martha stewart's beef ragu with pasta recipe

Beef Ragù with Pasta (Recipe by Martha Stewart)

Once in a while, if I happen to find time, I like to experiment recipes from my cookbooks collection. This month (and last month) happens to be a month of "Pasta". For some good reason, I crave for pasta and I have tried many recipes from my favourite cookbooks ; "The Silver Spoon - Pasta", "The River Cafe - Classic Italian" and "Martha Stewart's" (She is actually not that much of my favourite but I guess I am brain-washed by watching her TV programs 4 days in every week for over a year now).

Anyway, last week, one of my very best mates came for dinner. I was in mood of cooking. So, I cooked her a 3-course-dinner. She was all happy and satisfied with my cooking skill. I opened a few decent bottles of "Merlot" for her and the evening was absolutely divine. Our main course was "Beef Ragù with Penne" (Bangkok was very cold last week. Its 18-19 degrees Celsius. Therefore, I think it was very appropriate to cook a winter dish.) The dish was very hearty and delicious. I personally think that it would be even better if I served it with "Chianti" but unfortunately, I didn't have any "Chianti" on hand that night.

This original recipe is picked from Martha's website as, to me, it feels very home-cooked, very easy, & very simple (It matches my cooking concept perfectly.). Find below a recipe of Martha's which is modified a little by me.

Beef Rump (Beef pieces for Stew - about 3 pounds)

Sea Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

3 medium Onions, halved, then cut crosswise into slices

4 cloves of Garlic, crushed and finely chopped

1 pound of Cremini Mushroom, sliced (If you can't find Cremini, Champignon  Mushroom will do - I think they are almost the same type of mushroom.)

3 tablespoons of fresh Oregano leaves, roughly chopped
1 can (28 ounces) Italian Tomatoes with juices, whole peeled 

2 cups of dry Red Wine

1/2 teaspoon of Red Pepper flakes

1 pound of Penne or other Tubular pasta

For Garnish

Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese, shaved
Flat-leaf Parsley, chopped 

Preparation

Season the beef pieces with sea salt and black pepper. 

Set a large cast-iron-casserole (mine is a lovely blue colour from Le Creuset.) over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, and then brown the beef pieces on all sides. When the beef is done, remove from the casserole and keep one side.

In the same casserole, add sliced onion, stir till cooked through. Add garlic, mushroom, oregano and salt, stir for a few minutes. Add red wine and red pepper flakes. Return the beef pieces into the casserole and add tomato mixture. Braise till the beef is fork-tender, about 4 hours.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add plenty of salt. Add pasta, cook till al dente. Drain and return to the pot. 

Toss pasta with the sauce, transfer to serving plates. Top with pieces of beef, garnish with shaved Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese. Sprinkle with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or fresh oregano.

Serve : 4-6

fried-rice served with fried egg

Thai fried-rice served with fried egg : ข้าวผัด (ไก่, หมู, หรือ เนื้อ) ไข่ดาว

I have been ill (I have a terrible cold.) for almost 2 weeks now. I think of my Mum's dishes a lot something like "Kao Dtom", "Chicken Noodle Soup" or "Kao Phad".... You know.. Comfort food that she cooked for me when I was ill.

Call me an odd person, somehow, I don't like my "fried-rice" cooked too dry like in those Thai and Chinese restaurants. I think it has something to do with my mum's recipe. Her "fried-rice" is always very moist and soft. Its very delicious. Therefore, I am programed to like my "fried-rice" cooked very moist and soft just like my mum's. 

Find below my very own version of "fried-rice" 

1 cup of meat (chicken, pork, beef or seafood)

2 cups of steamed organic rice (I personally prefer whole-grain rice.)

1/2 cup of organic Tomato, sliced

1 cup of organic Chinese Kale. sliced

1/2 cup of organic Mushroom (Optional)

2 cloves of organic Garlic, crushed and chopped 

1 medium organic Onion, sliced 

2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil, extra light and mild 

2-3 tablespoons of Oyster Sauce

2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon of Seasoning Sauce

A dash of un-refined Brown Sugar

2 organic Eggs

Garnish
.

Fresh organic coriander leaves, chopped

Fresh organic cucumber, sliced 

Fried egg

Lime (cut into wedges)

Preparation 
.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Wait till the wok is becoming hot (but not too hot though), then add olive oil and then chopped garlic. Fry till the garlic is aromatic. Add onion and meat (pork/chicken/beef or seafood : whatever you fancy), stir-fry till the meat is almost cooked through. Add tomato, Chinese kale, and mushroom. Stir-fry to mix everything well. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, seasoning sauce and a dash of sugar. Add steamed rice and stir-fry to mix everything well. Add egg, leave for a few minutes for the egg to set a little. Then stir-fry to mix everything well. Taste if more seasoning is needed. Remove into a serving plate.  Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve with with "fried-egg", fresh organic cucumber, a few of lime wedges and a small cup of "nahm pla prik".
.

Serve : 2-3

steak : zero carbs

Steak (cooked medium-rare) served with Organic Blanched French Green Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad

January is a month of being on diet to me (New Year Resolutions). Being in my 30s, my metabolism  does not work as fast as it used to be. Therefore, I have gained lots of kilos.

I have been reading lots of books about diet (Atkins, Dukan, South-Beach, Low-Carb, Metabolism Miracle, ect,.) I have learnt from these books that nothing can be good for me directly or solely. I have to bring out a little of each thing from these books to make it my own way to make it works for me. 

Anyway, I start to limit (white) carbohydrate, salt & sugar intake (I only eat whole-grain / 7-9 grain/ whole meal-brown carbohydrate.) and eat more protein (not over eating though) & vegetables (Try to choose/mix lots of natural-coloured vegetables). Find below my recipe of easy & simple steak.

60-70 g. of Steak (Sirloin/Tenderloin - any cut that you like but try to avoid fat)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Sea Salt (Try not to put too much of salt.)

Preparation

Rub both sides of steak with olive oil and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. This is very simple but its the best way of cooking steak. (You don't want to over-power the natural taste of the meat by putting to much of herbs or seasoning but if you happened to have a bottle of premium "Truffle Oil" stored in your pantry then feel free to drizzle a few drops on your steak. It will make a big different.)  

Set a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, wait till becoming very hot. Cook  the steak to your liking. (Mine is  preferably cooked between "rare" to "medium-rare") Remove from the skillet. Leave to rest for 5 minutes (Once the heat transfer is completed during resting period, this steak will achieve "the Perfect Steak" - tender & juicy.). Serve with your choice of side salad or vegetables. (I will post my recipes of side salad here later.)

grilled beef e-saan style : suea rong hai

Grilled Beef E-Saan Style : เสือร้องไห้

In 2008, I did read in a magazine (Dichan) about a Thai lady who is now very successful being a famous Thai chef in Paris. Her restaurants are named “Thiou” & “Le Petit Thiou” after her name. Later, she was on a Telly telling her story ; about how she has become a successful chef in Paris. President Nicolas Sarkozy is one of her regular customers and to get a seat there you need to wait for a few months. To cut it short, she mentioned that her signature dish is “Grill Beef Esaan Style - aka “Suea Rong Hai” in Thai : (เสือร้องไห้).

Then, it got me thinking why I never once cook this dish? I mean it has never been in my head before. Its a great dish, very simple & easy dish too cook. Therefore, I started cooking it. The only main key to get a good dish is getting good quality meat. Then what you have to do is to cook it right. (You hardly can go wrong with this dish!)

Find below my very own recipe (Personally, I prefer cooking Beef this way.)

500 G. (½ Kilo) of Beef (Premium/Top Sirloin- “Wagyu” is highly recommended.)
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Fresh Organic Herbs & Vegetables for Garnish (Mint, Sweet Basil Leaves, Coriander, Spring Onion, Cucumber, etc.,)

Dipping Sauce น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว

3 Tablespoons of Ground Roasted Rice
2 Tablespoons of Ground Chili
3-5 Tablespoons of Lime Juice
5 Tablespoons of Premium Fish Sauce
½ Cup of Shallots (Thinly Sliced)
¼ Cup of Spring Onion (Chopped)

Preparation

Rub the steak with sea salt and ground black pepper. Set a cash-iron-skillet over medium-high to high-heat. Wait till it is becoming very hot. Then grill your beef to perfection. Taste is individual, I like mine cooked “medium rare”. Remove the steak and keep aside to rest. Prepare the dipping sauce by putting everything in a mixing bowl, stir gently to mix everything well. Test your dipping sauce and add more fish sauce and lime juice if needed. Slice the steak and serve with a cup of warm steamed (I prefer “black”) sticky rice, a cup of dipping sauce one the side and garnish with fresh vegetables. Now, any tigers will be very envious and start to cry!

Note : I know it is not fair not to give out an original recipe. Find below and an original E-saan Style recipe.

500 G. (½ Kilo) of Beef Sirloin
4-5 Tablespoons of Fish Sauce
½ Tablespoon of Palm Sugar
3 Teaspoons of Ground Chili
3 Tablespoons of Ground Roasted Rice 

Preparation

Marinate the steak with fish sauce, palm sugar, ground roasted rice and chili. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 15 minute. Grill the steak with low heat till well cooked. Slice and serve with a cup of dipping sauce and sticky rice.

Serve : 2

fillet steak salad

Fillet Steak & Rocket Salad

If I stay home, I like cooking salad for lunch and as I mentioned many times before that I like beef but red meat is not healthy. So, I try to limit “Beef” to only 4-5 times in a month.

4-5 years ago, I found this “Fillet Beef Steak Salad” recipe in “Hello” magazine (Yes, I read “Hello” :P). The recipe was very appealing to me. So, I cut the recipe and keep in my collection. of recipes. It has become one of my favourite salads. I cooked this dish more than a hundred times and I changed/adjusted a few things to meet with my personal taste. Over time, it is getting better and better. Peppery rocket leaves & Dijon mustard dressing go with the sirloin steak very greatly.

Find below a recipe

1 of Beef Steak (Sirloin is preferred)
1 Pack of Organic Rocket Leaves (Imported Rocket is preferred but if you are in Bangkok. Organic Thai rocket leaves will do – I used organic Thai rocket in the picture.)
¼ Pack of Fettuccine
A Handful of Fresh Thyme (Now, we can find fresh herbs at supermarkets in Bangkok.)

Mustard Dressing

2 Teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon of White Wine Vinegar
4 -6 Tablespoons of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Depends on how thick you like it.)
A Pinch of Sea Salt
A Pinch of Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preparation

Set a large saucepan/ big pot over high heat, add water & lots of sea salt and wait till the water is boiling. Add in the pasta and cook according to the packaging (approximately 11 minutes). Drain, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh thyme and keep warm aside.

Rub the steak with sea salt & pepper. Set a cast-iron-skillet over medium-high heat. Wait till becoming very hot. Cook the steak to your preference (5 minuets for Medium Rare – It depends on how thick the steak is.) Remove the steak from the skillet and keep aside to rest.

In a bowl, add Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Whisk till everything is blended well. Add sea salt & pepper to taste.

Slice & lay the beef steak on top of a bed of twirl pasta and lay the rocket leaves beside. in a serving plate. Serve with a cup of dressing on the side. Enjoy your lunch!

Serve : 2

spicy beef & green apple-eggplant salad

Spicy Beef & Apple-eggplant Salad: ยำเนื้อใส่มะเขือเปราะ

This beef salad is delightful. It’s an authentic & old Thai dish and we don’t see nor cook it very often at home. I remember that when I was young I don’t like eating green apple-eggplant at all. Things change over time, apparently, as now I kind of like it very much.

Anyway, find below a recipe of Spicy Beef & Green Apple-Eggplant Salad.

1 Premium Beef Steak (Sirloin, Tenderloin, Rib-Eye – anything that you like)
8-10 of medium Green Apple Eggplants, sliced & soaked in water with salt

Spicy Dressing
4 of Red Chilies, seeded & chopped
4 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons of Lime Juice
3-4 Tablespoons of Fish Sauce
1 Teaspoon of Palm Sugar
Cilantro Leaves for Garnish

Preparation

Sprinkle both sides of Beef Steak with Sea Salt, then keep in the fridge for a night.

In a blender, add the ingredients of the Spicy dressing, blend. Keep one side. (You can simply shake them well in a dressing mixer.)

Take the steak out of the fridge, leave for 5-10 mins at room temperature. Grill the steak to your liking (I love mine cooked Medium-Rare). Then keep one side, leave it to rest for 5-10 mins. Then slice into bite-sized strips.
In a big Salad Bowl, add in the sliced Apple-Eggplant, Grilled Beef & Dressing. Toss to combine well. Remove into a serving plate, sprinkle with Cilantro leaves.

Nuea Phad Pak Kanah : Stir-fried Beef with Chinese Kale

Stir-fried Beef with Chinese Kale – Nuea Phad Pak Kanah

We love red meat, especially beef. Thai Beef could be so tough that’s why in many Thai recipes, they always instruct the readers to braise/boil the beef for hours before cooking.

European & Australian premium quality beef are naturally tender & very scrumptious. It’s way more expensive but it’s worth every baht that we paid for. I like Japanese beef (Kobe's) too, specially “Wagyu”.

In a very good book by Jeffrey Steingarten “A man who ate everything”, he said in the chapter that he experimented with “Wagyu” that he could never cook the “Wagyu” in his kitchen as good as in the Japanese restaurant. (He managed to get it done only half good, but it was wonderful, he said.) I quite agree. “Lack of Expertise” ruins the real taste of beef, no matter how good the beef is.

Anyways, I like to cook Beef every 2-3 days in a week only as eating too much of red meat is not healthy . I try to cook beef with different recipes but this particular recipe seems to always find a place on our table.

...

Find below my recipe of Stir-fried Beef with Chinese Kale

6 Cups of Organic Chinese Kale, cut
2 Cups of Beef, thickly sliced
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Oyster Sauce
2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon of Garlic, chopped
A dash of Sugar

Preparation

Set a wok over high heat , wait till becoming hot

Add Olive Oil, wait till becoming a very hot
Add Beef, fry to your liking ( I like to cook it for 2-3 mins for Medium-Rare. I personally think that Thai people in general fry the beef way too long. Thats why the beef becoming very tough.)
Remove the beef from the wok, keep one side
Put the wok back on medium-high heat, wait till hot
Add chopped Garlic, stir till aromatic
Add Chinese Kale, stir them add Oyster sauce, Soy sauce and Sugar
Add back the fried Beef, stir-fry to combine well
Remove into a serving plate
Serve hot with steamed Rice

steak in balsamic vinegar

Steak in Balsamic Vinegar

My first meal that I cooked after a week off for X'mas break.
Lately, I kind of like cooking food with Balsamic Vinegar and we happen to like steak.

So, here comes "Steak in Balsamic Vinegar"

This recipe is adjusted a bit from the original recipe of "The Silver Spoon" Cookbook.

25 G of Butter
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
4 Steak Fillet (any kind of steak depends on your liking)
1 Shallot, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley Spring, chopped
(or Fresh Italian Basil Leaves, chopped)
Salt

Fresh Porcini Mushroom/ or any kind of Big & Firm Mushroom that’s on hand, sliced & grilled

3-4 of Medium Plump Tomatoes, quartered
1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A pinch of Sea Salt
A pinch of ground Black Pepper
(Put & Mix everything well in a bowl and keep one side)


Preparation

• heat a Steak pan/a Griddle Pan over high heat
• add half of butter
• add olive oil
• fry the steak for 3-5 mins of each side (or just how you like it to be cooked)
• remove and set aside, keep warm

• in the pan with remain oil, add the rest of butter
• add chopped shallot
• add balsamic vinegar
• add a pinch of sea salt

• place the steak on the serving plate
• pour over the steak with the sauce from the pan
• serve with grilled mushroom and tomato salad in balsamic dressing
• sprinkle with chopped parsley/chopped Italain Basil.

yum nuea yhang

Yum Nuea Yhang : Spicy Thai Grilled Beef Salad

We love Beef but I try not to have it very often as everybody knows that eating Red-Meat isn’t healthy. Try to reduce consuming Red-Meat only once a week should be OK … I guess.
Grilled Beef Salad is one of my most favourite dishes and this particular dish has become my signature dish. Almost every time I hosted dinner parties at home, my mates always asked for it.

Find below my very own recipe of “Spicy Thai Grilled Beef Salad”

Beef Steak (T-Bone, Rib-Eye, Sirloin, Fillet Mignon or anything depends on your preference.)
Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Olive Oil

Salad
1 of Onion, thinly sliced
1 of Firm Tomato, sliced
1 Cup of Thai/Chinese Celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Cup of Carrot, thinly sliced
1 Cup of Cucumber, sliced

Spicy Thai Dipping (Click to see Recipe)


Preparation

• heat the griddle over high heat
• season the beef with sea salt and black pepper
• slightly brush the griddle with olive oil
• place the steak on the griddle, cook to your preference (I like mine cooked –medium rare : 8 mins in total)
• remove and set the steak aside to rest for at least 5 mins
• slice the steak into bite-sized strips
• serve with salad and spicy Thai dipping sauce

Remarks: you can mix and toss everything (Grilled Beef, Salad and Dipping Sauce) in a salad blow and then serve in a plate as how Thai normally like to cook/do it but I like mine served as shown in the picture.

xuan mai restaurant

Beef Pho @ Xuan Mai Vietnamese Restaurant

I was at Sukhumvit 13 today. I stopped at the Xuan Mai for lunch. As everybody knows that I am very fond of Noodles.. and yes, I really adore "Pho". So, I ordered Beef Pho.

The authentic "Pho" at Xaun Mai comes in a reasonable big bolw with your choice of Beef or Chicken. Its said in the menu that its southern Vietnamese Pho style. One portion costs B120 - not expensive at all.

Oh well... if you happen to be in Sukhumvit 13 and happen to fancy Vietnamese food. Then give "Xuan Mai" a try. Who knows... it might become one of your favourite Restaurants!

Rate :
**** for the Food
** for Decoration
*** for Service


"Xuan Mai"
32 Sukhumvit soi 13,
Bangkok 10110
T. 02 251 8389

nuea pad nam man hoi

Nuea Pad Nam Man Hoi : Fried Beef with Oyster Sauce

1 cup of beef, cut-sliced to bited-size pieces
1 tablespoon of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup of onion, sliced
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
a few pinches of salt

*** side dish***
a cup of "kim chee" - korean pickled cabbages (optional)
a few slices of lemon (optional)

Preparation

* cut the beef steak to bited-size pieces or strips
* sprinkle with a few pinches of salt over the steak, put the beef into a zip-lock bag and keep it in the fridge over a night to tenderise the meat.

* heat the cooking pan
* add olive oil
* add garlic, stir-fry & wait until it becomes aromatic
* add onion, keep frying the onion till it becomes soft
* add beef, cook them just how you like (i like mine cooked medium-rare)
* add oyster sauce, stir-fry for a few mins (not too much as the beef has been marinated with salt)

* remove into the serving plate
* your choice of : squeezing a few slices of lemon over the fried-beef or serve with a small cup of "kim chee" (korean pickled cabbages) : its good either ways.
* serve with streamed rice

plaa neua

Plaa Neua : Grilled Beef Salad with Roasted chilli Paste Dressing.

2 cups of grilled beef steak (sirloin steak is recommended)
2-5 of red chillies, finely chopped
2 stalks of lemon grass, finely chopped
5 of red shallots, finely sliced
10 of cherry tomatoes, halved
10 peppermint leaves, roughly chopped
5 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves & spring onion, finely chopped
2-4 tablespoons lime juice
2-4 tablespoons fish sauce
2-3 tablespoons of sweet roasted chilli paste

preparation

* cook the steak as how you like it.
* slice.
* place the strips in salad bowl and add the rest of the ingredients in.
* toss over, mix well to combine everything.
* season to taste.
* top with peppermint leaves.
* serve with streamed rice or sticky rice.

spicy stir-fried beef with red curry paste

Spicy Stir-fired Beef with Red Curry Paste

1 cup of beef, cut into bite-sized pieces.
2 cups of "thai - apple eggplants", quartered.
½ cup of red "thai" chillis, sliced
3-4 of kaffir lime leaves, shredded
3 tablespoons of red curry paste
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of nam prik pao (sweet roasted chillis paste in oil)
1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of palm sugar

heat a wok in medium heat,
add oil and then add the curry paste, and stir fry to combine,
then add the beef and stir fry until it almost cooks through,
if it becomes too dry add a very small amount of water or chicken soup.
add the fish sauce, palm sugar, and kaffir lime leaves, and stir fry for about two minutes stirring continuously to combine the flavors and mix well.

add chillis and stir fry until they just begin to soften, then add the eggplants and stir fry until heated through (about 30 seconds).

serve with steamed rice.

stir-fried beef with tomato, basil in tumeric sauce.

Fried Beef with Tomato, basil in Turmeric Sauce

this dish is very much southern thai food. very hot and i like it very much.

find below a recipe.

3 tablespoons of extra light olive oil
1 pound of beef, thinly slice ( or as much you feel like)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
2 of chillis, finely chopped
2 cloves of fresh turmeric, roughly cut into small pieces
1 cup of tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup of basil leaves
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
sugar


Preparation

- heat a medium pan on high heat.
- add olive oil
- add garlic and then beef
- fry the beef roughly and then remove to the plate and put it aside
- add turmeric into the cooking pan with the remain cooking oil and garlic
- add all the remaining ingredients ( soy sauce, oyster sauce and a pinch of sugar)
- add tomatoes, and then add a little of water
- wait for a few minutes and add back the fried beef
- add basil leave and cook for a few mins
- remove to the serving plate & then serve with streamed rice

beef steak with fried mushroom with garlic & shoyu

Beef Steak with Fried Mushrom with Garlic & Shoyu

- beef as much as you like
- mushroom (japanese ones are recommened)
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2-4 tablespoon of shoyu
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- conrainder leaves, roughly chopped
- sea salt & pepper

- fresh veggies (cucumbers, tomatoes or anything that you like)

Preparation

cook the steak as how you like it ( with salt and pepper)
remove the steak from the pan, put it aside to rest
add garlic, wait until the garlic turn yellow then add mushroom
(into the pan with the remained oil)
add shoyu

turn off the heat
romove the fried mushroom into the serving plate and slice the steak, put on top of the fried mushroom
sprinkle with chopped conrainder leaves
serve with whole grain rice & fresh veggies

grilled beef salad : thai style

Grilled Beef Salad : Thai Style (Nahm Dtok Neua)

150 g beef siroin
4 red shallots, sliced
1 tablespoon of ground roasted rice
3-4 tablespoons of lime juice
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
1-2 tablespoons of roasted chillis flake or powder
2 tablespoons long leaf coriander, shredded
a pinch of sugar
mint leaves
coriander leaves


Preparation

chargrill the beef as how you like it, then rest for 10 mins
slice the beef.
add fish sauce, chillis power, lime juice, roasted rice and a pinch of sugar
add shallots and herbs, stir to combine everything together.

Serve with fresh vegetables and whole grain rice or sticky rice.

beef with chinese kale

Beef with Stir-fried Chinese Kale in Oyster Sauce

beef - as much you like
chinese kale - 4-5, roughly cut
garlic - 1-2 cloves, finely chopped
oyster sauce - 2 tablespoons
soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
olive oil - 2 tablespoons
a pinch of sugar

preparation

in the pan, heat olive oil
add garlic
add beef, brown the beef and then put them aside

add chinese kale into the pan with remained cooking oil & garlic
add oyster sauce, soy sauce & a pinch of sugar
add back the browned beef and stir to mix everything together ( 3-5 mins before trun off the heat)

turn off the heat, serve with whole grain rice.

beef with leek in shoyu

Beef with Leek in Shoyu

Beef - as much as you like
Leek - 2, roughly cut
Shoyu - 3-4 tablespoons
Lemon Pepper - 2 teaspoons
Olive Oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Preparation

in the pan, heat olive oil
cook the marinated beef steak as how you like it
remove the beef steak, put it aside
cook leek in the hot pan with remained sauce until it becomes solf

turn off the heat, serve with whole grain rice and spicy thai dipping sauce (optional)

beef, mushroom, ginger in shoyu

Beef, Mushroom, Onion, Ginger in Shoyu

beef - as much as you like, slicely cut
onion - 1, roughly sliced
mushroom - 7-8, halved
garlic - 2 cloves, finely grated
ginger - 3 tablespoons, finely grated
shoyu - 3-4 tablespoons ( shoyu is japanese soy sauce)
olive oil - 2 tablespoons
a pinch of sugar

purple seaweed flakes - 2-3 teaspoons


preparation

in the pan, heat olive oil
add grated garlic and ginger, stirring regularly until getting garlic aroma
add onion, cook until half cooked
add beef, cook until beef is cooked just how you like it.
add shoyu and a pinch of sugar
add mushroom

turn off the heat and serve with japanese rice or whole grain rice
sprinkle purple seaweed flakes on top of the rice

pasta, tomato, beef, basil

Pasta, Tomato, Beef and Basil

pasta (coudes or penne) - any one that you like
beef fillet - as much as you like
garlic - 4 cloves
extra light olive oil - 3 tablespoons
tin tomatoes - 1/2 of a can
italian basil - 5-6 leaves, roughly chopped
salt - a pinch
black pepper - a pinch
mixed herbs - 1 tablespoon
red wine - 350 ml

preparation

trim the fillet and cut into small cubes
peel and finely chop the garlic
roughly chop the basil leaves
cook pasta as how you like it

heat the olive oil in the frying pan until very hot
add the beef peices and fry very briefly just to brown them.
put them aside to rest.

heat the remain olive oil from frying the beef and then put the garlic in.
add tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and mixed herbs
add red wine
cook over a high heat for 5 mins
stirring to break up the tomatoes
put the fried beef cubes into to pan and then basil

then into the plate pasta and beef sauce and its ready to serve.