OXTAIL STEW RECIPE

OXTAIL STEW

500g oxtail
200g beef tripe
3 litres water
Spice bag
25g galangal, sliced
25g ginger, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns, lightly pounded
1 tsp white peppercorns, lightly pounded
4cm cinnamon stick
2 coriander roots
4 cloves
2 star anise
Vegetables
80g carrot, cut into wedges
80g celery, cut into 5cm lengths
40g leek, sliced
2 onions, cut into wedges
1 tomato, quartered
Seasoning
1 tbsp salt or to taste
25g rock sugar
1 beef stock cube (optional)

Trim surplus fat from the oxtail and tripe. Cut into pieces.
Bring a pot of water to boil and parboil oxtail and tripe for 10–15 minutes.
Remove the oxtail and tripe, and rinse thoroughly. Drain well.
Bring the 3 litres of water to a boil and add the oxtail and tripe.
Place all the spices in a muslin or tea bag and add the spice bag to the broth and boil for 40 minutes.
Add all the vegetables and continue to simmer for another 1 hour or until meat is tender. Season to taste.

Orange Chicken

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 ½ cup canola or vegetable oil for shallow frying the chicken

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

6 dried red chili peppers

3 to 4 pieces dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel (optional)

2 star anise

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed into slurry with 2 tablespoons water

1 scallion sliced on an angle into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Toss the chicken in the sesame oil, white pepper, garlic powder, salt, and Shaoxing wine; set aside for 20 minutes. Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, and heat the oil in a small pot until it reaches 350 degrees F. Dredge the chicken pieces in cornstarch and fry until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

Heat a wok over medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the dried chili peppers, tangerine peel, and star anise, and toast for about 20 seconds, being careful not to burn the aromatics. Add the orange juice, chicken stock, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and gradually add the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly. When the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon (you don't have to use all of the slurry if the sauce is thick enough), add the chicken and scallions. Toss quickly, and serve!

CHINESE BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil

3 slices ginger, julienned

1 ¼ lbs chicken drumettes

10 (large) to 15 (small) dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and soaked in 2 cups of warm water for 2-4 hours until soft (reserve soaking liquid)

¾ cup dried wood ear mushrooms, rinsed and soaked

¼ cup cooking wine

1 teaspoon sugar

1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon of dark soy sauce

1 – 1 ¼ cups mushroom soaking liquid

1 scallion, sliced

Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and let it cook for about a minute until fragrant. Then turn up the heat to high and add the chicken. Keep stirring until the chicken is browned, and add the soaked shiitake and wood ear mushrooms. Keep stirring for another couple minutes.

Then add cooking wine, sugar, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce; mix everything well. Lastly, add 1 to 1 ¼ cup of the water you used to soak the mushrooms. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the wok, and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and gooey. Make sure to stir occasionally, and remember to keep the heat low and add more water if you like a lot of sauce.

Finally, stir in the scallions until they're wilted. Serve!

God helps those who help themselves

Lest we forget: "'God' helps those who help themselves". "As you sow, so shall you reap"
Don't ask God for anything and don't blame him if you think he has not given you anything either. Why should he give you something and not others? And why should he "bless" you and not others? There are millions of people suffering in this world. Do we blame God for their suffering?
Anything you have or you don't have in this world is not because of God, its because of you you and you. It is entirely up to you if you want to have a good day or a bad day

Thai Mango Salad Recipe:

Thai Mango Salad Recipe:Thai Ingredients:
* 1 medium green mango (shredded)
* 3 tbs dried shrimps (roughly chopped)
* 2  shallots (finely sliced)
* 1 clove garlic (crushed)
Seasoning Ingredients:
* 4 tbs fish sauce
* 20g palm sugar
* 1 tspoon  sugar
* 1.5 tspoon lime juice
* 1-2 chilli padi (crushed)
For Garnishing:
* 3 tbs desiccated coconut (lightly toasted)
* 1 coriander (chopped)
* 1.5 tbspoon peanuts and cashew nuts  (lightly crushed)
* fried silver whiting fillets (optional)
Method:
1. Prepare the "Thai Ingredients" and the "Garnishing Ingredients" as indicated, making sure that the dried shrimps are soaked and drained before roughly chopping them - then leave all these ingredients aside, ready to be used.
2. Mix all the "Seasoning Ingredients" in a ceramic bowl.
3. Taste and adjust the flavor accordingly as the seasoning mixture should have the 4 "s" tastes - sweet, salty, sour and chili hot.
4. In a mixing bowl, place the shredded green mango, dried shrimps, french shallots, garlic and the seasoning ingredients together.
5. Mix them well and thoroughly and then serve the salad on a plate
6. In a small fry pan, fry the silver whiting fillets until nice and crispy
7. Garnish the salad with at least 1/2 to all the lightly toasted desiccated coconut, peanuts, coriander and fried silver whiting fish fillets before serving
8. Enjoy this Thai Green Mango Salad on its own as a standalone salad, entree, snacks or with drinks

Cashew Chicken Recipe

Cashew Chicken 

Ingredients:
1 boneless & skinless chicken breast, about 10 oz. (cut into small cubes)
1/2 cup unsalted cashew nuts
1 small green bell pepper, about 4 oz. (cut into small square pieces)
5 slices ginger
1/4 onion (cut into small square pieces)

Marinade:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon rice wine
Sauce:
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
3/4 teaspoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (Please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda.)
2. Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the rice wine and corn starch, for 15 minutes.
3. Mix the sauce together and set aside.
4. Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked. Dish out and set aside.
5. Add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers and onions.
6. Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers and add the chicken meat back in.
7. Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt to taste, if you like.
8. Add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs. Dish out and serve the Cashew Chicken hot with steamed white rice.

Thai Shrimp and Pineapple Curry Recipe

Thai Shrimp and Pineapple Curry Recipe
Serves 2 | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (store-bought)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
3 – 4 kaffir lime leaves, slightly bruised, optional
8 oz shelled and deveined shrimp (tail-on)
1 cup pineapple cubes
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar/palm sugar
A squirt of lime juice
Method:
Heat up a pot with the cooking oil. When the oil is heated, add the curry paste and stir to release the aroma. Make sure to keep stirring and don’t burn the curry paste. Add the coconut milk, water, and kaffir lime leaves and bring the curry to boil. All the prawn and pineapple and let cook for about 5 minutes on medium to low heat. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice, stir to combine well. Turn off the heat and serve immediately with steamed white rice.
Cook’s Note:
You can use canned pineapple to make this dish. Choose the pineapple rings and cut into cubes.