麻酱菠菜 / Spinach with sesame sauce dressing

This is a Northern China dish.   The sesame sauce I used was bought from Hong Kong. 

Lemon butter cake

In order to use up the lemons in the fridge, I made this Lemon butter cake.  Recipe from http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.com/2010/03/lemon-butter-cake.html

Monkfish and mushrooms, fried with tomyum paste

May be this dish looks a bit weird. I bought some monk fish and thinking to grill them with salts and peppers, but it is boring.   So I was thinking to fry them with mushrooms but then I wonder what's the best sauce to go with that.   Simply with soy sauce or oyster sauce??!!  boring.  So I fried them with some garlic and Tomyum paste!  Yum!  Adding some parsley would be good so I will do it again next time!!!

Strawberry Jellies

When I was young, I always have jellies, made by diluting "colorful" powder with hot water.
for example with pink powder u will have strawberry jellies, and green powder u will have lime jellies.  Also, I always have those small cups ready made jellies, again of different colours.  And then we have the Japanese / Taiwanese ones with fruit pieces in them.

Looking back now, they were all chemicals, full of preservatives and taste like plastic.

During the summer entertaining cooking class, I had my first ever jellies made of real fruits!!!  It was so yummy, not having a transparent colour because there were so much strawberries puree in there!!!

Here I making them again at home now, I used 2 packs of strawberries, a total of 800g!!!
No water added.  Pure strawberries!!! Gelatine, sugar and lemon!!

Grilled Lamb ribs / 烤羊肉肋骨

Lamb ribs, known as one of the "forgotten cuts" in here because they are less wanted, not the premium cut of the meat, and so they are cheaper...

but I think we Chinese people just love them!!!  the tenderness of the meat, with a bit of fat, full of lamb flavor!!! 

Again in Waitrose, I saw there were packs of lamb ribs "featured" in the promotional area, they are actually lamb breast cuts on the bones... I guess they are the ones we Hong Kong people used them to make 羊腩煲!!!

I have never seen them before in here!!!  So excited and I bought two packs of them, one here I grilled them last night.   Seasoned with salts and cumin and placed them on a baking rack, baked for 35 mins.  u see it is very healthy all fat and oil are drained!!!  for the other pack of lamb ribs, it is in freeze now, will probably make 羊腩煲 later on!!!!

 

Baked herb ricotta and roast cherry tomatoes

This is another dish I learnt from summer entertaining cooking course.
I love cheese so I love this dish a lot!!!
The ricotta is mixed with Parmesan cheese, eggs and basil, then baked until it puffed up and browned.
Served on toast, top with roasted tomatoes, and I added a poached egg too to make it as a breakfast!!!

辣豆板醬燜茄子

Pistachio cake

This is the first recipe I learn from the summer entertaining cooking course.  Last thurs was the first lesson and the teacher demonstrated many many dishes which ended up we all having a three course lunch there.  On the coming week, we shall make those dishes on our own.

However, I made this pistachio cake at home yesterday becoz I was running so LATE for the class.  While seeing I will be ~1 hour late, I decided I go home instead :-S

My "late habit" is getting serious now!!!!  :-(

OK back to this Pistachio cake, it was very nice, moist but with a bit of crisp around the edges, and having a very nutty flavor.  It was my first time having pistachio cake and I like it a lot.   Many many many pistachios are used!!!  and a lot of hazelnuts too!!!  dear pistachio cake!!!

Spaghetti carbonara

This is the first proper Spaghetti Carbonara that I have made.
I used pancetta, eggs, double cream and Pecorino Romano cheese.
Recipe by Delia - http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/italian/pasta/spaghetti-alla-carbonara.html

However, I added some mushrooms, which ended up having too much mushrooms!!!!   Not a proper Italian dish again!  sign :-S

燒腩仔 / Roasted pork belly

failed to make the crackling skin again!!!
need to keep searching for the perfect recipe!

Clams, fried with garlic, ginger, chillies and shaoxing wine

I bought these clams yesterday from the Chinese supermarket - Seewoo.

Actually every time I went there I always see these clams in the "fish tank" but I never have the guts to buy coz I never seen anyone buying them!!!!!

Luckily yesterday the "elderly" man standing in front of me, he bought half a pound of clams.  So I thought Ok I will follow him, he must know they are good.

And it turned out they taste really good.  Though their sizes are  not very big but they do have the fresh seafood taste.  

I cooked them in a very Chinese way, quick frying them with garlic, ginger, chillies and shaoxing wine!!!  nice!!!

京东肉饼

這是陳生提議做的北方麵食, 我上youtube學的, 都算做到個型，留意入面有三層牛肉，真係見到都飽, 好彩呢邊嘅mince超瘦, 不過食兩件都夠肥幾磅啦!!!

http://baike.baidu.com/view/635390.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02uA48JhVAA

红烧牛肉面

每次炆牛腩, 我都會煮多啲, 因為如果煮兩人份量, 真係嘥火嘥精神, 所以每次煮呢啲炆嘢, 我都會freeze away 一兩餐, 有時囉出嚟加餸呀煮麵呀, 方便又好味!!!

辣椒燈籠椒炒土豆絲

簡單椒鹽雞翼 / Simple salt & pepper chicken wings

Here I making my simple salt & pepper chicken wings again.  
They are marinated with salt, peppers, shao xing cooking wine.
Used very little oil when cooking.  The key is to use a non stick pan, cook the chicken with med heat, with a lid, and NOT to add any water to the chicken during cooking.
A healthier way to eat salt and pepper chicken wings!!  (as compare to the deep fried version)
Next time I will add a bit of chillies to it!!!  Spicy wings!!! 

Banana cake

When I was in Hong Kong, whenever I saw a "皇后餅店",  I will go in and buy their banana cake, those pre-packed 1 slice banana cake.  I love them very much, very moist and full of banana flavor.

Here I found a recipe from the internet
http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.com/2011/05/spongy-banana-cake.html

So I gave it a go, and it doesn't look bad at all.  Very moist.  I added some walnuts on to the top of the cake.  They taste really nice!!!  will definitely make this again. I love it because with this recipe I don't need to put in butter.  Next time I will try to put in less oil :-)

红烧肉 / Braised pork belly

When I first arrived in London, I was very surprised I can buy pork belly from supermarket.   I didn't know western people like to eat these fatty cuts.   And I noticed Delia has made this dish too!!!  see here:
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/galleries/quick-work/hung-shao-pork-waitrose.html

Ok here I m cooking braised pork belly again!!!  I am working on my own recipe now, after I do a couple more practice,  I will share my recipe :-)

Sultana scones

I think making scone is the most easiest in baking.  I success almost every time.
They are delicious to eat when they are still warm.
This is my 2nd time making sultana scones now.  Baking these myself are healthier than buying from supermarket because I can put in far less sugar :-)

羊肉片炒鳥冬 / Fried Udon with thin slices of lamb

Homemade soy milk / 自家製豆漿

第一次做豆漿, 整咗半煲以為好多, 原來得半瓶, 即係兩杯, 下次要做double.

Italian cooking class - Zeppole di San Giuseppe (Choux Pastry)

Japanese curry: chicken wings & potatoes

因為想食辣, 所以多加 四隻辣椒

炒生菜 (Roman lettuce)

以前買roman lettuce只係用嚟做ceasar salad, 其實用嚟炒都好好味, 似唐生菜, 脆版.

鹹蛋 / homemade salted eggs

鹹蛋是第一次做, 很滿意, 真係鹹蛋味, 再放一個星期, 我估會漏油添!!!!

Dinner for Alex & Daisy

炒聖子

蒸石斑

炆牛筋腩 

清湯浸蝦干白菜

合掌瓜紅蘿蔔排骨湯

青豆肉碎蛋餅 / Egg fritters with peas and mince

雞肝炒荷蘭豆 / Stir fry mangetout and chicken liver