Cheng Clan Recipes

A Thick Rump Steak ~450g - 1 inch thick (I get it cheap from Aldi) Let it get to room temp rest 30-40mins Usually let it breathe a bit first out the vacuum pack Season it, or don't Do coat it in oil

Preheat Fryer Cook @ 205 C (equivalent to 400F) for 9 Minutes Outcome... Pretty good, could have been rarer but wasn't over done, moist.. needed more seasoning (salt)

NOTE if you use mild fajita sachets (sweet and smoky) this won't even be spicy, but you can make it as hot or as not as you like. In any case it's a nice way to eat some healthful beans.

Q: wtf is mushroom powder A: dehydrated mushrooms that are powdered, added for a savory flavour. Only worth buying if you make this or vegetarian stews regularly.

1 dice onion fried until soft in a few tbsp oil. Move onion to side and add tomato paste, a tbsp or 2 and cook until dark red and beginning to adhere to the bottom. Then add sundried tomato paste or red pesto, 2 tbsp. Scrape the fond from the pan while adding A splash of liquid smoke (do you need it? not really) A tbsp white vinegar and a splash of water. Break up and add 1 vegetable oxo 1 (sachet) fajita seasoning mix 2 tbsp mushroom powder and half teaspoon of Marmite (also don't need it but nice to have) add water from a big corn can to loosen the dry ingredients, add more plain water until consistency you want. The fajita sachet will thicken as it cooks. 500g mixed beans cooked weight. which is 2 regular cans around these parts. whatever beans you want really.

Heat up all the beans in the pot of stuff and make sure everything is mixed n cooked n a good consistency before you add the big can  of corn. you don't want to overcook the corn bc it's cooked already. also it cools the chili down enough for you to add the NUTRITIONAL YEAST (3 tbsps but measure with your heart) which is best added to not scalding hot food. Taste. Season. this is burger king you have it your way. Some seasoning suggestions at the end include salt, black and white pepper, chili powder if you want it spicy, paprika, cinnamon, and Chipotle chili flakes (might want to toast these in a hot dry pan first for 1 min)

this recipe assumes you know how to stir fry and you own a wok and know how to add things to your taste  Sauce - 1 tsp corn starch 2.5 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp Mirin 1 tbsp black vinegar 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 5 tbsps water or mushroom water  Stuff - 

 1 onion small chop some garlic? and some ginger (small crushed) dried chinese mushroom, rehydrated, rubbed under clean running water and sliced thin. This is where you get the mushroom water, skim it off the top with your tablespoon measure to avoid the sediment. 1 tsp chipotle chili flakes (or more idk I'm not your dad) 200 to 300g tofu puffs cut into bite size pieces if they are bigg. (fried peanuts or cashews optional. Buy fried peanuts ready-made in Asian shop. Use plain cashews from lidl and toast them as you cook the dish)

Mise en place Heat wok with oil until smoking. swirl around and pour out. heat to medium and add back 2 tbs oil. Stir fry onion for 3 min. Add ginger and garlic fry until fragrant. Add mushroom and fry until fragrant. Then chili flakes. Smell fragrance. Add tofu (and nuts). Fry until it gets kinda dry and all mixed with the stuff. Add the sauce and stir a bunch until it thickens. Taste and season.  You made rice already because obviously so serve and emjoy

Peel, cut

Ratios

Peeled cut potatoes 900g Oil / Lard - 50g

Precook

Boil (or Steam) - 10 minutes

while this is happening - Preheat oven, dish and oil/fat - 200C 

Scrape test with fork - fluffy = good - if not fluffy yet, do it longer

Drain and shake the potatoes in the pan - transfer to hot oil (can retain the potato water for gravy) 

Transfer to hot oil and coat - can season with kosher salt now or later

Roast for 50 - 60 minutes.

Adjust to desired colour/crispness.

INGREDIENTS

The Chana

250g/9oz chana dal, soaked overnight or for at least 2 hours *Can sub in chickpeas here

1 garlic clove

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 cinnamon stick

1 onion, thinly sliced

1–2 tbsp ghee

salt, to taste

 For the tarka

1–2 tbsp ghee

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 long dried red chillies

5–6 curry leaves (fresh if possible)

 METHOD

·         Start with the onions

o   Slice thinly as you can then…

o   fry in the ghee until browned/caramelised.

o   This takes forever, so while this is happening…

·         Cook the chana/lentils/chickpeas

o   Drain the chana dal and put it into a large saucepan with the garlic, red chilli powder, turmeric, cinnamon stick and salt.

o   Pour in 350ml/12fl oz water, or enough to cover the dal and bring it to the boil.

o   Cook for 15–20 minutes, or until soft. You are looking for a firm and not mushy dal. If it is a little watery, using a wooden spoon, crush some lentils around the sides of the pan to thicken the sauce. Season the dal and put it in a serving bowl.

·         For the tarka, melt the ghee in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic until it starts to brown lightly. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and cook until they splutter. Quickly add the dried red chillies and curry leaves and cook for 5 seconds. Immediately pour the tarka over the dal, add the onions.

·         Can eat this immediately or leave it a day or so for the flavours to infuse

 Adapted from:

INGREDIENTS

45 grams butter

300 grams mini marshmallows

180 grams rice krispies

edible glitter or sprinkles (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a low heat.

Add the marshmallows and cook gently until they are completely melted and blended, stirring constantly.

Add the vanilla

Take the pan off the heat and immediately add the cereal, mixing lightly until well coated.

Press the mixture into a greased 32cm x 23cm tin / 13 x 9 inch pan; you may have to put on vinyl CSI gloves and press it down into the corners, as it will be very sticky. Flatten the top and then scatter over the edible glitter or sprinkles, if so inclined.

Let the marshmallow crispy squares cool completely in the tin and then cut them into 24 squares.

Adapted from:

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/marshmallow-crispy-squares

- the only way to roast beef.

The cut: topside, if in doubt ask a butcher in the shop if there is one.

Recommended supermarkets (UK) for good priced good quality beef topside - Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons.

Marbled fat = good.

Watch out for any thick fat layers, these will insulate the roast, affecting the meat behind, may be an idea to trim away any particularly thick fat (thicker than 1-2mm or so)

Max temp oven, which for us is about 240°C

No salt (maybe pepper)

Seal in a large pan or wok first all sides, use a moderate amount of oil and a high heat.

Cook for 10m per kg - if you want it to be rare (you do) - do NOT go over this time. Turn the oven OFF after the timer goes off and don't forget like an idiot, sure medium roast beef might be fine too but this is rare roast beef you're looking to cook (which is exquisite).

Leave in oven (off) for about 2hr.

Salt at end if at all

1 medium onion - diced 1 tbsp neutral oil ~150g -  200g - chicken style pieces  (chicken style soy or quorn etc, there's lots of options) diced to 1cm to 2cm chunks. If we're being extra you may wish to colour them in a hot pan with a little oil prior to using, but this is not necessary.

1 tin / ~ 250g  - mixed cooked beans  (3 bean salad (kidney,  cannelloni, flageolet) works well) drained and rinsed.

1 small tin /  sweetcorn - do not drain.

Fajita seasoning sachet (30g) smokey - off branded / on branded / diy mix of paprika, chilli powder, various types of pepper etc.

1 Oxo vegetable cube

1 maggi seasoning cube or 1/2 tsp marmite

2 tbsp - Sundried tomato paste (can use red pesto)

1 tbsp tomato paste

Seasoning stage -

Nutritional yeast flakes (optional) - 2 generous tbsp

Vinegar to taste - pick one  (balsamic, rice, coconut,  malt)

"Liquid smoke" - to taste (try 1 tsp)

Ingredients 2 tablespoons  light brown sugar 1/2 cup / 120ml water (lukewarm, or for richer flavor substitute scalded milk, also works with almond milk warmed in microwave for 30 sec) 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour - 415g 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 1 cup of butter (melted) - 225g 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract -

1 cup pearl sugar - (180g smashed sugar cubes) -

Directions - Gather the ingredients.

Whisk the brown sugar and yeast with the water and let stand for about 5 minutes, until it is nice and foamy.

Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Gradually add in the yeast mixture until the dough is sort of dampened and shaggy looking.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition.

Whisk the vanilla in the butter and add to the batter gradually. Mix for about 1 minute or until smooth. It will be very sticky and have a thick, but not a stiff texture. Cover and let rise for about one hour.

Right before you are ready to cook the waffles, mix in the pearl sugar. If you add it too early it will dissolve and will not create that crispy coating.

Using two spoons, pull off about 2 tablespoons worth of batter and place onto a preheated waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.

Place on a cookie cooling rack over a sheet pan. Keep warm in a preheated 250 F oven.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce if you're feeling saucy and serve warm.

Here’s a recipe I've made a few times, i’m in the process of making it my own, so far i’ve only really taken out the pickled red ginger, cus i’m not a fan, replacing with fried ginger could be an idea.. I also tend to add shredded carrot, for extra veg

A very quick and easy dish.

GYUDON

Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 20 mins

Gyudon (or Beef Bowl) is like comfort food for Japanese and it's a perfect weeknight meal as you can prepare everything in less than 30 minutes!

INGREDIENTS

1 onion

2 green onions/scallions

¾ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or rib eye) (12 oz or 340 g)

1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)

3 large eggs (beaten, optional)

For the Sauce

2 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp sake

2 Tbsp mirin

1 Tbsp soy sauce

ginger! To Serve

3 cups cooked Japanese short grain rice

INSTRUCTIONS

Slice the onions, cut the green onion into thin slices (save for garnish), and cut the meat into small pieces.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat and cook the onions until tender.

Add the meat and sugar and cook until no longer pink.

Add sake, mirin, and soy sauce.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

If you like to add the egg, slowly and evenly drizzle the beaten egg over the beef. Cook covered until the egg is done. Add the green onion right before removing from the heat.

Place the beef and egg on top of steamed rice, pour the desired amount of cooking sauce, and top with green onion.

adapted from:

-Ingredients list-

FOR  THE PANCAKE

100g plain flour ½ tsp baking powder 1 egg, lightly beaten 100ml [Use less if adding carrot i tried ~ 60 - 80ml] cooled fish stock, vegetable, chicken or dashi stock  (1 sachet of the Shimaya brand dashi stuff regardless of how much water you use)

Optional 1 Grated carrot 

1 baby potato, or just any small-ish potato, peeled and grated ¼ white, pointed or sweetheart Cabbage, shredded 1 spring onion, finely sliced a (large) thumb-sized piece o' ginger, grated 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp mirin 100g of seafood lightly cooked squid, king prawns or octopus (or some of each)vegetable oil, for frying

FOR THE SAUCE (If you don't happen to have some bulldog tonkotsu sauce)

3 tbsp ketchup 1 tbsp brown sauce 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce ½ tbsp soy sauce ½ tsp mirin 1/ tsp honey

TO GARNISH

1 tbsp mayonnaise (having it in a squeeze bottle helps with presentation) dried bonito flakes - check the asian supermarkets for this powdered seaweed or togarashi seasoning sliced spring onion

-Method-

1.       Combine the flour, baking powder (dry), egg and stock (wet). Mix until smooth, whisking out any lumps without overmixing, (I used a silicone spatula for this, no whisking). Add the potato, season with a little salt and white pepper, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hrs.

2.       (Tonkotsu sauce stage) While the mix is resting, combine the ingredients for the sauce, stirring until it’s smooth. Set aside.           Shred the Cabbage (slice it as thin as you can)

3.       Remove the batter from the fridge and add the cabbage, spring onion, ginger, soy, mirin and chosen seafood (Prawns obviously). Stir to thoroughly coat the mix in the batter.

4.       Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Pour the mixture into the pan, keeping it as circular as possible. Fry for 3-5 mins. Use a palette knife to help you flip it over and cook for a further 3-5 mins, using a lid at intervals to trap the heat so it cooks through. Test to see if it’s ready by sticking a chopstick into the middle. If it comes out dry, it’s ready.

5.       Flip onto a board and serve with the sauce and garnishes to taste. Eat straight away, ideally, leftovers can be reheated in a pan or in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes at 180 degrees.

Adapted from:

135g Self raising flour 1 tsp Baking powder 2 tbsp Sugar (28 - 30g) 130 ml Milk (works with soy or oat milk too) (equal to 5 fl.oz or 130gr) 1 Egg - medium works , large probably also works 2 tbsp melted 28 - 29g (salted) butter - the salt comes from here

Or lunch or dinner...   Start with rice, Japanese short grain (sushi) rice or glutinous rice work best.

Cook it. If you have a rice cooker use it, if not, a microwave is probably the next best method, look up a guide on microwaving rice. 

Fish as a main accompaniment: This can be from a tin, e.g. Mackerel or sardines, grilled on the hob in a non stick pan, oil may or may not be necessary depending on your preference/what the fish was preserved in. 

Smoked fish also works nicely with hot rice, particularly; salmon, trout or mackerel, served either cold (maybe drizzled in a bit of soy sauce) or cooked, toss on a skillet or pop in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes depending on what fish you're using. If your rice is really hot, smoked fish will cook a little if you sit it on top. 

 If you happen to have some in you could also cook up some fresh fish too, no limits. 

Side dishes: -

So many things can work, for example you could use leftover veg from last night's dinner.

One of my favs is seasoned roasted pumpkin.

Use one of the tasty kinds (not the ones we make lanterns out of), crown prince squash is cheap, easy to cook, very delicious, and often available in lidl in the autumn/winter months.

Use a sharp knife to cut in half then carefully peel (cut away) the hide  before slicing in to 1 inch slices, or smaller pieces if you prefer. The peeling and cutting is the hardest part, cooking this squash is super easy though, it's hard to go wrong.

Drizzle the slices in your preferred cooking oil, some soy sauce and sprinkle some sesame seeds. Then roast for 25 - 35 minutes at 190C and your reward is a sweet, savory, umami, vegtable dish.

Kabocha (Japanese squash) is another good option. For lack of any better options you could use butternut squash, which is available at most supermarkets most of the time.

In order to make it the complete Japanese breakfast experience, the last piece is miso soup.

Principles 

- Tag things:

example tags: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, sweets, vegan, vegetarian, Chinese, fusion, easy, difficult, special equipment

- Add pics (tag the pics)

Recipes/Guides to add

- Rare roast beef guide - Spring Rolls - Vegan / Bean chilli - Dimsum (Alex)

Go-to-recipes

Ingredients

1 cup (200g) Sugar + 1/4 cup (50g) for rolling

1/2 cup (112g) Butter (Vegan butter if you want it vegan)

1 cup (250g) Almond Butter

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 and 1/2 cups (190g) All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda (aka sodium bicarbonate)

1 tsp Baking Powder (2:1 cream of tartar to sodium bicarbonste)

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)*

Optional - ~90g white chocolate chips/ chopped white chocolate

Method

Add the sugar and  butter to a mixer and beat them together until creamy. Next add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix in.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix in (by hand, don’t use your electric mixer for this part).

Test the cookie dough by trying to roll some into a ball. If it holds together perfectly then you’re good to go. If it crumbles and won’t hold together, then add in 1 Tbsp Soy Milk and test it again. If it still won’t roll into a ball, add another 1 Tbsp Soy Milk and test again. You may not need to add any soy milk to your cookie dough, or you may need up to 3 Tbsp.

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Roll the dough into balls, and then roll them in sugar and place evenly onto a parchment lined baking tray.

Flatten slightly with a fork.

Bake for 15 minutes* until golden on top. They will be soft when they come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.

Footnotes

*You may not need the soy milk at all or you may need a little more, up to 3 Tbsp of soy milk, this will generally depend on the brand of peanut butter (and vegan butter) that you use. Add it only a Tbsp at a time and test to see if you can roll the dough into a ball before adding any more.

**Keep an on your cookies as they bake. Ovens can differ quite a lot and some readers have reported that 15 minutes was too long for their cookies. So just keep an eye on them in the last few minutes.