Beef stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff or Beef Stroganov is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with sour cream. The commonly accepted history of Beef Stroganoff is that a French chef named Charles Briere who worked for a wealthy St. Petersburg family created the dish for a cooking contest in 1891. It is possible that the enterprising chef simply attached his recipe to a name synonymous with wealth and aristocracy. Briere’s dish perfectly expressed the French-Russian culture of the aristocracy. Browning the meat to make a pan sauce and flavouring it with mustard was classically French, while beef in sour cream had long been a Russian favourite.   

Ingredients 

1 kg tenderloin beef

1 medium to large onion

Fresh button mushrooms

1 green bell pepper

3 tbsp sour cream

1 tbsp plain flour

Thinly slice the beef

Season the beef with salt and pepper

Thinly slice the bell pepper

Finely chop the onion

Slice the button mushrooms

Heat up a little oil and butter in the pan on medium heat

Fry the beef until slightly brown (about 1 min). Remove the meat and set aside

Put in the mushrooms which will produce a lot of liquid 

Fry until the liquid is almost dry then remove and set aside

Add a little more butter

Put in the onions and fry until onions are soft

Put in the pepper and fry until soft

Put in the fried beef and mushrooms

Mix well and sprinkle the mixture with 1 tablespoon flour

Add some water and mix thoroughly and then add the sour cream. Add more seasoning if needed

Serve with rice or pasta

3 carrot soup

Using roasted pork bones gives the soup a nice smoky flavour not only in the soup but also in the carrots.

 The carrot is a root vegetable usually orange in colour with a sweet mild flavour though purple, black, red, white, green and yellow cultivars exist. Carrots provide vitamin A (beta-carotene) and a host of other impressive health benefits including beautiful skin, cancer prevention and anti-aging. The nutrients in carrots are tightly encased in protein sacs that have to be broken by cooking or grinding, juicing and proper chewing. Cooking the carrots in fat or oils makes it easier for our bodies to absorb the beta-carotene. Carrots can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, roasted and as an ingredient in soups and stews. Shredded carrots can be used in coleslaw, on salads, in wraps or in cakes and muffins due to their sweet flavour. Carrots are best stored in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag. If the greens are still attached to the top of the carrot, remove them before storing to prevent the greens from drawing out moisture and nutrients from the roots.

Ingredients

Roasted pork bones

Equal size white, green and red carrots

Cut the carrots into wedges

Rinse the pork bones

Put everything into the slow cooker with boiling water

Add a little salt, sugar and pepper

Cook on high for 1 hour then turn to auto and cook for 5 hours

Stir fried ladies fingers with sambal udang

Okra is commonly called lady's fingers because of its long elegant tapering shape. This green, slightly fuzzy pod contains rows of edible seeds that release a sticky mucilaginous fluid when cut. This is why many people don’t like to eat okra.  The mucilaginous fluids of okra helps with smooth peristalsis of digested food through the gut and ease constipation. It tastes best cooked with strong, spicy ingredients. When buying okra, look for firm, brightly coloured pods. Avoid those that are limp or which have brown marks and very big. It is very old if it feels hard.

Ingredients

Since I am too lazy to make the sambal paste I use commercially prepared ones and there are so many to choose from.

Ladies fingers

Sambal udang paste (today I am trying out the Delimas brand)

Remove the top and bottom end.

Cut into small bite size pieces

Add 2 pieces of tamarind slices which will help reduce the amount of sticky fluid from the okra

Heat up the oil and fry some chopped garlic until fragrant

Add the okra and mix thoroughly in the oil

Add a little water at a time and stir until the okra is soft

Remove a little portion for the children

Add 2 spoonfuls of the sambal udang paste to the remaining okra and mix thoroughly

(Sorry forgot to take new picture for this stage)

What is the verdict for the Delimas sambal udang?

The taste is good but very spicy so use less if you don’t like it too spicy.

Bayam & fish ball soup

This is another one of my quickie soups where I use prepared stock cubes or powder to make the stock.

 The local spinach called bayam or heng chai (Hokkien) yin choi (Cantonese) is different to the spinach that Popeye eats. Nutrients found in bayam: iron, calcium, vitamins A, C and K, folate and magnesium. Children and adolescents are encouraged to eat this green to boost their strength. The easily absorbed iron and abundant fibre is excellent for pregnant and lactating women. Unfortunately, it also contains oxalates, which interfere with calcium absorption and may aggravate rheumatic pains, which is why some elderly people complain of ‘wind’ in their limbs after eating this vegetable. Lactating mothers require a high calcium intake for adequate milk production therefore eating too much of this vegetable may interfere with milk production. Adding dates and boxthorn fruits will neutralize its’ cool energy.

Ingredients

300 gm Chinese spinach (bayam)

12 fish balls

Salt and pepper

Add the stock cube and fish balls to the boiling water.  

The fish balls are cooked when they rise to the top.

Add the bayam. Season with salt and pepper.

Once the bayam is softened, turn off the fire because it will continue to cook in the hot soup. 

You can add red dates during confinement to help boost iron levels in the nursing mother. 

Chicken stew

This dish is another favourite with young children. I normally use chicken drumsticks especially if cooking for children but you can use any cut of chicken. I allocate one piece of chicken per person.

 Ingredients

Chicken drumsticks (1 piece per person)

4 potatoes

2 tomatoes

½ yellow onion

Green peas     

Mixed herbs

Salt and pepper

Wash, dry and season the drumsticks with salt, pepper and a dash of sesame oil.

Fry the chicken until slightly brown. Remove from the pan and keep aside.

Lightly fry the potatoes and keep aside.

Lightly fry the potatoes and keep aside.

Add the carrots and fry for a few minutes. 

Put in the potatoes and mix thoroughly. 

Add 200 mls of water, mixed herbs, salt and pepper.

Put the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked.

When the meat and root vegetables are cooked, add the tomatoes and green peas. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the peas are cooked.

Dish up and serve as it is or with rice. If eating during confinement, you can add one teaspoon of Benedictine Dom.