Vietnamese Stir-fried Rice Flake Noodle with Satay Beef

Ingredients:
8 oz rice flake noodle, cooked as directed on a package (or any other Rice Noodles)
1 lb thinly sliced steak, cut in to 1 inch pieces
1 cup pineapple chunks  + 2 tbsp pineapple juice
1 large onion, cut in to 1 inch chunks
6 oz bean sprouts
1 1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
1 1/2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Optional*: 1 tbsp roasted peanuts, finely chopped (amount for each serving)

Marinade:
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp rice cooking wine

The Sauce:
3 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
5 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp dark thick soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine)


Marinade:
Mix well all the marinade ingredients, make sure there is no clumps from the flour.
Coat the meat well with marinade.
Set aside for 30 minutes in a room temperature, or for 2 hours in a fridge.


The sauce: 
Mix well all the sauce ingredients, and set aside.



Over medium-high heat, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok.
Add the marinaded meat and lay flat, cook for about 2 minutes.
Flip to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes, take out the meat and set it aside.

In the same wok, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat.
Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.
Then add the pineapple(without the juice), and cook for another 3 minutes, mixing constantly so that the onion doesn't burn.
Add the noodles, sauce, pineapple juice, mix well and cook for 5 minutes. Add more water if the sauce is too thick.
Lastly add the meat and bean sprouts, mix and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Serve with some hot sauce(Sriracha Sauce or Tabasco Pepper Sauce) and peanuts.
ENJOY!

Russian Pelmeni (Meat Ravioli) Пельмени

Ingredients: 
For the Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
2/3 cups cold water
1 tbsp salt

For the filling:
1 lb any ground meat (you can mix different types of meat too)
1 onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch parsley if desired 


For the Dough:
Place flour on a work surface (if you have never done this before, place flour in a large bowl). At the top make a grove with your fingers.
Beat an egg in it, add 1 tbsp of salt and a little bit of water.
Start kneading the dough, pushing the bottom flour on top of water. As you work along the dough will stick to fingers, just take the dough off the fingers and keep kneading for about 5 minutes. Keep adding water little by little, you don't want to add too much water or else the dough will be too soft and sticky.
Place the dough on a flat surface and  knead until it is smooth and is not too soft. All together kneading will take about 10-15 minutes. In the end it shouldn't stick to hands.
Place the dough in a bowl and cover with paper towel and leave for 20 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the filling:
Place meat in the bowl and break it apart with a spoon. Chop the onion really well or run it through in a food processor ( food processor will give it the correct consistency).
Add onion, salt, pepper and mix well.
You can also add some parsley or any other herb, but chop it well or run it in a food processor with the onion.


Place wax paper on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with some flour.
Place some flour on a work surface and knead the dough a little to soften it.
Cut 1/4 of a dough, knead it some more and roll it in to a ball.
Roll the dough in to a very thin sheet, about 1/8 inch thin.
Take a cup or a glass, flip it and dip in the flour, cut circles out of the dough. If the dough starts sticking to the cup keep dipping it in the dough.
Collect the left out dough and knead it back in to the rest of the dough.
Place one of the dough circle in your hand, add half of teaspoon of filling, bend the dough in half to cover the filling, pinch the edges together to close the filling. Than bring 2 corners together and seal them.
Place on a cookie sheet. Continue with the rest of the dough and filling.
When you're done you can cook the Pelmeni right away by dropping them in a boiling salted water, bring to a boil again and cook for 10-20 minutes depending on the size of your Pelmeni.
Take them out, place in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of butter, mix to cover the Pelmeni with butter.
Or you can place the cookie sheet with Pelmeni in a freezer over night, than store in a zip-lock bag for about a month.

Serve with sour cream, mayo or any sauce you like.
Enjoy!

Western Beef Chili

Ingredients: 

1.5 pounds ground beef
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced (reserve 3 tbsp of onions for garnish)
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 quart beef broth
1 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 tsp oregano leaves
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin, ground

3 tbsp chili powder
1 cup stewed tomatoes
1 cup beans

1 tbsp sugar

Shredded cheese

1. Heat oil over medium heat and brown meat, breaking up any large chunks.

2. Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Add salt and pepper.
3. Add tomato paste and mix well with beef. Add beef broth and bring to a boil.
4. Add oregano, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin and chili powder, simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add beans and stewed tomatoes. Try and add sugar if needed. Cook for one minute.
6. Top with shredded cheese, chopped onion. Also served with jalapeno pepper and spoon of sour cream on top. Enjoy!

Ukrainian Borscht (Український борщ)

Borscht is the most important soup in Ukrainian culture, known around the whole world. So if you want to find out a real Ukrainian Borscht recipe from a real Ukrainian, you're on a correct page.

Ingredients:

For the broth:

6 pints water

1 pound beef on the bone

1 onion, cut in half

1 carrot, cut in half

Salt to taste

10 whole black peppers

For borscht:

2 bay leaves

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, shredded

Half of beet, shredded

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tomato, peeled and shredded

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 potatoes, cut in cubes

Half of regular cabbage, chopped thinly

1 tsp sugar

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp parsley, chopped

1. In a large pot, bring water to boil. As soon as water starts to boil, add beef, onion and carrot. When starts to boil again add salt and 3 black peppers, simmer for 5 minutes. 

2. Take out onion and carrots. Add bay leave and potatoes. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile the broth is simmering, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, onion and carrot, cook until browned a bit. 

4. Add tomato paste and shredded tomato, mix well. Cook until tomato thickens a little.

5. Take out a cup of broth from the pot and add to the skillet with onions and carrots, simmer for 2 minutes.

6. Add beet and cook until soft.

7. Add "beet mixture" to the pot with broth and potatoes. 

8. Throw in the remaining black peppers and cabbage.

9. Season with sugar and cook until the cabbage is soft.

10. Press the garlic and garnish with parsley. 

11. Let borscht sit for about an hour before serving. Serve with sour cream.

Southern Beef Stew with Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 lb beef, cut in 1/2 in squares
8 oz baby portabella  mushrooms, used whole, if some are too big than cut in half
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
1/2 soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves



1. Cut the meat in bite size pieces.
2. Dredge the meat in 2 tbsp flour, cover completely.
3. In a thick pot melt butter and olive oil over high heat. Add meat and cook until browned. Set aside.
4. Chop onion, and dice the garlic. In the same pot, not adding any more oil, cook onions and garlic over medium heat.
5. When onions start to brown add mushrooms, cook until golden.
6. In a mean time, over medium heat bring to boil beef broth, red wine, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Boil for 2 minutes.
7. Add broth-wine mixture and meat to mushrooms, salt and pepper and simmer for 3 minutes.
8. In a cup, mix 2 tbsp flour and 2 tbsp water. Add to the stew and mix well.
9. Season with oregano and thyme. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.