Recipe: Real Corned Beef

For me, the best and healthy corned beef is the one made at home. I learned how to cook real corned beef from one of my aunts a few years back. This recipe is easy and simple. All you need is to buy Silverside Beef, a cut of beef from the hindquarter of a cattle just above the leg cut, from the butcher or you can find packed silverside beef in the supermarkets. The packed silverside beef from the supermarkets usually comes with instructions on how to cooke corned beef.

What you need to prepare:
Silverside Beef
1 tbsp Sugar
1 Onion, peeled and sliced
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 cup Vinegar
Cold water to cover the meat
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the gravy: I buy Gravox. 2 tbsps of Gravox, mix it with beef stock from the saucepan (where you boiled your silverside) and a bit of butter. 

What you need to do:
1. Place meat in a deep sauce pan.
2. Add all the ingredients in.
3. Stir and then cover the sauce pan.
4. Slowly bring liquid to boil and reduce heat until liquid is just simmering.
5. Simmer, while covered, until meat is well done. Allow approximately 40 minutes per 500grams.
6. Once cooked turn off heat and keep meat in it liquid (to avoid dryness) until ready to slice. 
7. Serve with gravy or other preferred condiments.

You can easily pair this up with rice, vegetables or salad. This would also make a wonderful and healthy sandwich.

Recipe: Kimchi Rice

I started cooking Kimchi Rice a few months ago and thought not to share the recipe because it can easily be searched in Google anyway. However, I've been getting requests to share how I do it. So last night I looked for my first Kimchi Rice photo and decided to write down my Kimchi Rice Recipe.

What you need to prepare:
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 medium-sized Onion, chopped
1 tsp Garlic, chopped
1 tsp Ginger, chopped
3 tbsp of Kimchi 
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup of Cooked Rice
1/4 cup of Shallots, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste 
1 fried Egg

Tip: You can lessen or add rice and kimchi, depending on your appetite or whether you are serving a number of people.

Optional: You can add meats like bacon, beef or chicken to this dish.

What you to do:
1. Fry egg in sesame oil and then set aside.
2. Using the same oil, saute onion, garlic and ginger.
3. Add kimchi and stir for a few minutes until transparent.
4. Pour soy sauce.
5. Mix in rice until well-combined with kimchi. Throw in a dash of salt and pepper.
6. Stir for about 4-6 minutes and then add the shallots.
7. Serve with fried egg on top.

Below is a photo of the Kimchi Rice I had for dinner last night, shared on instagram.

Enjoy and happy cooking!

Discovered Inspirations: The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto

Here's another wonderful manifesto I found online.  

{Download this manifesto for free}

This an inspiring reminder on how we can cultivate a home of love, compassion, gratitude and positivity.

I'm not a parent yet but reading this manifesto made me realize that there's a parent in all of us because we are all capable of taking care of one another and have compassion towards each other. In so many ways, I have felt parental love from friends and strangers whom I've met by fate. I'm aware too that sometimes when friends come to me, I take the role of a sister or a parent to them. 

Reading this was also an affirmation of how blessed I am to have special people who never ceased to let me feel important to them. A simple greeting via text, email or tweet, a phone call just to say hello and taking the time to have a cup of coffee or a meal are sweet little things that doesn't cost much but feels extravagantly special to my heart. Having family and friends around is God's way of taking care of us.

Happy Monday and may we all have a great week ahead!

CQL Mini Pot (Burwood, NSW)

Plans to dine hot pot style did not push thru during Winter but since we're still having cool (and rainy) days until now, my dream of a hot pot style meal came true three weeks ago.

Got a tip from Suze (thanks Suze!) about a restaurant that serves mini hot pots and it seemed to be the perfect kind of dining experience for the picky eater. CQL Mini Pot is the latest restaurant in Burwood which offers a hot pot buffet for AUD$29.90. Individual hot pots containing the soup base of your choice and your choice of meats/seafood/veggies are placed on a little induction stove on your table is such a cute and delicious idea.

Once seated we were asked to choose our orders from an iPad where we can see the names, photos and prices of their offerings.

Two from our group chose the hot pot buffet while the others ordered a la carte. The moment we were given a tray, we walked to the buffet table and grabbed our choice of meat, seafood and vegetables for our hot pot. Towards the kitchen area is another buffet table of cooked food and rice to partner with your hot pot. A table laden with a variety of food condiments are available to help create more flavour for your food.

I got myself the beef soup for my base. I was tempted to order the chili soup but was told it was really hot. So what I did was mix a few condiments: chili, ginger, garlic and sesame oil and added it to my beef soup as I was going for a Korean stew. Some of the meats I chose included beef, lamb and fish balls.

Such a comforting dish on a cold day. 

Not in the mood for hot pot? They also serve plated dishes. On our first visit, we tried their BBQ Spare Ribs and Seafood Noodle Soup. Both were great-tasting and full of flavour.

A 2-hour time limit is given for the hot pot buffet and it was enough time to catch up with friends over good food.

CQL Mini Pot

117 Burwood Road

Burwood NSW 2134 

Phone: 02 9745 4039