Filipino Bistek (Beef with Citrus Soy Sauce)

My ex-boyfriend's mother used to always make this when she got off work late and had to put a meal on the table in a rush. It is so comforting and goes excellent on top of some steamed white jasmine rice.

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef flank steak, sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1 lemon, juiced (or if available, used kalamansi)
pepper, to taste
1 large onion, sliced

Method:
1. Marinade the beef with the soy sauce, lemon juice, and pepper for approximately 30 minutes.
2. Heat a wok with some oil over high heat.
3. Once the oil begins to smoke, throw in the sliced onions and stir for approximately 30 seconds.
4. Pour the beef with the marinade into the wok and stir to cook for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the beef is cooked and the onions are tender.
5. Serve over steamed white rice.

Update

Sorry I've been too busy to update lately, as I've been too busy with school to cook! I've put up 3 new recipes today and I intend to put up many more within the next 2 months with lots of pictures.

Check back soon for new recipes!

Rosemary Maggi Steak

This is a recipe that my dad used to make for us all the time. I've cooked it for a number of people who have all asked me for the recipe. Well, here it is! I understand that a lot of people disagree with marinading/salting steaks prior to cooking. Personally, I think it's a tradeoff. If you salt during/after cooking, your steaks will be juicier, but have less flavour. If you salt before cooking, your steak might be slightly less juicy, but the flavours really permeate the steak. I believe in salting as you go. Salt brings out a lot of natural flavours in food that you just can't achieve with salting at the end.

Maggi sauce is a Swiss ingredient that resembles a strong soy sauce in taste without actually containing soy. It is quite a popular condiment in Asia.

Ingredients:
2 New York striploins
1 teaspoon of granulated garlic
1 teaspoon of seasoning salt
1.5 teaspoon of fresh rosemary (or dried, up to you)
3 teaspoons of Maggi sauce

Method:
1. Marinade the steaks on both sides with all of the listed ingredients above.
2. Allow the meat to marinade for 30 minutes.
3. Pan sear the steaks (always on high) to your liking. I personally think that steak tastes best at medium-rare.

Wild Salmon Spaghetti Mornay

This spaghetti is absolutely AMAZING. It's got a creamy sauce scented with lemon and garlic.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti, cooked according to package directions minus 1 minute (al dente)
Cream, enough to coat spaghetti
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Lemon, zest and juice
Garlic, minced
Wild salmon

Method:
1. Sear the salmon on both sides until barely cooked.
2. Meanwhile, saute the minced garlic in a small amount of olive oil.
3. Once the garlic just begins to brown, pour the cream into the pan.
4. Add the parmesan cheese and stir it in to make sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pan.
5. Add the lemon juice and zest.
6. At this point, taste the sauce to see how much seasoning or adjustments it needs. If it's too sour, add a little more cream. If it doesn't have enough "zing", add a little more lemon juice or zest. Salt and pepper as needed. It makes sense for the sauce to be a little bit on the salty side, as it will be coating the spaghetti.
7. Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta and add the cooked salmon.
8. I like to break up the salmon with my tongs a little bit into the pasta.
9. Plate and top with a little extra parmesan and perhaps some parsley for garnish.

Chicken & Ginger Congee

This has got to be the most comforting congee when you're feeling sick or down in the dumps on a rainy day. It's simple, healthy, and delicious. Because I start this congee with cooked rice (usually leftover rice from the night before), it is prepared a lot quicker than your usual congee.

Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked rice
8 cups of water
3 - 4 chicken carcasses (available at local supermarkets or asian markets)
1/2 cup of ginger, julienned as thin as possible
2 chicken breasts, sliced to bite-size
salt, to taste

Method:
1. Begin with a large pot filled with the water. Add the cooked rice, chicken carcasses and half of the sliced ginger.
2. Boil until the rice breaks down (approximately 1.5 - 2 hours) and begins to form a porridge/watery oatmeal-like consistensy.
3. Add the sliced chicken breast.
4. Just before serving, stir in the remainder of the julienned ginger. The reason for this is that the first half of the ginger tends to lose its flavour, pungency as it is boiled for quite a while. The fresh ginger adds a kick to the congee.
5. Season with salt as necessary and serve hot.