Hot−Fried Crispy Shredded Beef

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz. corn starch
1 lb. topside of beef, cut into matchstick strips
2 cups vegetable oil
3 medium carrots, scraped and cut into matchstick strips
2 spring onions, cut into 1 inch sections
2 dry red chilies, shredded
3 garlic cloves, crushed
6 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons wine vinegar

Cooking:
1. Mix together the eggs, salt and cornflour and toss the beef in this until well coated. Heat the oil in a wok to 350 degree F, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds, and stir−fry the beef
for 1 1/2 minutes or until crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.
2. Reheat the oil and deep−fry the carrots for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Pour off most of the oil, leaving about 1 1/2 tablespoons in the bottom of the wok. Reheat, then add the spring onions, chilies and garlic. Stir−fry together for about 30 seconds over the heat then add the sugar, soy sauce and vinegar. Return the meat and carrots to the sauce. Toss over the heat and serve.

*pic from gettyimages

Asparagus Pasta col Pesto

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil (do not substitute)
1 cup chopped or sliced asparagus, use only the tender half or tips (asparagus can be substituted with broccoli, string beans, or zucchini)
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
8 ounces pasta noodles of your choice
grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking:
1. Quick Pesto Sauce: Saute garlic, onion, and basil in olive oil until the garlic and onion turns light brown. Do not over cook. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Prepare the pasta of your choice according to package directions except for the following:
Add 1 to 2 cups additional water. Just before water begins to boil, add the asparagus or the vegetables of your choice. When the water begins to boil add the pasta and cook according to directions
3. Drain the pasta and vegetable mixture and pour the pesto sauce over the top, tossing lightly to coat. Top with parmesan cheese and serve with French bread and additional parmesan cheese.

*pic from gettyimages

Cheddar Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
3 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
6 slices bacon, diced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup chopped scallion
3 Tablespoons all−purpose flour
2 cups shredded Canadian white cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Cooking:
1. Snipped fresh chives or minced scallions for garnish. In a 2−quart saucepan, heat the milk and the chicken broth over medium−low heat. Meanwhile, in a 4 or 5 quart Dutch oven, cook the
bacon, stirring, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the red onion, celery, and scallion and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
2. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat, add the heated milk mixture, and whisk until well blended. Return to the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, or until thickened.
3. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and stir in the cheese, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth. Serve the soup hot, garnished with chives.

*pic from gettyimages

Thai-style Fish Cake

Ingredients:
10 oz mackerel flesh
2 lemon leaves
4 sprigs green string bean or suitable amount of peas
suitable amount of mint leaves
suitable amount of chili dices

Seasoning:
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp fish gravy
2 tsp cornflour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp red curry paste
3/4 tsp Thai shrimp paste (mixed with some water)

Sweet and sour sauce:
1 tbsp Chinese parsley (chopped)
2 tbsp peanut (crushed and stir-fried)
1 tbsp tomato juice
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 red perennial chili (chopped)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 shallot (chopped)
1 1/2 tsp caltrop starch
3 tbsp water

Cooking:
1. Sauce: Mix all ingredients well. Cook over low heat until boiling. Add Chinese parsley and peanuts to form a sweet and sour sauce. The sauce can be made well in advance and refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.
2. Scald and dice peas. Tear lemon leaves to pieces.
3. Wash mackerel and wipe dry. Scoop out its flesh with a spoon. Add 1/8 tsp salt. Mash the flesh with the back of knife. Add no. 1 and seasoning. Stir in one direction until sticky. Mold the mash into cakes of round and thin shape. Deep fry the cakes until golden. Serve with sweet and sour sauce. Garnish with mint leaves and chili dices.

*pic from gettyimages

Crispy Shrimp

Ingredients:
450 g medium size shrimps
150 g Li Pu taro
2 tbsp white sesame seeds

Seasoning for shrimps:
1/8 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Marinade for taro:
1/6 tsp salt
1/6 tsp sugar
2 tbsp self-raising flour

Batter ingredients:
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp cooked oil

Cooking:
1. Shell and devein shrimps, rinse. Pat dry and mix with seasoning. Set aside.
2. Slice taro into slivers and marinate for 30 minutes. Add ini white sesame seeds.
3. Mix batter ingredients. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to ferment for 30 minutes. Add cooked oil. Mix well.
4. Arrange taro in a skimmer. Coat shrimps with batter and put onto taro slivers. Deep fry until golden brown. Dish up. Serve hot.

*pic from gettyimages

Stir-fried Crab with Chili Paste

Ingredients:
1 crab (around 1 lb)
1 sprig Chinese celery (sectioned)
3 oz mint leaves (trimmed)

Seasoning:
½ onion (shredded)
1 sprig lemongrass (mashed)
1 tsp garlic (crushed)
1 tsp shallot (crushed)
1 red perennial chili (finely chopped)
1 tsp curry powder
1 ½ tsp Thai shrimp paste (mixed with some water)

Sauce:
10 black pepper seeds
½ tsp chili paste
1/3 cup water

Preparation:
Chop crab into chunks. Wash and drain well. Sprinkle a little corn-flour. Deep-fry over high heat.

Cooking:
Heat 3 tbsp of oil with a wok. Saute seasoning. Put crab into wok and stir-fry for a while. Add sauce. Stir well. Keep covered for a while. Add celery and mint leaves. Stir well. Serve.

*pic from gettyimages

Fried Oyster Cake

Ingredients:
300 g small oysters
2 sprigs spring onion (chopped)
4 eggs

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp ginger sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
pinch of pepper

Preparation:
1. Place oysters in strainer. Add salt and caltrop starch. Shake strainer. Then rinse oysters under running water to remove dirt. Wash individually and drain. Scald in hot water. Drain well, mix with seasoning.
2. Whisk eggs with 1/3 tsp of salt. Fold in oysters and spring onion. Mix well.

Cooking:
Heat wok with 1 tbsp of oil. Add egg mixture. Fry over low heat until both sides turn golden brown. Serve hot.

Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 loaf Italian bread, halve lengthwise then cut crosswise diagonally into 1-in slices
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Cooking:
Toast the bread under the broiler until lightly browned. Combine the garlic and olive oil and brush over one side of the bread. Spread the tomatoes over the bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for about 30 seconds to heat the tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Tiramisu

Ingredients:
4 tbsp espresso coffee
1 tbsp Grappa
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
24 Savoiardi biscuits
1 ounce sweet chocolate, grated

Preparation:
1. In a small bowl, combine the coffee and grappa, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks together with the sugar untul thick and lemon-colored. Add the mascarpone and blend. Gently fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.

Cooking:
Place half of the biscuits in the bottom of a 10-inch square baking dish or larger serving plate. Sprinkle with half of the coffee mixture. COver with half of the cheese mixture, and repeat process. Refrigerate tiramisu for 4 hours before serving with grated chocolate.

Stir-fried Salted Fish with Kale

Ingredients:
1 ½ oz salted fish
1 1/3 lb kale
2 slices ginger
1 tsp garlic (crushed)
1 red chili (sectioned)
1 tsp Thai shrimp paste (mixed with some water)

Seasoning:
1 tsp fish gravy
½ tsp sugar
3 tbsp water

Preparation:
1. Clean salted fish with wet towel. Cut into chunks. Deep fry over low heat until cooked.
2. Trim kale. Cut diagonally into sections. Wash and drain well.

Cooking:
Heat 2 tsp of oil. Saute ginger, garlic and shrimp paste. Add kale. Stir-fry for a while. Add seasoning. Stir-fry again. Keep covered for a while. Add red chili and salted fish. Stir well. Dish up.

Fried Mussel in Thai Style

Ingredients:
1 pack frozen mussel (with shell)
1/4 onion (shredded)
1 tsp garlic (crushed)
1 tsp shallot (crushed)
1 tomato (sliced)
1 red chili (carved)
a few mint leaves

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp chili paste
1/4 tsp sugar

Preparation:
1. Defrost mussel. Take out flesh with a knife. Wash and scald. Drain well.
2. Rub mussel shells with sea salt. Scald in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain well.

Cooking:
Heat wok with 3 tbsp oil. Saute onion, garlic, shallot and mussel. Add seasoning. Stir-fry quickly. Thicken the sauce with a little cornflour solution. Return mussel to shell. Garnish with tomato slices, red chili and mint leaves. Serve hot.

*pic from gettyimages

Tom Yan Soup

Ingredients :
12 oz prawn (medium)
10 oz tomatoes
5 oz straw mushrooms
2 dried red chillies
2 slices Laos root
2 lemon leaves
2 sprigs Chinese parsley
2 sprigs lemongrass
1 red perennial chili
1 green perennial chili
5 cups stock

Seasoning :
1 tbsp fish gravy
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp chili sauce

Preparation :
1. Shell prawns (with tail intact). Cut a slit in between and devein. Wash and wipe dry. Slice tomatoes (with seeds removed). Scald straw mushrooms. Rinse and cut into halves.
2. Put dried chili (with seeds removed) into a wok (without oil) and bake for a while. Pat lemongrass until loose and cut into sections. Slice red and green chili (with seeds removed). Wash Laos root, lemon leave and parsley.

Cooking :
Heat wok with 1/2 tbsp oil. Add shrimp head and shell. Stir fry until red. Add stock and all section 2 (preparation) ingredients. Boil. Turn to cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Discard the residue, leave soup only. Add tomatoes and straw mushrooms. Boil for 5 minutes. Add shrimp flesh. Allow to boil until cooked. Mix with seasoning. Dish up. Garnish with parsley.

*pic from gettyimages

Egg Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. chinese cabbage (Napa)
2 stalks celery
1/2 lb. cooked shrimp
1/2 lb. cooked chicken livers
10 water chestnuts
1/3 cup bamboo shoots
1 beaten egg
10 egg roll skins
3 cups oil

SEASONING:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
Liberal dash pepper
1/2 tsp. light soy sauce
1/4 tsp. sesame oil

PREPARATION:
Boil cabbage and celery until very tender. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Shred very fine and set aside to drain further. Parboil shrimp and fry or bake chicken liver. Mince both. Shred water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Mix all ingredients but egg together. Beat egg. Wrap filling in egg roll skins and seal with egg.

COOKING:
Heat oil in wok or deep fat fryer to 375 degrees and drop in egg rolls. When skin turns light golden brown, remove from oil and drain. (At this point restaurants refrigerate them and finish the cooking process asneeded.) When cool, drop again into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Makes 10. The two−stage deep frying method is actually a professional Chinese chefs' secret. It assures that the inside will be moist and not overcooked (as anything overcooked becomes dry) and the outside will be crisp.

Shrimp Toast

Ingredients:
12 fresh uncooked large shrimp
1 egg
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 slices sandwich bread
1 hard−cooked egg yolk
1 slice cooked ham (about 1 ounce)

Seasoning:
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch pepper
1 green onion
2 cups vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Remove shells from shrimp, leaving tails intact. Remove back veins from shrimp. Cut down back of shrimp with sharp knife. Gently press shrimp with fingers to flatten.
2. Beat 1 egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a small bowl until blended. Add shrimp to egg mixture and toss until shrimp are completely coated.
3. Remove crusts from bread. Cut each slice into quarter. Place one shrimp, cut side down, on each bread piece. Gently press shrimp to adhere to bread. Brush or rub small amount of egg mixture over each shrimp.
4. Cut egg yolk and ham into 1/2 inch pieces. Finely chop onion. Place one piece each of egg yolk and ham and a scant 1/4 teaspoon chopped onion on each shrimp.

Cooking:
Heat oil in wok over medium−high heat until it reaches 375F. Fry 3 or 4 shrimp−bread pieces at a time in the hot oil until golden, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Drain on absorbent paper.

Fried Egg with Mint Leaves

Ingredients:
3 oz mint leaves
4 eggs
Suitable amount of chili sauce
1 chili

Seasoning:
½ tsp crushed garlic
½ tsp crushed shallot
1 red chili (finely chopped)
2 tsp fish gravy
Pinch of pepper

Preparation:
1. Trim mint leaves. Wash and drain well. Crush.
2. Beat egg. Add seasoning. Stir well. Then mix with mint leaves.

Cooking:
Heat 3 tbsp of oil. Pour in the mixture and shallow fry until it becomes golden. Garnish with mint leaves and chili. Add chili sauté to taste.