Carefree Cooking

When I was small, I love korean beef stew. I would always get that whenever we go to the foodcourt to eat (this was in the Philippines). When I came to Canada, couldn't find that dish ina any of the Korean restaurants that I went to. That's when I realized that perhaps this is not an authentic Korean dish, but rather a fusion of Filipino and Korean cuisines. In any case, I found a website that had the recipe.

I tried the recipe as is a few times. It was very good, but I find that there's too much liquid (although that's one of the main appeal of the recipe). I think it would taste better if the liquid was reduced so that it's thick and rich. That would match the beef very well. So after a few tries, I have it to where it's just right for my taste.

Beef ribs (as many as you want to cook or as many as the pot can hold)

1 whole garlic
1 whole onion

Soy sauce

Sugar

Chili (flakes or freshly cut)

Salt to taste

Put all the beef inside the pot and fill it with water until it just covers all the meat. Cook for half an hour over medium heat and skim all the stuff that floats on top. Add garlic, onion, soy sauce, sugar, and chili. The amound of soy sauce depends on how much water is in the pot. The rule that I follow is to add just enough to darken the liquid (give it a brownish color). Add a couple tablespoons of sugar. I always taste the liquid when I cook this dish. Remember, everyone has different taste so adjust accordingly. Note that the liquid does not need to be perfectly seasoned at this point since the liquid will be reduced at a later time (flavor will get concentrated). Cook at low heat for 2.5-3hrs. You'll know when it's done when the meat falls off the bone and becomes very tender. Take out all the meat and and any non liquid ingredients from the pot (e.g. garlic, onion, bones). If you are health concious like I am, right now is the best time to take out all the fat from the liquid. I use a gravy separator to do this, but you can cool down the liquid in the fridge until the fat solidifies and skim it off. Reduce the liquid to half the volume. Season to taste at this point. Do not be tempted to put more soy souce. Add more salt instead if saltiness is desired. The sauce should have a mild saltiness and sweetness to it. So balance the amound of salt/sugar. After the sauce has reduced, pour the beef back into the pan so that the sauce can coat the meat thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Sesame seed can be optionally added just before being served. Best way to eat it is with plain white rice. If you get a chance to try this, let me know how you like it.

I got the inspiration for this while watching Chef at Home by Michael Smith. After multiple iterations, I have finalized on the recipe that everyone in my family likes. I'm so proud of this that I've named it after my daughter, Summer.

I was tired of eating the same type of salad every time. The usual green leafy vegetables(lettuce, spinach, etc) are getting a bit too boring even though I've changed the dressing that I use each time. When I saw Chef Smith make this on TV (it wasn't meant to be a salad but rather a filling for a wrap), I got excited. I knew that this one had the potential of replacing the boring standard salad that I've been having.

Summer Salad is very very easy to make. It's just a mixture of ingredients that I like, followed by a tasty dressing that anyone can make at home. Below is a list of ingredients that I always use (you can add or take out ingredients based on your preference).

• 1 can Garbanzo beans, drained


• 1 can mandarin orange slices, drained


• 1 can corn kernel (not cream styled corn), drained


• 2 Green Onions, finely chopped


• 1/2 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped

Make sure all the ingredients are well drained. Otherwise the liquid will dilute the dressing and will make it hard for the dressing to stick to the ingredients. I just put everything in a strainer/colander and leave it there for a few minutes. For the mandarin slices, you can either get whole slices, or chunks. I always go for the chunks variety since they are cheaper and the mandarin slices are not meant for decoration.

For the dressing, the following ingredients are needed.

• Mayonnaise


• Horseradish mayonnaise or Dijon mustard


• Salt


• Pepper

I don't have any exact measurements for the dressing (since I don't usually measure when I cook - that's not the carefree way). But I would say half mayonnaise and half horseradish mayonnaise. If you can't find Horseradish mayonnaise (I use the PC brand from Superstore), a few spoons of Dijon mustard should do. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the dressing on the dry ingredients and serve. The salad taste even better when left overnight as it gives the flavours time to be properly mixed.

Not only can this dish be eaten on its own just like a salad, but it can be used just like a salsa (a side dish for meat or dips for chips). A dish so versatile...that's carefree cooking at its best.

Duck is one of the meats that I don't normally touch. All the duck recipes that I've seen are too elaborate/complicated so I end up just giving up. Besides, a quick trip to my local asian grocery store (T&T in my case) and I'll be eating duck in no time. But just like fear, I find that I have to conquer this meat, so here are my trials and tribulations.

The first time I made duck, I just followed how chinese barbequed duck are normally made. First thing to do is apply a dry rub of 5 spice powder (五香) on the entire duck and let it sit there for a few hours. I then rinsed the rub in warm water and let dry. I applied some honey on the skin and let it dry even more for up to 6 hours. I popped the bird in the oven for an hour at 400F and that was the end of the cooking. It only took me the entire day to prep and cook the bird. The result was not as good as I hoped however. Although I could taste the flavour from the 5 spice powder, and the sweetness from the honey, it needed salt and the meat was very hard. So that's strike 1.

The second time I made duck, I altered the cooking process a little bit. I took a page out of my ribs cooking technique (also saw Ina Garten do it this way) by boiling the entire duck in water first. I cooked the duck for half an hour (and followed the same technique as the first time. The result was pretty much the same. Needed more flavour and the meat was hard. That's strike 2.

Today, I decided to give it another try. This time, I made a few changes. I rubbed 5 spice powder on the entire duck, added kocher salt, and applied honey. A quick tip when applying honey, microwave it for 10-15 second so that the liquid is not too thick. I covered the entire duck in aluminum foil so that the skin doesn't turn dark too quickly during the long cooking process. Without waiting for the honey to dry, I popped the duck into the oven for 1 hour at 250F. After an hour, I basted the duck with more honey and cooked it for another 1 hour at 300F (keep the duck covered with aluminum foil). Baste the duck with more honey and cook at 350F for 45 minutes. The duck should be fully cooked at this point. Continue cooking for 15 minutes but this time without the aluminum foil. This will give the skin the nice brown roasted color.

Make sure the duck is rested well (around 15 minutes will do fine). The end result from the low temperature cooking is that the meat was very tender and fell off the bone. Now this is good eats. And since there's no waiting for drying or marinating, it was less time consuming than the first time I cooked duck.

I used a chicken roasting rack to cook the duck. It allowed all the fat to come off and evenly roasted the skin. I think this is the best way to roast any poultry (except for turkey since it's too big). It's also a good idea to put a big plate underneath the roaster to catch any splatter.

I always like to serve duck with plum sauce. Give it a try and I'm sure you'll like it. There's nothing more gratifying that being able to conquer your fear and have a full stomach while you're at it. Enjoy!

I thought I had a post of a fried rice dish, but I can't seem to find it in my previous postings. So here is one for my loyal carefree cooking readers. I've been cooking different types of fried rice for a while, but I like this one the best.

The basis of this fried rice is based on a classic fried rice recipe (which I got from one of Ming Tsai's book). The main ingredients are pretty standard, and you can just add any other ingredients you like (leftover meat/vegetables are perfect for this). This is one good way to clean your fridge, and enjoy a good meal while you're at it.

Here are the main ingredients:

• Day old rice (newly cooked rice would work as well, but need to freeze it for a while to make the rice kernels firm)


• A couple eggs, beaten


• Chinese sausage or any salty ham (optional), sliced


• A few cloves of garlic (more if you're into it), minced


• 2-3 green onion, chopped


• cup of frozen vegetables - thawed (e.g. peas, carrots, corn, etc) (optional)


• A tbsp of minced ginger


• 2-3 tbsp Soy sauce


• Salt


• Pepper

Whenever I cook fried rice, I always start with the eggs. I use a non stick pan to cook fried rice because a) easier to clean and b) I don't have a wok. I start of with putting enough olive oil on the pan (just enough to coat the pan). Pour the beaten eggs and cook scambled style. It should only take half a minute to cook it. Transfer the egg into a separate container. Add some more oil on the pan and add the chinese sausage. After a minute or so (the chinese sausage will brown a little), add the minced garlic, ginger, and half the green onion. Adding the garlic at a later time will prevent it from getting burnt. Break up the day old rice and drop them in the pan. Break any clumps and cook for another minute or so. Add the soy sauce to give it a darker color (but not too dark) and add the salt and pepper to taste. When i first did this, I added more soy sauce and added less salt. The color of the friend rice was very dark and didn't look appetizing. So i've held back on the soy sauce and added more salt instead. Add the cooked eggs, thawed vegetables, and any other leftover food you have, and cook until everything is heated thoroughly. Remember to taste as you go to make sure that it's just right to your liking. Garnish with the left over chopped green onion.

It may seem like a complicated dish, but believe me, it's one of the simplest dishes you can make after you've tried it once. This is the best dish to expand your culinary mind as I don't think you can mess it up (unless you put too much salt/soy sauce). The only rule of thumb I follow with everything I cook is to only add ingredients you like. Enjoy!

When I was young, I would think of this patty like goodness that McDonalds sell whenever I hear hash browns. For the longest time, I didn't think hash browns were served any other way. But now that I'm more informed, I can play around with it to give it more depth and dimension.

My sister actually started this, I just modified the recipe a little bit. Here are the simple ingredients.

• 1 spud (potato), sliced to small cubes


• A couple green onion, chopped


• Half (or whole) onion, depends on how much you like it


• Salt


• Pepper


• Paprika


• Chili Powder


• Curry Powder

I like to cut everything up before I start cooking (mise en place). This way, there's no danger of overcooking what's in the pan while I'm cutting/chopping other ingredients. Put a little oil (olive) on a pan and brown the potato. Set aside. Put a little more oil and caramelize the onions (cook in a little bit of oil until the color turns brown and taste sweet). Halfway through the caramelization process, put the green onions. Finally, put the potatoes back into the pan and mix everything. Add the paprika, chili powder, and curry powder (if in doubt, add a teaspoon of each). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with your favourite breakfast food (I like it with egg and ham) and this will guarantee a good start to your day.