This is one of my specialty dishes; it was inspired by the Thai pineapple fried rice that is served inside a real pineapple. I was craving for it one day and thought that it might go well with minced beef so I made it. I use canned pineapple simply because it’s a lot easier but try and use fresh ones – you’ll notice the difference. The sweet & sour flavor makes this an appetizing dish; it is one of my boyfriend’s favorite.
Ingredients (For 2, costs about £1.20) 200g minced beef 1 can sliced pineapple, cubed 2 portions of cooked rice ½ onion, diced 1 carrot, diced (and/or peas) 1 egg, beaten 1 squirt of tomato ketchup, to taste 1 squirt of HP Fruity Sauce, to taste Olive oil for cooking
Marinade the Beef Splash of Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade 1 drop of oyster sauce Some garlic, grinded or powder Black pepper White pepper
Marinade the beef over night or in the morning – the longer it is soaked in the juice the better it will taste. It is not necessary to use all of these ingredients and soy sauce can be used as substitute for the Kikkoman Marinade.
Beef and Pineapple Fried Rice
Cook the rice according to the pack or with a rice cooker.
While the rice is cooking, heat up the wok and fry the beef in it until cooked through. No need for oil if using a non-stick wok as there are plenty of fat in the mince.
While the beef is cooking, boil the carrots in a small saucepan for 10 minutes.
Drain the beef fat away in a colander.
Clean the wok in hot water to wash away the grease.
Heat the oil and fry the onions in the wok with a little garlic and pepper, if preferred, until soften. Put aside.
When the rice is cooked, reheat the wok, add some oil and pour the beaten egg in it. Add the rice and stir fry until the egg is cooked.
Add the beef, onions and carrots to the wok and continue to stir fry.
Squeeze some ketchup and Fruity Sauce into the rice and stir.
Add the pineapple and stir well until piping hot.
Serve immediately.
Tips You can make a vegetarian version by substituting beef with vegetables such as sweetcorn, baby corn, green beans or green pepper – anything crunchy!
There are a few items that I think everyone should have in their kitchen.I suppose I should list them here first before I post any recipes so that it will be easier for me to describe the way I cook.
Firstly, everybody needs a non-stick pan set; you’ll be surprised how much money you can save by not spending a fortune on cooking oil. Personally I prefer Tefal but any non-branded ones should be fine. I’ve got a non-branded non-stick wok which my boyfriend had since the start of university (6-7 years ago). It is still in good cooking condition, apart from a small dent which was made on a certain crazy night in a student house on Cemetery Avenue... Going back to non-branded pans, I once bought one from Home Bargains it was good until I made pancakes with it and the constant heat must have caused the metal to expand leaving a hump in the middle of the pan. The pan was destroyed on that same crazy night and I can say it was not missed… So yeah, if you care about cooking then it’s worth investing on some quality pans.
If you eat rice often then it’s worth getting a rice cooker. They are convenient little machines that cook rice perfectly, even better than the rice in restaurants – that is if you use good quality rice. I love jasmine/fragrant rice. Cheap jasmine rice is only a little bit more than long grain but tastes so much better. Unfortunately most superstores sell them a lot more than they are worth so try and buy them from Chinese supermarkets.
Being Chinese, I marinade meat all the time regardless of the cuisine – English, Indian or Italian. Marinade tenderizes the meat and gives it flavor, have this in your kitchen and you’ll never have to taste cardboard again! My favorite is the Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade but every time I use it I just can’t stop thinking about the Kikkoman warrior… You can buy the marinade from most major supermarkets however my local Tesco superstore stopped selling them and I just found out why.Bring back Kikkoman!
Another thing that Tesco stopped selling is the garlic grinder. I use garlic with marinade to help bring out flavor of the meat but fresh garlic takes too much time to peel, crush and chop up into tiny bits, so a grinder is a much more convenient alternative! Not to mention that it doesn’t leave your hands smelling like garlic! After Tesco stopped selling the grinder I started buying garlic powder instead. It works the same way but it’s very easy to put too much in – so be careful.
I use olive oil for cooking. It all started with my mum – she said it’s a lot healthier than any oil – and now I just can’t stop using it. One time I ran out of olive oil and had to use vegetable oil instead but it made the food taste and smells greasy… I guess I’m just too used to cooking with olive oil now.
The Tesco Club Card must be the best reward card ever.I think if you don’t have one then you are a fool.If you have never heard of it then it means you’re not bothered about your money so you should donate it all to me. This is why you are a fool, for every £ you spend at the store you’ll get 2 points, for petrol you’ll get 1 point/£ and 0.25 point/£ if you use your Tesco credit card (another thing everyone should get!).What are all these points for, you say?Here’s the good thing – you can spend them on anything you like (participating partners) from DVDs to days out to air miles!For every 1k points you’ll get £10 off voucher but you’ll get 4 times the amount if you exchange them for reward vouchers.Quick maths, spend £500 at Tesco and you can get £40 off elsewhere.Collecting points is faster than you think – you’ll be surprised how much you spend on groceries.Take me for example, £40 a week – that’s over £2k a year!Not to mention, they sometimes give you extra-point if you buy a certain product.Last year, I have rewarded myself and my boyfriend to a 4 star room in the Marriott in York for 2 nights (worth £240) and numerous meals out all for FREE!
For hard core point collectors, don’t forget you can also join clubs for your chance to get more extra-point vouchers.I’ve joined the Food Club, Healthy Living Club and the Wine Club.Reusing bags and recycling ink cartridges and cans can also get you some extra points.Unfortunately no Tescos in my area have recycling centres :(.
Living in the city is hard.Not only do you have to spend half of your salary on rent and bills but also having to put up with the ever increasing food prices. Not to mention all those temptations to fancy nice restaurants and bars… It’s no wonder why young people living in the city can’t save up for a house!
Although I am lucky enough to share half of my bills with my boyfriend, I still find myself short on cash just before pay day.However, I came to realize that spending less on daily needs (food!) will leave you with more money by the end of the month (obviously)!So I have decided to write this blog to help fellow city dwellers save cash by posting my cooking tips.
