062 - OYSTER SAUCE SHITAKE MUSHROOM!

Side dishes are often forgotten. They’re like a supporting actor, needed in time, but never get to be in the spotlight. Think Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club.

…wait a minute. He did get a spotlight.  (-__-)

Anyway, this dish I’m about to show you is a side dish that deserves a spot light. Eaten right after it’s finished, tasty as f*ck. Eat after refrigeration overnight? EVEN BETTER.

Give a round of applause to the OYSTER SAUCE SHITAKE.

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For 2 servings (as side dish), you will need

100 Grams of Shitake Mushroom. Make sure you clean it with damp towel, NOT water. NEVER.

2 Tbsp of Oyster Sauce.

1 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar. Regular vinegar would do fine as well

1 Tbsp of Sesame Seed Oil.

1 Garlic. Minced finely

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Oil as required

Water as required

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Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Cut your mushrooms into strips. Make it rather thick, because, *ahem*, ladies like it….OH NEVERMIND THE SEXUAL INNUENDO. Anyway, set it aside.

Step 2 – Get a non-stick pan, pour the oil and turn the  heat up to medium-high. Once smoking, pour the Garlic in and quickly stir to avoid scorching it. After about 10 seconds, the Shitake goes in and gets stirred. Add the Salt and quickly stir. This will help draw out moisture. Add a splash of Water and cover to steam for 30 seconds

In case you're wondering, this is Olive Oil i'm using

Garlic

Shitake goes ga-ga

Salt will help to bring out the moisture

Splash of h2o

oow, i bet it's hot in there

Step 3 – Turn the heat to medium and add the Oyster Sauce, Vinegar, Sesame Seed Oil and stir to combine. After 30 seconds, add the Pepper and splash of Water. Cover to steam for another 30 seconds.

Step 4 – Finished!

Serve this alongside a piping hot White Rice, hearty Mackerel, and Pickles. Leftovers? Keep it in the fridge, it’ll keep for 2-3 days just fine.

Cheers

xx

062 - Garlic Bok Choy (VEGETARIAN Friendly!)

Good morning people!

First of all, happy 2015! May this New Year bring health and prosper to us all. Oh, and for me to come up with more easy and friendly recipes! ;)

Again, so, so, so sorry for the lack of update. I was on the Asia’s World City. That’s Hong Kong to you. The trip was wonderful! Never have I met so many new cultures in my life (well, after Japan, of course). I managed to see some of the wonderful sights from Hong Kong. But for me, the highlight of the trip was none other than HONG KONG DISNEYLAND! \(^o^)/

Have you ever been on one of those moments where you just can’t help but smiling all the time? That’s exactly what I felt throughout the whole ordeal inside Disneyland. Heck, I can barely contain my excitement as soon as I board the train towards the resort! Dude, the handle inside the train was in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Who am I to kid right?

I literally jumped when i saw the train towards the resort.

The Handles! THE HANDLES!

WOW.

Wise words, sir.

Can't believe i made it!

My favorite part of the whole theme!

The lunch i had after getting on those rides. The pasta was so good (or i'm just very hungry). It was Al dente, the sauce was creamy but not overwhelming. The Mickey shaped container is filled with Coffee Pudding. It was awesome!

HI DONALD!

*dies*

*DIES AGAIN*

And now I’m ready to serve you some nice new recipe to whip up at home!

You’ve all eaten Chinese food before right? Any of you loved the vegetables? Cause I do. I love the Chinese way of cooking vegetables! They had this knack to cook it super-fast in order to retain as much flavor and texture as possible. Tasty and crunchy vegetables? I’m sold, tell you that.

Chinese had a lot of vegetables. They cook (I think almost literally) every greens they could find. Bok Choy is one of those greens. This is GARLIC BOK CHOY.

You ready for this?

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For 2 servings, you will need

10-12 bunch of Baby Bok Choy

3 Garlic cloves, minced finely

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 tsp of Sugar

2 tbsp of Sesame Seed oil

½ tsp of Garlic Powder

1 tbsp of Water

2 Tbsp of Oil

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Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Wash your Bok Choy thoroughly, removing any dirt remains (or even Caterpillar, EWW), pat dry. Cut the bottom part, then proceed to cut between the stalk (white parts) and the leafs. Set aside.

Roots go bye bye

Step 2 – Heat a pan on high heat, add the oil. Once smoking hot, cook the stalk part first! We don’t want soggy green parts right? This should take around 2 minutes. Halfway through the cooking process, cover so that it’ll soften faster by steaming it.

Step 3 – Add the leaf and the garlic, also all the seasonings (salt, sugar, pepper), stir to combine. After about 1,5 minute, turn the heat down to medium and add the sesame seed oil and the splash of water.

Don't worry if they're overwhelming, they'll shrink

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Sugar

Garlic Powder

Stir

Sesame Seed Oil

Water

Step 4 – Serve.

Now, the taste of the overall dish totally depends on your seasoning. If you go light, it’ll taste much leafier, less salty. If you choose to make it tastier, add a splash of soy sauce and onion powder, it’ll kick your taste bud up a notch!

Serve this with a hot piping Rice and a protein of your choice, and you just got yourself lunch of a champion.

Cheers

xx