Memories in the Cooking

Today, we are having Sunday Roast for Sunday lunch.  Ingredients: - 2kg Beef Chuck Roll - 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs  - 1 bulb of garlic, minced  - 3 tablespoons of soya sauce  - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1 tablespoon of mixed herbs  - 3 tablespoons of mustard sauce  - 2 onions  - 3 carrots  Procedures: 1) Make a half-way cut into the beef roll. Marinate it for 24 hours in soya sauce and half of the minced garlic.  2) In a pan, fry the minced garlic with salt, mixed herbs and breadcrumbs until fragrant.  3) Stuff this breadcrumb mix into the cut of the beef roll. Tie it up with twine.  4) Coat the outside of the beef roll with mustard sauce.  5) Place the onions and carrots on the baking tray. Place roasted beef roll on the vegetables.  6) Roast it at 180 degree celsius until the inner temperature is 60 degree celsius. This will take around 2 hours. Let the beef roll rest.  7) Deglaze the vegetable and beef drippings to ...

Recently, my boy and I had Blanco Court Beef Noodles and we loved it. So, we tried making it on our own.  Ingredients: - 500g beef shin, cut into chunks - 500g of beef shabu shabu  - 500g of beef tendon  - ginger, few slices  - chinese cooking wine, half a cup  - 1 tablespoon of whole black pepper  - 3-4 bay leaves  - 1 packet of thick beehoon  - 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - salt  - cornstarch  - parleys  - crushed peanuts  - fried shallots  Procedures: 1) In a slow cooker, place the beef shin and beef tendon. Add ginger, chinese cooking wine, black pepper and bay leaves. Add water until it just covers the ingredients. Cook for 6-7 hours on high setting.  2) Blanch the thick beehoon in boiling water. Set aside in the serving bowls. 3) Blanch beanspouts in boiling water. Assemble in the serving bowls.  4) Blanch beef shabu sha...

My eldest son just ended his PSLE. For celebration, he requested for Tomahawk Steak. Tomahawk Steak is certainly harder to execute compared to the usual ones.  Ingredients: - 1 Tomahawk Steak  - 1 bulb of garlic crushed  - 5 tablespoons of soya sauce  - crush pepper and herbs  - mayonnaise  - mustard sauce  Procedures: 1) Marinate Tomahawk Steak for more than 24 hours in a soya sauce and crushed garlic.  2) Before cooking, take it out from the fridge and let it settle to room temperature.  3) Wipe the steak with kitchen towel to absorb excess marinate.  4) Coat it with crush pepper and herbs mixture.  5) Place on a baking tray, coat the beef with olive oil.  6) Roast it in the oven for 1 hour at 130 degree celsius.  7) Sear the steak on a griddle pan.  8) Add the marinate and beef juice to a sauce pan. Add some mayonnaise and mustard to make a sauce.  

My youngest son loves to ask the family questions to find out about our favourite things. Once, he asked his father "Papa, what is your favourite animal?" We were expecting answers such as dogs (man's best friend) or lions (king of the jungle), but my husband cheekily replied "cows". Of course, the man loves his beef. So, for the Papa who loves cows, this steak sandwich is specially for him. Ingredients: - 300g of stirloin steak - butter - 2 garlic, crushed - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce - 4 large red onions - 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar - 1.5 tablespoons of sugar - salad vegetable - 200g of Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced Procedures: 1) Marinate stirloin steak with light soya sauce and crushed garlic overnight.  2) To a frying pan, add olive oil. When the oil is heated, place the steak on the pan for 2 minutes. 4) Turn the steak over. Add a knob of butter. Bath the steak with the melted butter. This step should around 2 minutes. 5) R...

I always love Chinese Roasted Duck. My favourite part is the crispy duck skin. I once tried roasting a whole duck and almost set my whole oven on fire and smoked the whole home! Here is my attempt at a smaller scale with some easy steps.  Ingredients: - 2 tablespoons of honey  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder  - 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder  - 1 tablespoon of white vinegar  - 2 duck legs (can replace with 2 duck breasts) Procedures: 1) Mix 1 tablespoon of honey, oyster sauce, five-spice powder and white pepper powder to form a paste. 2) Rub it on the meat-side of the duck.  3) Pat dry the skin side of the duck. Place it on a tray, uncovered. Let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.  4) Roast the duck in oven or air-fryer at 160 degree celsius for 20 minutes.  5) Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.  6) Brush it on the duck skin. 7) Roast it for another ...

My husband is a crab lover. For Father's Day this year, we made him this dish - Crab Bee Hoon Soup.  Ingredients:  - 1 thumb-size ginger, sliced  - a knob of butter  - 3 cloves of garlic, minced  - 1 large crab, chopped into pieces  - 1 pack of thick bee hoon  - 1 pack of leafy vegetables  - half a cup of evaporated milk  - 1 chicken cube - salt and pepper  - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil - 2 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine  - fried shallots Procedures: 1) In a wok, add butter to melt. Stir-fry ginger and garlic until fragrant.  2) Add crab pieces and fry until pink.  3) Add water and chicken cube (or chicken stock) until it almost covers the crab. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside the crab pieces to prevent overcooking.  4) Add bee hoon and vegetables.  5) Add salt, pepper, sesame oil and Chinese cooking wine to taste.  6) When the ingredients reboils, add crab pieces back. Top up with some fried sha...

This dish is so easy. My family said that they did not even see me cooking it! So, this is the recipe of slow-cooked beef brisket - a dish that just miraculously appears on its own!  Ingredients: - 500g of beef brisket  - 6 stalks of celery  - 3 carrots  - 5 large tomatoes  - 1 can of pastata  - salt, sugar, pepper  Procedures: 1) Cut tomatoes, celery and carrots into small pieces. Place them in the slow cooker. Add pastata to the pot.  2) Place beef brisket on top of the bed of vegetables.  3) Add boiling water until it just covers the ingredients. Cook at high setting for about 5 hours.  4) Set aside the beef brisket. Slice it.  5) Blend the vegetable stock. Add salt, sugar and pepper to taste.  6) Assemble the dish with some spinach and parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy! 

I cooked this dish for Christmas lunch and it was a hit. To tenderise the meat, I actually marinated the beef in soya sauce and garlic overnight. However, no one could detect or would have guessed the secret to this dish.   Ingredients: - 2 steaks, 2 itch thick, 400g each  - 2 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - a lot of grounded black pepper  - 1 can of nestle cream  - 1 tablespoon of mustard  - 1 beef cube  - cognac (optional)  Procedures: 1) Marinate beef steaks with light soya sauce and minced garlic overnight.  2) Pat dry the marinate. Coat each steak with ground pepper.  3) In a frying pan, add olive oil. Pan fry the steak until the desired doneness. Place the steak on the meat board to rest.  4) Pour away the excess olive but do not scrap the black pepper from the pan.  5) Add cream, mustard, beef cube and make a creamy sauce. Add cognac if preferred. Serve.  

Beef Rendang is one of my husband's favourite dishes. So, it is important that I include it into my repertoire of dishes. However, this dish needs a lot of time and patience to reduce the rendang sauce to the deep brown colour and desired consistency.  Ingredients: - 4kg of beef shin, cut into chunks (2kg) - 1 packet of assam paste (2/3 packet) - 3 coconuts, grated (2 coconut)  - 6 inches of ginger, sliced (4 inches) - 6 inches of galangal, sliced (4 inches) - 40-50 dried chilies  (40 dried chilies) - 10 stalks of lemon grass (8 stalks)  - 18 shallots (12 shallots)  - 8 cloves of garlic (6 cloves)  - 5 tablespoons of coriander powder (4 tablespoons)  - 1.5 teaspoons of cumin powder (1 teaspoon)  - 5 pieces kunyit leaves (4 leaves)  - 30 pieces of Kaffir lime leaves (20 leaves)  - 30 pieces of salam leaves/bay leaves (20 leaves)  - 3 teaspoons of salt (2 teaspoon)  - 4.5 teaspoons of sugar (or gula melak...

This is a cheat recipe - making ravioli using dumpling skin. This combination of beef and ricotta filling and sundried tomato pesto is awesome. It tastes both creamy and tangy.  Ingredients: - 26 dumpling skins (for 13 huge pieces of ravioli) - 300g of minced beef  - 200g of ricotta cheese  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 100g of sun-dried tomatoes - a cup of sunflower seeds  - salt and pepper  - 1 teaspoon of corn flour  - olive oil - fresh spinach leaves Procedures:  1) Add cornflour to minced beef. Stir-fry minced beef and half of the minced garlic in a pan.  Season with salt and pepper. Let it cool.  2) In a mixing bowl, mix beef with ricotta cheese.  3) Place a tablespoon of beef and ricotta mix between 2 pieces of dumpling skins.  4) In a pot of boiling water, cook the ravioli.  5) Place them on individual serving plates and drizzle with olive oil.  6) Blend sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, sunflower seeds and...

Just how ultimate is this meatloaf wellington? It has the wonderful flavour of both pork and beef. It is covered with bacon. It has a pretty egg and oozing cheese centre. This is just so ultimate. Ingredients: - 6-7 slices of prata  - 250g of minced beef - 250g of minced pork - 1 cup of bread crumbs - a few sticks of parmesan cheese - 1 tablespoon of mixed Italian herbs - 2 hard boiled eggs - 1 raw egg - 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper - 250g of bacon - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed Procedures: 1) In a mixing bowl, add minced beef, minced pork, bread crumbs, garlic, mustard sauce, herbs, salt and pepper and raw egg. Mix well. 2) Place 6 slices of prata in a baking tray. Overlapping with each other such that it forms a base.  3) Add a layer of bacon strips. 4) Add meat patty on the prata base. Mould it into a loaf. Make a trough in the middle of the meatloaf. Lay 2 hard boil eggs in the trough. Add parmesan cheese sticks. Mould the meat back into a loaf.  5) Co...

My eldest boy loves pepper lunch. He says this is close to having pepper lunch at home.  Ingredients: - 500g of sliced beef flank - 4 cloves of garlic, sliced  - 1 pack of spring onions, chopped  - 1 tablespoon of crushed black pepper  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 1 tablespoon of sugar  - 1 tablespoon of corn flour Procedures: 1) Marinate beef flank with light soya sauce and corn flour.  2) In a frying pan, add sliced ginger and fry until fragrant. Add black pepper, oyster sauce and half a cup of water.  3) Add beef slices and spring onions. Fry until cooked. Add sugar. Serve.  I tried this recipe with chicken and it turns out very well. 

It has been rainy every day these days. Wouldn't it be nice to have a hot bowl of noodles soup to warm up the body? I have decided to make beef noodles soup, one of my husband's favourite dishes.   Ingredients: - 1 kg of beef shin, sliced  - 300g of beef tendon, cubes  - a small radish or 2 yellow onions, sliced  - 4 tomatoes, wedged - 1 thumbsize of ginger, sliced - 1 tablespoon of fermented beanpaste  - 2 tablespoons of dark soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 1 bulb of garlic, deskinned  - 5 anistar  - 3 bay leaves  - 1 chili, sliced - pepper  - salt - sugar  - vegetables  - parsleys - noodles (any preferred type)  Procedures:  1) In the slow cooker, place the beef shin, beef tendon, radish/onions and tomatoes.  2) Add dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, fermented beanpaste and pepper.  3) Add anistars, ginger, garlic, chili and bay leaves.  4) Add water until it almost covers ...

This is the slow-cooker version of my husband's favourite dish.  Ingredients: - 1 kg of potatoes, cut into slices  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 700g of minced beef  - 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce  - 1 tablespoon of flour  - pepper  - parsleys, chopped  Procedures: 1) Place potatoes, minced beef, minced garlic, flour, oyster sauce into the slow cooker. Mix well.  2) Add water until it almost covers the ingredients.  3) Let it cook at high setting for about 4 hours.  4) Add pepper and parsleys.    

This is another low-effort but yummy dish for the beef-loving husband.  Ingredients: - Oxtail, chopped  - 2 tomatoes, cut into chunks  - 1 carrot, diced  - 4-5 stalks of celery, diced  - 3 large potatoes, diced - 1 packet of tomato puree  - 1 tablespoon of mixed herbs  - 2 stock cubes  - sugar, salt  - 1 tablespoon of flour  Procedures: 1) Add tomatoes, celery, carrot, potatoes to slow cooker.  2) Add tomato puree, flour, stock cubes and mixed herbs. Mix well. 3) Add oxtail. Add enough water to almost cover the ingredients. Cook for at least 6 hours.  4) Add salt and sugar to adjust the taste to preference. 

Dried Beef Hor Fun is one of our favourite zi char dishes. Today, my punny elder boy requested "Mummy, let's cook dried beef hor fun  just for fun !". So, here it is! Ingredients: - 300g of marbled sirloin, sliced and marinated with light soya sauce, garlic and pepper - 400g of Chee Cheong Fun, cut into thick Horfun  - 400g of beansprouts - 200g of spring onions, cut into 1 inch stalks  - 3 clove of garlic, crushed - 1 tablespoon light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce - 1 tablespoon sesame oil, - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce - 1 tablespoon of sugar - pepper Procedures: 1) Add the beef marinate, 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to hor fun. Mix well. 2) Add oil to pan, add 3 crushed garlic, fry until fragrant. Add hot fun and fry until there is little charred bit for the 'wok fragrant'. Set aside. 3) Add oil to pan. Add sliced beef and cook slightly. Set aside.  4) Add beansprouts, spring onions and fry a little...

My youngest boy loves this dish and asks me to promise him that I will cook it again for him. The dish is smoky with paprika and creamy at the same time. Ingredients: - 500g of beef steak, sliced - 500g of pasta (e.g. penne) - 400g of portobello mushrooms, sliced - 1 large onion, diced - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 2 tablespoon of paprika - 1 tablespoon of flour - 2 glasses of milk - 1 can of Nestle all purpose cream - 1 teaspoon of salt - pepper - butter Procedures: 1) Cook the pasta in boiling water until soft. 2) Marinate the sliced beef in salt, pepper and paprika. 3) In a frying pan, fry the beef steak until just cooked. Set it aside. 4) Add onions, mushrooms and garlic to the frying pan. Add a knob of butter and fry until soft. 5) Add a tablespoon of flour. Fry it until brown. 6) Add milk and cream until a thick sauce is made. 7) Add the cooked pasta and beef. Adjust the taste with some salt. Serve. Beef Stroganoff goes well in a wrap too. Add so...

My husband and I went Greece for our honeymoon more than a decade ago. Besides the beautiful sceneries, we were also blown away by the dish - Moussaka. Since we cannot travel this school holiday, we shall imagine that we are in Greece and eating Moussaka! Ingredients: - 3 brinjals, sliced lengthwise - salt, pepper, sugar (meat sauce) - 1 onion, diced - 500 g of minced beef - 1 can of pastata - 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs - 1 teaspoon of paprika - 1 beef stock cube (cheese sauce) - 1 bulb of garlic, crushed - 1 knob of butter - 3 tablespoons of flour - 3 cups of milk - 500g of mozzarella cheese Procedures: 1) Bake brinjal slices drizzled with olive oil in the oven at 200 degree celsius for 30 minutes. 2)Add a little oil to a sauce pan. Stir fry the onions and garlic until fragrant. Add minced beef and fry until brown. Add beef stock cube, pastata, paprika and spices. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt, sugar and pepper to taste. 2) Add a knob of butter to ano...

As far as I could remember, this dish had always be on the menu when we ate at por por's (my husband late grandmother) home. According to my husband, por por cooked this dish every Sunday when the extended family gathered. So, this is definitely considered a 'heirloom dish' and it is critical that it tastes authentic (aka just like por por's). Judging from how clean the serving plate was after the meal, I guess I must had done a decent job this evening. Ingredients: - 300g-500g of beef steak (ribeye) - 3-5 tomatos, cut into wedges - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed - corn flour - light soya sauce, pepper - spring onions, chopped - 4-5 tablespoons of tomato ketchup - 2 tablespoons of sugar Procedures: 1) Marinate the beef steak with light soya sauce and garlic overnight. Slice the beef the next day.  2) Heat oil in frying pan. Stir fry beef slices until just brown. Set aside. 3) Stir fry garlic until soft. Add tomato wedges and fry until soft. Add tomato ke...

Yay! December school holiday is here and I can cook everyday! For more manageable cooking during this period, every weekday meal will be an one-dish meal. For a start, our one-dish meal for today is the Japanese Steak Bowl! Ingredients: - 400g of beef steak (I use t-bone today)  - 4 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 1 bulb of garlic, slice  - 3 tablespoons of sake  - 3 tablespoons of water  - 2 tablespoons of sugar  - 2 cup of Japanese rice  Procedures: 1) Marinate steak with light soya sauce and 1 clove of minced garlic for a few hours.  2) Cook Japanese rice as per the packet instructions.  3) In a drying pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add sliced garlic. Fry until it turns brown. Set aside.  4) In the same pan, add beaf steak. Cook for 2 minutes at one side. Turn it over.  5) Cook the other side for 2 minute. Add the rest of the light soya sauce, water, sake and sugar. Cook for another...