This was my first experience with tabasco pepper sauce. I found the name in one of my cookbooks, then after searching for information about this sauce, I was curious about how the taste is like. I hesitated to make this corn cakes just because I wondered whether it is available at supermarkets. One day I found it at one giant supermarket and I was glad to make these corn hush puppies. 

It was very interesting to eat those small stuffs. They were a little bit spicy but the spicy taste was special due to tabasco sauce. Sweet corn kernels, after being quickly fried, were sitll very juicy and sweet. We almost ate these corn cakes for dinner without having anything else and still felt satisfied with the meal. 

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Pan-roasted beef without using extra oil or fat is really a healthy dish. The thin beef slices, after being marinated, are coated with white sesame seeds and placed over hot heavy skillet. The strong heat will cook the beef very quickly. So, it is crucial that the beef is not over-cooked or it will become very chewy and will not feel good in the mouth. 

As a tip to make the beef more tender, I used very little oil when marinating the beef. When being roasted, the thin oil coating will prevent the beef from getting dry too fast. It is better to use a heavy one so that the heat can be more concentrated while the beef is cooked fast without being burned. 

These beef with sesame seeds can be served with chili sauce and a kind of lettuces as an appertizer. 

Ingredients: (serves 2)

- 200g lean beef, thinly sliced

- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger

 - 1 tsp minced garlic

- 1 tbs fish sauce

- 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

- 1/8 tsp ground black or white pepper

- sesame seeds, as needed

Cooking:

- Combine all the ingredents except the sesame seeds. Marinate for about 15-20 minutes. 

- Place the sesame seeds on a flat dish.

- Heat a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat until the skillet is very hot. 

- Place beef slices one by one on the sesame seed plate to coat both sides. Then immediately transfer to the hot skillet and quickly roast both sides until the beef is just cooked and the sesame seeds turn lightly brown. Roasting time is very short about 30-45 seconds. 

- Serve with hot chili sauce and lettuce. 

 

There is a simple way to enjoy minced pork, the Vietnamese way. This dish is very popular in everyday meal, which is cheap, simple and fast to make.

Though the minced pork pieces are pan-fried with oil, they are not too oily since only just enough amount of vegetable oil is used to thinly cover the bottom of the frying pan. Using too much oil makes the meat more heavy. So a non-stick frying pan is a good choice to make this dish. The heat should be set at medium-low so to allow enough time for the meat pieces to be cooked through yet retained the moist inside. Also avoid shaping the pieces too flat, which causes them to absorb more oil and the meat becomes too dried and hard.

My family do not eat too much meat, so I cooked with 200g of minced pork which is enough for two adults. If need larger serving, just use more meat.

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