Stir Fry Beef with Coconut Rice

When you feel under the weather, comfort foods soothe the belly and the soul. I have had a cold now for four weeks (!). Due to allergies, I can't take any medication so I have to wait it out. So I took a couple of days off work, watched Season 2 of Bones and tried to get some rest.

When I don't feel great, I reach for the foods I grew up eating: those comforting meals my mother made that made me feel better when I was feverish, tired & curled up in bed. (It's amazing no matter how old you get, you are always your mother's child.)

One of the foods I long for when I am under the weather is the soul-satisfying stir fry beef. A venerated a Chinese restaurant staple, this dish is so simple & deliciously easy to make it at home. It's very flavourful, so comforting and quick, you'll be diving into a steaming bowl within minutes.

This is not exactly my mother's recipe as the marinade for the beef is enhanced by a touch of malt vinegar. This addition came from one of my favourite cookbooks, Simple Chinese Food, by Kylie Kwong. Her cooking is simple, accessible and wildly delicious. In her fabulous cookbook, she has a recipe for stir-fried beef where she adds a dash of malt vinegar. When I tried adding malt vinegar to my regular stir fry beef, I knew I could never go without it again. The malt vinegar adds a zippy, perky flavour that enhances the umami of this dish.

Coconut rice isn't exactly something I grew up with, but for some reason, I had a craving for it. The rice has is lightly fragranced with a faint hint of coconut flavour. It is a nice match for the stir fry.


Stir Fry Beef with Coconut Rice

1lb beef - sliced thinly (sirloin or flank work well)
1/4c + 1 tbsp light soy sauce, separated
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp malt vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp water
3 green onions - sliced thinly
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled & finely sliced into matchsticks*
1 large red pepper, cut into bite sized pieces

Coconut Rice
2 c white rice
1 c coconut milk
1 c water
1 tsp salt

optional: 1 tsp sesame seed

1. Marinate beef with soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside (in your refrigerator) for at least 30 minutes, but ideally 2 hours. Overnight is fine as well.
2. Meanwhile prepare rice by rinsing rice until water is clear. Put rice, coconut milk, water & salt into a rice cooker. Set on. (If you don't have a rice cooker, use a medium sized sauce pan with a well fitted lid. Bring ingredients to a boil without lid on, then cover & reduce to medium-low and simmer for at least 5 minutes. Reduce to low and cook until all the liquid is absorbed about another 5 minutes.)
3. Drain meat from marinade. Reserve marinade liquid.
4. Heat a wok or a large fry pan, add vegetable oil and watch for vegetable oil to shimmer but not smoking. Carefully add meat in batches and allow meat to sizzle and brown - about a minute or two. (Depending on the thickness of your beef.) When you have cooked all of the meat, remove and set aside. Turn down heat to medium-low and add ginger and red pepper to the pan (add a tsp more vegetable oil if the pan is dry.) Stir after about a minute. Toss in green onions. Return the beef to the pan alongside any liquid that may have accumulated. With reserved marinade, add 3 tbsp water, 1 tbsp soy sauce & stir re-incorporate the marinade and add to pan. Turn up the heat slightly.
5. Remove from wok/fry pan when the liquid transforms into a clinging sauce. Serve over coconut rice. Add sesame seeds if using.

*if you find ginger too spicy - try using half of the amount or try ginger powder which is far less "warm"
...Read more

Dumplings Made Easy

As I sat down to write this, I had contemplated titling this blog entry as, “Dumplings for Dummies” as a way to convey how simple they are to make. But then I began to wonder if you, dear reader, might feel slighted in some way should you attempt this recipe. It’s not really a recipe for dummies, it’s just really simple to make. My intention here is to de-mystify dumpling making with easy to find ingredients. So hence, dumplings made easy.

Dumplings are a Sunday morning thing for us. On several occasions, we have visited a little place in Chinatown, Mother’s Dumplings for fresh and delicious dumplings. But since we have moved to the other side of the city, we visit it less and less. For those lazy Sunday mornings when our only plan is to watch a couple hours of football in the afternoon, we make dumplings.

They are really easy to make and a great way to shake off the Sunday morning haze. Of course, we gladly eat them anytime of the day (and we have), but when we are not feeling like the usual breakfast fare, we think of dumplings.

Most of the ingredients are thinks we normally have in our fridge (except for maybe the dumpling wrappers) so it is really easy to whip together at a moment’s notice. I call it a master recipe because you can switch out the ingredients as you wish as long as you keep an eye on the proportions.

A word on folding dumplings. I was not born with the dexterity of a master dumpling maker. My mom pinches this and pulls that and with a twist of her wrist, she produces enviable perfect little dumplings. I, on the other hand, still make bunny ears to tie my shoelaces, so I don’t purport to provide you with the technique for perfect dumpling wrapping (I am quite certain you can google this if you're keen), but this is a great and very simple way to make dumplings.

Sunday Morning Dumplings (Master Recipe)

1 lb of extra lean ground beef / chicken (or mixture with minced raw shrimp)
2 stalks green onions, finely minced
1 thumb-sized ginger, finely grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp cooked vegetables, minced (examples: spinach, mushrooms, savoy cabbage, carrots)

1 package of Shanghai dumpling wrappers / wonton wrappers*

1. Mix all the ingredients together except for the last ingredients. Mix well to incorporate, but do not over mix. To check for seasoning, make a small meatball and drop into a pot of boiling water, when it floats to the surface and starts to bob around, remove it with a slotted spoon. When cool enough, taste the meatball and adjust your seasonings.
2. Fill a small dish with a little warm water.
3. Using a teaspoon, scoop the filling onto the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger into the water and wetting the edges of the half side of the wrapper. Fold into half with the wet edge affixed to the dry edge to form a triangle or semi-circle (depending on the shape of your wrapper.)



4. Place on a dry plate, cover with a damp towel.
5. Repeat as necessary, keeping the dumplings covered under the towel.
6. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Once a rolling boil is achieved, carefully drop dumplings in one by one in small batches (depending on the size of your pot – 6 -12.) Don't be tempted to add too many to the pot as it will lower the temperature of the water and will take longer to return the water to boiling temperature. Give the dumplings a quick stir to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the dumplings start to float to the top and the water is boiling again, scoop them out with a slotted soup into a deep bowl.
7. Serve with chilli soy dipping sauce (recipe below)

Alternatively, you can steam the dumplings. Lay down a leaf of cabbage over a steamer and place dumplings on top. Steam until the wrapper turns from opaque toward translucent.

To make pot stickers, heat oil in a large, deep fry pan and carefully add dumplings and cook until the outside is crisp and slightly brown. Add about ½ c of water to the pan. Partially cover and steam, until the water is evaporated and the bottom side is crisp.

Chilli Soy Dipping Sauce

This is a recipe I base on proportion:

1 part acid (malt vinegar, lime juice)
2 parts soy sauce
1 part chilli sauce (sriracha, chilli garlic sauce, whatever you have)
splash sesame oil

Mix together and serve with dumplings.

*dumpling wrappers are either round or square. (We have used wonton wrappers but they are much thinner and lend themselves better as part of a soup. If you are looking to make this, try to look for Shanghai dumpling wrappers. You can find dumpling wrappers in the grocery store, usually in the refrigerator section in the vegetable aisle in most grocery stores – at least in Toronto. Most Asian supermarkets will have them as well.)

...Read more

Shout Out

In the course of our lifetime, we meet hundreds if not thousands of people. Some stop briefly, while others linger, get cozy and stay for a while. I met my friend, Abby, in a cool little town named, Kota Kinabalu in an exotic faraway place called Malaysian Borneo. She was just finishing off a tour of Asia before she heading off to start law school in the US, and I was on the front-end of a nine month backpacking sojourn throughout Asia. We both reluctantly signed up for a guided tour to re-assure worrying parents at home that at least a portion of our travels would be “safe.” As single girls, fate and the tour paired us together.

I arrived in Borneo and checked into the hotel already to find that the “other girl” was already there. Darn, I wouldn’t get first dibs on the beds. She had just come back from a hair salon smelling of Aqua-Net (or some highly fragrant hair care product). She offered me a slice of carrot cake (?) and we got to the business of getting to know each other. We shared our travel stories thus far and our life before embarking on travel. It was immediately apparent to us that we were meant to be friends. We found more similarities than differences: long distance running, politics, travel, scuba, and of course, food!

We spent about two weeks travelling together, climbed Mount Kinabalu together and zipped around Sabah eating juicy pineapples, roti telur (a thin buttery pancake folded into a tiny parcel with a cooked egg in every bite), and prawn curries. We watched a bootleg copy of Spiderman on the evening of our “home-stay” with a local family and bathed in the Kinabatangan River, which is full of saltwater crocodiles (or so I was told.) It was a very enchanting and exciting experience.

Back at home, Abby only lived about an hour by plane and over the years we stayed in touch and visited on occasion. Now she lives a supremely “glamour” life in the City of Lights and keeps me posted on her whereabouts on Facebook. When she recently asked me for a healthy fish recipe, how could I refuse a kindred spirit?

The recipe that I share with you below is something that my husband and I have been making for years. He says it’s my signature dish. We usually have this dish at least once a week in the winter. It is influenced by something my mother used for cook for me when I was younger and has some of my most favourite flavours: ginger, green onions, and shitake mushrooms. It’s a fast dinner and really easy to make. We usually serve it over a bowl of brown rice.



2 basa fillets (or any other thick lean white fish – haddock, halibut), boneless and skinless
1 thumb sized piece of ginger (I am talking Andre the Giant thumb size or more if you dare)
2 stalks green onions, sliced
5 shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 c water
2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tbsp soy sauce

Oyster sauce
Sesame oil

1. Peel and julienne ginger.
2. Place fillets in a large skillet or casserole (You are looking for a pan that is wide but also has walls, also choose one that has a lid.) Add 1c of water, sprinkle fish sauce and soy sauce over top.
3. Scatter green onions, ginger, shitakes on top of the fish.
4. Drizzle oyster sauce over top and cover. Turn on the heat to medium heat and allow the fish to get steamy. Leave on stove top for another 5 minutes. (Fish should cook quickly. If you are uncertain of the “doneness,” find an inconspicuous edge of the fillet and gently stick the fork in, if the fish flakes and crumbles under your fork, you’re probably close to being done.)
5. Remove off heat, and serve over rice, spooning broth over top.
6. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve.

Back to My Roots

I am a hungry gal, I live in Toronto, and my thing is food. I love to cook and I love to eat. I think about it pretty much all the time. I am also fortunate to live in this great city with such a multi-cultural population that you can get almost any authentic ethnic food that piques your fancy. But still, I like to get on a plane, go some place special and spend a ton of time seeing and eating.

So my OTHER thing is travel. I love to see the world and to meet new people. Food is a universal need and language. So much can be communicated over food without a word ever spoken. There are few things that can top a stroll through a chaotic fragrant night market taking an opportunity to sampl e new foods from local vendors. For me, a fabulous holiday has three components: some weight gain, a little cash deficit, and a suitcase full of exotic goodies to test out in my kitchen at home. Oh and I love to read menus. Surely, I can't be the only one.

I decided to start a blog to indulge in these two passions, and to keep a record of the triumphs of being alive, healthy and happy through culinary and travel experiences. And every foodie who loves to cook has a culinary inspiration: my mother. She is the first person who cooked for me and nurished me. Though not an avid traveller (because the world is "dangerous"), the woman can cook. I know everyone says their mom is the best cook. But really, my Mom is the best. Her specialty is the amazing cuisine of her homeland, Singapore, which I hope to share with you over time. She is regal, and lovely and I know you're going to love her food.

Speaking of which...
Last night, I stopped into the grocery store and found a LARGE container packed with slippery plump Fanny Bay oysters. As Victoria Beckham would say, "Major!" I put one container in my basket, along with some fragrant fresh ginger root, and a bunch of spring onions and I was ready to roll.

I can't stress the importance of mise en place. Organize and prep all your ingredients before you start cooking and you will find the experience far more enjoyable. Trust me.

Oysters with Ginger & Green Onions
1 large container of large oysters (put aside 6 large ones for the omelet)
2 sprigs of green onion - sliced
1 thumb size ginger root - peeled and sliced into fine matchsticks
3/4c of water
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp of minced garlic

1. Pour the oysters into a large bowl. Pour enough hot water to cover oysters.
2. In the meantime, prep the ginger, garlic and green onions. Create a slurry by mixing the cornstarch with water, oyster sauce, salt & pepper. Stir until there are no lumps.
3. Pat oysters dry.
4. Heat a large pan or wok with 1 tbsp of oil (I use olive oil- but, it has a low smoking point and people say it is too expensive to use - but nevermind them.) When it starts to glisten, add the ginger, and garlic. Stir around until slightly golden- don't let it burn.
5. Add oysters and let them sizzle and brown slightly. At this point, the oysters are mostly cooked and we want to give them some colour but not over do it because they can get tough.
6. Give your slurry a quick stir again before adding to the pan and it will thicken as it heats into a nice silky gravy. If it gets too thick, add more water and stir quickly to incorporate.
7. Move off heat, sprinkle the green onions on top and throw the lid on it for a quick 2 minutes. (I started to plate our dinners and by the time I was ready for the oysters. Voila! They were done.)

We have been eating alot of brown rice lately. It's better for you - it does take some getting used to though and I think it is especially hard for Asians who grew up on white. Our latest thing is called "Kenn's Healthy Rice Mix" - it's a brown rice mix. It does take some getting used to, but this stuff, I am telling you, is major! And it's good for you. :)

The other inspiration I had for the Fanny Bay oysters was a famous Singaporean hawker dish called Oyster omelet. Singaporeans have a strong culture of open air eating. The country boasts many beautiful open-air food courts where you can order from many different kinds of foods from a variety of vendors aka hawkers and really have an exquisite informal feast. It is a Singaporean way of life to share meals with friends and family at a hawker center. It's a must do if you ever visit. More on that in the future...

But I must warn you- this is not an omelet in the French sense: a pillowy, delicate eggy cloud. By contrast, the Singaporean oyster omelet is a massive rubble of curds and oysters punctuated by bold spicy chili sauce. It's substantial and you should share. Or not. Here's my version, inspired by the gorgeous produce I found in the market yesterday.


Oyster Omelet
6 large oyster cut into thirds
2 large eggs
1 heaping tbsp flour
2 tbsp water
1 sprig of green onion - finely chopped
1 handful of pea sprouts - roughly chopped
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of salt
pepper to taste (white pepper if you have it)
1 tbsp of sambal olek

1. Measure flour out and pour into a bowl. Slowly add the water until you have a smooth batter. Add the eggs, salt & pepper and whisk until scrambled.
2. Heat pan - and add oil when the pan is hot.
3. Add pea sprouts and stir until wilted. Add green onions.
4. Pour egg mixture over top and stir gently as you would scramble eggs.
5. Cook over low to medium heat for about five minutes.
6. Serve immediately with a nice dallop of sambal olek.

Delight, delight, delight!




Hope to see you again.