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Category: ♥Jo And Bo Cooks♥

  • #JoandBoCooks – Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl (滷肉飯)

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    Finally, another #JoandBoCooks after so long! We haven’t been able to cook for about 3 weeks ‘cause there was pipe leakage in our kitchen and now the problem has been diagnosed and repaired. Anyway, a few of you have requested the recipe for my Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl (滷肉飯) when I cooked it the other day, so I decided to make this dish today. I would say this dish is the easiest and the most satisfying dish that can be prepared at home.

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    The ingredients you need for this dish are:

    Minced pork – 200 grams (good enough for 2-3 pax)

    Chinese mushrooms – 6 to 8 mushroom

    Shallot – 1 whole

    Five spice powder (五香粉) – a pinch

    Salt – a pinch

    Sugar – 1 TS

    Angel Oyster Sauce – 2 ½ TBS

    Angel Light Soy Sauce – 2 TBS

    Eggs – 2 to 3

    Rice –  1 cup

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    If you’re thinking to cook it tonight make sure you soak the mushroom in a small bowl of water in the morning. It will help to rehydrate the mushroom and we also need the leftover water as stock to braise the pork later too =)

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    First, heat up 1 TS of oil in the pan, then add in cut shallots and mushrooms slices. In the meantime,  also bring a pot of water to boil, and once boiling, turn down the heat, and cook the eggs for roughly 8 mins. I usually put the cooked eggs in cold water to stop the cooking.

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    Once the shallot turns golden, add in minced pork or chicken into the pan and stir fry till it’s cooked!

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    Stir it for a while then add in the Angel soy sauce! I’m using the Light Soy Sauce because we like the great taste and “umami” flavor that can only be brought out by using soy sauce, but we also want to reduce sodium in our diet. Consuming high amounts of sodium is unhealthy and can lead to health complications later on!

    I am using Angel soy sauce and oyster sauce not only because they taste good or are a trusted household name in Malaysia, but because Bidor Kwong Heng is the first sauce manufacturer in Malaysia to use only non-GMO (genetically modified organism) ingredients!

    They were also the first to receive ISO 9001:2000 and HACCP certification way back in 2002 and the company has also received the prestigious BRC certification and full FSSC22000 certification since 2011.

    Angel Soy Sauce are 100% naturally-brewed for 3 to 6 months and are made without added HVP (hydrolysed vegetable protein), thus free of 3 – MCPD, a carcinogenic compound.

    Don’t say I’m aunty but I’ve heard many stories or old wives tales about how some soy sauce and oyster are made using really cheap ingredients, or are made with lots of colouring and preservatives, so I only choose a good trusted sauce like Angel.

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    Then add in Angel Oyster Sauce! Oyster sauce is very commonly used in Chinese cooking but a good oyster sauce really makes a big difference as the taste is rich, but not overly salty or overpowering.

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    Then add in the salt, five spice powder, and sugar!

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    The chef and her very expressive eyebrows LOL. I was frying the shallot for the vege!

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    Once you have added in all the spices, it’s time to pour the leftover mushroom stock into the pan and let it slowly simmer. You need to simmer for 10-15 min! Oh yeah, remember to put in the eggs that you cooked just now too!

    This is really a simplified version of this dish, and not to mention slightly healthier as you can ask your butcher to grind you lean meat to use in this recipe!

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    While waiting for the meat to simmer, you can prepare Taiwanese sausages as a side dish. The best way to cook Taiwanese sausages is to steam them first, and when they are cooked through, pan fry ‘till golden and crispy! This way you can make sure they are crispy on the outside but perfectly cooked on the inside =)

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    For the vege, I boiled one pack of Hong Kong kalian in salted water, then added 1 TBS of Angel Oyster Sauce, and topped with a bit of fried shallot and shallot oil!

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    Our dinner is served, Taiwan Braised Pork Rice with Taiwanese sausages!

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    For more information about the sauces I used in this recipe, go to www.bidorkwongheng.com

    ♥

  • #JoAndBoCooks – Cold Soba and Grilled Salmon

    We eat Japanese food quite often because it’s considered quite healthy and less fattening compared to many other cuisines. The only problem of Japanese cuisine in KL is that it’s pretty costly, if you go to those who are less costly, the serving is either very small or it’s not as fresh. So, I’ve pretty much given up eating  in a Japanese restaurant in KL.

    However, since I have my own kitchen now, I get to prepare my very own Japanese dishes at home and at a fraction of the cost. Most of the ingredients can be easily found in any grocer!

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    The ingredients you need for this dish are :

    Soba- 1/2 packet (we can do 4 servings in 1 pack, but depends on you)

    Soba dipping sauce – 1 cup or bowl per person

    Seaweed – a few sheets sliced thinly

    Green onion – I prefer lots and lots of green union

    Salmon fillet – 1 piece per person

    Salad – 1 packet

    Salad dressing – any low fat, or non mayonaise based dressing (such as ranch or thousand island) is OK

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    This dish is pretty simple and fast! All you need to do is to boil the soba. I prefer the texture to be on the firm side, so once you reached the texture you want, rinse with ice cold water!

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    Lightly season the salmon with a bit of salt and black pepper then pan fry it!

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    Prepare a bit of salad on the side of the fillet to have a balanced meal. No greens is a big NONO. Jo doesn’t really like salmon so he made his own teriyaki style chicken breast.

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    Squeeze and put a slice of lemon on the salmon for some acidity.

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    A bowl of cold soba with a lot of green onion and seaweed!

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    There you go, a easy, simple, healthy and satisfying dinner. You can even make it in the morning and bring it to the office for lunch! Soba is meant to be eaten cold and you can just heat up your salmon in a microwave but don’t overcook it!

    ♥

  • #JoAndBoCooks – Spaghetti Aglio Olio & Grilled Chicken Breast

    As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I started my own show to show everyone how to prepare a simple and quick healthy dish at home. Each episode is only 3-4 min and there is only a total of 6 episodes, so I thought it’s pretty hard for me to show everyone a lot of different dishes or combinations. So I decided to just create a new category in my blog, “JO AND BO COOKS” to share healthy recipes that we prepare at home in the form of blog posts, you’re very welcome =)

    Yesterday we cooked aglio olio & grilled chicken breast at home because we were too lazy to go out for dinner and we have leftover ingredients at home. The thing I like about aglio olio is that it’s the easiest dish ever and the ingredients can be kept at home for a while so you dont have to rush to the supermarket the night before. Just keep them at home and cook it whenever you like!

    Aglio Olio & Grilled Chicken Breast!

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    Ingredients:

    Broccoli, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, dried chili flakes, pasta, chicken breast, Parmesan cheese (not in the picture).

    DSC00050Clean and cut all the vege into even pieces so they cook evenly.

    DSC00068Pat dry and marinate your chicken breast with salt and pepper.

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    Boil the broccoli and to save time, remove the vege and boil the pasta in the same pot of water with a bit of salt.

    I prefer it to be a little under cooked. The secret of cooking the perfect pasta is to keep trying it hahahaha, but just take a bite, not eat a big mouthful!

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    Drain the pasta but remember to reserve a bowl of pasta-cooking water, u will need it to cook the sauce later! It contains starch and it will thicken the sauce later on.

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    Set your pasta and other ingredients aside. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat then add garlic  and cook till golden brown. Add in chili flakes, and slowly pour in the reserved pasta- water, add a bit of salt then let it boil for another 5 min or until the water is reduced by half!

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    Side note- If u’re adding vege like mine into the pasta, put all the vege in now and stir for 1 min.

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    Then turn down the heat then it’s about time to add in the pasta! Stir it a bit and make sure the pasta absorbs the sauce.  Last but not least, add in Parmesan cheese and toss!

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    Now to pan fry the chicken breast, just make sure you put a tea spoon of oil and heat it up. Once the oil is hot, put in the chicken breast and cook for around 2- 3 min each side! Don’t poke or prod the breasts if not you will lose all the juices! You know its done when the surface is hard and then the inner layer is firm. If the surface is hard but the inner layer is still soft/squishy, cook a little longer.

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    There you go, the simple and healthy dinner at home!

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    The trick to be more healthy is to control the portion of pasta, I usually eat more vege than pasta so I can still enjoy it without feeling too stuff with carbs!

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    To make your meal to be even more enjoyable on a hot weather, I drink soda water with a slice of lemon and a lot of ice! This is another healthy option for those who love soda drinks but in a healthier way!

    I hope you enjoy reading this =)

    ♥