Chilli Plum Beef

For such an easy recipe, I would have to say it is one of the most tastiest. Not all easy recipes are tasty though, like last night, I did a recipe for fettuccine carbonara. It was bland, and I think I curdled my cream and cheese. However, this recipe, there's nothing to it, and it pleases the tastebuds.

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil                

- 600g lean beef, sliced thin
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chilli garlic sauce (I had to search for this)
- 1/2 cup plum sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- good pinch of white pepper


1. Heat the oil in a fry pan and cook your beef until it is just cooked. Remove and keep warm.

2. Add the onion to the pan, stir fry for 1 minute, then add the capsicum, continuing to stir fry until it is soft.

3. Add the chilli garlic sauce and stir fry for 1 minute, then return the meat, add the plum sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and white pepper.

4. Toss everything together and re heat for 1 minute.   

Chicken Fried Rice

I love the taste of the basil mixed in it all. It's quite fresh. I think I would like to add a few extra vegetables in it too like carrots and snow peas.

- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce            
- 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 600g chicken breast, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups cold cooked rice (I used uncle Ben's brown rice)
- 1 cup chopped basil (I may have used just under 1/4 cup)

1. Combine the sauces in a bowl and set aside. Heat a large frypan and add 3 teaspoons of the oil and swirl to coat. Add 1/2 the chicken and stir fry until browned. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the rest of the chicken and oil.

2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and onion to the pan. Stir fry until golden. Add the garlic and stirfry for 30 seconds. Add the egg and the rice. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until he egg is well combined with the rice.

3. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the sauce and basil. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until well combined.

Spicy Spring Rolls

I bought a sauce to go with these spring rolls, but it smelt a lot nicer than it tasted, so I went without. It's ok though, these spring rolls were still quite juicy.

*all vegetables are diced very small

- 1 medium carrot
- 2 sticks of celery                    
- vegetable oil
- 1/2 red capsicum
- 2 large mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
- 1 cup finely shredded cabbage
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 2 teaspoons cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon rice wine or vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts
- spring roll sheets

1. Prepare all vegetables and stir fry them in a frypan for about 3 minutes. Add the cold water, cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are soft.

2. Make a well in the middle and pour the cornflour mixture into it. Allow to thicken.

3. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, and sweet chilli sauce. Coat the vegetables and allow to cool. Add the macadamia nuts to the cold vegetables.

4. Place the spring roll sheets on a clean bench, place a spoonful of mixture on the sheet, leaving a 2cm margin. Fold the sides in to slightly cover the vegetables, and roll.

5. Heat remaining oil in a deep frypan, Drop 1/2 the rolls into the hot oil and fry until golden. Drain.

Roman Chicken Casserole

This recipe originally asks for 8 chicken thighs, with the bone and skin off. Instead of the thighs, I used 4 small chicken breasts. Only because I'm not a big fan of the texture of the thighs.

- 4 small chicken breasts, diced            
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions, finally chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 chilli, seeds, all chopped
- 80g bacon, cut into little chunks
- 2x400g cans diced tomatoes
- big pinch of sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small jar of fire roasted capsicums sliced

1. In a large frypan, heat the oil and cook the chicken until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

2. Tip out the excess oil. Add the onions, garlic, chilli and bacon to the rest of the oil and sauté, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, then sprinkle in the sugar, salt and pepper.

3. Return the chicken, turning it to coat it with the sauce. Cover the frypan, reduce heat and cook gently for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, stir in the sliced capsicums. Enjoy.
 

I'M BACK :D

Okay, so I have been a bit slack with cooking. After realizing how much food these recipes were making (I was feeding at least 2 extra people) and adding up how much money I was spending on ingredients every week, I decided to try already frozen meals. I thought it'd either run out the same cost or be cheaper. I think it worked out the same, but instead of having to cook myself, I just throw it in the microwave.

Speaking of microwaves, I had to get a new one :( . It would never keep going after 3 minutes, and would take at least 5 minutes to restart again. Not good for these frozen meals that needed more than 3 minutes. It also got really hot on top too. Does anyone else's microwave get really hot? there was enough space for air flow. IT COULD'VE BLOWN UP!

I ended up not liking these meals and started to resort back to home delivery. Chinese and Turkish food mainly. The only problem is, there is a minimum order of $25 before they deliver. So here I was spending at least $25-$30 a night. Add that up... that's at least $125 for a 5 day week!

At least when you cook your own food, you know what you're eating. The meals I were eating had vegetables, mashed potato and meat. The mashed potato, I think it was the powdered stuff. The vegetables... peas, beans and carrots... these were yum but there wasn't enough of them, and the meat? The steak tasted funny, and the chicken? I wasn't a fan of the texture, and it tasted a little funny too.

What was I really eating? I have absolutely no idea, and I think I'd rather not know. Cooking from recipes, a thickener means using cornflour mixed with water (for example). Not like in the already frozen meals where an ingredient is "thickener (1422)". I've read in places and learnt at school that if there is a number after the ingredient, it is a chemical kind. Not something you can just buy in a supermarket to throw in your dish.

But, I've pulled my act together and I've started looking up recipes again and ready to enjoy my food again.