My Aunty's Asian Banquet

Whenever we have a family meal at my Nan and Aunty's place, my Aunty usually whips up an extremely delicious and tasty Asian dinner, which I always look forward to. She has always been interested in cooking Asian dishes, so I guess I may have inherited my interest from her, and she inspires me because she's always aiming to get her dishes as authentic as she can. (The meal was also served with steamed rice, which isn't pictured).

 Beef Rendang - slow-cooked for a night and day. It delivered the perfect amount of spice (for four of us anyway!)

 Fried Rice

 Malaysian Vegetable Lemak

Honey Chicken - this is one of my favourites, as I think that my Aunty adds lemon juice as well, creating a vibrant, tangy sauce.

Oodles of Noodles

I used the same Beef Teriyaki Noodle recipe as one of my last posts, except this time I added sambal oelek. The dish needed that extra kick!

Beef Teriyaki Noodles

Yummy!!

Marinating beef strips.

Pak Choy.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

       Serves 2.

• 250g beef, trimmed and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup teriyaki marinade/sauce, plus 1/2 cup extra for stir-frying 
• 440g fresh hokkien noodles
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 bunch pak choy, leaves and stems separated, roughly chopped

1. Place beef in a shallow glass or ceramic dish. Add garlic and the 1/4 cup of teriyaki marinade/sauce. Stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   
2. Place noodles in a large, heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 2 minutes. Drain. Separate noodles.
   
3. Heat a wok over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil. Swirl to coat. Add the beef. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until sealed. Transfer to a plate.
   
4. Add larger stems of pak choy and remaining oil to wok. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until just tender. Return beef and juices to wok. Add noodles, pak choy leaves and remaining teriyaki marinade. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve.

• For an extra heat kick you could add 1 red chilli.

Cream of Celery Soup

I've never tried, or even cooked, Cream of Celery Soup. Considering I'm going through a 'left-overs' phase at the moment, I thought I'd give the recipe a go. My fridge was full of unused celery.

Belief it or not, this tasted absolutely beautiful, and perfectly seasoned. Would be in my Top Five Fav Soups for sure, along with Vietnamese Beef Pho and Chinese Chicken & Corn Soup .

After 5 minutes of gentle cooking.

After adding stock, cream, milk and bay leaves.

Blended and ready to freeze.

Cream of Celery Soup

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1/2 celery head, chopped

2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 onions, chopped

700 ml vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

350 ml low-fat milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Creamy tomato and tofu soup
• Cream of Leek and Potato Soup
• Irish Leek and Potato Soup
• Creamy pumpkin and thyme soup
• Autumn root vegetable soup

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1.		Melt oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the celery, potatoes and onion and cook gently for 5 minutes.
2.		Pour the stock and milk  into the pan, add the bay leaves. Season. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves.
3.		Cool slightly. Using a ladle, lift the vegetables into a blender with some of the cooking liquid. Whizz to a purée, and do this in two batches.
4.		Ladle into warm bowls and grind a little more pepper over the top. Scatter with some crumbled blue cheese, if you like.
5.		Alternatively, freeze after cooling.