Crock-Pot Curried Beef Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef round steak or lean stewing beef -- cut in 1 1/2″ chunks
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic -- minced
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 apples -- peel, core, slice
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 14 oz can beef broth
• 2 apples, unpeeled, core -- finely chopped
• cooked rice

Directions

1. Wipe beef well. Mix flour and curry powder. Coat meat cubes with flour mixture. Place meat in Crock-Pot. Add garlic, raisins, sliced apples, onion, salt and pepper. Pour in broth and stir to blend. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours; until meat is tender.
2. Before serving, stir in additional curry powder to taste (up to 1 tablespoon) and chopped apples. Serve over hot fluffy rice.
3. Variation: 3 pounds cubed lean lamb may be substituted for the beef.

Restaurant Review: Spring Roll Restaurant

Jordon and I had lunch at Spring Roll Restaurant today which is located on 33rd Street in Mayfair.  I ordered the #1 Special which was Pork Rolls on Noodles for $5.95 and Jordon was recommended the #55, the Chef’s Special which had almost everything on noodles.

The restaurant was packed and after a brief wait, we were seated.  Our order was taken quickly and in almost no time the meal was brought out, piping hot and perfectly cooked.  Because the service was fast, we were out of there in no time while at the same time, the meal did no seem rushed.  We both had time to savour and enjoy our meals instead of watching the time and wondering if the meal was going to come out on time.

It was only one meal but it was more than enough to encourage us to come back and try it again.  It has a large and expansive menu and has a wide variety of meals that I want to try in the future with the mussels in oyster sauce topping the list.

Highly Recommended.

Spring Roll Restaurant
(306) 933-2889
516 33rd St W
Saskatoon, SK S7L0V8

Chinese Pepper Steak Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound flank steak -- diagonally sliced

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 cloves garlic -- chopped
• 2 teaspoons ginger root -- peeled, grated
• 2 scallions -- chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 green peppers -- sliced

Directions

1. Marinate steak for 15 minutes or more. Add oil to hot wok.
2. Swirl and stir fry garlic, ginger and scallions for 30 seconds. With slotted spoon, reserving the marinade, add half the steak and stir fry for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Repeat with remaining steak. Add oil and stir fry onion and green peppers for 2 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of wok. Add marinade to center of wok and stir until thickened and bubbly. Blend in vegetables, add steak and heat thoroughly.

Chinese Pork & Vegetable Hot Pot Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups baby carrots
• 2 medium white turnips, (8 ounces total), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges
• 2 1/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, (picnic or Boston-butt), trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons medium or dry sherry, (see Ingredient Note)
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2-4 teaspoons Chinese chile-garlic sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 star anise pod, or 1 teaspoon aniseed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, (see Ingredient Note) for garnish

Directions

1. Place carrots and turnips in the bottom and up the sides of a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Top with pork and scallion whites. Bring broth, water, soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, ginger, vinegar, chile-garlic sauce to taste and garlic to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over the pork and vegetables. Nestle star anise pod (or aniseed) and cinnamon stick into the stew. Cover and cook until the pork and vegetables are tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours on high or 5 1/2 to 6 hours on low.
2. Discard the star anise pod and cinnamon stick. Skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture, cover and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with scallion greens and sesame seeds.

Sesame seeds can be purchased already toasted. If you can't find them, toast your own in a small dry skillet over low heat, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Chicken Chow Mein Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 cloves garlic -- minced
• 2 small chicken breasts, boneless -- cuts
• 8 mushrooms -- sliced
• 2 stalks celery -- cut into strips
• 1/4 cup bamboo shoots -- sliced

Seasoning Sauce:

• 1 chicken bouillon cube -- dissolve 1
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 5 ounces chow mein noodles

Directions

1. Warm chow mein noodles in 325 degrees oven for 5 minutes.
2. Combine sauce ingredients and set aside. Add oil to hot wok. Swirl, add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken. Stir fry for 3 minutes or until chicken turns opaque. Remove and set side. Add vegetables and stir fry over medium heat for 2 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of wok. Restir sauce mixture and add to center of wok, stirring until thick and bubbly. Add chicken and heat.
3. Serve with chow mein noodles.

Lo Mein with Shrimp Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 ounces thin egg noodles
• 2 teaspoons Sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt White Pepper
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable -- or peanut oil
• 1 teaspoon Fresh ginger -- minced
• 1 Clove garlic -- minced
• 8 ounces Med shrimp
• 1 tablespoon Dry sherry
• 1/2 cup Chinese chives
• 2 Green onions
• 8 ounces Fresh bean sprouts

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to pkg directions until tender but still firm; 2-3 minutes.
2. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again.
3. Toss noodles withs sesame oil until well coated. Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper in small bowl.
4. Heat vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds.
5. Add shrimp; stir-fry until pink, about 1 minutes. Add sherry and chives; stir-fry until chives begin to wilt, about 15 seconds. Add 1/2 of the bean sprouts; stir-fry 15 seconds. Add remaining bean sprouts, stir-fry 15 seconds more. Add oyster sauce mixture and noodles. Cook and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes

4 servings

Beef with Asparagus Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon Ginger -- minced
• 1/2 pound Beef, lean -- strips
• 2 tablespoon Wine -- Shaoxing or dry sher
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch
• 3 tablespoon Soy sauce -- dark
• 3 tablespoon Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Oil -- sesame
• 1 pound Asparagus -- cut into 2″ piece

Directions

1. In medium bowl, combine ginger, wine, soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss beef strips in mixture and marinate 30 minutes to several hours. Drain beef and reserve marinade. Combine marinade with enough water to make 1/3 cup.
2. Dissolve cornstarch in this mixture. Heat wok on high heat and add 1 tbls. oil. Add beef to pan; stir-fry until meat loses raw color, about 1 minute.  Remove meat from pan. Add rest of oil to wok. Add asparagus and stir-fry on medium heat until heated through. Return beef to pan; add reserved marinade. Increase heat to high and cook until sauce thickens.
3. Serve immediately.

VARIATIONS: When asparagus is not in season, sliced Chinese or Western-style broccoli can be used in its place. For a richer sauce, reduce soy sauce in marinade to 1 tbls. dark soy; add 2 tbls oyster sauce to pan during last step.