Funchoza Salad with Beef

Funchoza salad with beef is very well known Korean noodle salad dish. Flavorful combination of sautéed veggies, browned meat, and glass noodles (bean thread noodles) dressed with sweet chili and soy sauce. It’s so delicious and can be made few days ahead. You can omit meat for vegetarian salad or sub in chicken.If you don’t like sweet type salads,you can omit sweet chili sauce.

Ingredients:

5-6 ozs, bean thread noodles

1 lb. beef cut in to thin 2 inch slices (chuck or tri-tip roast preferred )

1 large or 2 small onions quartered then thinly sliced

2 carrots thinly julienned

1 1/2 cup daikon thinly julienned

1 1/2 red bell peppers thinly sliced

5-6 garlic cloves

4 green onions cut into 2 inch strips

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 cup sweet chili sauce (optional,but good.I buy it from Trader Joes)

1/2 cup soy sauce (you can add more to taste)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (white vinegar ok too)

oil

Direction:

On medium high heat,In a frying pan or dutch oven heat about 4 tablespoons oil.

Throw in strips of beef and season with salt. Cook with lid closed stirring occasionally until meat is slightly browned and soft.

Remove meat to a large colander with a bowl or plate underneath.

Throw in onions and sauté until softened.Transfer to the colander with meat.

Repeat the procedure with carrots,bell peppers, and daikon with green onions.Adding more oil as needed.

Cook bean thread Following instruction on the package(don’t overcook). Cut noodles if desired with knife or kitchen shears.

Transfer all cooked ingredients to a bowl, then add garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar , and sweet chili sauce. Mix it well and refrigerate for at least 2 -3 hours.

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Shurpa-Шурпа на костре

shurpa

Shurpa is the most popular Uzbek soup that take special place in national culinary of Uzbek cuisine.Although there is many different recipes of shurpa, but the base ingredients are the same consisting of meat,potatoes and vegetables with various spices and aromatic herbs.Shurpa is a hearty soup that can be cooked on stove or on the fire.Cooking it on the fire is my families favorite,it adds a smoky flavor to the soup which makes it taste hundred times better.My mom and dad are pros on that.Dad is always in charge of controlling the fire and mixing the ingredients, and mom cooks the soup.It’s cooked in a large cast iron pot (kazan).Cooking it in regular pot will make a difference in taste and wont taste the same.This recipe serves a fairly big crowd, around 15-20 people and usually they’ll ask for seconds but you can cut all ingredients by half if you don’t need that much.This recipe came from my mom who always get requests to cook it for parties,special occasions and of course the family.The images are for shurpa on the fire, but the steps are the same to cook it on the stove.Just cut the ingredients by half.

Prepare the firepit.Place the pot on top.Heat it really well.Add oil.When the oil is hot, throw in the meat and mix.

Continue to mix….

until the meat is well browned.

Add onions.Mix.Add carrots and continue to mix.

Throw in bell pepper and continuing to mix.

Add tomato sauce,salt,black pepper,paprika,cumin and red pepper flakes(optional) and continue to mix and cook for 3-5 min.

Add garlic,bay leaves,and water.Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Throw in potatoes….

And add more water if needed to cover potatoes all the way.

Simmer for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are done.

Throw in all the fresh herbs and mix.

Serve in a bowl with crusty bread or Uzbek lepeshka(flat bread).

For leftover shurpa,transfer to regular pot and refrigerate when cooled.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:36]

Uzbek Manti

Uzbek Manti are steamed dumplings with different variety of fillings like spiced beef,lamb,potato,cabbage,pumpkin and meat with potato.They are very popular in Central Asian cuisines and came to be famous in Russian cuisine as well.

We made them together with mom very often when I was growing up,and now that I’m married I still love to get together with mom and sisters and make them as we used to.Its a great way for us to catch up on our talks, have fun and then enjoy this yummy goodness together.My personal favorite filling is beef,or beef mixed with lamb or cabbage.You’ll just love my moms recipe for this dish.They are very juicy,authentic and just the way they should be.

You will need a [amazon asin=http://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-26-0054-6-Quart-Chinese/dp/B001D6WZ1C/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1372647757&sr=8-8&keywords=steamer+pot&text=steamer with sauce pot] to steam them.I also make my dough in bread maker .It’s faster and easy.But you can do it by hand as well.

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Slow cooked Beef with vegetables or "Basterma"

This recipe came to me from my mother.Basterma is a dish very known in central Asia.

Add meat to hot oil.season it.

The meat is cooked first until you get nice brown color,then you add the onions and layer your vegetables. You only add 1/2 cup of water but, you will be surprised how much liquid you will get from all the veggies.The meat is tender and veggies are sweet and soft.

Add onions

Ingredients:
2 lbs. beef ( tri-tip is the best) cut into large cubes
1 1/2 onion chopped
3 carrots sliced into oval shapes
4 potatoes cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 red bell pepper cut into rounds
1 green bell pepper cut into rounds
1/4 head of a cabbage sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 tomatoes sliced thick
1/3 cup oil
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin powder

Arrange potatoes

1/2 cup water

Directions:
Heat oil on high heat. Add beef.

and the rest of the vegetables

Season with salt and pepper. Mix and let it cook uncovered until you will see a nice brown color.
Add onions and cook for about 3-4 minutes
Set the heat to low add water and arrange the veggies in layers in this order;
-potatoes,salt & pepper
-cabbage, salt & pepper
-carrots,salt & pepper
-bell peppers
-tomatoes salt & pepper
-cumin powder

sprinkle salt,pepper,cumin and close the lid.

Now cover with lid and turn the heat on high and bring to boil.When it begins to boil bring down to low heat and let cook for 1 1/2 hours.
When it’s all done cooking, gently mix it and serve with chopped cilantro.

Easy roast beef (tri-tip)

This is very delicious and super easy roast beef.It’s juicy,tender and very simple to make.

Ingredients:
Beef Tri-tip
Montreal steak seasoning
button mushrooms
water (and you can pour a little of red wine in the water if you like )

1/2-1 onion sliced rounds.

Heat oven to 400 degrees

Directions for 2 roasts:
Place tri-tip in a glass baking dish.

Sprinkle it with seasoning.(careful not to over do it,or it will be too spicy)

Add onion rounds to the bottom and top of the meat.

Add the mushrooms and fill the baking dish 1/3 with water.

Cover with foil and place it in the oven for 40 min. Reduce to 350 and continue to roast for another 2 hours. Add more hot water if needed.

When the meat is done,slice it and pour with the liquid from the dish.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:113]

P.F. Changs Mongolian Beef

This is a copycat recipe of P.F. Changs Mongolian beef that tastes as good if not better. It’s a super easy to make Chinese beef dish that is served over rice .

(Adapted from epicurios.com)

serves 4

Ingredients:

½ cup vegetable oil
1 pound flank steak sliced ¼ inch thick slices.( I also used tri-tip,filet mignon)
¼ cup cornstarch
1 large green onions cut in to 2 inch slices

Sauce:
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon minced ginger ( I strain it, and use the juice)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:
Make the sauce by heating oil in medium sauce pan over med-low heat.Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water. Before the garlic scorches Add sugar and raise up the heat to medium and boil the sauce for 3 minutes.Add red pepper flakes (optional).remove from heat.

Slice the meat against the grain into ¼ inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.

Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece. Let beef sit for about 10 min.

Heat up the oil in a wok or skillet.Add the beef to oil and saute for about 2-4 minutes or when it begins to darken.stir the meat around so that it cooks evenly.
Add the sauce and cook for another minute. add green onions and crushed red pepper(optional).
Serve over cooked rice

Giant Cabbage Meatballs over Black Lentils

Beans and legumes are essential in our diet. Giant cabbage meatballs over black lentils are a perfect combo.
These meatballs can be served with rice, mashed potatoes,buckwheat,beans or lentils.

12 meatballs

About 3 lbs ground beef,chicken,or turkey
1/3 head of cabbage minced
½ onion minced
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and form into 12 giant meatballs.

1 onion chopped
2 carrots small julienne slices
½ red bell pepper small julienne slices
2 tablespoon oil
1 bay leaf
8 oz tomato sauce
¾ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
dash of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup fresh dill finely chopped
1/3 cup cilantro finely chopped
water

Directions:
Heat oil in a dutch oven on medium heat. Add onions,carrots and bell pepper. Cook until soft and golden brown.Add tomato sauce,salt,pepper,cumin,cayenne and bay leaf and cook stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes.Arrange meatballs in single layer on top of the vegetables.Add water so it just covers the top of meatballs. Cover and bring to boil.reduce to low and cook for about 25-30 minutes.Add fresh herbs and gently mix with meatballs. Serve over one of the sides mentioned above.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:77]

Ukranian Borscht

Borscht is a soup mostly made with beets and cabbage. It is a speacialty of Russian and Ukranian cuisine. It’s still a specialty in my family.There is lots of variations how to make borscht, but the base ingredients are cabbage and beets.Most of the time I can cook borscht without any meat or broth(believe me It’s still good) but sometime I would make it with homemade chicken or beef broth.

1 big or 2 small onions chopped

1 big or 2 small carrot shredded

½ green bell pepper chopped

½ red bell pepper chopped

1 small raw beet and 1 cooked beet for really red borscht shredded

4 cloves garlic finely chopped or crushed

8oz. Tomato sauce

3 bay leaves

8 medium russet potatoes peeled and cut into squares

½ of medim size cabbage thinly sliced

2/3 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped (optional)

2/3 baby dill finely chopped

3 quarts (12 cups) of water,chicken/beef broth with meat

salt and pepper

3 tablespoon oil

Heat oil in large heavy pot on medium-high heat.

Add garlic . When garlic starts to turn light brown add onions, carrots, and bell peppers.

Saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionaly.

Add beets.saute for another 4-5 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce,bay leaves and black pepper. Stirring few times,let it cook for 5 minutes .

Throw in the potatoes and pour in water or broth.

Season with salt,stir,close lid and bring to boil.

When starts to boil reduce heat to low and cook until potatoes are done.

Throw in cabbage,parsley and dill.(I like to add half of uncut bell pepper for more flavor.)

Bring to a light boil and remove from heat.Tear chicken/beef in to small parts and throw in to the pot.

It is best when served couple hours later.serve with dallop of sour cream , thinly sliced onions and bread.

Optional: to cook Beef or Chicken stock; Bring water to a boil in a big pot,add whole chicken or beef (your choice of meat,ribs ). 1 whole onion and 1 carrot peeled.2 bay leaves and season with salt.cook for an hour on low heat or until chicken is soft and tender.

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