ginger

Mongolian Beef

~ momwheresmylunch ~ Leave a comment

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I simply had to share this dish especially as we are coming up to Chinese New Year. This year we are celebrating slow cooker style but this dish can also be cooked traditionally in a wok. My youngest devoured this after initially refusing to taste it but after a little persuasion declared it his new favourite dinner.

500grams striploin / sirloin or round steak

37 grams /¼ cups cornflour (corn starch)

1tablespoon olive oil

I garlic clove minced of shopped finely

1 centimetre fresh ginger finely chopped

177 millilitres /¾ cup soya Sauce

177 millilitres / ¾ cups water

100 grams / ½ cup brown sugar

2 scallions chopped to garnish

2 carrots, ribboned with a potato peeler or your own choice of vegetable e.g. peppers

Method

Cut the steak into thin strips. In a zip lock bag add the steak and cornflour and shake to coat the steak.

Add olive oil, garlic, ginger soya sauce, water brown sugar and your choice of veg to the slow cooker. Stir the sauce ingredients to combine, then add the steak and stir again until coated in sauce.

Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

Alternatively:

Cook this dish in a wok

Fry off ginger and garlic and add the steak coated in cornflour and fry over a high heat until cooked with your choice of vegetable. Add the soya sauce (½ cup) and the brown sugar (¼ cup) and stir fry until sugar is dissolved.

To make this dish gluten free, use a gluten free soya sauce.

Adapted from The Recipe Critic: Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Sticky Gingerbread

~ momwheresmylunch ~ Leave a comment

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This is a wonderful moist cake that never lasts long in my house. It is delicious iced or just sliced and served with butter. It reminds me of a fond friend and colleague André Goddard who used to love this when I brought it into Faculty Meetings.

 

225 grams / 8 ounces self raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 tablespoon ground ginger – this is not a misprint!

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon mixed spice

115 grams / 4 ounces butter

115 grams  / 4 ounces dark muscovado sugar. (I used golden caster sugar and it was fine)

115 grams / 4 ounces black treacle

115 grams / 4 ounces golden syrup

250 millilitres / 9 fluid / 1 cup ounces whole milk

85 grams /3 ounces drained stem ginger finely grated*

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F

Line a 2 pound loaf pan or an 18cm round, 7cm deep cake tin.

Put the flour, bicarb ( baking soda) and all the spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the grated stem ginger.

Put the sugar, treacle, golden syrup and milk in a medium saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to just below boiling point. Pour in the treacle mixture into the flour mixture stirring as you go with a wooden spoon.

Beak in the egg and beat until all the mixture is combined and resembles a thick batter.

Pour this into the prepared tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out cleanly.

*Stem ginger is root ginger that is preserved in sugar syrup. It is very difficult to find in the US and crystallized ginger is the closest comparative. 4 pieces of stem ginger is about 4 ounces of crystallized ginger. For stem ginger syrup use 4 tablespoons light corn syrup plus  ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.

To ice this cake mix together

 50grams / 2ounces of icing sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix until you have a smooth, slightly runny icing. Add more juice if needed. Drizzle the icing over surface of the cake