Honey & Soy Roast Pork

Decided last night to give this recipe a shot, wasn't too hard from what I read. Anyway, it is indeed an easy recipe to prepare and to cook. And most importantly, very yummy!!!!

Ingredients:-

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 large pork fillets (750g)

- 2 carrots, sliced

- 1 tbsp of ground mustard

- 2 tbsps honey

1. Preheat oven to very hot.

2. Cut each pork fillet in half. Place pork and carrots in an oiled baking dish. Pour over combined mustard, honey and soy sauce, toss to coat pork and carrots in honey mixture.

3. Bake pork and carrots, uncovered, in very hot oven for about 25 mins or until cooked through.

4. You may serve with salad or steam vegetables.

I'm not very good at taking pictures of my cooking but nevertheless, do give this simple recipe a shot and do drop me a line if it turns out well....

Lasagna

I have always love lasagna and never had the guts to try it but thought of giving it a shot and had bought the lasagna sheets for the longest time and I thought; before it expires, I better do something about it and here it goes.............

Well, for the meat sauce, I'll leave it to you. Any time of tomato meat sauce that suits your taste buds would be fine. Cook a relatively big portion as you will need to spread layers of it. The following ingredients are of how to make the bechamel sauce and what is needed to make the lasagna besides the meat sauce.

Here's my pot of meat sauce.

Ingredients:-

Bechamel sauce

- 5 tbsps unsalted of butter

- 1/4 cup flour

- 3 cups milk

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

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Lasagna

- About 300-500g of lasagna pieces

- 1 cup of Parmesan cheese

- Oil for brushing

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To make the Bechamel Sauce:-

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, add the flour, and whisk until smooth.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture turns golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until it is just about to boil.

4. Add the milk to the butter mixture, 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until the sauce is very smooth. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds longer.

5. Remove from the heat and season with salt and nutmeg.

Here's the making of the Bechamel Sauce....



Now, for the final making of a lasagna......

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with melted butter or oil, and layer in the following order from the bottom: meat sauce, pasta, béchamel, and grated cheese (saving about 1 cup béchamel for last topping), making 3 to 4 layers of pasta, finishing with meat sauce, béchamel, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan Cheese sprinkled over the top.

2. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes with a tin foil over it

3. Bake another 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven type until the top is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling.

4. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 20 minutes, slice, and serve.

**NOTE**

Do remember to watch closely the last 10-15 minutes of the baking to ensure the top doesn't burn especially when you use a fan forced oven which cooks much faster.

And here's my lasagna..........it was a bit salty, you'll need to go a little light on the cheese....

Enjoy!!!!!!

Stir-Fried Beef with Szechuan Hot Bean Paste

Another recipe which has been shelved for a while because I always forget to buy the Hot Bean Paste for this recipe. A nice and simple recipe.



Ingredients: -
- 250g beef fillet
- 70g onions
- 100g celery
- 2 red chillies
- 1 stalk spring onion (not a necessity)
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Marinade: -
- 1/4 salt
- 2 tsps corn flour
- 2 tbsps water
- 1 tbsp Szechuan hot bean paste
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
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1. Rinse beef, drain and cut into thin slices. Add in the Marinade, mix and marinate for about 15 mins. Meanwhile, peel onions and cut into slices. Cut celery into slices. Remove seeds of red chillies and cut into slices. Cut spring onion into 3cm sections.
2. Heat 2 tbsps of oil, then add onions and red chillies and fry for about 2 mins or so.
3. Add beef and celery and stir fry until the beef is cooked through.
4. Garnish with spring onion and serve.
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Like I said, it is a very simple dish especially for those of you who are busy. Even to marinate only takes 15 minutes compared to some dishes which can take at least half an hour to about an hour or longer.
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