Buffalo Wings

Buffalo Wings. Not because they are made of buffalos, but because they originate from Buffalo, NY! 🙂
For the Breading:
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp salt
10 Chicken Wings
Whisk together the flour, paprika, and salt. Toss the chicken wings in till well coated. Refrigerate for 60 minutes

Heat enough oil for frying. Fry the chicken wings till golden brown.

For the hot sauce:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup hot sauce (Tabasco)

Combine the hot sauce with the tabasco. Coat the fried wings into the mixture. Serve

 

Biscuit with Gravy

When i was making these biscuits this morning. I didn’t think that i was going to write  a blog post about them.

All i wanted was to use up the gravy that i made the day before.

My impression of biscuits was never fantastic. Gone were the days where I would nibble on a piece of tasteless, unsavoury Popeye’s biscuits.

In addition to that, biscuits were never photogenic.

Biscuits doused in pale, white-ish sauce were even less impressive.

However, i decided to weather all the negativity. Because it is of utmost importance that i were to journal this recipe.

The recipe that had the power to erase all the bad judgement i passed on all the biscuits that i ecountered before.

I’m sorry Biscuits, I’ve been harsh on you.

Original recipe makes 6 grand sized biscuits Change Servings

(taken from allrecipes.com)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening ( I used butter)
• 1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

And in case you were wondering about the gravy, the recipe can be found HERE

Penne Alfredo

Ree’s blog at the pionerwoman always gives me the giggles. She’s always so witty in her description.

And when i was vacationing in the US two years ago, I was lucky enough to catch snippets of her cooking show. In fact i made sure i stayed back in the hotel just to catch her show. Imagine, passing the opportunity to sight-see Times Square in New York to catch Ree Drummond!

So when this month’s cook like a star chose Ree to be their featured chef. I was more than willing to pitch in.

Cook like a Star is a montly event organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Yen from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake.

are my blogging friends that have joined me cooking for this event. Please visit their blogs for more of their 5-stars cooking.  – See more at: http://bakeforhappykids.blogspot.com/#sthash.SR8KK3va.dpuf

So here goes my Penne Alfredo.

I’ve made this dish quite a couple of times. But i’ve never blogged about it because the final pale color of this dish never inspired me enough to pull out my camera. Don’t get me wrong. This dish tastes amah-zing! just that the colors was a bit drab.

Today however was different. I was armed with parsley leaves and tomatoes. They make the perfect garnish.

Enjoy!

Penne Chicken Alfredo

Taken from The pioneerwoman

Prep Time:

5 Minutes

Cook Time:

20 Minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Servings:

6

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, weight Bowtie Pasta (farfalle)- i used Penne
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Dry White Wine (may Substitute Low-sodium Chicken Broth)
• 1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth, As Needed For Thinning – I used homemade bone broth
• 3/4 cups Parmesan Shavings Or Grated Parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until deep golden brown on both sides and done in the middle. Remove from the skillet, slice into thin strips, and set aside.

Add additional 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet, followed by the minced garlic. Stir the garlic around the pan to avoid burning, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in wine (or broth), then let it bubble up and reduce for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, cream, and extra salt and pepper, whisking constantly until it’s all combined. Allow liquid to heat up and thicken for a few minutes. If it gets too thick, you may thin it with a little chicken broth.

When the sauce looks good, remove it from the heat. Add Parmesan to the pan, then throw the hot pasta right on top of it. Toss it a bit. Add the chicken and continue tossing until it’s all combined. Again, if it gets too gloopy, splash in a little broth (you may return the pan to low heat if it needs it.)

Taste it, adjust seasonings, and top with minced parsley and extra Parmesan. Serve immediately!

 

 

 

Fast food @ home

I am currently reading a book titled “the super natural home” by Beth Greer. In this book, Beth tells us about the toxins that we unwittingly expose to ourselves daily and what we can do to avoid or rather minimize them.

In a chapter of the book, she mentioned about her daughter coming home having eaten two pieces of McNuggets. She said, and i quote : “the dreaded food made from highly processed reconstituted chicken that is breaded and mixed with toxic additives and preservatives , then deep fried in fat-laden, partially hydrogenated oil.”

Also in the recent news was Jamie Oliver winning his case against McDonald’s over the use of pink slime, Where he pointed out that the meat in the burger patties had been pre-treated with a cocktail of chemicals and thus not fit for human consumption. McDonald’s has since agreed to change its recipe.

But, I don’t think i will be going to the golden arches for a while now.

So instead, i try to re-create. I’ve even gone a step further by making my own burger buns!

So here i am with my sausage patty burger. Appearance wise, it’s a far cry from the McDonald’s sausage McMuffins. Namely because i’ve used burger buns instead of english muffins and added the lettuce and tomatoes which are absent from the original.

The sausage patty tasted pretty close. I can confidently say that because Mr. Crustabakes who had absolutely no inkling of my copycat attempt pointed out the taste resemblance.

So, do try it out and save yourselves a trip to the drive-thru!

Simple Homemade Sausage Patties

Taken from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork- i used chicken
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried sage, crumbled
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried fennel, crushed
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg white
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Step 1

   Mix together the pork, garlic, sage, thyme, fennel, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the egg white and combine thoroughly. Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes.

2. Step 2

   To easily form the sausage patties, rinse your hands in cold water. Divide the mixture into eighths and shape each portion into a 2 1/2-inch disk. Patties can be made to this point and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.

3. Step 3

   Heat a skillet over high heat, and then swirl in the oil. Fry the sausages on both sides until completely cooked through and golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Drain and serve immediately with pancakes, waffles or eggs. Sausage patties can be fully cooled, wrapped, and frozen for microwave reheating.

 

Beautiful Burger Buns

Taken from King Arthur Flour

1. Volume
2. Ounces
3. Grams

Buns

• 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• *For best results (a smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in between the rest of the time.

Topping

• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.

2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s nearly doubled in bulk.

3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3″ across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.

4) Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.

5) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.

6) Cool the buns on a rack.

Yield: 8 large buns.

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken Katsu Curry

I am not exactly proud of my contribution to this month’s Little Thumbs Up event. Hosted by Miss B of Everyone Eats Well in Flanders , and organized by  Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen from my little favourite D.I.Y, the selected ingredient for this month is curry.

While most curry dishes require long and engaging cooking activities, mine was pretty much instant with the use of Japanese instant curry blocks.

All i had to do was just to brown some onions and cook some carrots and potatoes. At this point, you could choose to add in some meat into your pot of vegetables too. But i decided to go an extra mile by breading and frying my chicken.

I guess it’s my way of making up, since i was already using instant Japanese curry paste.

Chicken Katsu Curry

(Serves 1)

1 piece of chicken thigh (deboned)

Salt & Pepper

2 tbs flour

Egg

Panko Crumbs

1/2 potato

1./2 caroot

1.2 onion

a cup of water

1 Tbs oil

Curry Block (I used S&B brand)

For the chicken katsu

Pat dry the chicken thigh, and season with salt and pepper.

Coat the thigh in flour, dredge it in the beaten egg, den re-coat it again in the panko crumbs

Fry till cooked and golden brown

For the curry

Brown the onion in the oil. Add carrots and potatoes. Add  a cup of water and let the mixture boil till carrots and potatoes are tender.

When the water has reduced to about half a cup, add the curry block in and stir till dissolved. Keep cooking until bubbles appear.

Serve curry over white rice. Add the chicken katsu.

 

Singapore Hokkien Mee

Hokkien Mee, which translates to “Fujian Noodle” was something I grew up with in Singapore.

Fujian is a province in China. So I suppose this dish probably could trace its origins there.

I grew up in Singapore without my parents, but with a hired “nanny” to watch over us (me and my siblings). At times, this hired “nanny” would take a break from cooking. She would assign us some money, to settle lunch on our own.

I looked forward to these occasions, because back then, I didn’t like home cooking. She wasn’t the world’s best cook. And it was always the same few dishes that came out of her kitchen.

So Hokkien Mee was something i liked to order when we had the chance to eat out. I remember the stall owner would fire up his stove, make a hell lot of noise stirring his metal spatula against his giant wok. Minutes later, a plate of steaming hot, soggy noodles would appear.

I especially loved it when the noodles are extra soggy. Because it means, extra broth. This broth is the highlight of this dish. It is bursting with all the flavors from hours of simmering stock.

As a kid, I couldn’t pinpoint as to what made the broth so delicious. It was only after reading the recipes for this dish that i discovered that the stock was made of pork, chicken and prawns.

Yup, that’s three types of meat, combined to make one stock. Can i justify further?

 

Singapore Hokkien Mee

Recipe taken from Rasa Malaysia

Singapore Hokkien Mee Recipe

Ingredients:

250g Yellow Noodle
250g White thick rice vermicelli (I used dried rice vermicelli)
400g Prawn
350g Squid (Sotong) (omitted, added sliced fishcakes instead)
200g Pork Belly (omitted)
40g Green chives
750ml Chicken stock
3 Eggs
5g Chopped garlic

Seasoning:

1/2 tbsp Fish sauce
1 dash Pepper
1 dash Sesame oil

Method:

1. Peel the prawn head.  In a hot wok, add a tbsp oil and fry the prawn head until fragrant. Add fried prawn head into chicken stock and boil for 30mins to 1 hour. (I usually reserve the uncooked prawn shells and prawn heads from other dishes and keep them frozen in the freezer)
2. Add the pork belly into the stock and boil for 45mins. Take out the pork belly and cool. Cut pork belly into strips. ( I omitted this step)
3. Blanch dried vermicelli, fishcake and prawns in boiling water. Drain and set aside
4. Into a hot wok, add 1 tbsp of oil, fry the garlic until fragrant. Add in egg and scramble.
5. Add in yellow noodle and blanched rice vermicelli. Fry for a few minutes until noodles just begin to sear. (Use high heat)
6. Add 1/3 of prawn stock and seasoning. Fry until stock is almost dry. Add another 1/3 of prawn stock. Cover wok to braise the noodles on medium low heat. (5 to 7 mins) * Note: I had to add a bit of water as my stock wasn’t quite enough
7. Lastly add in prawn, squid, chives and fry together. Add remaining stock, fry for 1 min and plate. Serve with sambal chilli and lime.

 

 

Chicken Teriyak Burger

I can’t believe I am finally dusting this old blog of mine from its inch deep of dust.

I apologize for the lack of activity around here. But hey, I think i might have a good excuse for it.

Over the past few months, I have had a baby!

Yes, my very own little bundle of Joy. And i couldn’t be any happier!

And i guess I am not like the SuperMoms out there who are able to juggle their babies in one hand while flipping pancakes with the other.

I am a Total mess.

and I am awful with time management.

Between feeding my baby girl (Yes, it’s a girl!) and burping her. I barely have enough time to wipe the spit up across my shoulder before my little one wails out for another request. Be it a diaper change, or a soothing hug. I am not complaining. I am more than happy to attend to her needs.

It just means that i won’t be posting as often.

And i will have to make do with lackluster blog posts and photos like so:

This is really a raw picture. I didn’t have time to take out my lights or assemble my props the way i usually did way back when.

Nevertheless, I am happy i was able to put up this post. Even when i had to stop about four times doing so. 🙂

Chicken Teriyaki Burger

(Recipe taken from To Food with Love)

Ingredients

5 chicken thighs with skin-on, deboned

Teriyaki sauce:

1/2 cup Kikkoman soy sauce

1/2 cup sake

2/3 cup mirin

3 tbsp sugar

Method

Place ingredients for sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to less than half. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool. It will continue to thicken a little during cooling.

Season chicken thigh fillets with black pepper and pour about 4 tbsp of the teriyaki sauce onto the chicken. Mix well and leave in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour. Reserve the rest for later.

Preheat oven to 210C (400F). Place the chicken in a baking dish or a tray lined with foil. Bake on the upper rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway and baste with remaining marinade. When cooked, remove and transfer to a chopping board. Slice into 3/4 inch strips.

* To serve, I seared burger buns facedown in a pan with a bit of garlic butter.

I assembled the lettuce and tomatoes on the seared buns and placed the teriyaki chicken in between.

Chicken Katsu Oyakodon

Today’s blog entry is one that has been featured in this blog before.

Presenting a recipe a second time could only mean two things :

1.  You botched things up so badly in your first trial, that you felt the need to right your blunders in order to redeem yourself as an progressing substandard cook instead of a total schmuck. ( That’s me!)

2. The recycled recipe didn’t do too badly in its first round that you didn’t mind taking the same pictures, and describing the same scenes for the second time on your blog.

I am glad to report, that the latter applies to this situation.

The Chicken Katsu Oyako-don was first published HERE.

But instead of making the chicken katsu from scratch, I decided to go easy this morning by using frozen, ready-made chicken Karaage.

Just like frozen fish fingers, these chicken pieces have been pre-flavored and pre-breaded.

All I had to do was to drop them into hot oil and  watch as they turn golden brown.

Between the instant frozen fried chicken and the very few sauces involved made cooking such a breeze this morning.

If you are unfamiliar with Japanese sauces, here is what i used:

Yup, just these three.

Mirin, Soy Sauce and Dashi Powder.

Sautee some onion, dump in these three seasonings, dump a few beaten eggs, and voila!

That’s your oyako-don broth all ready to go!

Now, scoop some rice ( I used Japanese sushi rice) onto a bowl,

place a couple of fried chicken,

Then ladle some of that broth over the chicken pieces.

Garnish with a bit of spring onions,

And you’re good to go!

And of course, let’s not forget the chopsticks.

Dig in!

Oyako Don
Taken from Momofokufor2

Chicken Katsu-Oyakodon Recipe

Yield: 2 servings

2 cups of cooked white rice

About 8 Pieces of ready made frozen chicken karaage

1/2 cup dashi  (I used 1/2 tsp of dashi powder dissolved in 1/2 C of water)

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon mirin (I preferred my broth to be sweeter, and ended up dribbling about 2TBS instead of 11/2)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten

sliced green onions for garnish

2. Heat up oil to 375˚F in a frying pan. Shallow fry chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked. Drain on paper towels and set aside while you cook your onions and eggs.
3. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a sauce pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions and pan-fry until cooked and soft, but not brown. Add the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin and turn the heat to high. When the mirin mixture comes to a boil, add the eggs and turn the heat off and cover the pan so the eggs cook in the residual heat for about 3-4 minutes.
4. Fill rice bowls and place chicken pieces on top. Scoop soft omelette and dashi broth onto the chicken and rice. Garnish with green onions. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Chicken Sausage and Potatoes Roast

I kept plucking at the crispy bits on these chicken

And with each bite, it was like fireworks in my mouth. Salty, spicy, herby, peppery.  All at the same time. I kept picking at it, till my chicken was pretty much bald.

I looked at the other chicken pieces, and wondered if i should work on a second piece.

I practiced restraint and kept my fingers on my now bald chicken. I was glad i did. Because i was about to get on to the meat.

The meat.

The meat that had been soaked in buttermilk overnight.

The meat that was juicy and tender.

I am not an expert on the topic, but from what i read, soaking meat in buttermilk would help tenderize the meat while flavouring them at the same time.

While i can’t really vouch for the flavouring part, i can totally affirm on the tenderizing. But then again, my tastebuds was probably desensitized from all that flavour burst from the crunchy flour. Judging flavor on the chicken meat would be totally inaccurate

Nevertheless, since all your attention would be sucked to the frying station for these chicken, i thought this chicken sausage and potatoes roast would be the perfect accompaniment.

This dish is really easy to put together.

All you had to do is toss cubed potatoes, sausages, oil, rosemary, salt and pepper together and pop them into the oven, then tend back to your fried chicken.

Roasting this will cause the skin on the potatoes to dry while the insides remain moist. The same goes for the potatoes. Succulent on the insides, crisp on the outside.

Okay now, I shall leave you guys with these double chicken post. I hope you guys enjoyed it!

Pioneer Woman’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken

recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cookbook: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond

Note:I took it from Steamy Kitchen

serves 6-8 hungry ranch hands (halve recipe if you you’re feedin’ normal city folk)

2 cut-up fryer chickens
1 quart plus 1/4 cup buttermilk
5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons seasoned salt (like Lawry’s)
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup milk
canola or vegetable oil for frying

1. In a large bowl (or 2 freezer bags) add the chicken with 1 quart buttermilk. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to fry, remove chicken from bowl and let sit on counter for 30 minutes to take chill off.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Stir together the flour, seasoned salt, pepper, thyme, paprika and cayenne in a very large bowl. In a small bowl combine the 1/4 cup buttermilk and the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and use a fork to mix until little lumps throughout.

3. Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat to 365F. Working in batches, thoroughly coat each buttermilk-soaked chicken piece with the breading, pressing to adhere the breading. Add the chicken to the oil 3-4 pieces at a time. Cover pan and fry 5-7 minutes, checking to make sure chicken isn’t getting too brown. Turn, cover and cook additional 3-5 minutes more. Monitor temperature of oil to make sure chicken doesn’t burn. Keep in mind chicken will finish cooking in oven.

4. Place chicken on baking sheet and continue frying rest of chicken. When done, bake the chicken for 10-15 minutes, until chicken cooked through.

Roasted Chicken Sausage and Potatoes

Taken from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds smoked chicken sausage
• 1 1/2 pounds small white potatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pierce sausage all over with a fork; place on a rimmed baking sheet with potatoes and rosemary. Drizzle all with oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, and spread in an even layer.
2. Roast, tossing occasionally, until sausage is browned and potatoes are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. If desired, halve sausages crosswise before serving.

Oyako Don

I can’t think of anything more comforting for breakfast than a bowl of hot rice with with slurry half cooked eggs and chicken pieces.

Known as Oyako don, this Japanese dish literally translates to “parent and child” don. Though i knew the translation behind the Japanese name. It took google and wikipedia to point it out to me why it might be named such.

The reason is pretty obvious actually. Chicken and egg = parent and child. Chicken being the parent, egg being the child.Geez, that was pretty obvious!

I really loved slurping the softly cooked eggs, and the chicken gave some bulk  to the Japanese rice dish.

But of course, the highlight of this dish is the sweet yet savoury sauce in this dish. This is the sauce in which the chicken, eggs, and some onions are stewed in.

It is also the sauce that the rice soaks up as the stew got ladled over it. And if you can’t really picture it, think of gravy and mashed potatoes.

Oyako Don
Taken from Momofokufor2

Chicken Katsu-Oyakodon Recipe

Yield: 2 servings

2 cups of cooked white rice

4 chicken drumsticks, de-boned and cut into bite-sized chunks (see below)
2 tablespoons flour*
salt and pepper*
1 egg, lightly beaten*
1 cup panko*
oil for pan-frying*

1/2 cup dashi
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon mirin
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten

sliced green onions for garnish

1. Set up a breading station and break the chunks of chicken by dipping in flour, shaking off excess, dipping in egg, and then in panko. Continue until all chicken is breaded.
2. Heat up oil to 375˚F in a frying pan. Shallow fry chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked. To check, cut a piece of chicken in half. Drain on paper towels and set aside while you cook your onions and eggs.
3. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a sauce pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions and pan-fry until cooked and soft, but not brown. Add the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin and turn the heat to high. When the mirin mixture comes to a boil, add the eggs and turn the heat off and cover the pan so the eggs cook in the residual heat for about 3-4 minutes.
4. Fill rice bowls and place chicken katsu on top. Scoop soft omelette and dashi broth onto the chicken and rice. Garnish with green onions. Enjoy!

*Note: I didnt katsu my chicken. Instead i just slid after pan frying the onions and simmer it in the sauces.

 

 

Chinese food: Lor Mai Gai and Ee foo Noodles

I am on a chinese food roll!

First i made this Lor Mai Gai

Lor mai gai is a chinese dish served during breakfast, or a mid-day snack. Often seen at restaurants serving dim sum (chinese snacks), they are made of sticky glutinous rice and topped with an array of chicken, chinese mushrooms, and chinese sausages.

If you havent come across glutinous rice before, the texture is somewhat like the sushi rice. Only much stickier. This rice is seasoned with a pantry full of chinese sauces before it is cooked. Being new in cooking, it took me a while t0 rally all these bottles of sauces. I would go to the grocery, buy one bottle, and forget what the names of the other sauces i was supposed to get. But once i got all my ducks (or bottle sauces) in line, i was good to go!

 

Next, i made this crispy ee foo noodles.

Thank goodness most of the sauces i bought for the sticky rice were once again listed in this recipe. So, i guess building up that initial chinese sauce pantry wasn’t such a waste after all.

This dish is made of crispy, deep fried noodles and ladled with a gravy of chinese mushrooms, assorted vegetables, and a type of meat (be it seafood, pork or chicken). And when i say a type of meat, i would really recommend on choosing only one type of meat. You wouldnt want to mix shrimps and chicken.

Like eating a bowl of cereal with milk, the longer the crispy noodles soaks the gravy, the softer it gets. And if you eat it on the spot, you get this gratifying crunch with each bite. I stand midway in savoring this dish. I ladle the gravy onto the plate, mix it up for a bit, then take my first bite. I get best of both crispy vs soggy world that way. 🙂

Lor mai gai (Steamed Glutinous Rice with Chicken)
Recipe taken from My kitchen

Ingredients (makes 6 servings):
3 cup glutinous rice, rinsed and soaked 4-5 hours or overnight
300gm boned chicken thigh, sliced
3-4 shiitake mushroom, soaked and shredded
1 Chinese sausage, thinly sliced (some people use char siew)

A
1 cm ginger, minced
1-2 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp shaoxing wine (chinese cooking wine)
½ tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp corn starch

B
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 bulbs shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 tsp dark soy sauce
*1 tbsp light soy sauce
*1 tbsp oyster sauce
*½ tsp salt (or to taste)
*½ tbsp sesame oil
*½ tsp ground white pepper
*Pinch of 5-spices powder
1 cup water
Methods:

1. Marinate chicken and shiitake mushroom with ingredients A for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in wok, sauté garlic and shallot until fragrant. Stir in glutinous rice and ingredients B marked with *. Stir until rice is coated with the sauce evenly.
3. Add in water and cook until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat.
4. In each steaming bowl, place 2-3 slices of Chinese sausage follow by 2-3 pieces chicken and mushroom. Next, fill in glutinous rice until three quarter full.
5. Steam in preheated steamer for 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
6. Turn the heat off, keep the cover on for about 10 minutes before taking them out from steamer to prevent surfaces from drying out.
7. Run a spatula or knife around the bowl then invert lor mai kai onto a plate and serve warm with some chili sauce (optional).

Cantonese Fried Noodles Recipe (肉絲炒麵)
Taken from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients

300g soft egg noodles
100g lean pork, shredded
4 pcs dried black mushroom
50g bean sprouts
100g yellow chives
1/2 table spoon julienned ginger

Marinade for Dried Mushrooms

1/4 tsp salt

Marinade for Bean Sprouts and Yellow Chives

1/4 tsp salt

Marinades for Lean Pork

1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp wine
1/4 tsp corn starch
1/4 tsp oil

Sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
3/4 cup water from soaking the dried mushrooms

Method:

1. Briefly blanch noodles (or according to the packet instructions) to make them al dente. Then immediately rinse the noodles under running cold water for another half minute. Loosen the rinsed noodles in a colander and air- dry it for about an hour before frying, a simple but important step for making the noodles crispy.
2. Rinse dried mushrooms thoroughly; soak them in 3/4 cup water until soft. Squeeze water in mushrooms and cut them into thin slices. Reserve the 3/4 cup water. Marinade pork, mushrooms for about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Rinse bean sprouts and yellow chives. Cut chives into sections, about 4 cm long. Put them in a colander to drain off any excess water. Right before cooking, sprinkle in salt, and mix it well with the sprouts and chives.
4. Make sure all ingredients are ready to go before frying noodles as they need to be cooked while the fried noodles are still crispy
5. Heat wok over high heat, add oil and distribute it over the centre and halfway up the sides. As the oil starts to smoke lightly, lay noodles flat in the wok. Turn to medium heat, do not move the noodles till they turned golden on the bottom side. The noodles might get stuck to the wok if they are moved before heated enough. Then flip to the other side, and add another table spoon of oil, continue to fry them till they turned crispy on the second side. Dish up noodles and lay them on a plate.
6. Heat another table spoon of oil in wok over medium heat, saute julienned ginger, dried mushrooms, followed by shredded pork. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes or till done. Toss in bean sprouts and yellow chives, turn to high heat and stir fry them for half a minute, or, just before they get wilted. Then pour in well-mixed sauce and keep stirring. As soon as the liquid boils, they are done.
7. Ladle all the cooked ingredients with the sauce on top of the crispy noodles. Serve hot with black vinegar as the dipping sauce. Enjoy.

Cook’s Notes:

1. To avoid noodles sticking to wok, it is important to make sure the wok and oil are well-heated.
2. For presentation, it is better to top the noodles with meat and sauce, but I would suggest combining them all before sending to mouth.

Chicken Breast with Mushroom Sauce

This breakfast came together because i happened to have all the ingredients in my fridge.

1. Mushrooms – check
2. Chicken Breast – check
3. Cream – check

Put everything together and we had this chicken breast with creamy mushroom sauce. And of course, the peas and carrots.

And for carbs, i dipped a baguette in an egg and milk mixture, just like how you would to a french toast.But instead of sugar, i gave it a savoury twist by adding salt into the dip.

But i guess i could have done better with that toast. Since we had leftover creamy mushroom sauce anyways. It seemed obvious.

to have mushroom crostinis!

Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Taken from My Recipes

Ingredients

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves $
• 2 teaspoons canola oil $
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided $
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper $
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
• 2 minced garlic cloves $
• 1/2 cup dry white wine $
• 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour $
• 3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth $
• 2 tablespoons butter $
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Preparation

• 1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.
• 2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; keep warm.
• 3. Add shallots and mushrooms to pan; sauté for 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid almost evaporates. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Add broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove pan from heat; add butter and thyme, stirring until butter melts. Serve with chicken.

Orange Chicken

Today, i embrace my chinese roots in chinese cooking.

The Orange Chicken,

 

Well, truthfully, this is not exactly an authentic Chinese cuisine.  It’s more of an American fast food.

We also had this vegetables, heavily infused with garlic

Then everything goes on a plate,

 

Orange Chicken over fried rice with garlic sauteed kailan 🙂

Orange Chicken
Taken from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Orange Chicken

Printer Friendly Version

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 6 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon cold water
• 8 small whole dried red chiles (optional)
• 8 thin strips orange peel
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil

Directions:

1. Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne until the sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture and pour into the bag with the chicken. Refrigerate 60 minutes.
2. While the chicken is marinading, in a large saucepan, bring the remaining orange juice mixture to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water until combined and add to the sauce. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the orange peel and chiles; set aside.
3. Heat peanut oil in a wok or large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until browned and cooked through; remove from heat and set aside. Reheat the sauce over medium heat until simmer, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve over rice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

When i brought this dish out onto the dining table, i got a big “WOW” as a remark.

Clearly, this was a dish to impress. An elaborate dish which should only be attempted by a professional chef with the nimblest hands.

But, what do you know, looks can be deceiving.

1

Because i (gasp! yes me!), was able to pull it off pretty effortlessly!

My attempt at this Chicken Cordon Bleu started off with chicken breast meat that has been pre-sliced to 1/4 inch thick. You would want the meat to be somewhat thin to be able to roll the filling inside it.

I seasoned the meat with salt and ground black pepper, and laid a piece of cheese and ham over it.

I then rolled the breast meat to enclose the filling, and used some toothpicks to secure them in place.After which I dipped the rolls in a mixture of egg and milk, and dredged it in some panko flour.

I slid the rolls into hot oil and watched it sizzle. When the panko flour got that gorgeous golden tan, i flipped it and waited for the second side to get the same colour.

Once they are all golden and pretty, i tossed them into a preheated oven. Just to be safe as we don’t really fancy raw chicken.

While the chicken was baking, i also made these maple glazed carrots

Cooked with brown sugar and maple syrup, these carrots are really really sweet and caramel-ey. Adding a pinch of salt to this brought out the flavour even more. This makes eating vegetable that much easier.

Especially if they are served alongside regal looking rolls!

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Adapted from Nibbledish

• 1-11 ounce or 2-4 oz. log Fresh Goat Cheese, such as Chavrieshopping list (I used sliced cheddar cheese)
• 4 – 6 oz. Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 4 ea. Slices Serrano Ham
• 1 Tbsp. Chopped fresh parsley (I omitted this)
• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 3 ea. Eggs
• 2 Tbsp. Milk
• 2 Cup Panko or Bread crumbs
• 2 Cup Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place chicken breast flat on a cutting board, using a sharp knife, about 1/3 of the way down the thick side, cut a deep pocket horizontally into the center of the meat about 3/4 of the way down (I used pre-sliced thin breast meat), being careful not to cut through to the other side. Repeat with the remaining breasts. Wash hands well.
• Season each pocket with salt and pepper
• Place a slice of ham in each pocket
• Cut the Fresh Goat Cheese Log in quarters. Wrap each cheese slice with ham. Place each wrapped quarter into each pocket that was made in the chicken breasts.
• Wrap each stuffed chicken breast and place in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. (I place ham and cheese on the meat and rolled it up to enclose the filling)
• Set up a standard breading procedure using 3 shallow containers. Put flour in the first one, eggs and milk in the second, and Panko or bread crumbs in the third one.
• Beat the eggs and water together.
• Dredge each of the stuffed Chicken Breasts first in flour, then egg wash and then in the Panko or bread crumbs.
• In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Split each chicken breast in half and serve

Maple Glazed Carrots
Taken from epicurious.com

• 4 1/2 cups water
• 4 pounds carrots, peeled, cut on sharp diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick ovals (about 11 cups)
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

 

• 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar

 

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Combine 4 1/2 cups water, carrots, 4 tablespoons butter, sugar, and coarse salt in heavy large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until carrots are just tender when pierced with knife, about 10 minutes. Drain. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add maple syrup and brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Add carrots and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer carrots to large bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.