Pineapple Buns (Bo Lo Bao)

 These are a favorite of ours from Hong Kong! Finally found a recipe that's close!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BREAD DOUGH:

2/3 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)

1 cup milk (at room temperature)

1 large egg (at room temperature)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup cake flour

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

FOR THE TOPPING DOUGH:

¼ cup dry milk powder

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup superfine sugar (it’s very important that it’s superfine)

¼ cup vegetable shortening (can subsitute lard or butter)

2 tablespoons milk

1 egg yolk

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

TO FINISH THE BUNS:

1 egg yolk

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by making the bread dough. In the bowl of a mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together.

After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1.5X its original size.

After the bread dough has proofed for an hour, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a circular bun, and place on a baking sheet. Cover the buns with a clean, dry kitchen towel and let rise for another hour.

While that’s happening, make the topping. Add the dry milk powder to a mixing bowl. If your dry milk powder has some larger clumps, crush them up with your fingers so it’s uniformly powdery.

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and superfine sugar. Stir to combine. Add the shortening, milk, egg yolk, and vanilla. Use your hands to mix everything together into a dough. If it’s too dry, add a little more milk a teaspoon at a time until it comes together. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.

When the buns are done rising for a second time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Separate the topping dough into 12 equal pieces and roll them into balls. On a clean surface, roll out each ball into a flat circle and place one onto each bun.

Brush with egg yolk and bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes.

TIPS & NOTES:

Makes 1 dozen buns.

Feel free to substitute all-purpose flour for both the cake flour and bread flour! We have since extensively re-tested this recipe, and have not found that using 100% all-purpose flour in this recipe makes a meaningful difference to the result.

https://thewoksoflife.com/pineapple-buns/

Quick and Easy Beef and Broccoli (justataste.com)

 https://www.justataste.com/easy-beef-and-broccoli-recipe/

Ingredients 

• ▢ 3 Tablespoons cornstarch, divided
• ▢ 1 pound flank steak, cut into thin 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• ▢ 4 cups small broccoli florets
• ▢ 1/2 cup sliced white onions

 Instructions 

• In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water. Add the beef to the bowl and toss to combine.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Set the sauce aside. 
• Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and once it is hot, add the beef and cook, stirring constantly until the beef is almost cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate and set it aside.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and once it is hot, add the broccoli florets and sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender, about 4 minutes. (See Kelly’s Notes.) 
• Return the beef to the pan then add the prepared sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve with rice or noodles. 

Easy Korean Ground Beef

 This was easy and tasty! 

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 T toasted sesame oil

1 T cornstarch

3 cups of cooked rice

3 cups steamed broccoli

Add ground beef to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often and breaking into small pieces.  Add garlic and stir to combine.  In a medium sized bowl, combine soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch.  Pour over ground beef, stirring to combine.  Lower heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes.  

Serve with broccoli and rice.

Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken

CHICKEN:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

1 C cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. TURN INSTANT POT ON TO SAUTE add some oil and  Fry until brown but not cooked through.

Mix sauce ingredient (below) together and pour over chicken.

SAUCE:

3/4 C sugar

4 T ketchup

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt
I ADDED 2 T of water to help with the pot get pressure

Cook for 4 minutes in instant pot. Then do a manual steam release and turn the pot back on to saute. Stir the chicken around for a few minutes to thicken the sauce. Then let sit 

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

SUPER FAST AND YUMMY (spicy)

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh tenders or chicken breast tenders*

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cashews

Directions:
Combine flour and pepper in large Ziploc bag. Add chicken. Shake to coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings.
If you want like sauce and want to have some to pour over the chicken and the rice, double the sauce ingredients.

Asian Noodle Salad

Prep Time: 30 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 10 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 6

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Ingredients

• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
• 1/2 head Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• 1/2 head Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• 1/2 bag Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
• Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
• 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
• 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced
• 1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet
• _____
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped
• Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.