Recipe: Sauteed Shrimp with Chicharo and Cauliflower Florets

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10-15 mins

My little girl loves cauliflower and broccoli so I always try to come up with simple, easy yet tasty recipes for her. I've had this particular recipe in mind for some time now but every time I buy the ingredients, the hubby would suddenly request for chopsuey or pansit and I'd end up using my primary ingredients for a different recipe. So today, finally, while the my ingredients are still fresh I woke up early and cooked this for Maia's lunch (and my baon as well).

What you will need:

• 150g fresh shrimps (suaje), peeled and deveined (we left a few pieces with the skins on though because the little girl enjoys peeling them herself)
• 2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup chicharo (snow peas)
• 3 tsps oyster sauce
• 2 tsps cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup of water
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional - hard boiled quail eggs

How I did it:

1. Saute onion and garlic till fragrant.
2. Add in the cauliflower florets and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add in the chicharo. Toss for another 2 mins or till chicharo is slightly crisp.
4. Add in the shrimps and toss till slightly pinkish.
5. Add in the oyster sauce. Toss again till veggies and shrimps are coated
6. Add in the cornstarch slurry and wait till sauce thickens.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with hot, steamed rice.

p.s. I added about 20 pcs of hard boiled quail eggs to this recipe because the little girl also loves those. But these are really just optional.

ENJOY!!!

This recipe can feed 3-4 hungry stomachs.

Recipe: Pork Cutlets, Broccoli and Carrots in Oyster Sauce

I had something better planned for our CNY dinner menu (soup, main dish and dessert) but I wasn't up to cooking anything elaborate anymore after the unfortunate events that took place that morning so I decided to just do the pork version of this recipe.

Prep time: 1-2 hours (that includes the marinating time)
Cooking time: 30-45 mins

What I used for this recipe were:

• 1/2 kilo lean pork pigue (better if I used tenderloin or lomo), cut in 1/2 x 1 inch strips
• 2 cups of Broccoli florets
• 1 medium carrot, cut in strips (about the same size as the pork)
• 1 med white onion, sliced in strips 
• 1 cup button mushrooms (we had leftovers of the canned one), cut in half
• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 1/8 cup oil (I used palm oil for this one)

Sauce:

• 1 tsp rice wine
• 3 tbsps oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 muscovado sugar
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water

Marinade (for the pork):

• 6 pcs calamansi (yes I like it sour and citrus-y)
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce

How I did it:

1. Combined the marinade ingredients and added the pork and massaged it for a few minutes to help tenderize it. I put it back in the fridge to marinate for about 2 hours (yes I really wanted the meat to absorb the flavor of the marinade)

2. I blanched the broccoli florets and carrot strips in boiling water for about 2 mins, drained it and set it aside.

3. About an hour before dinner time, I started sauteeing - onion and garlic - in smoking hot oil. I added the pork and stir-fried it till it turned brown-ish. I added the mushrooms and then I pour the marinade over the meat, covered it and let it boil till it was almost dry (this process took about 20mins)

4. Mix all the sauce ingredients and pour over the meat. Let simmer till you get your desired sauce consistency/thickness.

5. Add in the blanched veggies and stir till the veggies are coated with the sauce.

6. Serve with hot, steamed rice. Enjoy!!!!

This recipe was able to feed 6 hungry stomachs. Went a long way didn't it? (I guess it was the sauce who did it)

I was half-expecting it to be a disaster but it turned out to be pretty good.
Now making a mental note to buy a stir-fry wok so I can experiment more on Chinese dishes.