PORK TONKATSU

Fried meat used to be less favored on our dining table. Most often it is left untouched because the kids dislike crunch and too much chewing. They preferred noodles for easy swallow, less effort to their jaws and teeth. But as they grew older and enjoyed watching food channels, the importance of food explorations become a reality.  My picky eaters slowly become food adventurers. Dish requests came pouring in and sometimes there's a need to negotiate for lack of ingredients. Too bad the market across our place made it impossible for me to compromise.😉

Pampering the kids to ease tiredness is their favorite--

Tonkatsu
Ingredients:
4 pork cutlets
1/2 c cornstarch or all-prupose flour whichever is available
1 large egg
Panko or Japanese bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
Shredded lettuce (you can use cabbage but we prefer lettuce)-- for side
Oil for deep frying

Tonkatsu sauce of equal measurement, just mix and ready to use:
Tomato Ketchup 
Oyster Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce (Silver Swan Brand)
Worcestershire Sauce (Lea Perrin)
or
1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
2 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Oyster sauce


Method:
Wash cutlets then pat to dry.
Using a meat mallet, pound the cutlets.

Sprinkle salt and pepper.
Arrange the flour, egg and panko in order.
On a deep wok/pot, heat the oil, and when ready--
Dredge one cutlet on the flour, then egg and lastly on panko. Making sure the cutlet is properly covered. 
Then, slowly drop on the hot oil. Cook til color turns light brown.
When done, carefully flip the cutlet to cook the other side.
When cooked, remove from wok/pot.

Slice and serve over rice and shredded lettuce with tonkatsu sauce on the side.

BAKED CRUSTED SALMON

Kids fancied Salmon, thanks to the Japanese Restaurant which catered to their cravings of Salmon Teriyaki if not Ramen. Kids liking Salmon is admirable cause i can't eat fish dishes where i can still taste the fish😀! I'm more of a fried seafood kind of person so any other form is less appealing. Reason why i do admire people who eat sushi, sashimi and ceviché. Although i'm not an all-out fish consumer, Kids and Hubby are my reasons I am still preparing these dishes for them to enjoy while i watch them eat. Thanks to technology, variety of seafood dishes are explored to cater to the palate of seafood eater like me.😁

Tonight is powering up with Omega-3 and fibre with Salmon and Broccoli. Easy dinner while enjoying Harry Potter marathon with the kids courtesy of holiday treats. Placing everything in a baking dish, time it and wait.

Baked Crusted Salmon
Ingredients:

About 1 kl slab of Norwegian Salmon (debone)
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1 head minced garlic
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp smokey monterey seasoning

2 pcs of broccoli cut the florets and blanch-- side dish 

Method:
Pre-heat oven at 180℃.
Wash the Salmon, debone and pat dry.
Place Salmon on a baking tray.
Mix all the ingredients to combine.
Press the ingredients mixture against the top side of the Salmon.
Bake Salmon for about 15 minutes or so until the top turns a little brown.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh finely chopped parsley and lemon wedges on the side.
Ready to serve with rice or mashed potato or with your favourite grilled vegetables.
Ours is blanched broccoli.

BRAISED BEEF

On school days especially when schedule is tight and time is racing for dinner, a one bowl meal is perfect for the hungry kids. Giving them variety is always a challenge, either your palate decide, your cravings dictate but most often it's the kids' requests lead the way.

Tonight's dish is served on a steaming Japanese Rice😋

Braised Beef

Ingredients:

EVOO or canola oil will do

About 1/2 kl Chuck tender  - sliced into cubes

and sprinkle with cornstach 

Garlic- minced

Onion- minced

Ginger — grate it from a small cube

Star anise about 3 pcs

Cloves about 3 pcs

Bay leaves

2-3 c water or more depends how tender your beef 

3-4 tbsp LKK Superior Light Soy Sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar 

Ground black pepper

Carrots sliced into cubes

1 tsp cornstarch  dissolve in 1/4 c water

Spring onion to garnish

Method

Sear beef cubes in oil. Remove set aside.

Using the same pan, sauté garlic, ginger and onion. Then return the beef into the pan. Season with a small amt of soy sauce and pepper, stir to combine.

Add water, remaining soy sauce,  star anise, cloves, bay leaves and brown sugar.

Simmer until beef is tender. Add water if the beef is not yet tender and continue cooking.

Reduce sauce to your desired amount then add carrots.  Simmer for 2-3 mins. Then pour dissolved cornstarch and stir. Let it simmer to thicken.

Finish by adjusting the taste to your pref.

When done, serve hot on steam rice. Then garnish with spring onion.

MOLO

Deciding to make soupy dish and should be a one meal dish to save time and less preparations. Suddenly, i thought of dumpling. Kids love dumpling and they are in for soup.

Tonight it's going to be a riceless, light dinner without compromising vegetables. What can be best but---

MOLO

makes 44 pcs wontons

For Wonton: you can do this ahead and freeze.

250 g minced pork

1 tsp LKK Superior Light Sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Dash of garlic powder

Dash of onion powder

1/2 pc minced carrots

white part of spring onions

1 pack wonton wrappers

For the soup:

1 head garlic minced

1 small onions minced

2 tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1/2 julienne carrots

1 pork boullion

dash of black pepper

1 c of water

1 pack baby spinach

*** salt and fish sauce --optional

Toasted garlic and greens of spring onions for garnishing.

Method:

In a bowl, mix all  wonton ingredients.

Scoop about 1/2 tsp and place in a wonton skin and seal.

Place in a tray lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking of the wonton on the tray.

When everything is wrapped, RTU.

In a pot, place EVOO and toast half of the minced garlic. Remove and set aside.

In the same pot and oil, sauté garlic and onions. 

Add 5 cups of water and heat to a rolling boil.

Add bouillon, pepper, carrots. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding fish sauce or salt but this is not necessary as the broth is well seasoned with the pork bouillon.

Slowly Add wontons and simmer til all the wontons float. That means it's cooked.

Serve with toasted Garlic and spring onions.

NASI KUNING

My kids love “Indonesian Yellow Rice”  or Nasi Kuning.  Every time we visit an Indonesian Restaurant, my hubby and I will order the steamed rice while our kids prefer the yellow rice. It’s tasty and fragrant, reasons more appealing to the kids to go with their BBQ meat.

Nasi Kuning is an Indonesian Yellow Rice cooked in coconut milk and turmeric. It's very symbolic cause the yellow color look like a pile of gold which means good fortune, prosperity, wealth and dignity.  This symbolism made it a preferred dish for festivities, housewarming and weddings and a favorite rice for its soft texture, inviting colour, pleasing fragrance and very rich and flavourful taste.

Today is a request for Pork BBQ, so I thought Nasi Kuning is the best pair to go with this, along with our available coconut vinegar (Tuba Vinegar).  Lunch will be served in Indo-fil inspired dish, satisfying cravings for the day!

Nasi Kuning  (Rice Cooker Version)

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 c Basmati rice

200 ml light coconut milk

200 ml water

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 pc bay leaf

1 stalk lemongrass-crushed

1 pc pandan leaf – knotted 

Pich of salt

Method:

Place rice in a rice cooker. Wash rice and drain.  Place all the ingredients and stir.

Cook rice in a rice cooker like cooking a regular rice.  When done, ready to serve.

Make sure to stir and mix the ingredients properly.

To go with your favorite meat dish. For us, serving its with Pork Belly Pinoy BBQ with soya sauce-kalamansi dip, blanched Baby French Beans and Unripe Mango with Bagoong (Shrimp paste).