For me, the best and healthy corned beef is the one made at home. I learned how to cook real corned beef from one of my aunts a few years back. This recipe is easy and simple. All you need is to buy Silverside Beef, a cut of beef from the hindquarter of a cattle just above the leg cut, from the butcher or you can find packed silverside beef in the supermarkets. The packed silverside beef from the supermarkets usually comes with instructions on how to cooke corned beef.

What you need to prepare:
Silverside Beef
1 tbsp Sugar
1 Onion, peeled and sliced
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 cup Vinegar
Cold water to cover the meat
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the gravy: I buy Gravox. 2 tbsps of Gravox, mix it with beef stock from the saucepan (where you boiled your silverside) and a bit of butter. 

What you need to do:
1. Place meat in a deep sauce pan.
2. Add all the ingredients in.
3. Stir and then cover the sauce pan.
4. Slowly bring liquid to boil and reduce heat until liquid is just simmering.
5. Simmer, while covered, until meat is well done. Allow approximately 40 minutes per 500grams.
6. Once cooked turn off heat and keep meat in it liquid (to avoid dryness) until ready to slice. 
7. Serve with gravy or other preferred condiments.

I started cooking Kimchi Rice a few months ago and thought not to share the recipe because it can easily be searched in Google anyway. However, I’ve been getting requests to share how I do it. So last night I looked for my first Kimchi Rice photo and decided to write down my Kimchi Rice Recipe.

What you need to prepare:
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 medium-sized Onion, chopped
1 tsp Garlic, chopped
1 tsp Ginger, chopped
3 tbsp of Kimchi 
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup of Cooked Rice
1/4 cup of Shallots, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste 
1 fried Egg

Tip: You can lessen or add rice and kimchi, depending on your appetite or whether you are serving a number of people.

Optional: You can add meats like bacon, beef or chicken to this dish.

What you to do:
1. Fry egg in sesame oil and then set aside.
2. Using the same oil, saute onion, garlic and ginger.
3. Add kimchi and stir for a few minutes until transparent.
4. Pour soy sauce.
5. Mix in rice until well-combined with kimchi. Throw in a dash of salt and pepper.
6. Stir for about 4-6 minutes and then add the shallots.
7. Serve with fried egg on top.

Below is a photo of the Kimchi Rice I had for dinner last night, shared on instagram.

Enjoy and happy cooking!

The Husband has grown tired of eating Tinola. That’s kind of sad because I love Tinola. I still cook it once in a while because I can’t help but crave for it, however, I had to think of way for the Husband to love Tinola again.

So yesterday, I went to the newly-opened Daiso in Chinatown (will blog about it soon, promise!) and picked up a few Japanese ingredients that will help me combine my Husband’s love for Miso Soup and my love for Tinola. My first experiment at cuisine fusion, I call this my Japanese Tinola recipe.

What you need to prepare:
1 tbsp Canola Oil (or any cooking oil of your choice)
1 tbsp Ginger, chopped
1 medium-sized Onion, chopped
3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1/2 kilo Chicken Wings
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 pack of Bonito soup stock, dissolved in four cups of water
1 tbsp Shiro Miso
2 pcs Sayote (Chayote/Choko), peeled and sliced 
Starch Noodles (no measurement, I only grabbed a handful, enough for the soup I made, add more if you want your soup more “noodly”)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Additional water if you want your dish to have more sou

What you need to do:

1. Saute onion, garlic and ginger in oil.
2. Add the chicken and fish sauce. 
3. Stir then leave for a few minutes to let the chicken’s natural juice to come out.
4. Add the Bonito soup stock and Shiro Miso, stir again until liquid is free of lumps.
5. Cover the pot, bring to boil then let it simmer in medium heat until chicken is cooked (25-30 minutes).
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Add the sliced Sayote and leave for another 10 minutes. 

Tips: 

• Serve in a bowl with fish sauce, soy sauce with lemon/calamansi or chili with lemon and soy sauce. 
• Perfect companion to steam rice.
• You can add/change vegetable ingredients to Green Papaya (Pawpaw) or Malunggay leaves. I sometimes use Chinese Cabbage too. 

Here’s another Korean dish I learned to prepare this week. 

 
What you need to prepare:
2 tbsp Canola Oil (or whatever cooking oil you use at home)
3 cloves Garlic, minced
200 grams Beef Strips
4 cups Beef Broth
4 tbsp Soybean Paste (Doenjang/Korean Soybean Paste)
1 head Napa Cabbage, chopped
100 grams Mushrooms, sliced 
Black Pepper (to taste)
2 spring onions, chopped 

Optional:
Chili Flakes/Green Pepper/Red Pepper: to make the dish spicy
Zucchini (sliced): for added nutrition, flavour and colour
A few drops of Sesame Oil: makes it more tasty and fragrant

What you need to do:
Long way:
1. Saute garlic in oil. 
2. Add the beef strips and stir for 5-7 minutes.
3. When beef strips turn light brown, add the beef broth.
4. Add soybean paste and dissolve it with the broth.
5. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Throw in the cabbage and mushrooms. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.
7. Add pepper to taste.
8. Turn off the stove, serve in a bowl and add the spring onions on top.

Short way:
1. Bring beef broth to boil. 
2. Once broth is very hot, add soybean paste. Stir until paste is dissolved.
3. Add beef strips and leave for 10-15 minutes. 
4. Throw in the cabbage and mushrooms. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.
5. Add pepper to taste.
6. Turn off the stove, serve in a bowl and add the spring onions on top.

 
Tips:

1. You can change your beef ingredient to tofu, chicken or pork.
2. Other options for broth is Anchovy Broth or Vegetable Broth.
3. The beef strips should be thinly sliced so it will cook easily and will be tender. You can ask the butcher to slice them for you or buy packed beef strips from Asian supermarkets.
4. If you don’t have any mushrooms or spring onions at hand, that is fine.

This dish is good for 4-6 people.