giving the world a peek into my kitchen...

Pages

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Stir-fried Beans with Eggs



So simple, so tasty!

Ingredients:
French beans (cut diagonally) - 20
Eggs - 2
Onions (sliced thinly) - 1/2
Garlic (crushed) - 3 cloves
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Heat up a little oil in a wok and stir fry onions and garlic.
Once fragrant, add beans, salt and pepper.
Continue stirring until the beans are almost cooked.
Separate the beans to the sides and add in the 2 eggs.
Scramble the eggs a little and leave them a while to cook.
Stir until everything is well mixed. Dish out and serve!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Nestum Fried Chicken



I bought a whole big tin of Nestum the other day. Tried frying chicken with Nestum and I was very satisfied with the outcome. Will definitely do this more often.

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces - 10-15
Nestum - 1/2 cup
Onion (crushed) - 1/2
Ginger (crushed) - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 2 springs
Salt
Pepper

Marinate chicken pieces with all the above ingredients (minus the nestum). Keep aside for about an hour.
Heat some oil and pan fry the marinated chicken. Once the chicken turns brown, add Nestum and stir briefly before dishing out to serve.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Fried Rice



Fried rice has to be one of the easiest dishes to prepare. Just dump everything together and voila, you have a meal prepared!
I wanted to make some last weekend but there wasn't much stuff left in the fridge, not even eggs! I just had to make do with whatever I could find.

Ingredients:
Cooked rice - 3 cups
Chicken breast (cut into small pieces) - 1/2 cup
Onions (chopped) - 1/2
Garlic (chopped) - 3 cloves
Potatoes (diced) - 2
Bird's eye chilies (cut small) - 3
Chili powder - 3 tsp
Soy sauce - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Fry the diced potatoes in some oil. Drain and set aside.
Heat some oil in a wok and stir fry onions, garlic and chilies. Add the chicken pieces in and stir fry until they're almost cooked.
Add in chili powder, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir until the rawness of the spice is gone.
Put in the cooked rice and stir until everything is well mixed.
Add the pre-fried potatoes and continue to stir.
Check for salt levels and dish out!
(P/S: I served this fried rice with the leftover of the previous day's Nestum Prawns)

Nestum Prawns


Saw this Cereal Prawns recipe while blog hopping and knew I had to try this! This recipe calls for oatmeal but I used Nestum instead. Well, this dish turned out to be really good. Just bear in mind that the Nestum loses its crunchiness if kept too long. So, prepare them just in time for your meal :)

Ingredients:
Prawns - 15
Cornstarch - 3 tbsp
Garlic (finely chopped) - 3 cloves
Curry leaves - 2 springs
Bird eye chilies (cut small) - 3
Butter - 3 tbsp
Nestum - 1/2 cup
Egg yolks - 1
Milk - 2 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean prawns removing the back veins but leaving the head and shell intact.
Seasons with salt and pepper.
Lightly coat the prawns with cornstarch. Heat up some oil and pan fry it.
Remove them once they turn pink on both sides.
Wipe clean the pan. Beat the egg yolks and add in milk. Stir and mix well.
Heat 3 tbsp of butter to the frying pan. Swirl in the egg yolk and stir continuously.
You should see bubbles appearing in the pan.
Add in garlic, chilies and curry leaves. Continue to stir fry until fragrant.
Add in Nestum. Continue to stir, tossing everything together. Add pepper and salt.
Put in the prawns and continue to stir fry until the shrimps are well coated with the Nestum. Dish out and serve. Yummy!



Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Kam Heong Chicken



One of my favourite dishes to order at a Chinese restaurant!

Ingredients:
Dried prawns (soaked n chopped) - 3 tbsp
Garlic (chopped) - 2 tbsp
Shallots (chopped) - 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves
Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Bird's eye chillies (chopped) - 2
Sauce:
Meat curry powder - 1 tbsp
Oyster Sauce - 2 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Dark Soy Sauce - few drops
Water - 1/4 cup



Marinate chicken with a tbsp each of soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornflour and sesame oil. Deep fry till golden brown. Drain and set aside.
Heat up some oil and stir fry dried prawns, garlic and shallots until fragrant.
Add in curry leaves, chili powder and the prepared sauce. Stir until everything is well mixed.
Add the chicken and stir well until chicken is well coated with the sauce.
Dish out and serve with warm rice. Enjoy!

Tandoori Chicken



We had some relatives over for the Raya weekend. Tried out this tandoori chicken recipe. Taste was good but next time I'll add some red coloring to get the restaurant look :)

Ingredients:
Chicken (cut into small pieces) - 1/2
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Chili powder - 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Ginger powder - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Garlic (minced) - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste



Prick the flesh of the chicken all over with a fork and marinate the chicken pieces with all the above ingredients for a good 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Remove chicken from marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan, brush with oil, and cook 25-30 minutes, turning once.
Juices should run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife.
Garnish with cilantro leaves, red onions, tomatoes and lemon wedges.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Steamed Fish (Siakap)



I've been wanting to try steaming a whole fish for sometime. Well, I did just that today and was very pleased with the outcome. Everyone at home loved it too! It was really like the ones you get at Chinese restaurants. The original recipe is adapted from RasaMalaysia with some minor changes. This recipe is definitely a keeper.


Ingredients:
Siakap - whole fish
Ginger (cut into strips) - 3 inch piece
Spring onions (cut into thin silken threads) - 2 stalks
Carrots (cut into thin silken threads) - 1/4
Some cilantro leaves
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp
Rice wine - 3 tbsp
Sauce:
Light soy sauce - 6 tbsp
Rice wine - 3 tbsp
Water - 3 tbsp
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar to taste



Clean the fish properly and pat dry. Mix soy sauce mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
Drizzle the fish with 1 tbsp of rice wine and top the fish with half of the cut ginger strips.
Steam the fish for about 10 minutes.
As soon as the fish is done steaming, discard the fish water and ginger strips.
Sprinkle the remaining ginger strips on the fish.
Heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan and pour the hot oil over the steamed fish.
In the same pan, heat the soy sauce mixture while stirring well.
As soon as the sauce bubbles up and boils, pour the soy sauce over the fish.
Top with spring onions, carrots and cilantro leaves.
Serve with warm rice.

Sweet n Sour Meatballs


Mum bought some meatballs from Jusco just the other day. I'm bored of the usual deep-frying and decided to try something different with the meatballs. The sweet, sour and spicy sauce of this dish nicely compliments the meatballs. I'll definitely make this again.



Ingredients:
Meatballs - 10
Onion (sliced thinly) - 1
Garlic (chopped) - 3 cloves
Ginger (chopped) - 1 tsp
Bird's eye chili (chopped) - 2
Sauce:
Chili sauce - 8 tbsp
Tomato sauce - 3 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste



Drizzled some oil in the pan and stir-fried the meatballs till brown. Remove and keep aside.
Sautee some onions, garlic, ginger and chilies in the same pan.
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a separate bowl and pour into the pan. Once the sauce simmers, add in the meatballs and stir.
Check and adjust taste by adding chili/tomato sauce to thicken or water to lighten.
Dish out and garnish with some cilantro leaves.

Back in the kitchen...

I'm back home for the Raya holidays! This is what I prepared for lunch today :)


Clockwise from left: Steam fish, mix vege, sweet and sour meatballs!

Recipes coming up soon!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Cucur Pisang



This is an easy Malaysian recipe, usually had for afternoon tea.
There are many ways to describe it, some call it cengkodok while others call it jemput-jemput.
It's incredibly easy to prepare and I made some for tea today.

Ingredients:
Flour - 1 cup
Bananas - 6-7
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
A pinch of salt

Mash the bananas in a bowl, dump all the other ingredients in and mix them well. Scoop them out with a spoon and drop into heated oil for frying. Remove when brown and drain oil on paper towels.

Fried Bean Sprouts

I prefer my vegetables as simple as possible and I don't like them over-cooked. Here's a very simple recipe for bean sprouts.


Ingredients:
Onions (sliced thinly) -1/2
Garlic (chopped) - 2 cloves
Bean sprouts (taugeh) - 1 bowl
Chinese chives (cut into 1-inch lengths) - 5 stalks
Tofu (cut into squares) - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt

Fry the squared tofu in some oil and set aside on paper towels.
Heat a little oil and sautee onions and garlic.
Put in bean sprouts, chinese chives, turmeric and salt. Stir until everything is well mixed.
Add fried tofu and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Dish out and serve.


Chicken Curry

It has been sooo long since the last time I updated this blog. Anyway, I made some chicken curry and bean sprouts today. Here's the chicken curry recipe!



Ingredients:
Chicken - 1/2 cut into medium size
Oil - 3 tbsp
Cardamom pods - 3
Fennel - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 2 1/2 inch pieces
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Meat curry powder - 4 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup (you could also use coconut milk)
Tomato (diced) - 1
Potatoes - 2
Blend to paste:
Onions (diced) - 2
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - 2 tbsp

Heat the oil in a pan and add cardamom pods, cinnamon, fennel and cumin seeds.
Fry the spices briefly before adding in the blended paste. Keep stiring.
Add the turmeric powder, curry powder, chili powder and stir well. Reduce the heat and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Put in the chicken pieces, potatoes, tomatoes and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and mix thoroughly and cover. Add milk and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked and the sauce thickens.
Serve hot with rice.
Wanted to make some roti jala for dinner but was too lazy. Had warm bread and curry instead :)