My Little Cookbook

kimchi Pancake

After the kimchi soft tufo stew, I had some kimchi left. It is too spicy for me to eat kimchi, so I looked up online to see if I can make another food, and I found Kimchi pancake. It is really easy and fast to make. I have a non-stick pan, so it make me even  happier, because I can just toss the pan to flip over the pancake to the other side. The total amount of time for me to cook is within 10 mins. 

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped kimchi

3 tbs of kimchi juice

 2 tbs chopped onion

½ ts salt 

½ ts sugar

 ½ cup flour

¼ cup of water 

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl 

add some oil in a non-stick pan. Pour the kimchi batter in the pan and spread it thinly

Cook each side for 2 mins in medium low heat. You can tell the pancake is ready to flip when it does not stick the pan. 

when both sides are a little burn, it is perfect and ready to serve with your friends and family.

Italian sausage Lasagna

I was organizing my carbinet in the kitchen the other day. I found that I had an opened box of lasagna. I knew I had lasagna in my pantry, but I always have tons of other types of pasta for me to cook and I thought lasagna needed a lot of time to cook, so the opened box of lasagna had been overlooked for awhile. Since I was currently having an vacation, I decided to make it.

Ingredient:

10 Sheets lasagna noodle

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 pack of italian pork sausage

1/2 chopped onion

1 cup sliced mushroom

1 cup parmasan cheese

your favourite flavor of pasta sauce

2 clove garlic

Direction:

Boil a pot of hot water to cook your lasagna noodle. When we cook spaghetti, we do not want to over cook, because we want to have al dente; however, I would not need the lasagna noodle to be al dente, so I would cook it a little bot longer.

While we are cooking the noodle, we can use a medium heat to start cooking the sauce by adding 1 tbs of olive oil and garlic. The reason I use italian sausage is because the sausage has already had different herb and seasoning, so I can use herbs to season. 

When we can smell the garlic, add the chopped onion and cook. When the onion is translucent, put the sliced mushroom, sausage to cook. At this stage, you can add salt and pepper to season them. When the sausage is cooked, if you do not have too much oil, you can put your favourite pasta sauce; if not, strain the oil, so you can have a healthier dish. 

Preheat the oven to 350F. Bring out a oven-safed pan to start layering the lasagna. Some people would spray some oil in the botton of the pan, but I found that this dish had a lot of juice, so I do not think it is nesscessary to spray oil. Instead, I would start layering by putting the noodle in the bottom of the pan. Then meat sauce, and ricotta cheese. Repeat the steps untill you are out of the noodle. To present drying out the noodle, I would put the meat sauce at the top with some parmasan cheese. 

Kimchi Soft Tofu Stew

As I said in my another post, I love to use Pinterest to find recipes, but I found that Pinterest does not have enough Asian food recipes, or I do not consider the recipes are the authentic way to cook them; therefore, I would go to YouTube. Maangchi is one of my favorite youtubers. She is a Korean and she knows how to make Korean food very well. Her videos are always fun to watch, and I love Korean food a lot, so I finally made a Korean stew at home. You can see the pot that I am using is not the one that you see it in the Korean restaurant, but I did not find it change the taste a lot. Also, I have made a less spicy version here.

Ingredient:

8 medium/ 12 small dried anchovies 

5 thin slices of radish 

palm size of dried seaweed

1/2 cup diced pork

1/4 cup onion

1 diced garlic

1 cup chopped kimchi

1 tube of soft tofu

1 egg

Direction:

Make the anchovies broth: Removed the head and the guts of the dried anchovies. Add 4 cups of water in a pot to boil the dry anchovies, radish, and seaweed. Use high heat to cook for first 5 mins, then turn it down to medium low to boil for 25 mins. After 30 mins, use a strainer to get the broth.

Use another pot to start cooking the garlic and onion. When you can smell them, you can then add the pork to cook. You can cook the pork for couple mins before you add the kimchi. Then you can add 1/2 cup of anchovies broth. Cover the pot with a top and let it boils for 10 mins. You can add more anchovies broth when it see it water is getting low. After than, season it with salt and sugar. 

Add the tube of soft tofu, and break it into small chuck. Lastly, don’t forget the egg like I did. Crack a egg on the top of the stew to get it ready to serve with rice.

Seafood Baked Rice with Creamy Sauce

I was doing a grocery shopping couple days ago. I was thinking what would be a good combination to cook with scallop, because I bought a frozen scallop last month. I wandered around the frozen seafood aisle, then I saw shrimp, different types of fish,  mussel, claim, etc. Seeing tones of the seafood options in front of me, they abruptly recalled my memory. I used to order Seafood Baked Rice with Creamy Sauce when I eat out in Hong Kong with my family. I know I have white sauce at home, so I only needed to get a pack of large size of shrimp and bag of SWAI fish fillet. When I went home that night, I took out 3 scallops, which were the only I had, from the freezer to the fridge to defrost. I also took a individual bag of SWAI fish fillet from the package, and 8 shrimps to defrost with the scallops. By doing this, all of the seafood can be ready when I was ready to cook in the next day. Other than that, I cooked the rice the day before and put it in the fridge to make leftover rice. Leftover rice is the best rice to make fried rice. 

So here are the ingredient for Seafood Baked Rice with Creamy Sauce (and the portion is good for 2 people):

 3 medium size scallops

8 large size of shrimps

1 fillet fish

1/2 cup mixed veggie

1 cup uncooked rice

2 beaten eggs

2 cups Parmesan cheese sauce

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 

Salt, white and black Pepper

At the cooking day:

Turn on the oven to 350F.

Peel off the shell of the shrimps and cut them into half. Cut the scallops into quartered, and the fish into a smaller pieces. Add a pinch of salt, white pepper, and black pepper to marinate them.

At the meantime, start cooking the fried rice. Crumble the leftover rice and beat the eggs. Turn on the heat to medium to warm up a large pan. When the pan is hot, add 2-3 tbs oil in the pan and the egg. Before the eggs become solid, put the rice in the pan immediately and keep stirring the fried rice. You can also add salt and pepper to season them. The fried rice would be ready when you see the rice separates from each other, then put the fried rice into a baking pan. 

 Next, use a medium heat to warm up a nonstick pan and add 2 tbs oil when it is hot. Then cook the seafood. When the seafood is almost done, add the white sauce and milk to the seafood, so they can cook together for awhile. Lastly, add some mixed veggie, and put the sauce with the seafood on the top of the fried rice.

Chocolate Brioche Wreaths

Obviously, there are a lot of differences between living in a city and suburb. Even though I have moved away from city for 6 years, it is still difficult for me to live in suburb. When I was living in a city, I went to the bakery to get breakfast everyday. The bread or the cake that I could get in there were always fresh and warm. Or sometimes, I would go to the bakery before they closed in the evening, because they would reduced to price for their customers to buy instead of wasting them in a trash can. However, after I moved into suburb, it became harder for me to go to a bakery in the morning, because they are far away. As a result, I found a recipe online, but I did not follow everything on the recipe. I found there is another recipe which the dough easier, so I combined 2 recipes here. 

Ingredient: For the dough:

300ml milk

1/4 cup butter

1 pack (7g) dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt 

1 beaten egg

For the filling:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp honey

Direction:

For the dough:

Melt the butter in a large pot on a low heat and then add the milk. When the mixture is lukewarm, turn off the heat and add the dried yeast, whisk until everything mixed together.

Meanwhile, you can mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Make a well and pour the wet ingredients in. Use a wooden spoon mix until you have a rough dough. When the dough is no longer sticky, turn out onto a clean floured surface and knead for about 6 minutes.

Dust with a little flour or add more milk if you find the dough is too sticky. Transfer the dough to a floured bowl, covered by cling film and a towel and let it rise for 45 minutes in a warm dark place.

While you are waiting for the dough, you can start making the filling. Cream the butter until pale and creamy. Then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated, then add the honey and mix until incorporated. 

When the dough is ready, divide it into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece of dough at a time, and keep the rest covered  by cling film and a towel. 

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to 40 cm by 20 cm. Spread one quarter of the filling onto the dough, reaching all the way to the edges but leaving 2 cm of dough bare on one of the long sides. Brush the bare part with water. Starting from the other long side, roll up the dough tightly and evenly. Once the dough is rolled up, gently roll the log until it is 50 cm in length, being careful not to squish or deform the dough. Cut each 50 cm log into two 25 cm logs.

Using a large knife, make a cut in the dough log, leaving 3 cm at the top uncut. Place the right half of dough over the left, then repeat until you have a "braid" of dough. Gently brush a bit of water onto the ends of the dough and press them together, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. 

Place a piece of plastic wrap lightly on the surface of the brioche and let it proof in a warmish place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The original recipe said she put it in the bathroom; but I decided to boil a pot of water till bubbling, then put the pot of water in a oven with the brioche I made, then close the oven. I think it is a better idea, since the oven can trap all the stream stay inside the oven. 

After 2 hours, take out the pot of water and the brioche, so I can preheat the oven to 330 F. Brush the brioche with egg wash, being careful not to drag any of the filling onto the brioche when you do, and bake until golden brown, abut 20 to 25 minutes. 

Chinese Sweet Potato with Ginger Dessert Soup

Last couple day, it started to get windy, and chilly when the Sun was down. I could feel the winter is getting closer. Therefore, I would like to recommend a Chinese sweet potato with ginger dessert soup. It is easy and very fast to make. The more important part is the ginger in the dessert can keep you warm.

Ingredient:

1 large Sweet potato 1 TBS chopped ginger 1 piece of slab sugar 4 cups of water

Instructions: Boil the water Peel and cut the sweet potato into some big chucks When the water is boil, add sweet potato, ginger to cook for 25 mins Add slab sugar to cook for 10 more mins Serve it cold or warm

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta with Pesto Sauce

Here is a quick and easy dinner idea I want to share!

Pesto is my favorite dressing. Couple years ago, I went to Montreal, Canada with my friends. we went to a restaurant to have brunch on that day. I accidentally ordered a pasta with pesto sauce. It was my first time to try pesto sauce. When my dish came, I was not sure if I liked it or not because of the color. It was very green, and I had never eaten any food like that. I thought I would not enjoy my plate a lot. Surprisingly, I loved it a lot, so did my friends. 

I believe the first impression of a new food can lead us to decide if we would eat it again. Because my first experience to try pesto sauce was very great, it made me want to try more new recipe which has pesto sauces in it. So here is the recipe..

Ingredient:

1  Broccoli (medium size)

3 pieces Chicken  thighs 

Any kind of pasta ( enough for 2 serving)

3 TBS Pesto Sauces

Salt

Pepper 

2 gloves Garlic

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese 

Direction:

Follow the cooking direction that list on the pasta package to cook pasta 

Use another pot to boil broccoli for 5 mins

Get the chicken thighs ready to cook by putting salt and pepper to season it

Warm up a cooking pan. When you can feel the heat, add 2 TBS of olive oil and garlic. Use medium-low heat to cook until you can smell the garlic, because garlic can get burn easily. It usually take around 1 min

When you can smell the garlic, put the chicken to cook. Turn the heat to medium high and cook until it is well done. 

Add cooked broccoli, pasta, pesto sauce in the same cooking pan with the chicken. Mix well.

Pork Chop Tomato Rice Casserole

This is my favorite Hong Kong dish I would order when I eat out in Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong is an international city, we are combined with different culture. Food is one of the example. Pork chop tomato rice casserole does not look like a Chinese cuisine, because it combines Chinese and western  ingredients.

The ingredients we need:

2 pieces of pork chops (with or without bone)

1/2 sliced onion 

1/2 chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped pineapple

1 large chopped tomato

4 table spoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cup water

2 cups of uncooked rice

3 beaten eggs for fried rice, 1 beaten egg for pork chop

1/2 cup flour

Salt

Black pepper

Sugar

Direction:

First, cook the rice the nigh before, so we can have leftover rice to make the base of the casserole. Heat your pan to high heat, then add 2 tablespoons of oil and the beaten egg. When the egg is getting scrambled, put your overnight rice to stir-fired with it. Keep doing this step until you see the rice can be separated from each other. It might take around 10 mins. Be patient. When it is done, put it in a baking pan which you will put it into the oven at the end.

Use the back of your knife to pound the pork chops, so your pork chops will be tender and soft when you eat. Then use salt and pepper to season it. Add the beaten egg to the pork chops and use flour to coat the both sides of the pork chops.

Heat your pan and put 4 tablespoons of oil when your pan is hot. Then put your pork chops to pan fired them until they are golden brown. It is okay if your pork chops is not well done in this step, because we will bake it at the end. When your pork chop is done, layer is over the rice and get ready for the next step.

If your empty pan has enough oil, you can directly put onion in it. Add tomato, pepper, and pineapple when the onion becomes translucent. Then add tomato paste, and water to let it simmers for 5 mins. When you see the sauce becomes thicker, add sugar, salt, and pepper to season it.  Last but not least, put it the top of the pork chop.

Just kidding, here is the very last step. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spread some Parmesan cheese on the top before you put it in the oven for 15 mins. Let it cool down for 15 mins before it serves.  

Soft Batch Double Chocolate Cookies

Another craving chocolate cookies night..... It was around 10pm while I was watching Netflix. I felt hungry and my tummy wanted to have cookies. However, I am the person do not buy snacks in the grocery stores, so I did not have any cookies unless I made some. Just like the other day, I looked up on Pinterest and searched “cookies”. Pictures always got my attention, so I decided to make Soft Batch Double Chocolate Cookies. 

However, when I looked up the recipe, it said I need to put the cookies dough in the fridge for 2 hours. It was 10pm when I found the recipe. It would be already 12am after chilling for 2 hours if I made it at 10pm. Then I just made the cookie dough that nigh and baked it the next day. The cookies came out really chocolatey. Chocolate fans should make this cookies, and make themselves happy. A cup of tea or coffee on the side would be a nice combination as well.

Summer is here already. It always reminds me of Thailand, because it is a popular country to travel during summer. One of my favorite Thailand cuisine is pineapple fried rice, and I love it to make it during summer because pineapple is in season. Therefore, I want to share my own recipe of pineapple fried rice.

Ingredient: 1 cup uncooked rice 2 eggs 10 chopped raw shrimps 1/2 cup pineapple 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup frozen green peas pinch of salt pinch of pepper pinch of white pepper 1/4 cup chopped carrot (optional, because I personally don’t eat carrot)

Egg and cheese biscuit sandwich is one of my favorite breakfast. It is tasty and able to fill up my stomach. Therefore, I would like to share this Biscuit recipe 

A lot of time, when I find the recipe online, the portion is too big to me. This recipe taught me I could bake part of the dough and freeze the rest of them. This method can not only help me to save the food, but also my time to make another dough next time. I hope this post can also help you.

I am a big fan of hummus. The first time I had it was last summer when I was visiting my aunt’s friend in Minnesota. I fell in love with it abruptly. Not trying to exaggerate, but the last time when I had hummus with my boyfriend, he was shocked. He said he had never seen me to say “OMG! It is so good” for so many times that he could not even count. At the same time, I did not recognize I was saying that all the time. I guess hummus is my top number one favorite food now, so I should learn how to make it by myself.

The Hummus Recipe that I used did not need a lot of ingredients, and it was very fast and easy to make. However, you might need to go to different grocery stories to get the Tahini. Tahini is a sauce that made from sesame seeds. Other than using Tahini in hummus, I would also use it in some Chinese dishes, like cold noodles.

I think hummus is a very good dish for appetizer, snack, or put in a wrap to enjoy:)

I do not usually go out to eat meatball, because I would be wondering what are the ingredients to make the meatballs. How can a simple meatball tastes so delicious, it does not make any sense? What kind of meat did they use? Did they use fresh meat?

In order to answer all these questions, I decided to make some at home. I always thought it was hard and difficult to make meatballs, however, I spent less than 15 mins to mix all the ingredients together, and I spent another 15 mins to cook them. Therefore, it is very easy to make. If you make some extra, you can just keep them in the freezer, and take them out to eat with spaghetti later.

Also, if you are a beginner not sure if the meatball is done or not, I have 2 tips for you: First, you can make smaller meatballs, and the size of all of them are the same. Because small meatballs look more cute, takes less to cook, and they can be easy to get done at the same time when the size are the same. Second, be patient to use a  medium/ low heat to cook them, so they will not get burn before they are done. 

I need to reminds you that we put ground pork and ground beef to make meatballs in this recipe. These two kinds of meats already have some fat, so we will not need to add a lot of oil to cook them. 

Here is the breakfast idea that I mentioned previously: Cinnamon french toast stick

It is fast and easy to make. You also do not need to spend time to sit down to eat. Plus, you can prepare the egg mixture, cut the bread stick, and mix the cinnamon sugar the night before, in order to save every second of your time in the morning. For me, if I prepare everything the night before, I would only need less than 10 mins to pan fired, coat with cinnamon sugar, and pack them to go.

The type of bread that I used is a whole wheat sandwich bread, because the expire date of the whole wheat bread is coming very soon.  Even though the original recipe suggests us to use stale bread, it tastes as tasty as it is supposed to be.

I do not know about you guys. When I need to look for inspiration to cook, Pinterest is always the first place for me to search. Maybe the pictures are more attractive than a long list on Google, so I can take less time to decide. Maybe the recipes on Pinterest are not common to find in any other places and fun to make. Since most of them on Pinterest came from bloggers, it is very different from what Goggle shows us. 

Chinese cuisines does not include cabbage a lot. it is a boring ingredient and cannot make a lot different. Most of the time, it is a side dish and we stir- fry it with some seasoning. Therefore, I looked up on Pinterest, and it gave me some new ideas and I am going to introduce to you all.

One pot cabbage Casserole. 

I put everything that the recipe suggests, but I also added half green pepper which has been sitting in my fridge for a while. It matches the flavor of the dish very well, so you could also try to put it in your casserole too.  I added the green pepper when I put rice, cabbage, tomato, and tomato sauces.  I also believe you could put pork or other kind of meats if you do not eat beef, because this is what I would do if I make this dish to my boyfriend.