Leftover Corned Beef & Lentil Soup

Thursday Dinner

- Leftover Corned Beef & Lentil Soup

To make use of the leftover corned beef and about 2L of beef stock, I made a lentil soup.  In a pressure cooker, fry onion, garlic and celery with small amount of oil before adding beef stock, green lentils(2cups, soaked for 30mins) and a bayleaf.  Cook for 15mins under pressure.  Once the pressure is released naturally, add corned beef pieces, green beans and eggs to poach.  Cook on low heat until egg white is set.

It was tasty enough but I realised that I am not a fan of corned beef or maybe beef in general.  I found myself keep pushing the meat to the side and ended up giving some to Hubby but enjoyed the rest of the soup.  It might have been better if the meat was shredded, only for my liking.

Leftover Roast Lamb Curry

Wednesday Dinner

- Lamb Curry

- Minty Couscous

Roasted a 1.5kg leg of lamb with Harissa paste for a guest on Tuesday.  I had a craving for curry for few days so I didn't have to think much about what to do with the leftover.  This is my favourite use of leftover roast lamb!

Leftover Roast Lamb Curry Recipe (Serves 6)

Ingredients

• Leftover lamb roast, bone-in
• 400g tin tomato
• 400ml water
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 cup dry beans of your choice (I used red kidney and green lentil)
• 1~2 green chillies
• Spices: 1tsp each: paprika, cumin, coriander, turmeric
• Vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, carrot
• 1tsp garam masala

Method

1. Add first 7 ingredients into a pressure cooker
2. Cook for 20~30mins under pressure (turn the heat down to the lowest after pressurised)
3. When depressurised naturally, remove meat, add veggies and cook on low heat
4. Shred the meat and return to the cooker
5. When veggies are cooked, add garam masala
6. Serve with minty couscous or rice

Pulled Beef & Tofu Open Omelet

Thursday Dinner

- Pulled Beef and Tofu Open Omelet

There are reasons why I like pulled beef/pork and cook them regularly.  It is easy to make, just throw in a pressure cooker.  It is versatile, I can use leftover to create other dishes in the following days.   And it is low-carb, I know Hubby or I won't gain weight from this.  Pulled pork/beef matche my motto for cooking perfectly, that is why I cook them often.

I would call this dish "Tamagotoji" in Japanese but in English, i guess it would be an open omelet or a frittata.  Start by adding Tofu, eggplant and leftover pulled beef in a shallow casserole or a frypan.  Cook until the eggplant is soft with a lid on.  When the eggplant is cooked, add whisked eggs and put the lid back on.  Cook on low heat until the eggs are set to your liking.  Sprinkle spring onions if you have it.

Yes, it is the third consecutive days of pulled beef but I didn't feel that way.

Low-Carb Pulled Beef Croquette

Wednesday Dinner

- Low-Carb Pulled Beef Croquette
- Sautéed Sauerkraut, Carrot and Celery
- Blaised Mushrooms
- Miso Soup (Tofu/Wakame)

Croquettes are one of the most popular dish in Japanese home cooking.  Many people grow up eating mother's homemade croquettes or the ones we buy hot from a butcher.  I am the latter and am not a big fan of croquettes but I remember the warmth of croquettes (deep-fried on order) in my hand on the way home.

My low-carb croquettes are made with Okara (soy pulp) instead of potatoes because I don't buy potatoes (Recipe below).  Okara by itself is dry and boring but it transforms into to something magical with a touch of psyllium husk.  I think of Okara as almond flour substitute with a lot of moisture.


Low-Carb Pulled Beef Croquette (Makes 6, Serves3-4)

Ingredients

• 135g Okara (soy pulp)
• 300g Leftover pulled beef
• 1tsp Psyllium husk
• 2 handfuls of coconut fine

Method

1. Dry roast coconut fine in a frypan until golden brown
2. Mix all the other ingredients (add water if too dry)
3. Shape into 6 balls
4. Roll in the toasted coconut fine to coat
5. Bake in the oven until warm

Homemade Japanese BBQ Sauce

Wednesday Dinner

- Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Seasoned Rice)

- Stir-fried Lamb Strips with Eggplant and Red Capsicum

- Miso Soup (Turnip, Lettuce, Wakame)

My "Sick of Meat Syndrome" is ongoing so a Japanese dinner last night.  Soy sauce based Takikomi gohan is cooked with bonito flakes, wild mushrooms and carrot.  There were still a lot of meat on the leftover leg of lamb, so I made a stir-fry.  Fry chopped eggplant with lamb fat with a lid on until tender then add chopped red capsicum, leftover roast lamb strips and 1Tbsp of Homemade Japanese BBQ Sauce.  Served with rice and miso soup.  My Japanese BBQ sauce is naturally sweet without added sweetener.  It goes well with any protein but beef and lamb are my recommendation.

Homemade Japanese BBQ Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 200g soy sauce
• 30g miso
• 40g vinegar
• 60g white wine
• 20g garlic
• 10g ginger
• 5-6 tsp Korean chilli powder
• 20g sesame oil
• 1/2 onion
• 1 apple
• 10g sesame seeds

Method

1. Blend all the ingredients except sesame seeds in a blender until smooth
2. Add sesame seeds and store in a clean jar in the fridge

Leftover Pork in Coconut Cream

Thursday Dinner

- Leftover Pork in Coconut Cream

- Mashed Okara

- Tofu Salad with Shiso Dressing

Poached leftover pork in coconut cream with mushroom and turnip (roasted).  Seasoned with ginger, Korean chilli powder and fish sauce.  It was pretty good.

Homemade Shiso Dressing

Thursday Dinner

- Leftover Pulled Pork

- Tofu Marinated with Red Sauce

- Salad with Shiso Dressing

Shiso (Perilla) is definitely in Top 3 favourite herbs of mine.  Green Shiso is very common in Japanese cooking so I always thought it was a Japanese herb but I have heard Vietnamese use it too.  Thanks to Asian farmers in Sydney, I can buy red Shiso at my local market!

I always missed Shiso ever since I moved to Australia because of its distinct flavour which cannot to be substituted by anything else.  It is difficult to describe the flavour of Shiso for me since I only know it as Shiso but I guess it is somewhat citrusy and herby.  Definitely neither cinnamon nor coriander.  Most likely nothing you have tasted before if you haven't already.

I made a dressing using red Shiso leaves.  I didn't write it down the recipe but I used 20g red Shiso leaves, 70g onion, 70g apple, 1 package of dried bonito flakes(5g), soy sauce and vinegar.  I like to make Shiso dressing without any oil.  The dressing was really thick but dressed lettuce beautifully and I liked that way.  Husband liked it, too.  I will definitely make it again.

Leftover Roast Lamb Baked Beans

Monday Dinner

- Leftover Roast Lamb Baked Beans

What do you cook with leftover roast meat?  I usually cook stew, curry or baked beans in pressure cooker because it’s so easy and tasty.  Most beans aren't low carb except soy beans, you if you want low-carb, make with only soy beans or omit beans and make a stew or curry.

Just put leftover roast meat in pressure cooker with diced onion, celery, carrot, soaked dry beans, spices, bay leaf and 1~2 cups of water and/or tin tomato then turn on the heat.  I used red kidney beans(soaked), soy beans(soaked), green lentils(unsoaked), garam masala and cayenne pepper this time.  Cook for 20mins after pressurised and meat will fall off the bone.  

I added broccoli and minced coriander stem after the pressure cooker is depressurised naturally.  You could also add some of the carrot and celery at the end for texture.  Coriander stem has more aroma than its leaf and added freshness to the dish.  No need for salt and dinner is ready in 30mins.  Freeze leftover for an emergency lunch!

Pulled Beef and Tofu Open Omelet

Tuesday Dinner

- Pulled Beef and Tofu Open Omelet

- Zucchini Salad with Pesto

- Japanese-style Chicken Liver with Crackers

What to do with leftover pulled beef?  I usually cook with Tofu to stretch it.   I can make 3-4 servings with just 1-2 servings of meat.  I made super easy open omelet this time.  I had zucchini salad in fridge so I didn't even use a knife last night.  Dinner in 15mins! That's the stuff I like.  For zucchini salad, I just mixed sliced zucchini with pesto and lemon juice.

Open Omelet with Pulled Beef and Tofu Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1~2 servings of leftover pulled beef or any other protein
• 300g Tofu
• 4 eggs
• Soy sauce to taste

Method

1. Heat leftover pulled beef and tofu (scoop large pieces using a spoon) in a fry pan
2. Once bubbling, add beaten eggs then put the lid on
3. Reduce heat and cook till the eggs are set
4. Add a dash of soy sauce or other condiments to taste

Japanese-style Chicken Liver Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 250g Chicken liver
• 2Tbsp Soy sauce
• 10g Ginger
• 5g Honey
• 1 small onion, sliced

Method

1. Cut liver into bite-size pieces. Remove white fat.
2. Rinse liver pieces under running water until the water comes out clean
3. Boil liver pieces for 1min
4. Rinse with cold water
5. Heat soy sauce, ginger and honey in a small pan
6. Add prepared liver pieces and place onions on top
7. Cook covered until all the liquid in the pan is reduced