Siopao Asado (Filipino Pork Buns)

ALDI had their pork tenderloin in ‘red hot special’ a couple of weeks back. Naturally, for a bargain hunter like me, I bought some even if I didn’t have a dish in mind to cook yet.

Today, I felt like siopao (Pinoy style pork buns). Luckily, I’ve got those tenderloins in the freezer which is the ideal cut to make the filling.

I’m a big fan of Panlasang Pinoy.  He’s so passionate about his food and sharing it to the world that he even includes instructional videos with his recipes (complete with Filipino folk music in the background).

I did not come up with a new recipe for my siopao. I used his. Follow the link below for the recipe details and the video.  Thanks Vanjo!

http://panlasangpinoy.com/2009/08/07/how-to-make-home-made-siopao-asado-recipe/

Braised Beef Brisket (Beef Pares/Chinese Adobo)

We've never cooked this at home when I was growing up. I assumed as a young boy that this was difficult to make. It was a special dish we could only get at Chinese restaurants. It tasted delicious and exotic I was very sure my convictions were nothing but correct. I was wrong, of course, and I'm glad I was...

What I did not realise about this dish is the fact that it has long been "Filipinised." It has an unmistakably Chinese origin but Filipinos have adopted it as their own. "Pares" (literally means "pair") eateries found all over Manila pair this rich beef stew with either rice or noodles for a satisfying meal any time of the day.

Some affectionately refer to this as Chinese adobo. It is easy to see why. It looks like adobo but a slight whiff of this dish tells you it is anything but. What sets it apart is the use of spices not commonly found in Filipino cuisine. Star anise is literally the star here. Leave it out and you'll be left with nothing but chunks of bland boiled beef.






One other very important consideration when cooking this is the right cut of meat. Beef brisket braises the best, I find. But you could probably get away with any highly marbled cut of beef. So, if you feel queasy at the thought of "fat" just do a stir fry. This is why it also makes for the perfect winter meal.





Braised Beef Brisket (Beef Pares/Chinese Adobo)

2kg beef brisket cut in large chunks
1 cup light soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
6 garlic cloves
6 slices ginger
4 stalks spring onion
3 tbsp Chinese wine
3-4 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
Water
Black pepper corns
A bit of oil for sauteing



1. Blanch the beef in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large pot heat up a bit of oil. Saute the ginger, spring onion and garlic for about a minute.
3. Add the meat in the pot and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add the sugar, soy sauce, wine and all the spices. Add water just enough to cover the meat and bring to the boil.
5. Simmer for an hour or so or until the meat is tender.
6. Serve hot with some greens and steamed rice.

Yum Cha at Landmark, Sunnybank

Judging by the number of people waiting outside the restaurant it probably safe to say that Landmark is one of the most popular Chinese restaurants in Brisbane. I've heard lots of good things about its regular menu but we go there specifically for yum cha.

It's guaranteed you'll be waiting at least half an hour (if you're lucky). The wait can extend to over an hour during holiday periods.

Anyway, here's how it works at this restaurant:

1) You rock up to the guy (or girl) at the door.

2) You tell him (or her) how many there are in your party.

3) You get given a number.

4) And then you wait...and wait...

You might be horrified to be given number 347 when what's being called out is only 52. But take heart, it doesn't work sequentially, I think. I don't quite understand the system but it seems to be fairly efficient for the purpose.

There is nothing extraordinary about Landmark's yum cha selections. We tend to order pretty much the same things anyway so it is not really that big of a deal. The reason we keep coming back is because of the innovative way they serve these tasty oriental delights.

At Landmark you have a choice to either wait for the cart or pick up your favourite yum cha yourself from a very busy counter. Doesn't seem much but it makes a huge difference to very hungry diners. It's bad enough that you have to wait for a table. Having to wait some more for the carts to come by your table can turn the experience into something less than enjoyable.

And lest I forget, their yum cha taste very good too!

Simple Wonton Noodle Soup ala Beancounter

I haven’t been feeling great lately. This was brought about by the change in season (it is winter down under) plus over indulging during the last long weekend we had. As a consequence I haven’t ventured into our kitchen for a while. It was only tonight that I had enough energy and inspiration to start cooking again.

Wonton noodle soup definitely ticks all the boxes during times like this when I’m craving something hearty and comforting (now that my appetite has returned from a few days of absence).

My version of this dish is quite simple. By that I mean I use fewer ingredients than some other recipes. When I have more time and I have them available in my pantry I might add a few more ingredients like dried mushrooms, water chestnuts, prawns etc. But I am time poor and I haven’t been to the shops lately. Also, I think, the simplicity of my recipe makes it a lot more versatile. You can have it in a soup or fried like a spring roll (I did both tonight). Putting a few fried wontons to your noodle soup adds a bit more character to the dish with its crunchy texture.


Simple Wontons ala Beancounter

500g pork mince
1 carrot finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
1 stick of celery finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 egg
Wonton wrappers

Noodle Soup
Chicken stock seasoned to your liking
Your preferred noodle
Your choice of vegetables

1. Combine all the wonton ingredients (except for the wrappers, of course).
2. Wrap the mixture using the wonton wrappers and chill for about half an hour before cooking. I’ve done three types of wrapping (please refer to one of the photos). All of them seem to keep their shape well when fried, steamed or boiled.
3. Boil some water and cook the wontons a few at a time. They’ll start rising to the top when they are ready. I prefer pre-cooking them in water rather than cooking them in the soup stock. The soup comes out much clearer.
4. You can use bought chicken stock. Just “asianise” it by adding ginger, soy sauce, pepper and a bit of oyster sauce (or whatever you fancy).
5. As for the noodles, follow what the packet says.
6. Put together the noodles, cooked wonton and some vegetables in a bowl and pour the hot soup over it.

Yum Cha in the Valley

It’s that time of the year again when bean counters (in Australia) are busy predicting the future. That basically means I’ve got very little time to blog.

Renovated Fortitude Valley Station

So for the purpose of keeping this blog alive I’m posting some photos of Brisbane’s premier Chinatown and some of our favourite yum cha dishes.

Chinatown Pagoda being rebuilt

Wishing Fountain

Miniatures

Sharks' Fins for sale (not very eco friendly)

There are a lot better yum cha houses around Brisbane but we go to Chinahouse in Fortitude Valley for the convenience. It’s very central. Parking is ample. Their dishes are good (but could be better). The important thing to remember is to get to the restaurant early enough to guarantee freshness and to avoid long queues.

Lola and the kids enjoying their early lunch

Mom's favourite (taro dumplings)

Sticky Rice with Chicken and Lap Chong

Deep Fried Calamari

Sharks' Fin Dumplings

Pork Ribs with Black Beans

Chicken Feet, of course!

Prawn Dumplings

BBQ Pork Buns

Gai Lan w/ Oyster sauce...for balance ;)

And to finish off, custard tarts

The Bill!

Of Fried Noodles and Flat Peaches

Fresh egg noodles and I don’t get along well. I mean, I love eating it but cooking with it is another matter. All my past attempts to work with thin fresh egg noodles were failures. That’s why I am so delighted when a friend of mine introduced me to Kwan Wo Fried Noodles. This is not a product placement hiding behind a blog. I am just genuinely pleased about this noodle!

Fried Noodles are not new I’ve been told. They’ve been around for a while I just wasn’t aware of them. Probably because after so many disastrous endeavours I have steered clear of the fresh egg noodle section. I don’t know why it is called “fried” in the first place when it looks quite fresh to me. But regardless, I’m just so happy that this noodle retains its texture and shape even when subjected to high heat or boiling hot soup.

Ever the advocate for uncomplicated food I made a simple beef stir-fry noodles using this product with some baby bok choy (pechay to us Pinoys). The resulting meal was satisfyingly good (Refer to the recipe at the end of this blow).

Another new discovery in the past week was Donut Peach. I thought I’ve seen every kind of peach that is available. Apparently not! Looking at this peach variety at first you can be forgiven for thinking someone just stepped on it. It looks flat a little bit deformed. Apart from its unusual appearance it tastes exactly like a “normal” white fleshed peach. The other benefit of this strain is that it is easier to eat as it has got a much smaller stone.

Beef Stir Fry Noodles ala Beancounter

200g Fried Noodles
Some slices of beef
Some bok choy
1 clove garlic chopped finely
Oyster sauce
Soy Sauce
Chicken stock
A bit of oil

1. Heat up a bit of oil in a wok.
2. Brown the meat pieces then set aside. You might have to do this in batches to avoid steaming the meat.
3. Add a bit more oil if necessary. Stir fry the chopped garlic for a few seconds.
4. Add the meat back in.
5. Add the bok choy.
6. Add some oyster sauce and soy sauce to your taste.
7. Add about a cup of stock. Let it boil.
8. Add the noodles and cook for about 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Beef w/ Gai Lan for a double iron hit

We’re now about 34 weeks in the pregnancy. And we recently found out the Cherry is a bit anaemic. She’s now taking iron supplements (and will for the duration of the pregnancy) but we’ve also been advised to eat more red meat. That’s not so hard!

The recipe below does not have a lot of ingredients and is also pretty quick to make (as with most stir fries). And the added bonus, you get a double hit of iron! So, eat up!

Beef w/ Gai Lan (aka Beef w/ Chinese Broccoli)

500g rump steak cut into stir fry pieces

1 bunch gai lan

1 teaspoon ginger

1 clove garlic chopped

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

A bit of oil

¼ cup stock or water

1. Marinate the beef using 1 tablespoon of the oyster sauce and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce
2. Prepare the gai lan by cutting the vegetable in half separating the stalks from the leaves.
3. Heat up the wok in high heat. Add a bit of oil. Stir fry the beef in batches to avoid steaming the meat. Set aside the stir fried beef.
4. Add a bit more oil to the same wok. Stir fry the ginger and the garlic for about a minute.
5. Add the stalk part of the vegetable and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add a bit of stock/water.
6. Add the beef back in and stir fry for another minute.
7. Add the leaf part of the gai lan together with the remaining sauces and stir fry until the gai lan has wilted.
8. Serve with steaming hot jasmine rice.

At Home – Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) with Oyster Sauce

Good food does not need to be complicated. Most times it’s the simple ones that I actually enjoy the most.

One good example of this is the recipe I have below. I’ve listed about 7 ingredients but there are actually only 3 main ones. The other great thing about this recipe is the fact that you can substitute almost any green leafy vegetable that is in season. If Kai Lan is not available Bok Choy or Pak Choy (varieties of Pinoy pechay) are good substitutes.

Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) with Oyster Sauce

2 bunches of Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)

2 cloves of garlic chopped

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

A few drops of sesame oil

Chicken stock or just plain water

A bit of oil

1. Prepare the Kai Lan by cutting the bunches in half (crosswise). You should end up with four bunches (2 stem bunches and 2 leaf bunches)
2. Boil some water with a bit of salt.
3. Blanch the stem bunches first in the boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove then set aside.
4. The leaves should only take about a minute to blanch. Set aside together with stems.
5. Heat up a bit of oil in a pan.
6. Stir fry the garlic for about a minute. Do not wait for it to turn complete brown.
7. Add the oyster sauce and soy sauce.
8. Add about ¼ cup of stock.
9. Pour over the blanched Kai Lan. Add a few drops of sesame oil.
10. Eat on its own or serve with jasmine rice.