Chinese anyone?
I cooked last night for dinner Chinese Pork dumplings. They are easy to make with minced pork meat, water chestnuts and spring onion mixed in. I will admit that I did not, make the dough but bought dumpling wrappers from the local Chinese shop. I wil often freeze a batch and eat a batch - if that makes sense.
I also used my slow cooker, to create a Chinese Beef dish. It is a very simple receipe - that I use by taste:
Ingredients:
- Chuck or blade steak I prefer to use chuck as it has more flavour - 500 grams more or less - the animals like the left overs
- 1 Onion
- Chinese FIve Spice - I am sure you should be able to source this spice in the USA
- Tomato Paste
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Ginger
- 1 cup of beef stock
- Light and Dark Soy Sauce
- Fish Oil
- Sugar
- Salt Pepper
Methodology:
Into the slow cooker put:
- Thinly dice 1 onion
- 1 small piece of ginger - about 2 teaspoons
- 3 big cloves of garlic - but you could use more or less - but I like the number 3 for this receipe
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of fish oil
- 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Light soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon of raw sugar
- 1 cup of beef stock
- Cut up steak to small pieces and lay flat
- Cover the steak in Chinese Five Spice - Put into the slow cooker
GIve it a stir, dip in your clean finger and taste the flavour profile and see if it is pleasing to your palet - or do you need more of - then add more of. This is not scientific.
I only cook with this recipe if I am having company - it is a lot of fiddling just for one person - but when one person lives on their own with one dog and one cat - they still have to eat - right! ?
If I am making this mid week, I would turn on the slow cooker and go to work - but if I make it in my weekend - which I did last night - then I turn the slow cooker on to high for 1 hour and then turn it down on to low for the remainder of time.
Total cooking time: 8 hours on the low setting.
What do I serve this dish with:
I always try to keep it authentic - and will use basmati rice and a Chinese cabbage of some sort - I like bok choy but there are other Chinese cabbages that you can buy that are just as good. Mixed vegetables out of the freezer would be a let down right!?
For desert I made "homemade" ice cream and served with peaches.
The recipe is so easy:
- 1 can of condensed milk
- 2 cups of cream - I think in the USA you would call it whipping cream or double cream
- 1 teaspon of vanilla essence or vanilla extract - I only had essence in my pantry.
Methodology :
- Whip the cream until soft peaks but not churned like butter
- Add the can of condensed milk chilled
- Add the vanilla
- Stir to combine and put in the freezer to set - it makes 900 grams of icecream.
It has a nice and smooth texture - and leaves you wanting more. lol
I would be interested in hearing your variations to chinese dumplings, chinese beef or home made ice cream. For a home cook - who does not have an ice cream maker and a family of one - this is the first time I have made ice cream and it was really nice. So nice, I thought I would share.
Happy eating,
RobynH