Tamarind Glazed Beef with Tofu

One of the reasons why I love cooking beef is its versatility. You could create dishes from savory to sweet to sour or you could pretty much whip up anything that you crave for. Tamarind Glazed Beef with Tofu  is what I call an in between.  It's definitely for those days when you are not sure whether you want something sweet or sour... or both..

I'm sure you are intrigued or  maybe skeptical on how this dish taste but I understand.  When I fist made this dish, my family were too.  But if only I could show you their faces when they took their first bite, I'm sure you will be compelled to try it yourself.  This dish revealed itself as a surprise "hit". Think savory.  Think sweet and sour.  Think comfort food.  This dish will make your family say : "mom can you make this dish again tomorrow?"

Tamarind Glazed Beef with Tofu

Ingredients:
2 tbsp cooking oil
1.5 lb.  beef sirloin, sliced in jullienne strips
1 medium size onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp tamarind mix (sinigang mix) dissolved in 1/2 c water
1 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp  kikkoman soy sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
tofu, sliced
green onions, sliced

Procedure

Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium heat.  Add  garlic and onions and quickly stir fry until they are softened and translucent.  Add beef  and cook until meat is brown or until liquid gets reduced to almost dry.

Meanwhile, while the beef is cooking, prepare the sauce in a bowl by mixing tamarind mix dissolved in water, peanut buttee, soy sauce and brown sugar.  Make sure to dissolve the peanut butter.  Now if you want it more sour, you may want to add more sinigang mix into the mixture. 

When the beef is almost done, pour the sauce in.  Stir and cook until the suace is reduced until the sauce is thick.

Quickly add tofu and green onions.  Cook it for a few more minutes or until done.

Hoisin Garlic Beef Roast

A few days ago, I got an email from my friend Ann, asking me how to make a beef roast using Asian ingredients.  I sent  her my Hoisin Garlic Beef Roast, a recipe  which I developed for a client  a few months ago.

So today she called back telling me how the roast "sealed her fate".  She said her boyfriend thinks she's a keeper...LOL!

"Why don't you have that posted in your blog" she asked.

"Because I still have to take a better picture" I said.

"No, you must post that today"  she insisted.    I will attest that it's a roast to impress"

So upon Ann's suggestion, I am posting this "roast to impress"...  The picture may not say so, but I was compelled to post it anyway as she suggested.  I hope you give it a try  and tell me if it does  the same magic as it did to my friend Ann.

Hoisin Garlic Beef Roast

Ingredients:

7 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2-3 lbs. sirloin roast

Directions:

Wash the roast and pat to dry.

Make a slit on the sides of the roast, and insert garlic cloves.

Mix  the first three ingredients and rub a generous amount around the roast.

Refrigerate for an hour or at best, overnight.

To cook evenly, the roast must be at room temperature. Let it stand for about 3 to 4 hours at room temperature. This is a great way to cook the roast evenly.You don't want your roast to be well done on the sides then raw in the middle. Another valuable tip is to tie the roast around.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Use a heavy stainless steel roasting pan and place the roast. 

Put the oven temperature at 450 degrees F to sear the rib roast. This will take about 15-20 minutes.

Then turn the oven to 325 degrees F for the rest of the cooking time,

Cook until  roast reaches an internal temperature of 130-140 degrees F. Make sure to check the internal temperature by inserting the thermometer right in the center of the rib.

Remove from oven and let the roast sit approximately 15 to 20 minutes covered with foil before serving.

Slice the meat across the grain with  your desired thickness.  Serve with blanced bok choy on the side.  No dipping is necessary as the beef is succulent and very flavorful. 

A Tale of Two Spaghetti Dinners

As a mom, it's been always important for me to ensure that the family has a nice home cooked meal to bring us all together after a hard, full-day's work. Of course, with a hectic day, there will always be curve balls thrown at you. For instance, I forgot to thaw out some meat before I left for work that one time. On top of everything, I felt a little sick and was not in the mood to cook at all.

But like I said, we mothers have a job to do: to make our family smile over dinner after the day is done! I wanted to cook something quick and easy, a dish that was light yet delicious and rich with favor.

"How about spaghetti?" I wondered when I saw the meatballs in the freezer. "Sounds like a good plan" I mumbled to myself. Don't find me weird but yes I do love to talk to myself. But as I was getting the meatballs, I also saw a bag of shrimp balls which my husband picked up from Seafood City. (When grocery shopping with my husband, I always find some surprises in the cart as we check out.) And maybe he had plans on when to eat this shrimp balls but tonight, I was on the lookout for something that does not need thawing and this could be it.

Not sure whether my kids will like it, I made two different kinds of spaghetti. One is the regular spaghetti meatballs and the latter is what I call... Shrimp Ball with Capers Spaghetti. It may sound like a strange combination, but this recipe is an instant hit.

During dinner, the kids' ranted and raved about how delicious it was. To think it was something so simple! My youngest even asked me if he could have another serving, even if we already had finished our bowls of spaghetti. Dinner was done, yet everyone still wanted more!

Shrimp Balls with Capers Spaghetti

1 bag of Shrimp Balls (Brand that I use is Do-Do)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup of Parmesan cheese (i used a cup but you could reduce it if you prefer)
1/2 c white wine (from an opened bottle in the fridge)
3 tbsp Olive Oil
Butter
Parsley
Oregano
Freshly chopped Basil
salt & pepper
capers
shrimp bouillon (if you don't have shrimp bouillon try chicken it could work)
1 package of spaghetti


Directions:
Cook pasta as directed on the package then drain. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil. Add the shrimp balls until fork tender. Stir in white wine, capers, parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp bouillon (dispersed in water) and stir. Toss the pasta in the saucepan together with the sauce and the Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!