Easy Bechamel Sauce

I thought making bechamel sauce would be a big job but it was not as difficult as I thought it would be.  Most recipes don't usually ask you to add salt and pepper but I'd rather add these things so that the sauce would have more flavour in it.

Bechamel is actually white sauce and it is said to be the mother of all sauces in French Cuisine and is used in Italian recipes.  It was named after "marquis de Bechamel"  who was a financier and held the title of chief steward to Louix XIV(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9chamel_sauce). 

Ingredients
4 c fresh milk
1/3 c plain flour
40 g butter
1/2 c grated cheese (cheddar or parmesan)
a pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Mix milk and plain flour in a bowl.
Melt butter in a non stick pot.
Put the fire on low.
Pour the milk-flour mixture onto the pot.
Continue mixing.
Add salt and pepper.
Remove from fire when it is thick.
Mix in nutmeg and cheese.
Pour on top of your pasta.
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Dumpling Dips (w/ red wine vinegar)

Ingredients
2cm-piece fresh ginger, cut into julienne
80ml Chinese red vinegar
1 long fresh red chilli, finely chopped
80ml soy sauce

Procedure

Divide ginger among 4 small dipping bowls and top with red vinegar.
Divide chilli among 4 separate dipping bowls and top with soy sauce.

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Easy Tempura Dip

Ingredients
1/4 c sake or dry white wine or red wine
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tsp sugar or mirin (just adjust according to your liking)

Procedure
Mix in a saucepan until sugar dissolves.
Heat the saucepan.  Simmer the mixture.

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Sweet and Sour Pork

My husband fell in love with my sweet and sour pork when I cooked it for the first time.  He said that's better than the ones from chinese restaurants.  Of course, my head swelled a bit hheheh!  My darling daughter who doesn't really like eating much except

when we have sinigang or nilaga loved it too so I thought it must be really good!  I thought this dish was a complicated one when I first tried it.  Maybe because I only see this dish on restaurants, or if the food is catered.  When I was still working in Miriam College, sweet and sour pork or fish would always be served whenever we have a celebration.  That's where I got this recipe...well not exactly the recipe from the caterer but the recipe according to what I have tasted and what I have seen in the dish before.  This one is tried and tested and tasted.  I hope you will also enjoy the dish.

Pork
500 g pork, cubed
1 capcicum (bell pepper), julliene or diced
1 medium size carrots, thinly cut (diagonal)
1 medium size onions, diced
1/2 C pinapple chunks
1/2 C cornstarch + 1/2 C plain flour
1 egg, beaten
soy sauce (to taste)

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/3 c vinegar
1/3 c pineapple juice
1/2 c brown sugar
4 tbs ketchup (banana or tomato)
4 tbsp cornflour or cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce

Procedure
Pork
Marinade the pork with soy sauce for 15 - 20 minutes.
Beat 1 egg.
Mix cornstarch and flour.
Heat a pan with oil enough for deep frying.
Dip pork in the egg.
Roll the pork into the flour mixture.
Fry until golden brown.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
Mix all ingredients in a pot with a whisk except the cornstarch.
Heat over low fire until boiling.  Pour in the cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 c water.
Stir until thick.

Pour the sauce in a heated pan. Add carrots, onions, capcicum and simmer until half cooked.  Put in the pork. Add water if you must.  Simmer.

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Fishball Brown Dip

Ingredients
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c pinapple juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
Bird's eye chilli or cayenne (siling labuyo),minced
1 small onion (minced)

Procedure
Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, pineapple juice and cornstarch in a small pot before cooking it in a low fire.
Allow to boil, and add the onions and the chillis.  Continue stirring until thick enough to your liking.

Note:  It would depend on you how much chillis do you want to add to your dip.

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