Sardine Peratal

Sardine comes very handy when there's nothing left in the fridge to cook. We normally keep a few tins for 'emergencies'. Here's a simple sardine recipe!

Ingredients:
Sardine - 1 big tin
Onions (sliced) - 1
Garlic (chopped) - 3 cloves
Dried chillies (cut into 1-inch lengths) - 3
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Chili powder - 2 tbsp
Tamarind juice - 1/4 cup
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour out the sardines onto a plate and remove the middle bones.
Heat some oil and saute onions, garlic, dried chillies and curry leaves until fragrant.
Add chili powder and tamarind juice. Keep stirring. Add a little water if necessary.
Put in the sardines and break them up a little.
Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
Dish out and serve.

Spiced Chili Chicken

Sorry peeps for the long hiatus! I haven't been cooking for some time...
Anyway, I made this dish a long time back and here's the recipe. Hope you try this out!

Ingredients:
Chicken (cut into pieces) - 1/2 chicken
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
Tomato (chopped) - 1
Onion (finely chopped) - 1
Garlic (chopped) - 2 cloves
Green chilies (chopped) - 2
Dried red chilies - 5
Bay leaves - 2
Chili powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Meat curry paste - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ground coriander - 1 tsp
Ground cumin - 1 tsp
Ground turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2/3 cup
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Blend tomato puree, chopped garlic, fresh green chilies and dried red chilies. Add salt, sugar, chili powder and curry powder. Process until it forms a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a large pan and fry cumin seeds. Add onions and bay leaves and continue stirring.
Add chili paste and fry mixture for 2-3 minutes.
Add ground coriander, cumin and turmeric and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add in tomatoes.
Pour water and stir. Bring to boil and add in the chicken pieces. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Let the sauce thicken.
Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
This dish is best served with naan or chapatis.

Creamy Butter Prawns

Tried this dish at a Chinese seafood restaurant once and had since fallen in love with it. Re-created this flavorful dish at home yesterday and got the thumbs-up from all at home. It's rather easy to prepare actually.

Ingredients:
Prawns - 8
Butter - 1 stick
Evaporated milk - 50 ml
Garlic (crushed) - 4 cloves
Curry leaves - 2 springs
Bird's eye chillies (chopped finely) - 3
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Clean the prawns removing vein and legs but leaving the shell intact. Season with salt, pepper and half of the crushed garlic. Set aside for half an hour.
Heat a little oil and stir fry the prawns until the turn pink. Remove from heat once partially cooked.
In a clean pan, heat butter and add remaining garlic, chillies and curry leaves. Once fragrant add ideal milk. When the sauce simmers, add in the prawns.
Stir until prawns are well coated with the sauce. Once the sauce thickens, dish out and serve.

Long Beans with Minced Chicken

Ingredients:
Long beans (cut into 2-inch lengths) - 10
Chicken (minced) - 100 gms
Garlic (chopped) - 3 cloves
Onions (chopped) - 1/2
Chinese wine - 1/2 tsp
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Dark soy sauce - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Heat some oil in a pan and stir fry half of the chopped onions and garlic. Add long beans and Chinese wine. Season with salt and pepper.
Once the beans are cooked dish them out in a plate.
Stir fry the remaining onions and garlic with the curry leaves in the same pan. Add minced chicken, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt and pepper.
Once chicken is cooked and tender, dish it out on top of the long beans.

Tuna Sandwich

Back after a short hiatus with a quick and simple Tuna sandwich!

Ingredients:
Tuna in water - 1 can
Onion (chopped finely) - 1 small
Mayonnaise - 1/2 small bottle
Chillies (chopped finely) - 1
Tomato (sliced) - 1
Salad leaves
Pepper

Open the tuna can and drain the water. Mix tuna, onions, mayonnaise and chillies in a bowl. Sprinkle a generous amount of pepper. Spread this on one side of bread and top with salad leaves and sliced tomatoes. Place another slice of bread on the top and cut the sandwich into half.
Enjoy!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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 :)

Broccoli with Mushrooms

My easy version of broccoli with mushrooms!

Ingredients:
Broccoli (cut into small pieces) - 1
Dried shiitake mushrooms -10-12
Onion (sliced thinly) - 1/4
Garlic (chopped) - 2 cloves
Oyster sauce - 2 tbsp
Pepper to taste

Soak the mushroom in hot water for 15 minutes.
Blanch the broccoli in some hot water for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Saute onions and garlic in a little oil.
Add in broccoli and mushrooms. Stir awhile before adding oyster sauce and pepper.
Continue to stir until everything is well mixed. Dish out and serve!

Mixed Vegetables

I like to make my mix vege as colorful as possible. I used carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, corn and mushrooms this time. You can also add broccoli, capsicum and chilies. They say different colors of vegetables contain different nutrients and is therefore more healthier! :)

Ingredients:
Carrot - 1
Cauliflower -1/2
Cabbage - 1/3
Baby corn - 4
Mushrooms - 5-6
*all the above, cut into small pieces
Onion (sliced thinly) -1/2
Garlic (sliced) - 3-4 cloves
Ginger (slice thinly) - 1tbsp
Oyster sugar
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Saute the onions, garlic and ginger in a little oil. Add in all the vegetables and stir-fry briefly before adding oyster sauce, salt and pepper. I like my vegetables a bit crunchy, so i take them out in about 3-4 minutes.

Chili Prawns

Made this for dinner today. A quick and easy dish!

Ingredients:
Prawns - 15-20
Onion (sliced) - 1
Garlic (cut into strips) - 3 cloves
Ginger (sliced) - 2 tbsp
Dried chilies (cut into 1 inch length) - 5-7
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Icing sugar - 1 tsp
Chinese cooking wine - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Spring onions to garnish

Heat some oil and stir fry the prawns till they turn pink. Add onions, garlic, ginger and dried chilies. Continue to stir till fragrant.
Add soy sauce, cooking wine, salt and pepper. Stir well before adding in a dash of icing sugar.
Dish out and garnish with some spring onions.

Hot and Spicy Tempeh

My aunt's maid prepared this dish last week. I liked it so much, I had to stop myself from finishing everybody elses' share.
For those not familiar with tempeh, tempeh is made by fermenting soy beans into a cake form. Normally cooked chopped or crumbled, it is known to contain high sources of protein and is suitable for vegetarians.
I attempted kakak's version of tempeh at home today.
A very, very simple recipe! You can whip this dish up in about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

Tempeh (cut into small pieces) - 2
Bird's eye chili - 5-6
Onions (sliced thinly) - 1
Garlic (chopped) - 3 cloves
Thick soy sauce - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the tempeh. Set aside.
Sautee onions, garlic and bird's eye chili in a little oil until fragrant.
Put in the tempeh and stir. Add sugar, thick soy sauce and a little salt.
Continue to stir until everything is well mixed.
Dish out and serve with some warm rice!

P.S: Please excuse the blur photos. Photos were taken using my handphone.

Chocolate Cake

My 2nd attempt on a cake. I was satisfied with the outcome and everybody seemed to like it. Here's the recipe I used:

Ingredients:
Butter - 250g
Castor sugar - 1 3/4 cups
Eggs - 5
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder - 3/4 cup
Cake flour - 2 cups
Sodium bicarbonate - 1/2 tsp
Chocolate milk - 1 cup

Chocolate glaze:
Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1/2 cup
Confectioner's sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 6 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy with a hand mixer.
Add eggs one by one, followed by vanilla essence.
Reduce mixer speed and add cake flour, cocoa powder and sodium bicarbonate.
Add chocolate milk to the mixture and mix until batter is smooth.
Heat the oven at 180'C for 5 minutes. Grease the cake pan with some butter and flour.
Pour mixture into the cake pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Once cake is done, remove from oven and leave to cool.
To prepare glaze, heat sugar, semi-sweet chocolate chips, butter, vanilla essence and milk using a double boiler. Stir till it forms a smooth mixture. Pour over cake and leave to set.
Slice cake and serve.

Lemon Cake

I somehow never liked baking. The only baking I've done so far have been under my mom's supervision (she makes great cakes by the way). Today, at 2.30 am, I tried my luck baking a cake on my own. And I so regret it. It didn't turn out as expected. I used some recipe I found online. Maybe I should have used my mother's tried and tested recipe instead. Sigh! Oh well, here's the picture of my cake.

Please don't laugh..

Updated:
More photos of my lemon cake. I didn't ice the entire cake yesterday. My family said the cake was actually quite good so I iced the remainder today.

Jelly

Made some jelly last weekend. I'm too lazy to post a detailed recipe for this. So, basically... the red layer is agar-agar + sugar + water. Pink layer is agar-agar + sugar + water + coconut milk and the white layer is agar-agar + sugar + lil' salt + coconut milk. Don't forget to use screwpine (pandan) leaves while boiling the agar-agar. Enjoy the pictures!

Cashew Chicken

A simple Chinese-American dish that calls for two simple ingredients: cashew nuts and chicken :)

Ingredients:
Chicken (cut into small pieces) - 1
Cashew nuts - 10-15
Mushrooms (sliced) - 5
Onion (cut into wedges) - 1
Ginger (cut into strips) - 3 tbsp
Garlic (chopped) - 2 cloves
Dried chilies (cut into 1-inch lengths) - 2
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Oyster sauce - 3 tbsp
Cornstarch - 1 1/2 tsp
Chinese cooking wine - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Marinate chicken with soy sauce, oyster sauce and cornstarch and set aside.
Heat some oil over medium heat and stir fry cashews until golden brown. Remove and keep them separately.
Add in onions, ginger, garlic and dried chilies into the oil and stir until fragrant.
Add marinated chicken and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink.
Put in the mushrooms and stir briefly before adding cooking wine.
Season with salt and pepper and let gravy boil and thicken.
Once chicken is cooked, add in the cashew nuts and stir.
Dish out and serve with warm rice.