Japchae - Korean Sweet Potato Noodles

Ingredients:

200g Korean sweet potato starch noodles

150g beef - cut into thin strips

5 dried shitake mushrooms (soaked until softened) - sliced into thin strips

1 small onion - thinly sliced

1/2 carrot - julienned

1/4 red capsicum - thinly sliced

2 stalks spring onions - sliced

2 stalks celery - sliced

dried wood ear fungus - soaked and thinly sliced (optional)

3 cloves garlic - minced

3 slices ginger - minced

1/2 tbsp sesame seeds - toasted

Marinade - for beef:

1 tbsp light soy sauce

dash of pepper

1 tsp cornflour

2 tsp sesame oil

Seasoning (according to taste) - for noodles:

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp rice wine

1 tbsp sesame oil

dash of pepper

salt

• Marinate beef with marinade and leave aside for at least 30 minutes.
• Cook noodles in a pot of boiling water until soft (about 5 minutes).  Plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process.  Drain.  Toss noodles with a little sesame oil to prevent from sticking together.
• Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat; add beef and stir-fry until just cooked.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Heat oil in the same frying pan and saute onion, minced garlic and ginger.  Add in shitake mushroom and fungus; stir fry for about 3 - 4 minutes. 
• Toss in vegetables and add in noodles together with seasoning. Fry until noodles are cooked through. Then add in the cooked beef. 
• Turn off heat and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over the noodles.
• Transfer to a serving plate.

San Bei Ji 三杯鸡 (3-Cup Chicken)

Ingredients:

450g chicken pieces (deboned)
1 tsp cornflour
dash of pepper
1 small knob ginger, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallots, sliced
1 scallion, sliced
1 cup Thai basil
2 tbsp sesame oil

Seasoning:

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp dark soy sauce
15g rock sugar (or to taste)

• Marinate chicken pieces with cornflour and pepper.
• Heat sesame oil in a frying pan; saute ginger, shallots, scallion and garlic until fragrant.
• Add in chicken pieces and stir fry for about 2 minutes.  Stir in seasoning and bring it to a boil.  
• Simmer until the chicken is cooked.  Add a little water if the gravy dries up.  
• Before dishing up, toss in basil. 

Blueberry Muffins

A recipe taken from  Joyofbaking

(Makes 12)

(A)
1 cup yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon zest

(B)
260g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
100g sugar
1/4 tsp salt

125g blueberries

• Preheat oven at 190 degrees C.  Line muffin pan with paper cups.
• (A)  Whisk everything together in a bowl.
• (B)  Sift everything into a  separate bowl.  Toss blueberries in a tablespoon of flour.  Shake off excess flour and set aside.
• Fold wet ingredients (A) into the dry ingredients (B).  Stir quickly.
• Gently stir in blueberries.
• Fill the muffin cups to 2/3 full.  
• Bake for about 18- 20 minutes.