Braised Fish in Bean Sauce/紅燒豆辦魚

This fish dish is one of the classic fish dish in Szechuan Cuisine.  You can order this dish at a lot of Chinese (Szechuan) restaurants.  Unlike my other fish dish - Steamed Tilapia with Ginger and Green Onion, this dish requires two cooking techniques.  Frying and braising.  You will be rewarded for your hard working at end and your family or your guests will be amazed, I guarantee.  It's so flavourful and so good!

I used tilapia for this dish.  However you can use any type of white fish, fresh water fish is best for this dish.  The fresher the fish is the better it tastes.

Ingredients:

• One Whole Fish
• 2 tbsp Tomato Sauce (Or Salsa)
• 1 Cup ground beef
• 4 tbsp Bean Paste
• 2 tbsp Ground Garlic
• 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Red Bell Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Green Onion
• 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
• Soy Sauce by Taste
• 1 tbsp White Pepper Powder
• 1 tbsp Corn Starch Powder
• 1 tbsp Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Cooking Wine

Directions:

1. Clean the fish nicely, make sure there is no blood inside out.  
2. Use a paper towel, pat dry the fish.  Cut three lines on each side of the fish'd body.  Sprinkle the white pepper powder on both sides of the fish and inside of the fish.  Rub 1 tbsp of bean paste on both sides of the fish and inside of the fish.
3. Take a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of garlic bean paste and 1 tbsp of spicy bean paste.  Mix well (If you don't like spicy, just use 3 tbsp of garlic bean paste instead).
4. Take another bowl, mix 1 tbsp of corm starch and 2 tbsp water.
5. Take a large frying pan, heat up 2 tbsp of sesame oil in medium high.  Fry the fish for about 5 - 6 minutes on each side.
6. Now take a large wok or sauce pan, heat up 2 tbsp cooking oil in medium high.  When the oil is heat up, add the bean paste.  Stir the bean paste, and then add the ground beef.  Stir and mix the beef with the bean paste.  About 2 minutes, add the chopped red bell pepper, ground garlic and ground ginger.  Stir and mix well.  About 2 minute, add one liter water.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  When the water in boiled, add the fish in the wok.  Then add 1 tbsp cooking wine, mix and make sure the fish is covered with the sauce nicely.  Cover, and then simmer for about 6 minutes.  You can add a little bit soy sauce by taste, and then all the finely chopped green onion, 1 tbsp of vinegar and 2 tbsp of tomato sauce.  Mix well and then add the corn starch water.  Boil everything for a minute, and then transfer to a serving plate.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Ground Beef and Mushrooms/洋菇牛肉意大利麵

Another day I went to a Japanese spaghetti restaurant, seating by the bar and watching how they cook.  They actually use soy sauce, fish egg and scrambled eggs to make the pasta sauce, it tasted so good!  I'm going to try that sometime soon.

This is another amazing pasta dish that I discovered recently.  I like how the ground beef combining with sliced mushrooms that bring out the nice flavour of the pasta.  I kind of used the Chinese cooking technique to make this dish and it turned out great!  No butter just olive oil, finely chopped green onion and ground garlic.  I feel that making fusion pasta is like making fried noodles sometimes, except you use spaghetti either than Chinese noodles.

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti (100 Grams)
• Pasta Sauce (2 tbsp)
• Olive Oil (1 tsp)
• Salt (10 Grams)
• Water (1 Litre)
• Ground Beef (10 Grams)
• 4 White Mushrooms (Sliced)
• Ground Garlic (1 tbsp)
• Half Red Bell Pepper (Diced)

Directions:

1. Bring abundant water to boil in a large pot and add salt (as a general rule 1 litre of water and 10 grams of salt can be used to cook 100 grams of pasta).  When water is boiling add pasta to water.  Stir a couple of times to avoid pasta sticking to the pot or to each other. Cook pasta for 8 minutes and then drain.  Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pasta and then mix evenly.
2. Take a large sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Then add ground garlic, red bell pepper and sliced mushrooms.  Stir fry everything for about 1 minute, add ground beef.  Keep stirring everything for about 3 minute, until the beef is almost eady.  Add the pasta sauce.  Stir everything and then add pasta.  Mix everything evenly, and then transfer the everything to a serving plate.  Granish with finely chopped green onion and enjoy!

Prawn and Beef Pasta/鲜虾牛肉意大利面

Hello my dear friends,

After a two-year break, I'm back again!  Now I'm a mother of two beautiful little girls!  My second daughter was born last January, her name is Aveline.  Although I'm very busy with my two young kids at home I still very much enjoy cooking and creating new recipes.  I recently partnered with Pastas Gallo, a pasta company based in Spain.   Basically I make pasta cooking videos in Mandarin speaking.   However all my videos have English subtitle and I will post the recipe on my blog as well.   I'm also making more new Chinese recipe videos in English as well, so stay tuned, more recipes to come!

This Prawn and Beef Pasta recipe is inspired by a Chinese fried noodle recipe.  The whole cooking time is about 20 minutes, it's very easy to make and absolutely delicious!  I personally don't like very creamy rich pastas, so this recipe is perfect for people like me who like lighter taste.

Ingredients:

• Pasta (150g)
• Tomato asta sauce (2 tablespoon)
• Olive oil (2 tablespoon)
• Ground Garlic (1 tablespoon)
• Chopped onion (1 tablespoon)
• Chopped red bell pepper (1 tablespoon)
• Finely chopped green onion (1 tablespoon)
• 6 cooked prawns
• Ground meat (beef) (50g)
• Parsley by taste
• Salt by taste

Directions:

1. Bring abundant water to boil in a large pot and add salt (as a general rule 1 litre of water and 10 grams of salt can be used to cook 100 grams of pasta).  When water is boiling add pasta to water.  Stir a couple of times to avoid pasta sticking to the pot or to each other. Cook pasta for 8 minutes and then drain.  Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pasta and then mix evenly.
2. Take a large sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Then add ground garlic, chopped onion, red bell pepper and green onion.  Stir fry everything for about 2 minutes, until the onion is tender, add ground beef.  Keep stirring everything for about 4 minute, add the pasta sauce.  Stir everything for about a minute, add prawns.  Stirring everything for about 1 - 2 minutes, until all the beef cooked, add pasta.  Stir everything quickly, make sure the pasta in covered with all the sauce and ingredients.  Transfer the pasta to a serving plate.  Now enjoy!