Special chow mein

Chow mein is a dish from China as we all know that the main ingredients is noodles. This dish has different versions including, Yakisoba of Japan and Pancit from Philippines. The word Chow Mein or Chao Mian is actually 2 words, Chow means to fry and Mein means noodles so basically it is Fried Noodles. Cantonese style are usually boiled or soaked noodles then fried to crisp after they are wet cooked and then stir fried meats, sauce, and veggies on top of it. Here in Philippines, we call this Pancit and there are lots of version of this dish here like, Pancit Bihon, Pancit Canton, Pancit Palabok and so on. But in this article, I would like to introduce you my way of cooking this easy-to-cook dish in a special way.

We need ingredients like: 

50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh root ginger
2 fresh red chillies, seeded and
chopped
1 skinless chicken breast fillet, thinly
sliced
16 raw tiger prawns, peeled and
deveined, with tails left intact
450g/1lb egg noodles
100g/4oz green beans
225g/8oz beansprouts
50g/2oz garlic chives
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The procedure is:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large frying pan, and stir-fry the
garlic, ginger and chillies. Add the chicken, prawns and beans. Stir-fry
for 4–5 minutes over a high heat until the chicken and prawns are both
cooked. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Cook the egg noodles in a saucepan of slightly salted boiling water for
2–3 minutes until tender.

Heat the rest of the oil in the same wok used for the chicken and prawn
mixture. Add the beansprouts and garlic chives. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes.
Add the noodles and toss to mix. Next, add the soy sauce and oyster
sauce, and season with salt and pepper.

Return the prawn mixture to the wok. Reheat and mix well with the
noodles. Stir in the sesame oil, and serve immediately.

Tofu with mushrooms

Tofu - This is one of my favorite meat substitute and has a lot of recipe variation to choose from. Tofu or Bean Curd is made from soy milk by pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. Tofu have different varieties such as fresh tofu and processed ones. It is originated in China which they called it "doufu" about 2000 years ago and production was introduced in Korea and Japan. It is a good source of protein and has low calorie count which is good for people who likes to slim down their waist. Also high in Iron and calcium which all of us know makes our bones stronger. One thing I like with tofu is, it blends on the taste of a certain dish that you wanted to cook that is why it is hassle-free to introduce it to people who doesn't really into vegetable dishes. The dish for this article is called Tofu with mushrooms and we will be needing the following ingredients. 

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh root ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon five-spice powder
225g/8oz firm tofu, cut into
2.5cm/1in cubes
6 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
6 spring onions, sliced into
2.5cm/1in lengths, white and
green parts separated


In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, garlic,
ginger and five-spice powder.

 Put the tofu in a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over, toss well and
leave to marinate for about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the marinade.

Meanwhile, soak the dried Chinese mushrooms in warm water for
20–30 minutes until soft. Drain, reserving 75ml/3fl oz of the soaking
liquid. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the mushrooms, remove the
stalks and slice the caps. In a bowl, blend the cornflour with the reserved
marinade and mushroom soaking liquid.

Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy frying pan until hot. Add the tofu
and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until evenly golden. Remove from the wok
using a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Add the mushrooms and white parts of the spring onions to the wok, and
stir-fry for 2 minutes. Pour in the marinade mixture and stir for 1 minute
until thickened.

Return the tofu to the wok with the green parts of the spring onions.
Simmer gently for 1–2 minutes. Serve immediately with rice noodles.

Classic Caesar salad

When I was a kid, I used to love all fried dishes and finger food not knowing if I continue eating those kind of meals everyday, it may turn bad for my health. I don't hate eating vegetables but I love eating hotdogs, burgers and some processed meat stuff, and then I found this salad. At first I was hesitant to eat this since I always told myself that the taste is bland, sometimes bitter, but what makes the caesar's salad special is it's healthy combination of vegetables. On to its origin, the caesar's salad was created by a man named Caesar Cardini who is an immigrant from Italy and runs a restaurant in Mexico. His daughter Rosa allegedly saying that his father invented the dish when a Fourth of July in 1924 depleted their kitchen's supplies. Some of Cardini's staff are saying that they invented it. In my opinion, it won't be called as Caesar's salad if it was invented by their staff, don't you think? 

The ingredients that we will be needing:

1 small baguette
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, halved
4 back bacon rashers, trimmed
of fat
2 Cos lettuces
10 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
and halved lengthways
100g/4oz Parmesan cheese,
freghly grated
For the dressing
1 egg yolk
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
175ml/6fl oz olive oil
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

To make the croûtons, cut the baguette into 15 thin slices, and brush
both sides of each slice with the oil. Spread the slices out on a baking
tray, and bake for 10–5 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool
slightly, then rub each side of each slice of bread with the cut edge of a
garlic clove. Cut each slice into small cubes.

Cook the bacon under a hot grill until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper until
cooled, then break into chunky pieces.

Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces, and put in a large serving bowl with
the bacon, anchovies, croûtons and Parmesan.

For the dressing, put the egg yolks, garlic, mustard, anchovies, vinegar
and Worcestershire sauce in a blender or food processor. Season with
salt and pepper, and process for 20 seconds or until smooth. With the
motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin stream until the dressing is
thick and creamy.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and toss very gently until well
distributed. Serve immediately.

Ratatouille

I know what you're thinking, this isn't a movie about a rat wanting to be a chef (kidding). Ratatouille is originated from France and is a popular spring dish from Provença. Ratatouille is actually served as a side dish or probably as a meal on its own accompanied by pasta, rice or bread. This dish have similar ingredients to the dishes like Pisto from Spain, Caponata from Italy and Pinakbet from the Philippines. It is necessary to cook the vegetables separately so it will taste truly of itself. 

For this menu, we will be needing the following ingredients: 

Ingredients 

4 Courgettes (or zucchini)
2 Aubergines (or egg plant)
4 ripened Tomatoes 
3 small Green peppers
1 Medium Red pepper
1 Medium to large Onion or 4 to 5 small fresh onions
2 cloves Garlic
Flat Parsley, chopped
Basil, chopped
Salt 
Pepper from the mill
Olive oil for cooking

The Procedure

The order of cooking is important, so keep the vegetables separate when preparing them. Slice the onion and chop the garlic finely. 

Cut the peppers in two and remove the storks, seeds and white fleshy parts, then cut into 1/2 inch squares. Without peeling them, cube the Aubergines and courgettes to an equivalent size. Remove the stem and seeds from the tomatoes and cut the flesh into small pieces. 

Chop the parsley and basil, keeping a few small leaves as garnish. 

In a frying pan, sauté the onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil over a brisk heat, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper as you go along. 

When the peppers are 3/4 cooked (they should be nice and crunchy), remove from pan and keep warm. Sauté the aubergines until they are cooked through and nice and golden. 

Set aside with the peppers. Sauté the courgettes, adding the tomatoes and parsley as they start to golden, and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. 

Return the peppers and aubergines to the pan, mix all the vegetables thoroughly and add the basil. If required, deglaze the pan with a little water and then reduce. 

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish parsley and basil leaves.

Best served with Provence wine. Bon Appétit!

Japanese Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu also called as Mapo Doufu is a popular Chinese dish from the province of Sichuan (Szechuan). The original combination of this cuisine based from the Chinese recipe is tofu (bean curd)  set in a spicy chili- and bean-based sauce, typically a thin, oily, and bright red suspension, and often cooked with fermented black beans and minced meat, usually pork or beef. Variations exist with other ingredients such as water chestnuts, onions, other vegetables, or wood ear fungus. But today, I will show you a Japanese style for this recipe. 

What do we need: 

  First off we need some Ingredients, then I'll provide explanations on how to cook it. 

Ingredients

1 package of tofu - Make sure that the tofu you are using should be a firm one.
1/2 Ground Pork or Beef (200g)
1 tsp of Ginger (minced)
1/4 chopped Green Onion / Onion Springs
1 clove of Garlic

Spices

1 tbsp of Katakuriko or Potato Starch

1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 tsp doubanjiang - In case you didn't know what doubanjiang is, it is a spicy, salty paste made from fermented broad beans, soybeans, salt, rice, and various spices, apparently similar to the korean paste.

1 tsp of Chicken soup powder or 1 broth of Chicken Cube

1 tbsp of Sugar

2 tbsp of Sake or Rice Wine

1 tbsp of Soy Sauce

2 tbsp of Miso Paste

Preparation

Cover tofu with paper towel and microwave for 3 mins to remove some of the water

Cut the tofu in 1″ cubes

Mix spices (miso, soy sauce, sake, sugar, chicken soup powder) with 2/3 cup water

Mix katakuriko with 2 tbsp water. Mix well.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, and cook doubanjiang, then add garlic and ginger

Add pork or beef and fry over high heat until cooked through
Add mixed spices and when the mixture boils, add tofu and green onions, and cook for 2 mins over medium heat

Add katakuriko/water mixture and stir

Add sesame oil, mix, and serve alone in a bowl and Enjoy! 

The recipe is good for two so if you want to add the volume of ingredients that'll be fine.