Tag Archives: Vegetables
Shaking Beef – Bo Luc Lac
Posted on 14. Aug, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
The weather in England seems so erratic these days! A couple of weeks ago, it was so hot and all of a sudden, it feels like Fall/Autumn now! The leaves on the trees are falling, and the temperature has dropped about 10˚C! Seems like summer has come and is now quickly bowing out..
Anyway, I had made this Shaking Beef-Bo Luc Lac for dinner last night. This is a fantastic Vietnamese beef dish; sweet, sour, spicy, and tangy! I like the pineapples in the dish. Well, if you are going to give this a try, just make sure you have some hot steamed rice to go with it!
Recipe adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham
Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Thai Bird Chilies, chopped
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2/3 lb Beef Sirloin or Flank Steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 to 3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, sliced
1/4 Ripe Pineapple (about 1/2 cup), cut into bite-sized slices about 1/4 inch thick (optional)
1/2 Cup Asian Basil Leaves, cut in half
1/4 Red Onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 Cups Watercress, washed, picked over and torn into bite-sized sprigs
1 Ripe Tomato, cut into thin wedges
Method
Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chilies in a large bowl. Set aside.
Place the oyster sauce, soy sauce and beef in a medium bowl and toss to coat the meat evenly.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add the beef and quickly stir-fry it until just charred on the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add to the bowl with the lime sauce.
Add the pineapple slices, if using, Asian basil and red onion to the beef mixture. Spread the watercress and tomatoes in an attractive manner on a serving platter. Arrange the beef mixture and all its juices on the watercress and serve immediately.
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Andalusian Gazpacho
Posted on 01. Aug, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
Fancy having some gazpacho to cool you down in this scorching summer heat? I made the soup in the morning, had it chilled, and served it up for dinner. We have had some real sweltering weather here in England this summer. So, this soup was just what we needed, light, cool, and delicious – perfect! Do try the recipe, and have a good weekend.
Recipe adapted from Traditional Spanish Cooking by Janet Mandel
Andalusion Gazpacho – Gazpacho Andaluz
Ingredients
75 g (3 oz) Bread, crust removed
1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) Ripe Tomatoes
3 Garlic Cloves
2 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
6 Tbsp Olive Oil
5 Tbsp Wine Vinegar
about 300 ml ( 1/2 pint) Water
For the garnish
100 g ( 3 1/2 oz) Green Peppers, finely chopped
100 g ( 3 1/2 oz) Cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
1 Small Tomato, finely chopped
2 Slices Bread, toasted and diced
Method
Put the bread to soak in enough water to cover for 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess water and put the bread in a blender or processor.
Peel the tomatoes, cut them into chunks and add to the blender with garlic, salt and cumin. Process until pureed. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow stream, then add the vinegar. The mixture will thicken and change color as the oil emulsifies. Add a little of the water and transfer to a serving bowl. You can rub the gazpacho through a sieve for a finer texture. Stir in water to the desired consistency; it should be neither thick nor thin. Chill until serving time.
Place the chopped peppers, cucumber, onion, tomato and toasted breads in a small bowls or divided dish and serve as accompaniments.
Serves 6
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Stir-Fry Snow Peas With Scallops
Posted on 31. Jul, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
Snow peas are available all year round. As with all legumes, they have lots of health and nutritional benefits. A quick and simple stir-frying is the best way to enjoy them. So, here is the recipe for stir-fry snow peas with scallops. Enjoy.
Stir-Fry Snow Peas With Scallops
Ingredients
200 g Snow Peas
4 Sea Scallops, thinly sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
About 3 Thin Slices of Fresh Ginger
1 Tbsp Peanut Oil
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Sea salt to taste
Sauce
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tsp Light Soy Sauce
6 Tbsp Water
1/2 tsp Corn Flour
Method
Heat the oil in a wok and cook the garlic and ginger on low heat. Remove the garlic and ginger when they are fragrant and golden in color.
Turn the heat on high. Toss in the snow peas, scallops and the cooked garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for about a minute and add in the sauce. Bring it to a quick boil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.
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Heirloom Tomato Salad
Posted on 27. Jul, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
I came across some colorful and pretty Heirloom tomatoes at a local fresh produce store recently. The variety of colors were so pleasing that I just had to get some. So, I painstakingly picked out some of these tomatoes and turned them into this beautiful salad. I just used some lemon juice as dressing for the salad and topped it off with some fresh basil. The tomato salad tasted fantastic and not to mention, very healthy as well.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Ingredients
8 to 10 Heirloom Tomatoes (mixed variety), sliced
A small bunch of Fresh Basil Leaves
Dressing
6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Freshly Squeeze Lemon Juice
Sea Salt to taste
Some freshly ground black pepper
Method
Prepare the dressing. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper and whisk and blend until emulsified.
In a large serving plate, arrange the tomatoes in circle and top with some Basil leaves.
Drizzle some lemon dressing over the tomatoes and serve immediately.
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Wonton Soup
Posted on 14. Jul, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
After quite a few requests from my kids, I finally got around to make some Wonton soup and deep-fried Wonton for them recently. Actually they are quite easy to prepare and yet so tasty, as many of you will know. So, today I’m posting a Wonton soup recipe with a simple picture guide on how to wrap the Wonton. I hope you will have fun making them. Do watch out for the deep-fried version’s post here within the next couple of days.
Ingredients
1 Packet Wonton Wrapper (40 pcs)
8 Cups Chicken Stock
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Bunch Choy Sum or Bok Choy, trimmed
2 Stalks Scallions, finely chopped
Sea Salt to taste
Freshly Ground White Pepper
Filling
200 g Ground Pork
150 g Peeled Shrimps, finely chopped or minced
2 Stalk Scallions, finely chopped
1 tsp Minced Fresh Ginger
1 Tbsp Corn Flour
1/4 tsp White Pepper
¾ tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Method
Combine the wonton filling ingredients and mix well.
Place about 1 to 1 ½ tsp of filling in the center of the wrapper. Seal the edges of the wrapper with water and wrap the wonton.
Blanch the vegetables in a saucepan with boiling water and ½ tsp of salt. Cook for about a minute, drain and set aside.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil with a few drizzle of cooking oil. Cook the wontons for about 4 minutes. Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon and divide the portions into each bowls.
Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce and sea salt to taste.
Ladle the chicken stock into the bowls of wontons. Top with vegetables, chopped scallions and some freshly ground white pepper. Serve immediately.
Here is a simple guide on how to wrap the wonton.
Place 1 portion of the filling in the center of the wonton wrapper.
Seal all the edges with a little water and fold in half.
Fold the top corner backward.
Fold the two corners together and press firmly.
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