Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
600g pork belly, skin on and cut into cubes
6 cloves garlic, pounded or mashed
1/3 cup sugar (or less to taste)
3/4 cup dark soy sauce (or less to taste)
1 1/4 cups water
Directions:
1. Heat a frypan until hot, add the oil, then the pork and fry until brown. Lower the heat. Add the garlic and sugar and fry until the sugar glazes the meat.
2. Add the soy sauce, mixing well. After a few minutes, add enough water to cover the meat and simmer until the meat is tender – about 30 minutes.
3. Serve with steamed or fried rice and …read more

This Saturday’s Signature dish is an easy-to-cook meal that is very much common among Filipinos. This may be because it is likely that the ingredients are conveniently available as they are staple in every Asian kitchen, particularly soy sauce.
Ingredients:
250g beef sirloin, cut in 6 slices
1 tbsp kalamansi or lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbsps oil
1 onion, sliced into rings
Directions:
1. Marinate the beef in kalamansi or lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper.
2. Heat the oil and pan-fry the beef until medium-rare. Transfer to a plate. In the remaining oil, saute the onion until tender. Garnish the beef …read more

For this week’s Signature Saturdays, I’m sharing a popular dish that has one too many versions among the Vietnamese. This version in particular is taken from Andrea Nguyen’s book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen:
Bo Kho (Beef Stewed with Tomato, Star Anise and Lemongrass) 
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless beef chuck, well trimmed and cut into 1½ -inch chunks
1 hefty stalk lemongrass, loose leaves discarded, cut into 3-inch lengths and bruised with the broad side of a cleaver or chef’s knife
3 tbsps fish sauce
1½ tsps Chinese five-spice powder
2½ tbsps peeled and minced fresh ginger
1½ tsps brown sugar
1 bay leaf
3 tbsps canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely …read more

Welcome once again to Trouble-free Thursdays!
In light of the big game coming up, here are some party snack ideas for the Asian food lover:
  
TOKWA’T BABOY  
TERIYAKI CHICKEN WINGS
SQUID IN SWEET HOT CURRY SAUCE 
SAMOSAS 
From my own experience growing up, I can just imagine my dad and his friends enjoying these appetizing pulutan with ice cold beer!
Now, if these are not your thing, why not try these other tasty munchies:
    
TOSTITOS WITH SOUTHWESTERN CAVIAR 
PRETZELS WITH BEER DIP
TORTILLA CHIPS WITH HOT BEAN DIP
EASY MEATBALLS 
TOMATO PIZZA BREAD
BARBECUE WINGS 

Happy cooking!

Here’s another familiar fair at the Chinese food stall — Beef in Black Bean Sauce. Thanks to my Essential Asian Cookbook, I have cooked and tested heaps of scrumptious dishes, I could probably start a fast food stall biz of my own now!
Ingredients:
2 tbsps canned black beans
1 medium onion
1 small red pepper
1 small green pepper
2 tsps cornflour
1/2 cup beef stock
2 tsps soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsps oil
1 tsp finely crushed garlic
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
400g rump or fillet steak, finely sliced
Directions:
1. Rinse the black beans in several changes of water; drain and mash them. Cut the onion into wedges. Halve …read more

Once again, it’s Meat-lovin’ Mondays!
So, do you enjoy eating or cooking with shrimp paste? If you are, then this is the dish to try. Others find bagoong or shrimp paste to be too salty so I suggest you limit your use according to your taste.
Ingredients:
500g pork, cut into cubes
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 onions, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 small pack bagoong
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 pork broth cube
3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup water
Procedure:
1. Fry the pork until golden brown then set it aside. Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes in oil, then add sugar and vinegar.
2. Simmer for 2 minutes then add the …read more

If you’re Filipino, this dish definitely rings a bell. Merely saying “Kare-kare” actually gets me into a homesick mood too. And boy, am I glad my mom’s here in New Zealand to cook us our all-time favorite. I’ve never bothered cooking it since I got here as the oxtail takes a long while to become tender. I just don’t have the patience for it, nor do I own a slow cooker.
So for today’s first run of Meat-lovin’ Mondays, I present to you.. Oxtail and Vegetable Peanut Stew:
Ingredients:
2.2 lb oxtail cut into 1 1/2″ lengths
1 pouch Mama Sita’s Peanut Sauce (Kare-kare) …read more

Read on and find out how this recipe got its name:
Ingredients:
500g fillet steak
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Procedure:
1. Cut the steak into bite-sized cubes. Place it in a bowl with the garlic, oil, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, and mix well to combine. Cover and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Heat a heavy-based wok until very hot; add the beef in 3 batches and toss, by shaking the wok and turning the meat with tongs, until brown and seared on the outside but still …read more

Here’s a flavorful dish which, in my opinion, I find quite uncommon to Japanese cuisine. The last time I had steak the Japanese way was when I dined at a Teppanyaki place. I guess I’ve always known Japanese food for its sushi, Gyoza, miso soup, Yakisoba, Sukiyaki and Tonkatsu.
So, if you’re bored with your trusty salt and pepper, why not perk up your steak with this delectable Japanese recipe:
Ingredients:
2 tbsps white Japanese sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsps Japanese soy sauce*
1 tbsp sake
1 tsp caster sugar
500g scotch fillet, cut into 4 steaks
3 spring onions, to …read more

Here is another new, tasty twist you can cook up using beef.  Thanks once again to my sister for this Thai recipe:
Ingredients:
2 pieces of beef schnitzel, cut into chunks
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 spring onions, cut into 1 inch long
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp chili paste with soya bean oil
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 mushrooms, cut into thin slices
1 carrot, thin slices (1 cup)
Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and onion. Cook fro 2 minutes. Add chili paste. Add beef and stir …read more