quick lunch – My Whisk and I

Mongolian Beef

June 9, 2023June 3, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

500g beef, sliced in strips
45ml cornstarch
15ml + 15ml vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml ground ginger
80ml soy sauce
60ml water
60ml brown sugar
15ml sesame seeds, toasted

Add the beef strips to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the cornstarch over and toss together so that the steak is coated in a thin layer.
Place a large pan on medium-high heat and pour in 15ml of vegetable oil.
Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the soy sauce, water and sugar and cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the sauce into a jug and set aside.
Pour the remaining 15ml vegetable oil into the pan and turn the heat to medium-high.
Add the steak in batches and cook until it is browned.
Add all the steak back into the pan and pour in the sauce.
Simmer until the sauce is thick and glossy. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon evenly.
Serve the beef on steamed rice, scatter over the sesame seeds and serve.

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Corn and Coriander Salad

March 8, 2023March 7, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

This salad is my new obsession – it is zingy, fresh and everything and more that your tastebuds are craving ..!

8 corn cobs, cleaned
olive oil
80ml mayonnaise
30ml sour cream
80g feta cheese, finely crumbed
45ml lemon juice
finely grated rind of 2 lemons
40g coriander leaves, picked off the stems (it is about an average bunch)
3 spring onions, sliced

Heat a wood-fired grill to medium-high heat.
Coat each corn cob with a thin layer of olive oil and season with salt.
Place the corn on the grill and cook for 20 minutes. Turn them every now and then so that they get a char all over.
Cool slightly and then cut the kernels from the cobs. Set aside.

Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, feta cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest to a small bowl.
Season with salt and pepper and mix together.
Spoon half the corn kernels on a serving dish.
Top with half the spring onions and half the coriander leaves.
Drizzle half the dressing over and repeat the corn, spring onion and coriander layers, finishing with a drizzle of the dressing.
Serve the salad at room temperature.

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Candied Pork Rashers

October 14, 2022October 14, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

8 boneless, pork rashers
125ml brown sugar
2,5ml smoked paprika
7,5ml dried chilli flakes

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Stand a metal cooling rack in the baking sheet.
Spread the rashers on the metal rack in the baking sheet and salt them on both sides. Set aside.
Mix together the brown sugar, paprika and chilli flakes and spread it evenly onto each rasher.
Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, remove and flip the rashers.
Spread this side with the rest of the sugar mixture and immediately place it back in the oven for another 8 minutes.
Flip the rashers once more and bake for another 5 minutes per side, until beautifully browned and crisp.
Serve warm.

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Roasted Sweet Pepper Salad

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

450g sweet peppers/bell peppers
30ml + 15ml olive oil
30ml white wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
12 basil leaves, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
5ml sugar
2,5ml salt
45ml pine nuts, toasted
125ml crumbed feta cheese
125ml olives, pitted

Turn your oven on the grill setting and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
Drizzle the 15ml olive oil on the peppers and spread evenly over each pepper with your hands. Place the peppers on the lined baking sheet and grill for about 15 minutes, until their skins are black. DO NOT take the peppers out too soon….they can not be too blackened!
Immediately place the charred peppers in a mixing bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside until the peppers are cool enough to handle.
Break open the peppers, remove the core and seeds and pull the skin from each. It is easiest to use your hands to scrape the seeds out and it is quite all right for the peppers to tear into strips!
Add the peppers, oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, thyme, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl and refrigerate for one hour.
Arrange the marinated peppers on a serving plate and top with pine nuts, feta and olives.