HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

A few years ago I went to a Chinese restaurant in Sydney and they served a dish with beans I totally fell in love with. I have been trying to reciprocate it since, but still cannot get the taste I got there. However, this dish is very tasty and goes well with the rest of the dishes I prepared for dinner - see below. I was not able to find the preserved mustard cabbage so I used kimchi instead. It was delish! INGREDIENTS 1 kg snake or green beans, trimmed 150 g minced pork and veal  2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 1/2 tsp roasted sesame oil oil for deep frying 5 Tbsp finely chopped preserved mustard cabbage ( I used kimchi instead ) 3 spring onions, finely chopped 1 1/2 tsp sugar METHOD: Trim the beans and cut them into 5 cm pieces.  Put the meat in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the rice wine and the sesame oil and stir vigorously to combine. Get the rest of the ingredients ready. Fill a wok with about 1/2 cup oil.

I really like Asian greens. This time I made them with oyster sauce and they were nice as a side dish to other Chinese dishes - see below - but I still like them best steamed with a bit of soy sauce with a splash of sesame oil, garlic oil and chili oil. Love them with any type of Asian style dish. INGREDIENTS 1 bunch gai lan 1 bunch bok choy 1 bunch broccolini 1 1/2 Tbsp grated ginger 3 garlic cloves, crushed 3 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 1 tsp brown sugar 1 tsp roasted sesame oil oil for frying 1 small bunch of coriander, chopped, to garnish METHOD: Rinse all vegetables well and discard any tough stems.  Cut into 5 cm pieces through the stem and the leaf. Heat the wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until very hot. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic for 10 seconds or until fragrant. Add the vegetable stems and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for another 2 minutes. Com

According to the cookbook 'The Food of China', this pork was named after a gourmet statesman of the Song Dynasty. It is first fried and then cooked slowly for about 2 hours. The result is a mouth watering, tender bit of pork. I served it with some side dishes and mountain rice, see below, and it was a fantastic meal that has nothing to do with these takeaway Chinese dishes you get in most cheap restaurants. Absolutely delicious! INGREDIENTS 1 kg pork belly, rind on 2 Tbsp olive oil 6 spring onions, sliced 8 slices ginger 3 garlic cloves, crushed 100 g brown sugar 2 1/2 Tbsp dark soy sauce 2 1/2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1/2 cup (125ml) Shaoxing rice wine METHOD: Blanch the pork in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain well and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until very hot.  Make sure you cover it. It will splash oil! Cook the pork until well browned and the skin is crisp and brown.  Drain t

This lovely recipe is easy to make and tastes delicious with the Japanese slaw and the dressing. The chicken was very juicy and the salad is amazingly good. A perfect recipe to cook in the middle of the week when you don't have too much time but want something healthy and tasty. INGREDIENTS 1 cup quinoa flakes 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, plus extra to serve 2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese sea salt and cracked black pepper 4 x 200g chicken breasts fillets, halved horizontally 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 Tbsp olive oil 3 cups shredded Chinese cabbage (wombok) 2 carrots, peeled and shredded small bunch spring onions, finely chopped Dressing 2 tsp grated ginger 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 1 Tbsp maple syrup METHOD: To make the dressing, place the ginger, soy sauce, vinegar and maple syrup in a jar. Mix to combine and set aside. Place the cabbage, carrot and green onion in a bowl

This recipe was delish. The combination of the zucchini, ricotta and cheeses together with the spinach and kale was just fantastic. It is very easy to make, but it takes a bit of a time because there are so many zucchini ribbons to bake. I had to do it in about 4 batches using two trays. However, while the zucchini was baking, I prepared all other ingredients. I prepared the lasagna earlier and left it in the fridge until dinner time. It then only took me about 25 minutes to get it ready to serve. Lovely with some salad on the side. INGREDIENTS 8 medium zucchinis (1kg), sliced into 4mm ribbons  extra virgin olive oil for brushing, plus 2 Tbsp extra sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 Tbsp chopped oregano 1 bunch kale (500g), trimmed and blanched 1 bunch English spinach (375g), trimmed and blanched 2 1/2 cups (540g) fresh ricotta 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon rind 1 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped 3/4 cup (75g) gra

 I have been meaning to cook this vegetarian recipe for a while. It is very easy to make and the crêpes were delicious. In fact, I think they can be used with many other fillings, and next time I make them will use a mixture of avocado and beetroot I have previously used as a side salad from Ottolenghi. See Suggestions below. INGREDIENTS Filling 1 medium zucchini, shredded 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 1 cup snow pea shoots / sprouts 1 cup baby rocket 1/2 cup grated cheese 1/4 cup black olives, coarsely chopped (optional) 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp lemon juice  200g goat's cheese sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Spinach crêpes 160g (1 cup) buckwheat flour 3 eggs 500ml (2 cups) almond milk 100g (3 cups) baby spinach leaves 1 cup Italian parsley sea salt and freshly ground pepper 2 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil METHOD: To make the spinach crêpes, place the flour, eggs, milk, spinach, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl.   Using a hand-