Steamed Chinese Pork Buns (菜肉包) My Quick Version

Steamed Pork Buns with Homemade Vietnamese pickle (Do Chua) and stir fried Broccoli

I love to eat Chinese steamed pork buns but the thought of having to make the dough puts me off (I really dislike making bread dough). When I saw that other bloggers were recommending to use flaky biscuit dough, I knew I had to try that just from the point of convenience. I could also make my own version of the filling which appealed to me. This recipe can be completed even more quickly using already cooked Chinese BBQ pork from your Chinese take out. This will give you a quick version of Char Siu Bao (叉烧包). One note of caution, avoid the Flaky Biscuit Dough that has added butter. When steamed, it has a very unappealing yellowish color. I will continue trying other types of prepared biscuit and bread dough to see if there are any better ones out there that are closer to the authentic version of these buns!
Ingredients

6 ozs pork belly or pork butt (must have some fat in it)
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (You can also use thick soya sauce if you have it but if you use this, use half the amount of sugar as this type of sauce is mixed with molasses)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce

2 tbsp cooking wine

1/2 cup dried Chinese fungus (Elephant Ears), soaked and finely chopped

1 red Thai chili pepper, minced
1 can jumbo flaky Biscuits (I use the WalMart brand but get the one without butter) 
Method

1. Chop the pork into very small cubes (diced).

2. Heat cooking oil in wok and fry until the pork starts to brown. Add the chopped shallot, garlic, and chili pepper to this and saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the various sauces, sugar and cooking wine to the mixture, decrease heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is thick.

4. Roll out the flaky biscuit dough into rounds about 6 inches in diameter. Fill with 1-2 tablespoons pork mixture, pinching top to seal the bun. Steam on a square of parchment paper for 15 minutes (I use my rice cooker as a steamer for this). I get about 4 buns using this method. 

Spicy Caribbean Style Oven Baked Chicken

This is a different way to do traditional Caribbean stewed chicken. In Jamaica this is known as Fricassee Chicken or Brown Stew Chicken. This version is spicy, and has a nice thick sauce that is perfect to spoon over a serving of rice and peas. It is usually served with fried or baked ripe plantains, and a green salad of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. After the first baking, this dish may also be completed in a slow cooker but the time to completion will obviously be longer.

Some ingredients

Ingredients

3 1/2 lb chicken meat (Legs, thighs, breast, with skin or skinless)

Grace Caribbean All Purpose seasoning

Worcester sauce

1 Tablespoon thick soya sauce (if not available substitute 1/2 tablespoon dark soya sauce and 1/2 tablespoon molasses)

1 tablespoon Grace Jerk Seasoning

2 medium yellow onions

6 cloves garlic

3 vine ripened tomatoes

1/4 cup white cooking wine

8 whole allspice berries

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 Habanero chili pepper, left whole

Small red bell pepper cut in slices (optional)

1-2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons cooking oil
Method

1. With a sharp knife, make cuts in the chicken pieces down to bone. This allows the seasonings to coat the meat better. Sprinkle each chicken piece liberally with the all purpose seasoning.

2. Place chicken pieces in a 1 gallon Ziploc storage bag, and add a couple of dashes of Worcester sauce, the thick soya sauce (or substitute) and the jerk seasoning. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight. 

3. The next day, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the chicken and place in an oven proof baking dish. Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake chicken, uncovered for 45 minutes. 
4. While the chicken is baking, coarsely chop onions, garlic and tomatoes.

Heat the other tablespoon cooking oil in a frying pan or wok, and fry the onion and garlic until the onion pieces become translucent. Add the tomato pieces and fry until the tomato skin starts to peel off. Remove from heat and blend all to a puree.

5. Remove chicken from oven, and put the chicken pieces in another bowl. Drain off as much of the oil as you wish, leaving the dark sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. Mix in the puree, thyme, and add the whole Habanero chili to the mixture. Place the chicken pieces back in the dish and coat well with the mixture. Add the cooking wine and tomato paste at this point, mixing well. Add the sliced red bell pepper at this point if you wish to include that as an option.

6. Cover the baking dish with foil. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for 1 hour.

7. Remove baking dish from oven. Uncover the dish, and discard the Habanero chili pepper, taking care not to burst it. Carefully mix the chicken and sauce together ensuring that the chicken pieces remain intact. Increase the oven temperature again to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and bake, uncovered for another 15-20 minutes until the volume of sauce has decreased and the sauce has thickened.

Jamaican Style Stew Fish

This is a typical Jamaican way of cooking fish. It goes by various names e.g stew fish, brown stew fish. Whatever you call it, the result is outstanding in both flavor and presentation. It is done in one cooking vessel (I use a wok), and have done the sauce a bit differently so that it is smooth and does not have all the chunky bits of onion, tomato etc. Because Jamaican cooking is a melange of cultures, this goes well with a Chinese vegetable stir fry. To make this I just used a bag of Kale Salad mix from Costco but any bagged salad/slaw mix that has shredded broccoli may be used. It is not a spicy dish.
Ingredients
2 fish fillets (I used Basa but any firm, white fish fillet may be used)
Grace Caribbean Traditions Fish Seasoning (if this is not available just use a mixture of salt, pepper, ground allspice and a little paprika). The advantage of using the prepared seasoning is that it takes the guesswork out of balancing the spices
3 cloves garlic, left whole
1 medium sized shallot, coarsely cut
1-2 very ripe Roma tomatoes, cut in small pieces
3-4 sprigs thyme
4-5 whole allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 slices fresh Habanero chili pepper
Method
1. Pat dry the fillets and cut them in half. Season both sides liberally with the Fish seasoning.
2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a wok, and saute the garlic, shallot, and tomato until the shallot becomes translucent. Remove the shallot, garlic and tomato pieces from the oil taking care to drain well as the oil/butter mixture will be used to lightly brown the fish fillets.
3. Place the sauteed shallot, garlic and tomato in a small food chopper and blend to form a puree.
4. Heat up the oil/butter mixture again. Add the thyme, allspice berries and 2 slices of fresh Habanero chili pepper and saute for about 1 minute. Add the fish, and fry the seasoned, dry fish fillets in the hot oil/butter for about 2-3 minutes. Pour the garlic, tomato, and shallot puree on top of the fish, coating well while the fillets are still firm. Cover and simmer for between 5-8 minutes. Add the vinegar and shake the pan to mix. Serve with rice, salad or stir fry vegetables of your choice.

Easy Spicy Scrambled Eggs

This is a quick, easy and spicy breakfast that goes beyond the usual bacon and eggs or just plain scrambled eggs. It combine the spiciness of the red jalapeno chili and the nutritional goodness of kale. If you think that a red jalapeno may be too spicy then half of a red bell pepper my be used instead. It's a good way to start your day!
Ingredients

1 pork sausage patty or 2 ozs ground pork or beef

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 red Jalapeno chili pepper, seeds removed and cut into pieces (if you are not into this level of heat, use 1/2 of a red bell pepper instead.

4 leaves Kale, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon any all purpose seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spice mixture (Baharat) or Garam Masala

1 tablespoon white cooking wine
Method

1. Sauté the meat of your choice in the olive oil until brown. Add the garlic, spices and shallot and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the chopped kale, sliced jalapeno (or bell pepper), and cooking wine. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes then mix in the egg as if to scramble. Eat with the bread of your choice.  

A Basic Shrimp and Fettucine Recipe

This is a basic, quick recipe that can be made with either shrimp, chicken strips or cubes, or a combination of both. I elected to use shrimps only as despite the high cholesterol this may have, the dish is not something I often make. There are only a few quantities given as this is a very flexible recipe that can be altered to suit individual tastes. After making it a couple of times, you will get accustomed to exactly how much of each ingredient works for you. The idea behind this recipe is to ensure that there is some of the oil and butter sauce in the frying pan that will coat the Fettucine when it is added at the end.
Ingredients
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined.(Frozen may also be used if thawed appropriately)
Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and black pepper to taste (you can always add more after the dish is cooked). In fact, the pepper is best added at that point just before eating
Paprika, or Lemon Pepper or Cayenne Pepper (Depending on which taste you prefer)
1-2 squirts of Sriracha (If you like things spicy)
1-2 shallots, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
Small, very ripe Roma tomato, finely chopped
Few Broccoli Florets, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons Olive oil plus 1 tablespoon butter to saute
1/2 cup cooking wine, white
Juice of one lemon
1 serving of Fettucine, boiled and drained
Directions
1. Season the shrimp (or chicken) with the spices. .
2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Quickly saute the chopped shallot and garlic.
3. Once the shallot becomes transparent, add the broccoli, tomato and seasoned shrimp. Continue sauteing until the shrimp become opaque then add the cooking wine.
4. Continue the saute process over high heat until the volume of liquid in the pan is reduced by half. Add the cooked Fettucine and mix so that the pasta is coated with the oil/butter/wine sauce. Plate and squeeze the lemon juice over it.Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired. 

Lebanese Spiced Beef with Egg

This is a very traditional Middle Eastern dish with as many variations as you can imagine. Each country uses its own spice mix to give it a unique identity. This is the Lebanese-Jamaican version of the dish that my mother used to make for breakfast.

For the Lebanese spice mix, Baharat, there is no fixed recipe. The constant ingredients are Cinnamon and Allspice. Other spices vary as each family makes it according to their taste. One of my cousins, Jamie,  makes the best Baharat I've ever used! It is also readily available in most Lebanese stores already mixed. Clearly, making your own mixture to suit your taste is best. The dish goes well with sliced cucumber, pickles, Pita or Naan bread.
Ingredients

6 ozs of ground beef

3 large cloves garlic

1 shallot

1/2 small Habanero Chili pepper

1 small Plum Tomato, finely diced

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 tsps Baharat or Lebanese Spice Mix (Garam Masala may be substituted but then one ends up with the Indian version of this dish. This dish, and it's many spice variations is common throughout the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent)

2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 eggs
Directions

1. Finely chop the shallot, garlic and Habanero pepper

2. Heat oil in a frying pan and brown meat until no pink remains and the beef is well browned and dry. Add the finely chopped shallot, garlic, habanero pepper, salt, Baharat or Garam Masala. Saute until it smells fragrant then add the chopped tomato.

3. Saute this mixture for a minute or two then break 1-2 eggs over the mixture and continue cooking as if you were cooking scrambled eggs. Plate when egg is cooked. Eat with Pita or Naan bread.

Jerk Pork Rib Ends in Tamarind Chutney Sauce

This dish combines the fiery hot flavor of Jamaican Jerk with a sweet, tangy Tamarind Chutney Sauce from India. They are two of my favorite flavors. The Tamarind Sauce does a good job of "taming" some of the Jerk "fire".
Ingredients

3 lbs pork rib ends or oriental style ribs

2 tablespoons Grace Caribbean All Purpose Seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 rounded tablespoon Indian Garam Masala

2 teaspoons Grace Hot Jerk Seasoning

1 teaspoon Colombian Panela sugar (Brown sugar may be substituted)

1 tablespoon Jamaican Pickapeppa Sauce

1 tablespoon Worcester Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sriracha Chili Sauce

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 bottle National Tangy Tamarind Chutney Sauce

Directions 

1. Cut the rib strips into 2-3inch segments and place in a bowl or Ziploc plastic bag. Add all the seasonings, and oil listed except the Tamarind Chutney Sauce. Marinate in refrigerator overnight.

2. Set oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place ribs in a baking dish, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until meat is nicely browned.

3. Remove dish from oven and pour bottle of tamarind chutney sauce over the ribs. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Remove foil and serve.