I want candy 0/5
I watch so many crap films to find those hidden gems and once again I got the chance to watch an almighty crap film. The plot is contrived and so ridiculous and the jokes are not funny or entertaining. Carmen Electra is in this film and looks seriously bored and not at all interested in the other lead character who she is supposed to fall in love with.Read More »Movie review: I want candy
Sex, lies and videotape 2/5
As a study of film I go back and watch old classics now and again to re-evaluate once popular movies to see if my view has changed due to age of film or age of me. Being almost 20 years old, this Soderbergh directed and written film is a cult classic. At the time it was cutting edge. Just the mention of sex in the title was edgy. Tick on the clock and as a society we have become immune to on screen nudity and steamy sex scenes. Back then it didn’t happen very often. A younger Andie MacDowell and a very young James Spader play the leading parts. Read More »Movie Review: Sex, lies and videotape
Garlic is one of the best additions to any dish whether it’s chinese or not. This versatile ingredient can be added at the beginning of cooking in the middle or at the end. It can also be chopped or minced finely or it can be used whole without any chopping whatsoever.Read More »A NOTE ABOUT GARLIC
Marinade 400g of chicken wings in 1 tablespoon of sea salt 3 chopped bird’s eye chillis 1 tablespoon of sesame oil 1 chopped garlic In… Read More »STARTER CHICKEN
Heat up a hot wok with 1 teaspoon of peanut oil.
Add 400g of Aberdeen Angus minced beef and break it up into small bits using a sharp bladed spatula.
Read More »SAN CHOI BAO
Make up the chicken coating by beating together 2 egg whites with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of chilli powder.
Slice up 2 slice chicken breasts and dip each piece into the chicken coating.Read More »SZECHUAN CHICKEN
One thing that a lot of people experience when cooking with a hot wok and hot oil is a fire when using gas. It’s very scary the first time you experience this but if you’re prepared you’ll be fine. Don’t be put off by turning up the heat as it makes the dish. Unlike a deep fat fryer filled with hot oil, the amount of oil in a wok is relatively low and can easily be put out. Read More »A NOTE ABOUT FIRES IN THE KITCHEN
Growing up in a restaurant kitchen – one of the rules of the wok was to use light soy sauce for cooking at the start and to splash some dark soy sauce at to finish the dish before serving to add colour. As I couldn’t read chinese and with the bottles available with no english text – I could tell which was which by doing a simple test. Simply turn the bottle upside down and back up again and the light soy will turn clear very quickly whilst the dark will stick to the glass/plastic. The brand used at the time and still the most popular amongst chinese chefs is the Pearl River Bridge superior soy sauce brand. In any of the recipes I post you can use the Pearl River Bridge light soy sauce during any marinading and cooking processes whilst finishing with the dark soy version at the end of recipes to taste. Dark soy is also the type you will find on tables for the customer to alter the taste. This is because dark soy is less salty and there is less margin to oversalt the flavour. Read More »A NOTE ABOUT SOY SAUCE
One thing that is often overlooked in cooking is the water we use. In some countries the water used in cooking is very important. Read More »A NOTE ABOUT WATER
Pop the following into a saucepan with 1.5 litres of cold water:Read More »TOM YUM SOUP
There are 2 components of satay, the meat on the skewer and the peanut sauce. Both are very simple.Read More »CHICKEN SATAY
Prepare 200g of chicken strips by marinating in:
1 teaspoon of cornflour
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
Read More »KUNG PO CHICKEN
Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil.
Add 2 beaten eggs and scramble in the wok.
Add the following:Read More »MOO SHU PORK
Get a cup of rinsed long grain rice and put in a large pot with 1.5 litres of water.
Boil for 30 minutes with the lid on then add 2 eggs halved then quartered. Read More »1000 YEAR OLD EGG CONGEE
Place the snapper on a plate laced with a teaspoon of peanut oil and pop into a bamboo steamer.Read More »GINGER RED SNAPPER
First off grab 2 portions of dried rice noodles (vermicelli about 200g) and soak in kettle boiled water. Check on it every 20 seconds and shake with some chopsticks to see if has gone soft. When it’s gone soft drain in a strainer and leave while you prepare the mix.Read More »SINGAPORE RICE NOODLES
Pop the following in a saucepan and bring to the boilRead More »CHICKEN & SWEETCORN SOUP
First get a massive stock pot that is large enough to hold your chicken and some spare space left over.Read More »SOY CHICKEN
You need 2 woks.
HO FUN WOK
Heat up 2 tablespoons of peanut oil until really hot.
Put 2 packs of fresh Ho Fun in and separate with a bladed spatula.
Heat for about 30 seconds and then introduce a tablespoon of oyster sauce – this will help separate the noodles from each other and give a shiny textureRead More »BEEF HO FUN
One of the most common complaints about chinese takeaway/restaurants are the amount of grease in the dish that you get. This gives the general public the perception that chinese cooking is really unhealthy. This is all down to the wok. It simply comes down to cost cutting – a cheap commercial grade wok is a robust long lasting bit of bent carbon steel with a wooden handle. They take a battering from the metal ladles used and are pretty thick. There are 2 main types of commercial wok – one for making fried rice which is really thick and very heavy (so it can take a serious beating) and another thinner one for everything else (still a lot thicker than one you would get at home). When they are first purchased they are lined with oil and placed under high heat for up to 5 hours until the oil burns off. The silver wok turns black and is a lot more non stick than it was before. Read More »A NOTE ABOUT WOKS