prior to serving.

Oh and should the pic not quite do it for you, I am making this AGAIN and will be hoping that my camera does not play up…so use your imagination…it will shred, trust me!

Chicken and Lime Soup

On my recent travels which included a pit stop in Houston, I tasted a lot of fresh, delicious Mexican food and this soup was inspired by one made by my dear friend Patti. Unable to source Hominy in Australia (not yet anyway) I played around with just fresh corn and I must say that we loved this…and I hope you will too! Whats more, this will feed an army depending on how many vegetables you chop up to serve with it…and as my army all seem to be returning home, this may just come in handy!

NEED:
4-5 cloves garlic
Handful fresh oregano
Handful fresh coriander (reserve some for serving)
1 red chilli
1 onion peeled and halved
Zest 2 limes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken thigh fillets cubed
900g chicken stock
Juice 2 limes
1 x 420g tinned corn drained or equivalent fresh kernels

TO SERVE:
2-3 tomatoes chopped roughly
1-2 kumatoes chopped roughly (optional)
2 shallots sliced
1 red capsicum diced
1-2 sliced avocadoes drizzled with lime juice
¼ cabbage shredded
Coriander leaves
1 pkg plain corn chips
Sour cream
DO:
Place garlic, oregano, coriander, chilli, onion, zest, cumin and olive oil into TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 6.
Sauté for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.
Add remaining ingredients except corn and place the squeezed lime skins into TM bowl as well.
Cook for 10 minutes at 100ºC on Reverse + speed soft. Remove lime skins and squeeze well using a slotted spoon.
Add corn and cook a further 4 minutes at 100ºC on Reverse + speed soft.
Serve immediately in large soup bowls, and top with all other ingredients.

Thanks for all your kind wishes for my ‘little’ boy who is well on the road to recovery and happens to be six feet 3! It has been harrowing, but educational and we are happy that all is going to be well!

As he left for work yesterday morning, my DH asked hopefully if I was putting a blog up (as I was not at work). Of course his concern was not for you dear readers, but more for his choices come dinnertime! Wednesdays have become blogging day (sort of) and I downright cook up a storm on Sundays, (Hence the ‘daze!) photograph it all and hopefully blog it later in the week…so what did we have for dinner last night you may ask?
Not to digress, but on Monday night I attended a seminar with Cyndi O’Meara (and that is another post or two!) the whole foodie, slash nutritionist who was highly entertaining and informative and had a whole lot of local producers with their products in a market atmosphere, preceding her evening. Needless to say I purchased some Olive Oil, cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, hereafter referred to as, EVOO, pressed with Lemon rind (one process) from a local grove, (Guinea Grove Farm, Gin Gin) organic and bio dynamic etc etc..which all sounds a bit of a yawn to the uninitiated, but the TASTE! Drool…so with that in mind, and with our latest honey harvest fresh from the hive (yes, ahem, another up coming post!) I created the most beautiful roast chicken with a soy, honey, citrus olive oil and garlic marinade…mmmmmnn. Converts to organic, bio dynamic, all of us.

NEED:
1.5 kg roasting chicken
1/4 cup soy (or tamari)
1/4 cup raw local honey…(or just normal honey will suffice!)
3 tablespoons EVOO, pressed with Lemon zest
(You could make your own with a mix of Olive oil and zest of 1 lemon)
enormous amounts of peeled garlic cloves
1 potato per person
handful fresh coriander leaves

DO:
Wash and dry chicken.
Mix all remaining ingredients except garlic and potatoes in TM bowl and process for 10 seconds on speed 7.
Prepare garlic and stuff underneath the skin and in the cavity of the chicken.
Pour marinade over the chicken and leave for at least 2 hours. (Longer is better.)
When ready to cook, prepare potatoes by cutting in half.
Place marinated chicken and any excess marinade in MW Grill glass dish and place potatoes around.
Drizzle with more EVOO to taste.
Cook in MW grill as time directs (approx 35-40 minutes) Add time if necessary.
Due to the nature of the marinade, you may need to turn the chicken over at least once to preserve the delicious color that it will certainly produce.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and baste with remaining marinade.

SERVE:
With steamed green beans and a good napkin, cos you’re going to need it!

Yeah I know, but it got your attention right???? I visited a whole food supermarket this week and amongst other goodies I bought a medley of beautiful peppercorns, some coriander (cilantro) and of course I am still working with those lemons from last week…I can almost see the bottom of the bowl I put them in! Oh and of course I had an avocado that needed eating..perfectly ripe and a beautiful green. So here is my herb-ey, pepper-ey, take on Guacomol-ey.

NEED:
1 large avocado
2 teaspoons of multi colored peppercorns crushed (I used mortar and pestle)
handful coriander/Italian parsley
1 small chilli de-seeded (or not depending on taste)
generous pinch sea salt
rind and juice of lemon
2 cloves garlic
1/4 red onion
4-5 chives
1 tomato
3 tablespoons Greek style yoghurt (or sour cream)

DO:
Place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl.
Gradually increase speed to 8-9 for around 30 seconds.
Taste and season as needed.

SERVE:
On a beautiful dish with fresh corn chips. We used the left overs on Chicken fajitas. And of course we did NOT have the dish below…but if only !