Britain is the best place to practice cooking skills

This article lists some of the more delicious dishes I have made in the UK that I have summarized one after another. Some of them were learned from others, some were created on a whim, and some were created on a whim. As an unexpected surprise, I am writing a private menu as the first article in a series about my memories of life in England. Just as food always occupies the first place in my life, I would like to share this article with those who have warmed my stomach and my heart. The food, the land that breeds these ingredients, and of course the lovely people who cook, wash dishes, and enjoy delicious food with me.

The reason why the UK is the best place to practice cooking skills is that, as we all know, there is really no recognized food in the UK. If you can’t eat it, you have to find a way to cook it yourself. Second, you can buy very, very delicious food here. Good ingredients, good ingredients are at least half of successful food, so often without much time to delve into it, we often accidentally make self-satisfying delicious food. Maybe it is the result of the objective environment, but subjectively I still feel complacent that my cooking skills have improved. I welcome the chef’s comments and suggestions, and also give some tips to those who are about to go to the UK.

1. Braised Pork

My little secret is to use coconut oil, no sugar, and use a thick iron stew pot. Belly pork, cut into neatly sized pieces, boil in cold water to remove the blood, add Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves while cooking. Remove the clean meat, pour away the dirty water, wash the pot, heat oil, half rapeseed oil, half coconut oil, add the meat, you can add it with the star anise leaves just now, cooking wine, onion, ginger, garlic, dried chili, cooking wine , oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, black pepper, stir-fry to create an attractive caramel color, add water and simmer over low heat until the meat is soft and elastic, serve with rice steamed in coconut oil, scrambled eggs with celery or lettuce with oyster sauce, and a cup of Pineapple juice or pomegranate juice is really delicious.

2. Pimple Soup

In Beijing, it is called Pimple Soup, and in my hometown it is called Mixed Soup. When I was feeling sick when I was a child, eating the Mixed Soup made by my mother would make me feel better. The basic method is to dice all the ingredients, dice pork or bacon dices bought directly from the supermarket, stir-fry beans, mushrooms, potatoes, bell peppers, etc., then boil water in another pot, add a little water in advance and stir well Sprinkle the fluffy noodles, cook some tomato slices, add lettuce leaves, and add a poached egg or scattered egg yolks. Finally, pour the fried vegetables in and mix well, add salt, vinegar, chopped chili peppers and serve. , I drink at least two large bowls in one meal.

3. Grilled seabass

The fresh seabass in Leeds Market is 3.5 pounds each, fresh and plump. The owner of the shop where I used to go is a very gentleman, and he always lets me choose the one I like. After eating the fish, they will clean the internal organs gracefully, wrap them up gracefully, and collect the money gracefully. After returning home, heat the oil in the pan and add the ginger. It’s a simple and easy trick to avoid sticking to the pan. However, I found that the stone pot or casserole pot or some kind of magical material pot I bought in the UK rarely sticks to the pan. Fry both sides for a short while and add the garlic. Sometimes I'm too lazy to cut it so finely, so I just add garlic slices and green onion segments, then directly pour Lee Kum Kee steamed fish soy sauce, chop Tantanxiang peppers, add water and simmer for a while, and then it's out of the pot. The whole process only takes two seconds. Ten minutes, there are not so many fancy techniques and complicated sauces, but it can bring out the freshest taste and the most delicate taste. The lazy man’s way of cooking fish is simple and delicious. Every time I go to the market, I will have the happiest moment when I come back. The huge cherry is the fresh and tender fish.

4. Sausage rice

My sister in Sichuan used to give me Sichuan-style sausages to eat. After coming to the UK, I really can’t eat spicy sausages. You can buy Cantonese sausages in the Chinese Super League. The sausage is already very happy. Go back and slice it into pieces and stew it in the rice together with the potato cubes. If you want to season it, just add oyster sauce. After the stew is cooked, the aroma of the rice, potatoes and sausage will complement each other. You can eat half a pot of it while watching a drama on a cold rainy night. When cooking alone abroad, a rice cooker is probably the most practical tool. When I simmer rice, I usually put a spoonful of coconut oil in it. The cooked rice is more fragrant and the pot is easier to clean. Stew chicken soup, stew beef, stew pig trotters, stew lamb chops. As a carnivore, or a carnivore who can't wait to eat meat quickly, the rice cooker must be your favorite.

5. Pasta

There are two classic recipes, one is tomato minced meat, the other is bacon broccoli, salmon, shrimp and oyster are more posh but they don’t seem to be quite flavorful. Son.

You can buy ready-made tomato mince sauce in the supermarket, but it is more delicious and easy to make it yourself. Buy mince beef mince with 15% or 20% fat in the supermarket, fry it over high heat until it changes color, and put it in another small pot or this big pot. Before frying the meat, stir-fry garlic, onions and mushrooms, then mix them with the stir-fried minced meat, and add tomatoes. You can mix fresh-cut tomatoes and canned chopped tomatoes from the supermarket, add water and cook them into a rich sauce base. , black pepper, salt, Henderson's Relish (equivalent to Chinese soy sauce), you can add other things according to your mood, such as my favorite coriander seeds (it has nothing to do with coriander leaves, the taste is between cumin and cardamom) , and finally add a small handful of fresh basil leaves bought from the supermarket - tomatoes are always a good partner. Pour it on all kinds of cooked pasta, then put some cheese on it. This is the most classic pasta. The second method is something I learned from an Italian. It’s a quicker way to make it. It’s probably an Italian fast food. Break the broccoli into small pieces and cook it with the pasta. While cooking, fry the bacon bits bought in the supermarket and add some mushrooms. , corn shoots or courgettes, just add whatever you have in the refrigerator, then pour the cooked pasta and broccoli into the wok, add a little olive oil and stir, add cheese, it's as delicious as the classic version.

6. Full English Breakfast

Among all British dishes, only Full English Breakfast is irresistible. It is made at home, eaten in school canteens, and also eaten when traveling, although it is very greasy. , but I never seem to get enough of it. The bacon and sausages are bought in the supermarket and fried in the pan, and the baked beans are canned in the supermarket and heated directly in the pan. Focus on mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs, and toast. My favorite food after coming to the UK has to be mushrooms. They are as big as a palm and as small as a spoon. They are brown and white. I can’t tell the difference. They are all so delicious. They are almost like meat among vegetables, and mushrooms in China. The difference is that the mushrooms here are plump, juicy and have a thick texture. There are several friends who feel the same way as me. What’s interesting is that no British person I know knows how to wash mushrooms. They always use them directly after opening the package. Later, I didn’t wash them very much. I only rinsed them under running water at most. My secret is to turn the mushrooms upside down, put butter and cheese on top, sprinkle some black pepper, grill or pan-fry, it will taste delicious. Tomatoes, in the same way, cut into two centimeter-thick slices horizontally, add cheese, black pepper and a little salt and bake or fry. When the juice solidifies and the skin is slightly charred, you will realize that tomatoes are not only good when fried with eggs. To eat, of course you can also buy peeled plump tomatoes from the supermarket, they are cheap, convenient and delicious. Eggs, fried egg, poached egg, scrambled egg, cheese omelet are common ways to make them. Each one is delicious, eggs are good, milk is good, butter is good, no matter how you make it, it is delicious. When I was excitedly showing the national dish of Greater China, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, to the British people, I didn’t know that there are so many delicious combinations of tomatoes and eggs in the English breakfast. I like toast, white or brown, depending on my mood, toast it slightly, spread it with butter first, then jam. My favorite is marmolade, pure orange, orange and lemon, pure lemon, orange and grape , orange and ginger, I have tried them all and loved them all. Of course, strawberries, blueberries, apricots, and cherries are also common and delicious choices. I have also tried rasberry, gooseberry, Redcurrant (red currant), mirabelle plum (brass plum), brimham rocks bilberry (brimham rock bilberry), or directly apply set honey are all good, the main reason is that butter is so delicious, you can mix it with jam, you can use it Eating everything I have ever eaten may be my lifelong pursuit. Bacon, sausages, mushrooms, eggs, tomatoes, beans, toast. If you eat in a restaurant, there will also be hash brown hash browns. If you are in Yorkshire, there will also be classic black pudding blood pudding (slices of intestines made with pig blood and oats as the main ingredients) ), coupled with orange juice with bits to relieve greasiness, it will not be enough for ten thousand years.

7. Refreshing English Breakfast

Full English breakfast cannot be eaten every day, so what should be done in between? sereal and yorgurt! There are so many types of yogurt and cereals in British supermarkets that it’s crazy, but they’re all so delicious. My favorite greek style yogurt comes in a big bucket of one pound, and you can eat two. There is not much difference between different brands. They are all strong, sour and original. It is best to dilute it with some milk, then add banana and raspberry. This is a classic combination that I never tire of eating. Blueberries and strawberries are also included. tasty. Sometimes I don’t want to eat sour food. A more luxurious way is to use a blender to beat the avocado and banana milk yourself to achieve a thick texture, which is the same as yogurt and berry base, and then add loose pieces or oatmeal bound with honey. I think this kind of breakfast should be more particular about the tableware. A small porcelain bowl with beautiful patterns, a glass tall bowl, or a round small wooden bowl will make you feel good in the morning.

8. Beef jerky

This is almost the only snack I have made in the UK. I bought a large piece of beef from the supermarket, cut it into strips, crushed the coriander seeds (still the magical spice that has nothing to do with the taste and shape of coriander but has won my heart) and black pepper with a rolling pin, added salt and evenly spread it on the meat strips. Put it in a big box and marinate it with malt vinegar for a day. After marinating, apply a layer of coriander seeds, black pepper, salt and chopped tangerine peel (chop the fresh tangerine peel directly or dry it and grind it), and then leave it to air-dry. It was air-dried in the machine for four or five days. The principle of the machine is to isolate the stolen goods from the outside world and keep blowing air inside. After it was made, it was really more delicious than the Tibetan and Mongolian beef jerky I have eaten. I want to try other flavors in the future, such as If I put lavender seeds on top and pickle it, would it give it a unique flavor? I would like to express my nostalgia for British beef with this cover.

9. Various stews

An electric rice cooker, iron pot, stone pot or porcelain pot will do. You can buy chicken thigh in the supermarket. Maybe the British don’t eat chicken legs very much, so it’s very convenient. It’s cheap. This is the only bone-in chicken you can buy in the supermarket. You can also buy lamb chop, pork rib, whatever the meat is, just leave it on the bone. Boil cold water and remove the blood, then put it into the water and add Sichuan peppercorns, anise, cinnamon, strawberries, mushrooms, green onion segments, ginger slices, red dates, dried chili peppers, or prepared stew ingredients bought in the supermarket. Stew for an hour. You can add corn, Lotus root, winter melon, carrots, taro, add whatever you want, mix it however you want, stew until the soup is thick and the meat is soft and tender, sprinkle some salt before taking it out of the pot, it is not difficult to make at all, and it tastes delicious no matter how you make it. In addition, I also tried my mother's specialty dish - seabass tofu soup. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a copy of it because I couldn't get the milky white color and delicious taste. It was a waste of fresh whole sea bass bought at the market. Here Skip it in despair.

10. Vegetable Salad

Before I went to the UK, I loved making vegetable salads. Since I was little, my dad has brainwashed me into saying that people should eat eight different kinds of vegetables every day. The biggest pot made a big pot. Later I found that the British also used the biggest pots to hold and stir salads, which was very bold. After trying it from all sides, the classic recipe was summarized: one pound of one from the supermarket. Use the mixed leaf package as the base, fry some mushroom slices, fry a small box of shrimp prawns, and fry some halloumi cheese, Italian ham Prosciutto or Spanish ham jamon (as thin as cicada wings and crystal clear) when you want to be extravagant. Tear a few slices in and dry. Spread a pack of breadcrumbs in, cut avocado into cubes, cut cherry tomatoes in half, a small box of blueberries or mango, and for salad dressing, I like French dressing, and then twist some black pepper and sea salt, and stir to finish. Because of the diverse ingredients and complex flavors, this is actually a relatively luxurious meal, and one meal can satisfy oneself for a long time.

11. Sandwiches

When I first came to the UK, I had the sandwich set from Tesco for almost three or four lunches a week. They were taken directly from the refrigerator and served with Ice orange juice or ice milkshake, plus a bag of potato chips or a piece of chocolate is a classic meal deal in all supermarket canteens in the UK. Later, I got really sick and couldn't eat ice sandwiches anymore, so I bought a small grilled sandwich. The machine (like a rectangular electric baking pan) has simply elevated my impression of sandwiches from hell to heaven.

First spread a layer of butter on slices of bread bought in the supermarket (milk butter cheese is my favorite in the UK), then put slices of ham or fried bacon slices, or use leftover chicken curry, or I have used fresh salmon fillets and beef fillets, then diced tomatoes and onions and spread them on top. Add sea salt, black pepper and Nadon's periperi powder. Then cover with a layer of cheese slices. When making pasta, I use a spatula to rub it if it is too hard. To make the sandwich, I cut a slightly softer cheese with a knife, but I can’t remember the name, but it is much cheaper than the processed cheese shreds or cheese slices, and then I covered it with another piece of buttered bread. Put it on, and the final finishing touch is to put it in the sandwich machine and bake it for five minutes. When the aroma of cheese, butter and pepper comes out, you will be surprised to find that the butter has penetrated the outer layer of the two slices of bread and is browned. It's crispy, and when you bite into it, the cheese is stringy, and the tomatoes are not juicey. Any meat in it is delicious. I have never tasted a triangular boxed ice sandwich after eating a sandwich like this.

In fact, I also want to complain about the British destroying so many good deep-sea cod in the oil pan, and even eating them with soft-fried French fries or colorful refried beans (I think fish and pea is scarier than fish and chip). But I always feel that the degree of acceptance of foreign food actually reflects a person's cross-cultural communication mentality and ability. Cook more with friends from all over the world, try new things, combine them, and create your own private dishes. This is the most satisfying time when you are in a foreign country and miss your hometown. Chinese food is too expensive and Western food is too expensive. It is not only satisfying for the stomach, It’s the soul that seems to be wandering but can actually be settled by delicious food.