Baked Pork Ribs

Ribs were on sale, something like $12 for 6 pounds. The hot food section of Save-On is always so tempting with the fragrance of the bbq sauce slathered on the ribs, so we decided to do our own, at a fraction of the cost.

Will did most of the cooking for this one. I was the helper ^^


Ingredients (serves 6)
6 lbs ribs
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 cups ketchup
3/8 cup worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
6 tsp mustard powder
2 cups water

Method:
In a large bowl, mix together everything except the ribs.
Spoon some sauce onto the bottom of a large, lidded roasting pan.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Brown the ribs with a little bit of oil.
Place one layer of ribs in, and top with some sauce.
Repeat until all the ribs are in. Make sure the surface is well covered with sauce.
Cover the pan and bake for 1.5 hours.
Check on the ribs and redistribute the sauce as necessary.
Bake uncovered for another 1.5 hours.
Enjoy!


Comments:
Will found the recipe, and it is very similar to the pulled pork I made earlier.

The amount of ketchup was a bit of an approximation. I had a new bottle of it, and figured that 3/4 of the bottle would work.

I am very happy that I got to use the pan. I had purchased it with the intention of making a turkey, but then could not find a rack that would fit. It all works out, eh? ^^


Verdict:
YUM!  Parts were a bit chewy, but still really good. Chester liked the bones, too =D

Prime Rib

Will usually takes care of the mid-week cooking, especially since I picked up that after-school contract. Getting home at 6 is not conducive to cooking. His parents gave us a prime rib that was on sale at Walmart, so into the oven it goes.


Ingredients:
1 seasoned prime rib


Method:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Set the meat on a rack in a shallow pan and bake.
After 1.5 hour, reduce heat to 350F and cook for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven, cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

Comments:
The turkey rack would've been way to big, so we just used a circular thing that we use to prop up plates when steaming dimsum.

Will said that he should've reduced the heat after half an hour.

Will used our pyrex baking dish, which is a good 2 inches deep, and it turned out fine.

We had slow-cooked veggies to go with it, and I just have to say that I'm not that big a fan of rosemary. Next time, it'll be oregano.


Verdict:
Yum! (Probably because it was salty...If I had marinated it, I would've had to get over the mental hurdle of adding so much salt to give it taste.)

Hot Mango Sandwiches

Frozen mango was on sale a while back, and we bought a bag with the intention of making mango pancakes. Since then, we got a sandwich maker, and the package of mango is still unopened. Let's see if mango sandwiches are any good.



Ingredients:
Sliced bread
frozen mango pieces, slightly thawed
Butter

Method:
Make the sandwiches as per your maker's instructions.

Verdict:
It needed more sugar, but otherwise worked as a snack

Orange Chicken

Seasaltwithfood's got tonnes of really tantalizing recipes. There are quite a few that I've bookmarked. This is the first to be tried. Fingers are crossed.

Ingredients:
6 Chicken legs with thighs
zest from 1 large-ish orange
Juice from said orange
3 stalks of green onions, finely sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbs chili flakes
1.5 tbs sugar
3 tbs soy sauce (ours was Lee Kum Kee double deluxe, which had some sugar in it)
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
0.5 tsp salt


Method:
Rinse chicken and pat dry.
In a bowl, mix together all other ingredients. Use half to marinate the chicken and set aside the rest.
Marinate 4-5 hours in the fridge, turning every hour to ensure even coating.

Preheat oven to 400F.
Place chicken in a roasting pan and bake for 25 minutes.
Turn and spoon on sauce and roast for another 25-30 minutes, until done.



Comments:
While making the marinade, I noticed that there was a bitter undertone. It disappeared after baking.
I did not have peanut oil, and it was still ok, although since I don't know how it's supposed to taste, that's really subjective.
Mine looked nothing like seasaltwithfood's. I suspect that in my race to use my oval roasting pan, I conveniently forgot that chicken releases juice while cooking. It would've been better to use the roasting rack. Next, I think the marinade was too chunky and liquidy. Next time, I will try pounding it with the mortar and pestle to get a paste. That way, I can also grind in some peanuts to substitute for the peanut oil. But, I'd need to let the stuff sit for a bit so the chili flakes have a chance to rehydrate before grinding.



Verdict:
Fail at being orange chicken, but good for something to have with rice. The sweet ginger taste was nice.

Pasta Milano

One of my go-to dishes at Macaroni Grill was this. To be quite honest, I don't remember how it tastes, only that it was cream based, with mushrooms, bowties, and chicken. For whatever reason, I remembered it having asiago cheese. How fortuitous that asiago was on sale ^^. Through the magic of google, I found this recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4)
500g bowtie pasta, cooked and drained
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 chicken chicken breasts, butterfly-cut
1 heaping tsp minced garlic
thyme
sage
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
500mL half and half
1 tsp chicken boullion
150g asiago cheese, finely grated
1 tbs cornstarch
4 tbs sundried tomatoes, chopped.

Method:
Fry bacon, drain and put into a large bowl.
Fry the chicken. When it is almost done, add in garlic, thyme and sage.
Remove from heat, let rest a few minutes, then slice and add to bacon.
Sautee the mushrooms until they release their moisture. Add the contents of the pan, including the mushroom juice into the meat bowl.
Turn the heat to medium/medium-high and heat up the cream.
Whisk in cheese and boullion and mix until the boullion has dissolved, and the cheese has mostly melted.
Stir in the cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs of water.
Add in the meat, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes and heat through.
To serve, toss with pasta.


Comments:
I only later remembered that it was called Pasta Milano and went a-hunting for the recipe. It's just as well, because the first recipe I found didn't even call for cheese.

This really needs something tangy, like capers or sundried tomatoes, or even just lemon juice to offset the bitter aftertaste of the cheese.

It is not necessary to make this totally smooth (I don't even know if it's possible, because I didn't have a whisk.


Verdict:
I like it, but I don't think it's quite on the mark.

Japanese Hamburg Steak (ハンバーグ)

I saw on Nicole's blog that she had made these, and whilst planning for this week's meals, I realised that we had some bread that was in danger of molding, and beef that could potentially get freezer burn. Perfect.

The reason for not using her recipe eludes me, but I found a recipe for this here.

A bit of background:
This is a pretty popular dish in Japan, especially in bentos. You'll also find it in Western restaurants. It's remniscient of Salisbury steak, or a meatloaf. The sauce makes all the difference.


Ingredients (Makes 6 patties):
2 cups ground beef (probably about 1lb)
1 egg
0.25 cup milk
4 slices whole wheat bread
1 small onion, finely chopped
Maggi seasoning
Ground pepper
Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce


Method:
Sautee onions in a fry pan. Set aside.
Toast the bread and break into pieces to fit into a dry mill (I have a Bamix hand blender) and process in batches to get crumbs.
In a large bowl, mix together milk, eggs, Maggi and pepper.
Mix in beef, bread and onions with your hands and thoroughly incorporate everything.
Flatten the mixture to the bottom of the bowl and make 6 equal sections.
Take a section, roll it into ball and pass it back and forth between your hands to force out air pockets.
Make a patty with an indent in the centre and set on a plate.
Repeat with the other five sections.
Heat up a fry pan and brown the patties (You'll probably have to do it in batches).
Put in a layer of hot water, cover, and steam on medium-low for about 10 minutes to thoroughly cook.
Repeat as necessary to cook all the patties.
To make the sauce, put in equal parts ketchup and worcestershire sauce into the pan, mix and heat.
Serve with rice.


Comments:
For those new to cooking, the egg helps to hold the meat together, and the bread keeps it moist.
I just have to say that while I had no problems handling the meat, I didn't like trying to wash the grease off my hand after. The fat had actually solidified under my nails, and it was a pain washing it all away.


Verdict:
Good! There's lunch for the next day.

Linguine Carbonara

We had breakfast for dinner the other night (oh, so good!), and had sausage, bacon and eggs leftover. Not sure what to do with the sausage, but bacon and eggs calls for carbonara! I haven't had this since SE Asia last year (I know, weird place to have it). Carbonara from a jar is just disgusting (I had it in Sydney), so here's to hoping that I've got better luck making it from scratch!

Original recipe here.

Ingredients (4 servings):
500-600g linguine
2 cups frozen peas
8 slices of bacon, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
4 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork.
1 brick (~100-200g) freshly, finely grated parmesan
4 tbs olive oil
freshly cracked pepper

Method:
Fry the bacon pieces until cooked, then lightly sautee with garlic.
Drain the oil, and set the bacon aside.
Cook the pasta.
Add in peas during the last bit of cooking.
Drain the pasta and DO NOT rinse with cold water.
Return the pasta to the pot and toss with bacon, and some olive oil to prevent the pasta from clumping. Use more oil as necessary.
Mix the cheese into the bowl with the eggs, and then the mixture to the pot.
Toss the pasta until thoroughly mixed, and the cheese has melted.
Serve with pepper.


Comments:
There's supposed to be onions in this, but I forgot to pick it up when I got the cheese.
When I made this, I didn't realise that we had used the same amount of pasta, but I had halved the other ingredients. The end result was a bit dry and bland.
The egg is cooked by the heat of the pasta. If you don't feel good about eating egg that's barely cooked, you could turn on the stove again, but I imagine it would stick... like lots.
There is a HUGE price difference between parmesan from the deli and parmesan from the dairy area. We used the dairy stuff, and it was fine.
I had an epiphany partway through the meal that I'd forgotten to toss with olive oil. The stuff was quickly clumping and it was dry. I was almost done, so it didn't matter, but the portions for lunch the next day were remedied, and survived.



Verdict:
I liked it, despite the little mishaps.

Oyako-don (親子丼)

Before work in Japan got super hectic and I started eating at Wendy's on a far-too-regular basis, rice bowls were the way to go. When we did a foods section, oyako-don would come up as one of the easier items to make. It has taken 3 years, but here is my attempt. I shamelessly took the recipe from Nicole here. She's got the pretty pictures.


Some background: 'oyako' roughly translates to 'mother and child' interpret that how you wish =P


Ingredients (for 2):
Cooked rice
500g chicken thighs
4 eggs, beaten in a bowl
1 onion, sliced

Sauce: Mix the following together in a bowl and set aside
1.5 cups water with fish sauce mixed in
3 tbs mirin
3 tbs soy sauce


Method:
Debone and deskin the chicken. Then cut into bite-sized pieces.
In a fry pan, stir-fry the chicken until partially cooked.
Add in the onions and stir fry together until the chicken is mostly cooked.
Add in the sauce and cook until the chicken is done.
Pour in the egg, cover, turn off the heat and let sit for 2 minutes until the egg sets.
Serve over rice.


Comments:
The onions released some moisture as they cooked, so the end result was a lot more watery and watered down than I would've liked. I would use only 1 cup of water. Oh, and the water and fish sauce is my cheating version of dashi.

Preparing the chicken took bloody ages. I'm debating whether or not I should bite the bullet and buy skinless boneless.

Will was kinda put off by the fact that the egg would be half-cooked, so I let it boil a bit. The water was very aerated, which caused the egg to break apart and look kinda puke-y. A simmer would've worked better.


Verdict:
Yum!

Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)

We've been in the habit of buying mapo tofu from a restaurant at the Village, and I thought it probably isn't really worth it, so here goes. It's also the last day before I go back to work tomorrow. I am going to miss these restful days of Spring Break. (Seriously, here's to hoping that the new schedule gets passed.)

Ingredients:
2 blocks tofu, cut into cubes
ground pork (probably about 0.5lbs)
1 cup frozen green peas
minced garlic
ginger paste
sesame oil
3 green onions, chopped
salt
soy sauce
black bean paste
chili sauce
ground Szechuan pepper (flower pepper)



Method:
Marinate the pork in a tablespoon of cornstarch and some soy sauce.
Boil a pot of water. Add tofu and peas and heat through. Drain and set aside.
Stir-fry the pork until no longer pink. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until very fragrant.
Add beans and mash with meat to mix well.
Add chili sauce, tofu, peas and onions. Mix.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with water and soy sauce. Add to pan and cook until thickened.
Stir in some sesame oil to taste.
Transfer to serving bowl and top with ground Szechuan pepper and green onions.
Serve over rice.


Comments:
We did not drain the tofu very well, so the end result was a bit liquidy.

Will likes it with peas, so in they go. You, of course, don't have to.

The Szechuan pepper has a rather distinct taste. Not sure if I really like it, but it did impart that numbing sensation.



Verdict:
Not quite like in the restaurants, but good.

Red Oil Wontons (红油抄手)

These have got to be my favourite item in a Taiwanese or Shanghai restaurant. More so than the coveted siu loong bao (Will's Demon Baos) or the deep fried bun with condensed milk.

Been meaning to try to make them for a long time, and Nicole emailed me three recipes a while back, and after a bit of googling, I found a very similar one to the easiest one here. (I was too lazy to post the email here. Linking is so much easier =PP)


Ingredients:
Wontons:
wonton wrappers
ground pork (probably about 0.5 lbs)
1 egg
sesame oil
salt
ground black pepper


Sauce:
chopped garlic
chopped green onions
peppercorn chili oil (red oil)
Chinese sweetened black vinegar
soy sauce
ground black pepper



Method:
Wontons:
Beat the egg with a fork. Mix with the seasonings. Add pork and mix well.
Put a small amount of pork in the centre of the wrapper and bunch the dough around it.
Boil a pot of water with some oil to prevent sticking.
Boil the wontons until they float, then leave for 2 minutes to ensure thorough cooking.
Drain and set into a bowl.


Sauce:
Mix everything together in the proportions that you like.
Pour over the wontons.


Comments:
I know, this was a horrible 'recipe'. But I was being really lazy and really based it on taste.

The amount of pork was way too much for just the two of us. We froze some for later.

I added in a bit of tahini (sesame paste) for texture. I don't think it contributed much to taste.

I also think I should've bought the chili oil with the ground chili bits, rather than the pure oil.


Verdict:
The wontons were overcooked, and the sauce, while good, was not quite right.