Forksticks

This is common through out Africa, such as Tunisia and Algeria. The smokey flavor is sensational.

Ripped tomato 4 (quartered)
Long green pepper 4 (halve an deseeded)
Red onions 3 (halve with skin on)
Capers 2T

Dressing:
Garlic 2 cloves (finely chopped)
Ras El Hanout 1/2t
Lemon 1 (juiced)
Preserved Lemon 1/2 (finely chopped)
Coriander 2T (finely chopped)

Grilled all the veggies together till soft and lightly charcoaled.
Sprinkle the capers, then toss well with the dressing.
Serve with coriander sprinkled on top.

I'm an addict when it comes to sweet potato, yam & pumpkin.
This is one of the winter dish that I always have regularly, a great comfort side dish or when you feel peckish.

What you need:
Pumpkin 500g (sliced)
Dried mint 1t
Ground Cumin 1t
Ground Ginger 1t
Chilli flakes 1/2t
Cinnamon 1/2t
Pinch of sea salt
Olive oil 3T

(mint & cinnamon can be omitted if you don't have them handy in the pantry)

Preheat the oven to 200c.
Pound all spices together, season with salt; then add oil oil, mix well.
Rub the mixture on the pumpkin slices.
place all on a roasting tray, drizzle any remaining spice mixture over.

Same as Tender Powdery Steam Pork.(Please click to go to the recipe) 

I use Chicken instead of Pork; Pumpkin instead of Yam.

We can also use beef with potato, sweet potato. It's a personal preference.

Steam powder is basically just roast rice. (Use Jasmine Rice and dry roasted on a wok in low heat then ground the rice. Add some Five Spice powder). You can buy it in a sachet in most Asian grocers. (refer to Intro to Sauces)

This is a wonderful dish that can be prepared one day early for BBQ.

Ingredients:
Pork chops 3
Garlic 3 cloves (Finely chopped)
Ground five spice 1t
Sugar 1T
Soy sauce 2.5t
Egg 1
Tapioca starch 1 cup (can substitute with bread crumbs and flour instead)
Vegetable or peanut oil 1.5 cup

1. Marinate the pork chops with soy sauce, garlic, Five spice powder, sugar. 
2. Cover in a bowl or container and leave in the fridge over night. (or a few hours)
3. Beat the egg and place in a deep platel.
4. Place the tapioca powder in a deep plate separately.
5. Use a toothpick and prick the pork chop (for easy frying and better presentation so it doesn't curl up)
6. Heat the fry-pan with oil; dip the pork chop lightly into the tapioca starch (flour) then straight into the egg and back to tapioca starch (bread crumbs) for the 2nd coating.
7. Fry the pork chop for 2 min on one side and flip over to the 2nd side for another 4 min. (depends on how thick the pork is)
8. Put it aside to drain the oil.
9. Serve with salad, rice or enjoy as it is.

* You can pan fry the pork chop without the tapioca starch. Simply omit the egg and starch. 

A wonder side dish to go with cold cuts, any main courses. 

Ingredients:

Small Lebanese cucumbers 7 (cut into quarters and deseeded)
Sea salt 65g
Peanut oil (or veggie oil) 1 Cup
Sichuan peppercorn 1T
Dried red chillies 15
Fresh ginger 1 large knob (julienned)
Dried Shitake mushroom 20 - 25 (soaked in warm water for 30 min, remove stalks, chopped)
Sugar 100g
Light soy sauce 2.5T

* prepare a 2 L glass jar, sterilised.

1. Sprinkle the salt over the cucumber and mix well in a colander. Leave for 1 hour, then rinse well in cold water, drained.
2. Heat a wok (or saucepan), add the oil till hot, put the chillies and peppercorns till slightly blacked.
3. Add all the sauces in, ginger, mushroom. Slow sauté till fragrant, finally add the cucumber in for 1 min.
4. Pack everything into the jar, let cool and seal. It's ready to serve after 1-2 days. Usually last about 2 weeks.

Have you ever wondered why the gyoza in the restaurant are always panfried perfectly? I'm letting out a secret here. The fail proof way to have a gorgeous looking, thoroughly cooked gyoza with the lovely crusty bottom that almost look like a bird's nest.

What you need: Flat fry pan with a lid / Corn starch 1.5 t / Cold water 1/2 Cup / Cooking oil

1. For 6 gyoza, heat up 1 T of oil in a flat fry pan.
2. Lay the gyoza side by side into the pan, pour in the corn starch solution (pre mix corn starch with cold water). DO NOT TRY TO FLIP OR MOVE the gyoza around. Leave them as they are and put the lid on.
3. Turn the heat down to medium, cooked till the corn starch is thoroughly reduced and looking crusty. 
4. Cup the plate on to the pan, and flip the gyoza upside down onto the plate. Ready to serve.

This is one of the most common dishes in any Asian households. Any proteins can be substituted and flavors vary on personal preference.
Usually a 15 min quick dinner is ready after a late night after work.

Ingredients:
Beef 250 g
Shallot 5 stalks
Garlic 2 cloves
Fresh chilli 4 (personal preference)
Soy sauce 1 T
Sugar 1 t
Sesame oil 1 t
Corn starch 1.5 t (or potato starch)
Oil (of any kind)  2 T

1. Slice beef into approx. 0.5 cm thick, and marinate with soy sauce, sugar sesame oil and corn starch for at least 5 min.
2. Chop shallots into 5 cm long, divide the white parts and green parts into two bowls; garlic into thin slices & chilli into smaller pieces (I like to leave the seeds as they are, you can deseed them)
3. Heat the pan with some oil, throw in the white bits of shallots, chilli and garlic, pan fry for a couple minutes till fragrant. 
4. Add point 1 in, spread it evenly into the pan and cooked the beef till your liking. Quickly throw in the green remaining shallots in. Ready to serve.
5. (if you like, basil can be added instead)

Ingredients:
Noodle (Chinese Spring noodle, Japanese Soba or cooked through angel pasta)
Sesame Paste 1 T
Soy Sauce. 1.5 T
Sugar. 1 t
Sesame oil. 1 t
Vinegar. 1/2 T
Cucumber (julienned) 2 T
Shallots (finely chopped) 1 T
Corriander (fined chopped, optional)
Minced garlic 1 t
Some water

1. Consistently slowly stir in water to dilute the sesame paste from dark brown to light cream (adding water intermittently avoids clogging up the paste).
2. Then add on soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar in. Put the sauce aside for serving.
3. Cook through the noodle and drain in the colander.
4. Plate up the noodle with cucumber, shallots, garlic and drizzle generous amount of sesame sauce to serve.

This is a dish that Mom cooked for me on special occasions. It is great for anyone who needs some iron supplement. Liver has been underrated and most people know it for its high cholesterol, yet it has many other attributes that should be promoted.

Anemia can be cured by regularly consume liver. Liver contains many vitamins and high in protein along with Omega-3 and 6. 

All in all, everything in moderation. For me, this reminds me of my childhood and Mom.

Ingredients:

Oil (peanut/vegetable oil is fine) approx.1 cup
Pork Liver 1/2 pair 
Shallots 4 stalks (finely chopped)
Soy sauce 1 T
Sesame Oil 2 t
Vinegar 2 T
Sugar 1 T
Tapioca Starch 1 cup

1. Slice the liver into 1 x 5 cm pieces, coat them with tapioca starch.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat, slowly fry the liver in batches & put the cooked ones into a drainer to rid excess oil.
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients on a plate with the cooked liver.
4. Ready to serve. Extra sauces can be adjusted upon individual preference. 

1. Prepare the meat into 0.2 cm slices & have taro cut into small cubes
2. Mix all the ingredients with the marinate sauce for at least 10 min
3. Pack point 2 into a bowl tightly
4. A rice cooker can be used to steam the dish by adding 3 bowls of water / or you can use the traditional steamer. (roughly 30 min, or till the meat's cooked thoroughly)
5. Decorate with some extra shallots or coriander. Done