Budget Dinner: Beef & Radish in Chu Hou Sauce Recipe

Fresh beef meat is getting really expensive these days. In Hong Kong, always eating at home does not always mean that you'll spend a lot less! 

Here's how to make the most out of HK$20 beef for dinner. My mil's recipe ;)

Recipe

- HK$20 beef meat, sliced thinly just like for stir frying. This saves cooking time too.

- half a medium radish, skin peeled off & cut into chunks

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed

- 1 cm ginger, crushed

- 1 tbsp Chu Hou sauce (we use Lee Kum Kee)

- a bit of cooking oil

- just enough water to cook the beef & radish

Saute garlic & ginger until fragrant. Add beef, add radish, add sauce, add water, cook until radish chunks are soft.

There's so little beef in this dish but it feels so... hearty :)

Enjoy it with 2 bowls of steamed rice or use it as noodles/pasta sauce.

Save the money for your next fancy restaurant meal... or shoes :)

Sunday Roast at St Betty, IFC, Central, Hong Kong

Look at that scrumptious spread! Went to try St Betty's famous Sunday Roast with a couple of friends including blogger Gastronomous Anonymous. Since we're crazy big eater, we were wondering if the Sunday Roast set's gonna be enough for us. We were assured that it'd be enough (look at the above scrumptious spread!), but since we're greedy bastards, we ordered more anyway.
Portion control has always been our problem.

We also ordered the ox heart tomato with pesto, dried black olives with 8 year old balsamic vinegar.

It's hilarious how we've overlooked the word "tomato" since we had our eyes fixed on the words "ox heart". We were totally shocked and couldn't believe what we saw when the tomato salad arrived. Our bad! Fortunately, it looked amazing and tasted fantastic. Phew!

We ordered this sweetcorn fritters with ricotta, corn salsa and morteau sausage  for baby Marcus, who is now no longer a baby, he's now a cute two year old with a healthy appetite.

We thought we could feed him a bit of this and share the rest, but unexpectedly, Marcus could pretty much finish the whole plate and we only got to try one tiny bite each. It's absolutely delicious!

The Sunday Roast's SUPER YUMMY! I especially LOVE the roast beef, yorkshire pudding, and the Chinese cabbage confit with Japanese bacon. Perfectly cooked beef, fluffy yorkshire pudding, and tasty veggie with bacon! I adore! Plus horseradish cream? I pretty much slathered everything with that.

The set also came with roast potatoes and crushed root veggies. I don't mind them, but I'd rather concentrate of my favorites :D

We almost ordered extra desserts, but luckily our server reminded us that the Sunday Roast includes this yummy rhubarb crumble.

SC helped me with that money shot :D

Buttery deliciousness! Not too sweet, but sufficiently rich & satisfying. I like!


SC & Marcus had fun enjoying the crumble too!

Everybody were stuffed to the brim, but we (I) managed to finish most of the beef. Heheheh.

The meal's a tad pricey (HK$440 per person but that's because we were so greedy & ordered lots) but I do love their beef. Hmmm beef. I crave some right now.

Check out Gastronomous Anonymous review here.
The rest of the photos will be uploaded to my Facebook Page.

St Betty
Shop 2075, Podium Level 2
IFC Mall, Central
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2979 2100

Soto Sapi - Indonesian Spiced Beef Soup

One of the dishes I served at baby M's birthday party last weekend.
It was a hot day, and in Indonesia, we surely eat hot and spicy soup with a lot of acid to sweat it out. Slurp! If you did sweat, you'd feel like you just did one heck of a workout. Refreshed! Forget makeup, or use something totally waterproof :D

There are sooo many different kinds of sotos in Indonesia, I tried to do the yellow kind.

Recipe
Beef stock
- 1 kg beef (I used brisket and shin), blanched and cut into cubes
- 2 stalk lemongrass, bruised and cut into 5 cm long pieces
- 6 lime leafs
- 2 cm galangal, crushed
- hot water
- salt, pepper, sugar
Spice paste
- 8 cloves garlic
- 6 shallot
- 2 cm ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric (or more)
- 1 tsp salt
- a bit of cooking oil for saute-ing
Serve with
- crispy shallot
- kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
- lime wedges
- chopped scallion
- and of course rice ^_^

In a large pot, cook beef cubes in hot water with lemongrass, lime leafs, and galangal, bring to boil and simmer for 1.5 hours (minimum, or until tender), or pressure cook for 30 minutes. I made my spice paste by throwing all the ingredients into a food processor, followed by grinding it using a mortar and pestle until really smooth. You can use blender, try to make the paste as smooth as possible. Saute spice paste in a bit of hot oil until fragrant, add into the beef stock, mix well, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Garnish and serve hot.

Can't wait for winter so that I can use this soto as a hot pot soup base. Oh yes!

Beef Rendang Pot Pie 印尼牛展餡餅

I wanted a pot pie with an Asian filling.

Something hot, spicy and hearty for the wet, sticky, rainy days.

Beef rendang came into mind.

If there's an Oscar for best Asian pot pie filling role, it would've gone to beef rendang.

Plus, I had a couple of rendang instant spice pack.

Perfect!
成日都想整D有亞洲風味既餡餅, 要又辣, 又香, 又有口感既
突然就比我諗到用牛展啦, 整印尼牛肉又唔想大費周章, 用現作一包一包既調味包就完美啦!

Look at the pot pies bubbling away in the oven...
成個酥皮湯咁

How cute!
好可愛

Did I make my own puff pastry?
大家唔好都係以為個酥皮係我整既..

Pffft. You bet your ass I didn't!

I am just too lazy!

And I was too lazy to roll store-bought puff pastry.

What did I use?

My best friend, frozen roti prata ^_^

其實都係買現成既..有辦法啦, 懶...
係超市買左盒急凍roti prata

Recipe

Pie filling

- 1 lb beef (I used beef shin cut into chunks, you can use other cuts of beef)
- 2 rendang spice packs

- 1 clove of garlic, crushed

- 2 cloves shallot, thinly sliced

- 1 lemongrass, crushed

- 4 kaffir lime leaves

- 1/2 cup of coconut cream

(All these fresh ingredients are optional, you can really do this with just the rendang spice pack. But if you chose to use these fresh ingredients, they do make a difference. It cranked the flavors up a new notches)

- 1 or 2 tsp corn starch diluted in a bit of water

Saute fresh ingredients in a bit of oil, add beef chunks, add rendang seasoning, cook until the beef chunks are tender (it may take a couple of hours), add coconut cream, thicken with a bit of corn starch. We don't want the pie filling to be too runny.
炒起D配料, 落牛展, 落調味包, 再加生粉水整傑佢

Pot pie top

- 4 frozen roti prata
- 1 beaten egg

Preheat oven to 200C. Pour rendang pie filling into small bowls, brush the edges of the bowl with beaten egg. Place frozen roti prata on top, don't worry about the excess edges. Brush the top of roti prata with beaten egg. Bake until golden brown and puffy.
預熱個焗爐去200C, 將整好左既牛展放入焗碗, 用蛋醬揸吓個碗邊, 放個酥皮上去, 上面揸蛋醬, 唔使理個酥皮, 佢自己焗個時會返落去, 焗到金黃色就攪掂

Looks and tastes amazing, very easy to make.
完部都係買現作, 應該都OK易整的 :)

Nasi Goreng Rendang - Beef Rendang Fried Rice 印尼乾咖哩牛肉炒飯

If you want to enjoy rendang but can't be bothered to do the many hours of stewing the beef tender, grinding spices, etc etc etc...here's a quick and easy idea.
如果你想食乾咖哩牛肉, 但係又冇時間慢慢煮, 同將的材料切粒, 哩度就有一個超快既方法


This is starting to sound like an addiction eh? Turning stuff into fried rice. I am obsessed with it! But I can't help it. It's speedy, tasty, hearty and satisfying!
其實有乜容易過炒飯, 乜都放晒落去炒炒炒就係..唔使一樣一樣餸慢慢煮咁煩


Recipe
- 2 bowls of (ideally leftover) rice
- minced beef (use as much as you want until you reach the desired ratio of beef vs rice, I like my fried rice to have lots of meat. you can also use other kinds of meat)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 shallot, sliced thinly
- 1 chopped chilli
- 1 packet of rendang spice pack (I used Indofood), dissolved in a tiny bit of hot water
- a bit of cooking oil, pepper, salt
- freshly chopped coriander and crispy shallot as garnish (optional)
食譜
- 2 碗飯(最好就隔過夜, 容易炒D, 如果唔係會黏埋一齊)
-牛肉碎, 食幾多落幾多
-一塊蒜頭, 切細粒
-2個紅蔥頭切細片
-1隻辣椒, 切碎
-1包乾咖哩牛肉粉, 我用開哩隻 Indofood, 用熱水沖開左先
-油, 鹽, 胡椒
-新鮮芫茜同炸紅蔥頭乾(隨意)

Saute garlic, chilli, and shallot in a bit of cooking oil, add minced beef, add rendang seasoning, mix well, cook until the beef's done, add rice, mix well, adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish and serve.

用小小油炒起D蒜頭, 紅蔥頭, 落牛肉碎, 落乾牛肉咖哩粉, 攪勻佢, 煮到D牛肉差唔多得就落埋D飯落去, 攪勻佢, 落D鹽同胡椒粉調味, 加返D綠色既野伴碟 (蔥/芫茜)

What else can I turn into fried rice?
仲有D咩可以愛黎整炒飯呢?

Beef & Pumpkin Soupy Stew

I need to learn how to recognise more Chinese characters!
All I can read recognize guess are Chinese characters of food that I hate (including papaya) or absolutely love (various meat, dishes, including char siew ^_^)

Why the sudden dedication to learn more Chinese characters?

I went to the supermarket and grabbed a pack of beef for stir frying. The meat was beautifully marbled, fresh and all...it costs quite a lot. I took it anyway. A few steps later, I saw a pack that's a lot cheaper. The meat looked fresh and marbled...and in such a package, I couldn't recognize which part of beef the meat was based on sight. Anyway, I bought it and planned to do a simple stir fry.

I went home and happily started prepping my cheap beef.
It looked suspicious, not the kind of beef I normally use for stir fry, there were lots of fatty chunks and tendons, which I tried to get rid of. I had difficulties slicing the beef, but tried my best anyway.

Luckily, SC's mom came over and saw my struggle. She checked the package and turned out...I've bought a bad pack of beef brisket. What an idiot (me)! Stir frying it would be a disaster. We would end up chewing on something as rubbery as the soles of raggedy old boots! So I changed my plan and did an easy stew.

Recipe
- 1 lb of beef brisket (get a better one than mine, know your cuts of meat, or read labels ^_^')

- half a small pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, cut into large chunks
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 2 clove shallot, cut into a few chunks
- 1 cm ginger, crushed
- cooking oil, hot water, salt, pepper, ground nutmeg

Saute garlic and shallot in a bit of oil, add beef brisket, add hot water (a little of a lot, depending how much "soup" you want from the stew, I like this version more soupy, just like Indonesian sop or soto), bring to boil and simmer until tender (I pressure cooked it for 25 minutes). Once the beef chunks are tender, add pumpkin chunks, cook until the pumpkin chunks are tender, or until completely dissolved in hot water, it's up to you. Season with salt, pepper and ground nutmeg.

I couldn't believe how delightfully savory it was! I'll be looking for more el-cheapo beef brisket on sale to make more soupy stew next time.

PS. I've learnt how to recognize "beef brisket" in Chinese. Heheheh

Simple Beef Brisket & Daikon Stew

Hello, cooler weather...hello, stew!

(As if! Actually I stew all year round, solely because I am lazy ^_^')

Normally I love dark, bold, thick and rich sauces for my stew. For beef brisket, I usually love chu hou sauce, satay sauce, dark soy, brown sugar, kecap manis...but this time, I am trying something that's a bit more...minimalist, compared to my usual taste.

The result surprised me.
In a good way :)

Recipe
- 1 lb beef brisket, cut into chunks
- 1 medium white radish (daikon), cut into strips
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 2 cm ginger, crushed
- 2 shallot, cut into chunks
- hot water, olive oil, salt, white pepper, nutmeg
- crispy shallot and freshly chopped corriander for garnish (optional)

Saute garlic, ginger and shallot in hot olive oil until fragrant, add beef brisket chunks, brown them a bit, add daikon chunks, mix well, add hot water, bring to boil, season and simmer until the beef brisket chunks are tender, about 1.5 hours (or about 25 minute in a pressure cooker).

Garnish if you wish, prepare a dip of dark soy, sweet soy and chopped chilli or Chiu Chow chilli oil or chilli sauce...

Hearty and tender beef chunk, very flavorful and meaty broth, and the daikon...they're like sponge which absorb all the goodnesses from the meat and broth...

...feel free to slurp loudly ^_^

Stir Fry Beef and Cucumber - Hong Kong Supermarket Stir Fry Packages

Ah...another weekday dinner that we need to quickly conquer...when in doubt...stir fry! Right?
Easy, quick, always tasty and comforting with rice.

I try to always cook kinda-balanced meals at home, i.e. meat + veggie...and I tend to stick to my favorites in general, such as chicken, beef, pork, zucchini, napa cabbage, mushrooms or chinese lettuce...until yesterday.

I went off work with absolutely no idea on what I was gonna make...but thank God for supermarket stir fry packs :D
Just like this one!

...and plus...it was on sale! ^_* Sold! Beef and cucumber stir fry it was.
Wait a minute! What date is it now? It isn't expired or anything, right?
Phew~!

Recipe
- 0.3 lbs beef, sliced (more would be nice :p)
- 1 cucumber, cleaned and sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic (crushed, divided)
- corn starch, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, oyster sauce, water, olive oil

Add about 1 tsp corn starch, a dash of soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar to the beef, mix well and set aside while you're stir frying the cucumber. Saute one clove of garlic in hot olive oil, add cucumber, add a dash of fish sauce and pepper, add water and cook it covered, let the cucumber chunks get steamed for a few minutes until they softened a bit but not overcooked, set aside. Add olive oil to frying pan, add beef, add sauces if necessary and add a bit of water to create a bit of sauce, pour over cucumber and serve with steamed rice.

Cucumbers are surprisingly wonderful stir fried!

Let's see what package is on sale tonight, shall we? ^_*

Japanese Golden Curry - Beef & Veggie

I've made Japanese curry before, using House instant curry seasoning, and it was a little too sweet for me. A friend of mine highly recommended S&B. In fact, she swears by it.

One fine day, I wanted to give it a try.
Actually, it was my day off but I was too lazy to whip up anything more complicated that throwing instant curry and ingredients into a pot :D

I blame Hong Kong's humidity and summer heat, as always.

You don't need a recipe for this...but let me share how did I do mine.

Recipe
(serves 4)
- 1 lb beef cubes (I used cubes from brisket)
- half an onion, chop into chunks
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 pack of straw mushrooms, sliced
- 1 zucchini, peeled and chopped into 5mm thick chunks
- 1 pack of S&B Golden Curry (Hot)
- olive oil, hot water, paprika (optional), black pepper (optional)

Since I used brisket, I used my pressure cooker.
Sautee onion in a bit of olive oil, add mushrooms, add beef, mix about, add carrots, add hot water, a sprinkle of black pepper, and pressure cook for 25 minutes. If you are using other kinds of meat (chicken, beef tenderloin, pork, etc, simply let the meat cook through and you're done). Once the pressure cooking was done, oh my! The beef stock you get...delicious even without any seasoning. Add zucchini chunks at this stage as we don't want to overcook them. Add curry seasoning a few blocks at a time and mix well, add more water if necessary, sprinkle a bit more black pepper and paprika (optional)...and pour curry over a bed of steamed rice.

I love S&B's savory curry flavor. Perfect!

Golden curry eaten overlooking a gloriously golden sunset...
One bowl was definitely not enough ^_^

A Hearty Snack - Mashed Potatoes with "Chili Con Carne" and Melted Cheese

This is the aftermath of a chili dog and mashed potato dinner...one heck of a hearty snack.

The hot dogs and buns are longgg gone, but I am left with a big bowl of "chili con carne" (quote marks as I am pretty sure that my version isn't authentic) and mashed potatoes. What to do? Put them together, top them with grated cheese...and nuke 'it to melt the cheese (I thought of putting them in the oven for a beautiful golden brown finish...but I worried that I would dry my mashed potatoes...I might try that next time).

Here's how I made my easy version of everything.

Mashed Potatoes
(serves two as side dish)
- 2 large potatoes, cleaned, peeled and cubed (around 1 x 1 x 1 cm)
- 3 tbsp butter, or more? (uh huh)
- a dash of milk
- salt, pepper, nutmeg

Place potato cubes in a microwave safe bowl, add a dash of milk and microwave on high for 15 minutes. Check if the potatoes are soft enough, microwave for 5 or more minutes if needed. Once the potato cubes are soft enough, mash them with a fork, stir in butter bit by bit, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

"Chili Con Carne"
(yields quite a lot, depends on how you want to use it, as a topping for hotdog/potatoes or...eat it with rice?)
I apologize for not being able to find the source of this recipe... T_T
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- half an onion, cubed
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 smallish fresh tomatoes, cubed
- 1 green bell pepper, cubed
- 10 pieces of sliced, jalapeno from a jar, chopped (I used El Paso)
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- 1 can of mixed beans
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp all spice
- 2 pieces of cloves
- olive oil, butter, hot water (or chicken or beef stock), salt, cayenne pepper

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil with a touch of butter, add ground beef, add chopped tomatoes and green bell pepper, let cook for a bit, add tomato paste, add a bit of hot water or stock (depends on how thick you want it to be, and depends on how long you want to cook it, since I plan to make a speedy one, I didn't add much water to the mixture), bring to boil, add spices and seasonings, add mixed beans, cook until heated through, adjust seasoning if necessary, add chopped jalapeno at the end, mix well, and serve.

I used a mix of grated mozzarela and sharp cheddar for this snack. After the cheese melted and everything's heated through...

Who was I kidding? One tiny ramekin is never enough!

Soto Betawi - Indonesian Creamy Beef Soup

Nothing I love more than a get together than involves...ehm, food.

Especially some food that has a special sentimental value to us.
Oh, my hormones are making me extra sappy and romantic these days~
That's right. Blame it all on the hormones.

So, last Friday, after having been craving this dish for a while...my friend Ieie and I decided to brave the lack of instant seasoning pack and make the dish we went through our college days with...from scratch. Gasp!

Making anything from scratch might be nothing special for most people. But for Ieie and I, instant seasoning princesses, it calls for a celebration.

Soto Betawi
Recipe
adapted from here

Beef stock
- 1 lb beef (I used brisket, you can use other parts of beef with some offals)
- 1 galangal, crushed
- 1 stalk lemongrass, crushed
- 3 salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaves)
- water
Boil beef with galangal, lemongrass and salam leaves until tender. I used a pressure cooker, so this only took 30 minutes, if you are not using pressure cooker, bring to boil and simmer for at least 1.5 hours. Since I wanted to get rid of the fat from the brisket, I prepared this one night ahead, cool it down and keep it in the fridge. The next day, the fat has hardened and I could take it out easily. If you are using leaner meat, you can skip the fat removing process.

If you don't eat beef, replace it with other kinds of meat. Next time, I will add some bone-in chicken pieces too, to give the soup some glorious golden tinge.

Spices
- 5 shallot
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 cm ginger
- 1 tbsp ground corriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin
- white pepper, salt, olive oil
I threw everything into my food processor and pulsed until it forms a fine paste. In Indonesia, we normally use mortar and pestle.

Soup
- 400ml coconut milk
To finish the soup, bring beef and stock to boil, add spices, and add coconut milk. Adjust seasonings and spices according to your taste. The soup is done.

Other Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into 8-12 sections each
- 2 tomatoes, sliced into 8-12 sections each
I pan fried the potato slices on a non stick pan with minimal amount of olive oil (only about 1 tbsp), pan fry slowly on medium heat until softened, crank up the heat afterwards to brown the surface. Alternatively, you can soften the potatoes by baking or microwaving them.
The tomatoes do not need to be cooked.

Garnish
- spring onion, thinly sliced
- crispy shallot
- red chillies, sliced thinly
- Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
- emping (belinjo crackers) or prawn crackers (optional)
- lime (quartered)
To serve, place potatoes and tomatoes in a bowl, scoop some beef, pour soup over it, sprinkle some crackers, crispy shallot and spring onion. Serve with kecap manis, chilli and lime slices on the side as condiments.

Yummy with steamed rice ^_^

I am crap at food styling. But although the above pictures were crappily styled, the way we devoured it was even worse...

We devoured the soto with a mountain of Indonesian crackers.

It did send us back to our young, cute, but far-from-innocent college days :D
Ah, nostalgia~

Korean Potato Noodles with Beef & Mushroom Broth - My Simple Christmas Dinner

This was my Christmas dinner.

If you were expecting some gorgeously golden turkey, tender and juicy steak, super-creative-fancy side dishes, and beautifully crafted desserts, hmm...there was none :P

All the shopping, photo hunting, cleaning & decorating totally consumed me.
That's my official statement.
The reality? I was (again) too lazy to plan anything, and spent most of the day with my ass planted in front of my computer watching my favorite drama series :D

Aaaanyways...
I found this pack of fresh Korean Potato Noodles at City Super (HK$36), and it's a gem!

Update: a HK twitterer who's familiar with Korean food informed me that there is actually very little potato element in this noodle. Interestingly, it is marketed as "potato noodles", probably to attract spud lovers like me. Potato or no potato, give it a try and see if you like it :)

What did I do with it?

Made a simple broth of fresh shitake, straw mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, beef and chicken stock. Meat, vegetables and carb all in one pot. My kind of lazy meal.

Beef & Mushroom Broth
- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 cup of beef (HK$20)
- 1 cup of fresh shitake, sliced
- 1 cup of straw mushrooms, sliced
- chicken/beef/vegetable stock
- half a head of large Chinese cabbage, sliced
- olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar

In a medium sized sauce pan/pot, Saute garlic in a bit of hot olive oil, add sliced mushrooms. Hello, kitchen, you smell good! Add stock, bring to boil, add cabbage, cook until it reaches the desired softness, adjust seasoning if necessary, add beef.



While the cabbage was cooking (before dumping beef into broth), prepare a pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to instructions, drain, divide by portion per person, and place in a bowl.

Pour broth over noodles and enjoy is subtle deliciousness.
Perfect for post-holiday-season recovery :D

I don't do "subtle" very often.
So enjoy it while it lasts :)

Spicy Stir Fried Beef with Chinese Preserved Vegetable

Initially, I was absolutely terrified by the idea of moving into the same apartment complex as sous chef's parents.

My fears:
- SC's parents forcing us to dine at their place at ALL TIMES
- Being caught dining out = endless complaints
- Impromptu visits/inspections when my flat is at its record-breaking state of mess
- Unsolicited comments about various living conditions/lifestyle
etc...

However, it turned out to be the best thing ever!

- As they're so near, we could drop by for dinners whenever we want, they never had to force us!
- The closest place = the safest place
- Impromptu visits at the messiest prompted them to help cleaning the flat (woohoo!)
- Comments went into left ear, went out of the same ear, never made it to the other side :)

This easy stir fried beef with chinese preserved veggie dish is one of my favorite dishes from sc's parents.

Recipe
- 1/2 lbs beef, sliced thinly
- 1 pack of Chinese Preserved Vegetable (jar choi = 炸菜)
- a couple of red chilli, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- dark soy, sugar, white pepper, corn starch, olive oil

Marinate beef with a bit of dark soy, sugar, white pepper and 1 tsp corn starch for at least 15 minutes. In a hot frying pan, saute garlic and chilli with a bit of olive oil, add marinated beef, add preserved vegetables, adjust seasoning if necessary, serve with steamed rice. Spicy, sweet, sour, savoury, smoky...all in one dish!

It's quick, easy, homey, Chinese comfort food at its best.

At sc's parents place, dinner is served on a large round table lined with newspaper...just in case you missed the news. Since I don't read Chinese, I normally prefer to be seated around the bikini/celebrity gossip section of the newspaper :D

As we speak, SC is making a phone call to request for dinner at his parents' tonight :D

Bitter Melon & Beef Stir Fry in Oyster Sauce - Age Deliciously

Most of us don't like bitter things (thanks for stating the obvious like it's a surprise *rolling eyes*).
I remember that I used to hate bitter melon.
It's either because I was young or the melon wasn't done well.

It was probably because I was young.
Based on my general observation, there are few things younger people simply do not like...such as bitter stuff, gelatinous, gummy, and tendony stuff. As we become more mature (yuck, I hate the word "mature" as much as "old", I might as well say "as we age"), we grow to appreciate them better.

So far, I haven't started to enjoy gummy, gelatinous food such as beef tendon and sea cucumber (yet), but I have grown to love bitter melon (when it's done well).

Am I officially old?

There is indeed a certain way to handle bitter melon to minimize its bitterness.
Here goes...

Wash them clean, leave the skin on.


Half them. The ripe ones have red seeds and they are more bitter, just like me. I get more bitter as I age :p


The younger ones are more firm, and their seeds are white.


Scoop out the seeds and spongy inner part, discard.


Nice and clean.


I like my bitter melon thinly sliced. Don't they look pretty?


In a colander, sprinkle quite a lot of salt (I poured 2 teaspoon salt all over them), and leave 'em for a while (I left mine for about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, marinate the accompanying meat (I used sliced beef, marinated in dark soy, oyster sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, and 1 tsp corn starch), start cooking your rice and chop the aromatics (I used minced garlic, crushed ginger and chopped chili).


After a while...look at that bitter juice!
Give a glass to your enemy (ohhhh what an evil intention, but you might end up making your enemy healthier)

Quickly caramelise the marinated beef in a hot wok, add a little garlic, cook just until half done, don't flip them too often.


Set aside. Yum. Good enough to eat as is.


Now let's get back to our bitter melon. Saute aromatics in a bit of olive oil.


Add bitter melon, cook until softened.


Add beef.


Mix mix mix.


Adjust seasoning by adding sugar, white pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, more shaoxing wine...add a bit of hot water if you want a bit of a sauce.


Taste absolutely fantastical with steamed rice, taste even better the next day.

Plus, it'll improve your digestive system and kinda detox you.
Something yummy that helps with my health? Bring it on. I need all the help we can get as I age.
Age deliciously.