Ayam Penyet

I have been dreaming of this dish since our last summer holiday and could not tahan anymore.  By hook or by crook, I must cook this dish!  So, I spent the whole morning today preparing the ingredients and I must say that my efforts are worth it!  The taste of this dish speaks for itself .... yummy!!!  This dish is served with Asam Rebus, Sambal Terasi and plain white rice or chicken rice. One may add some cucumber slices and ripe pineapple slices on the side.  Following recipes serve 4.

Ayam Penyet 

Ingredients:
1 chicken, to be cut into 4
3 cm galangal, to be peeled and crushed
3 stalks lemon grass, to be crushed
3 bay leaves
1 tsp white pepper
1 litre water
200 ml coconut milk
salt and sugar to taste

Blended/Pounded Ingredients:
1 big onion
3 cloves garlic
2 cm ginger
1 tbsp coriander seeds, to be fried without oil until fragrant

Method:
Place all ingredients in a big pot and cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked.  Remove chicken to a colander and leave gravy to cool down completely.

Frying Batter Ingredients:
80 g rice flour
1 cup (250 ml) chicken gravy above
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl thoroughly and season to taste.  Heat enough oil in a pot over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, dip a chicken piece into batter and add to hot oil.  Deep fry until golden in colour.  Remove to a plate lined with absorbent paper.  Repeat until all chicken pieces are fried.

Kremes (Fried Batter) Ingredients:
1 cup chicken gravy
60 g rice flour
1 egg, to be lightly beaten
salt to taste
oil for deep frying as above

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.  Add tablespoons of batter to oil and deep fry until crispy.  Remove to a plate lined with absorbent paper.  These are used to sprinkle over chicken when serving.


Asam Rebus (Sweet Sour Vegetable Soup)

Ingredients:
400 g pumpkin (labu) - this time, I used turnip, to be cut into cubes
250 g french beans, to be cut into 3 cm lengths
50 g groundnuts, to be soaked
100 g baby corns (optional)
2 pcs dried tamarind
2 pcs bay leaves
3 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
40 g fresh tamarind to be mixed with 50 ml water (only the juice is used)
1 to 1.5 litre water

Blended/Pounded Ingredients:
2 big onions
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp shrimp paste (belacan)
2 red chillies
25 g dried anchovies, to be soaked first

Method:
Bring water in a pot to boil and add groundnuts.  Then, add in the blended ingredients and bring to boil again.  Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the french beans.  Once the pumpkins are cooked, add in the french beans and season with salt and sugar to taste.

Sambal Terasi or Sambal Belacan

Ingredients:
150 g red chillies, stalks removed
3 medium-size red tomatoes
6 shallots
1 clove garlic
30 g piece shrimp paste (belacan)
oil for shallow frying

2 tsp palm sugar
1 lime, to be juiced

Method:
Heat a little oil in a pot.  Fry the chillies, tomatoes, shallots, garlic and schrimp paste separately. Then, blend all of them together with the lime juice and palm sugar.  Season with salt and sugar to taste.

Serve Ayam Penyet with Asam Rebus, Sambal Terasi and plain rice or chicken rice.

Bon Appetit!

Beef-Spinach-Lasagna

For a change, we go italian today and I prepared Beef-Spinach-Lasagne.  This dish is easy to prepare and tastes delicious!  A pleasant change from the usual tomato-bolognese sauce!  One can use the instant Bechamel Sauce which are readily available in supermarkets or make your own! This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

500 g frozen spinach, to be thawed

1 clove garlic

300 g tomatoes

250 g Mozzarella (Italian cheese)

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

500 g minced beef

1 packet (250 ml) Béchamelsauce (instant)

100 ml fresh cream

9 pre-cooked lasagne noodle pieces (note:  there is no need to pre-cook them cos they are easily available in the supermarkets.  Just make sure that you get the pre-cooked ones.)

Method: 

Preheat oven to 220º C (Fan:  200º C, Gas:  3 - 4).  Squeeze out the water from thawed spinach and chop into big cubes.  Peel and mince the garlic.  Cut the tomatoes into medium-sized cubes and season with salt and pepper.  Slice the mozzarella into thin slices and season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a big casserole pan and stir-fry the minced meat until the water dries up.  Add minced garlic, Béchamelsauce and cream.  Stir well and then add the spinach.  Bring to boil and season to taste.  Once ready, set it aside.

Butter a rectangular pyrex dish or casserole (22 X 28 cm).  Spread some beef sauce on the base before placing 3 pieces of lasagne on top.  Add half of the meat sauce on the lasagne and spread them evenly.  Then, add the cubed tomatoes and spread them evenly.

Place a second layer of lasagne pieces on top and repeat the procedure, saving a little beef sauce for topping.  Lastly, add a third layer of lasagne pieces and spread some beef sauce before arranging the mozarella on top.

Bake the lasagne on the first rack from bottom for about 25 – 30 minutes.  Cool the lasagne for about 10 minutes before serving.

Note:  If you would like to make your own Bechamel Sauce, the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, to be peeled and finely diced

25 g butter or margarine

20 g flour

250 ml milk

125 ml instant stock (cube)

Method:

Melt butter or margarine in a pot over medium heat and add diced onion.  Stir in flour and cook until flour is pale yellow in colour.  Add milk and whisk well until there are no lumps.  Bring to boil and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Bon Appetit!

French Beans in Coconut Gravy (Malay Style)

This simple dish is also known as Kacang Bonces Masak Lemak in the malay language.  It is one of my husband's asian favourites which is easy to prepare.  Normally, I would serve this dish together with fried chicken, fried omelette and rice, not forgetting the sambal belacan.  Following recipes serve 4.

Ingredients:
500 g french beans, to be washed, dried and cut into 5 cm lengths
1 can (425 ml) coconut milk
a little tang hoon, to be soaked in warm water
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Blended Ingredients:
2 tbsp dried prawns, to be soaked in warm water
1 big onion, to be sliced
2 cloves of garlic, to be sliced
1 red chilli, to be sliced

Method:
Heat oil in a pot and stir-fry blended ingredients until fragrant.  Add in coconut milk and bring to a boil slowly.  Reduce heat and let it simmer until some oil are seen on the surface.  This will take about 10 minutes.

Add french beans and cook until they are almost tender.  Season with salt to taste.  Then, add in tang hoon and let it simmer gently.

Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken legs, to be washed, dried and cut into two at the joints
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp corriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp aniseed powder

oil for deep frying

Note:  Preferably, I will use fresh turmeric, corriander seeds, cumin seeds & aniseed.  These have to be blended together and is optional.

Method:
Combine all spices and coat the chicken pieces.  Heat oil in a deep fryer and fry them until golden brown.  Remove to a plate which is lines with absorbent paper.

Fried Omelette

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 big onion, to be sliced finely
1 red chillie (optional), to be sliced finely
salt & pepper to taste
a little oil

Method:
Beat eggs lightly in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.  Heat a little oil in a pan and fry omelette.

Bon Appetit!

Panfried Nile Perch Fillet served with Fennel-Carrots in Crème Fraîche Sauce

This dish is also known as Gebratene Viktoriabarschfilet mit Fenchel-Karotten in Crème Fraîche Sos in the german language.  I will normally serve boiled potatoes on the side.  This fish is abundantly available in Germany and it is very tasty.  One can use cod or other "firm" fish fillets to prepare this dish.  The following recipes serve 4.

Ingredients:
250 g carrots, to be peeled and sliced (diagonally)
400 g fennel, to washed, dried and sliced
50 ml vegetable stock
150 g Crème Fraîche
salt & pepper to taste
a pinch of sugar
30 g butter or margarine
some chopped chives

800 g Nile Perch filet or Codfish filet
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
salt
some flour to coat
50 g butter or margarine

Method:
Heat butter or margarine in a pan and lightly stir-fry both carrot and fennel slices for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar to taste.  Be careful with the salt because the vegetable stock has salt in its content.

Add vegetable stock and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or until the vegetables are almost cooked. Then, add Crème Fraîche and stir well.  Check seasoning again before the chopped chives are added.

Wash fish fillets and dry them up by using the kitchen paper.  Season with lemon juice and salt. Then, toss them in flour and set aside.

Heat butter or margarine in a pan and add fish fillet one at a time.  Pan-fry over medium heat until the underneath is browned.  Then, turn it over and cook the other side until browned.  Each side will take about 4-5 minutes to brown and it also depends on the thickness of the fish filets.  Once done, remove to a plate.

Serve the Fish Fillets with the Fennel-Carrots in Crème Fraîche Sauce and Boiled Potatoes.

Bon Appetit!

Beef in Soy Sauce (Malay-style)

This dish is known as Daging Masak Kicap in the malay language.  It is one of the many delicious malay dishes which are cooked in every malay household.  It is normally served with a side vegetable dish, sambal belacan and rice.  This time, I am serving this dish with fried french beans and omelette.

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):

1 kg beef meat, to be cubed

2 cm fresh ginger, to be slightly crushed

2 tomatoes, to be halved

6 potatoes, to be cut into wedges and deep fried until golden brown

2 big onions, to be sliced into rings and deep fried until soft (not brown)

½ cup dark salty soy sauce (kicap masin)

1 tbsp vinegar

4 tbsp sugar

white pepper powder

a bit of grated nutmeg (buah pala)

1 stalk green or red chillie, to be halved and deseeded

Dry ingredients:

1 pc cinnamon stick

1 pc clove (bunga cengkih))

2 pcs cardamom (buah pelaga)

2 petals star anise (bunga pe’kak)

Blended ingredients:

1 tbsp (level) coriander seeds (ketumbar biji), to be soaked in water

1 tsp (level) cumin seeds (jintan putih), to be soaked in water

3 cloves garlic, to be sliced

1 small onion, to be sliced

5 stalks dried chillies, to be cut into small pieces and soaked in warm water

1½ cm fresh turmeric (for fragrance)

Method:

Boil meat and ginger with little water in a pot until meat is tender.  Then, cut meat in cubes and save the stock.

Heat some oil in a wok and fry the potato wedges until golden brown.  Remove to a plate.  In the same oil, deep fry the onion rings until soft.  Remove to a plate and keep aside.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a big pot.  Add in the blended ingredients and stir-fry till fragrant.  Then, add in the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add in the cooked meat together with its stock (about 3 or 4 big ladles).  Add in sugar, vinegar, dark salty soy sauce, pepper and grated nutmeg.  Mix well and then season with salt to taste.  If necessary, more sugar can be added to taste.

Add in the fried potato wedges & onion rings, halved tomatoes and green or red chillie.  Stir well.

Serve hot with rice, a vegetable side dish and fried omelette.

Fried French Beans (or Kacang Bonces Goreng)

Ingredients:

500 g  french beans or long beans, tips removed and cut into 5 cm lengths

1 big onion, to be finely sliced

2 cloves of garlic, to be finely sliced

1 red chilli, to be finely sliced

2 tsp instant vegetable stock granules

salt & pepper to taste

oil

Method:

Heat a little oil in a wok.  Add sliced onion, chilli & garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Then, add in the french beans and stir well.  Add instant vegetable stock granules and season with pepper.  Cook until the french beans are almost cooked.  Season with salt to taste.

Fried Omelette

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 big onion, to be finely sliced

1 red chilli (optional), to be finely sliced)

salt & pepper to taste

oil

Method:

Beat eggs in a bowl and add the rest of ingredients.  Heat a little oil in a pan and pour in mixture. Fry omelette until the underside is slightly browned.  Then, turn omelette over and cook until the underside is browned.  Remove to a plate.

Bon Appetit!

Duck Breast served with Ginger Nappa Cabbage & Potato Gratin

This dish combines both east and west cuisines.  The duck meat is prepared the european way whereas the nappa cabbage has lots of ginger in it.  It is simple to prepare and tastes wonderful. The following recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

2 pieces of duck breast, to be washed, wiped dry and diagonally cut

a little oil 

salt & pepper to taste

1 medium-size nappa cabbage, to be washed and cut into strips

2 tbsp chopped ginger

1 bundle spring onions, to be cleaned and cut into fine rings

200 g creme frâiche

2 tsp instant vegetable stock granules

salt & pepper to taste

oil

500 g potatoes, to be peeled and finely sliced

200 g fresh cream

salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Arrange potato slices in a buttered casserole dish.  Season with salt and pepper after each layer. Once done, add fresh cream.  Bake in a preheated fan oven at 180° C for about one hour.

In the meantime, add a little oil in a pan.  There is no need to add more oil because the duck meat has enough fat and this will ooze out while cooking.  Place duck meat skin side down in pan and cook over medium heat.  Once the skin is browned, turn it over and season with salt and pepper. Cook further until the bottom is browned, repeat procedure again.

Remove to a casserole and further bake in oven together with the potato gratin for about 15 minutes.  Check duck meat whether it is almost cooked.  If not, return to oven.

Bring a big pot of water and a little salt to boil.  Add the nappa cabbage and cook for about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain in a colander.

Heat some oil in a pan and add chopped spring onions and ginger.  Stir-fry gently until fragrant.  Add nappa cabbage and stir well.  Then, add creme frâiche, instant vegetable stock granules and stir thoroughly. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Arrange duck breast, vegetables and potato gratin on individual plates and serve!

Bon Appetit!

Frikadellen served with Sautéed Mushrooms and French Fries

I prepared a simple german dish for lunch today:  Frikadellen (Beef Patties) served with Sautéed Mushrooms and French Fries.  The beef patties are quick to prepare and taste delicious.  Following recipe serves 4 persons.

Frikadellen Ingredients:
500 g minced beef
1 medium-size onion, to be finely cubed
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
a few drops of Maggi seasoning
2 bread rolls, to be soaked in warm water
oil

Method:
Place all ingredients except the bread rolls into a large bowl.  Squeeze the water out from the bread rolls and add to bowl.  Mix thoroughly by using your hand.  Then, shape into patties and put aside.

Heat a little oil in a pan and light fry a few patties at a time.  Once the bottoms are browned, turn them over.  Repeat until all patties have been fried.

Sautéed Mushrooms Ingredients:
350 g brown mushrooms, to be cleaned and sliced
1 large onion, to be sliced in rings
salt and pepper to taste
oil

Method:
Heat some oil in a pan and stir-fry the onion rings until light brown in colour.  Add in mushrooms and cook over high heat until cooked.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Bao

Bao originates from China and is a steamed bun which is filled with either meat i.e. chicken, pork, etc. or vegetables or even red beans.  It is similar to the traditional chinese mantou.  We have been experimenting several bao recipes over a period of time until we finally compiled the following recipe to suit our taste.  This recipe yields 12 - 14 baos.

Bun Ingredients:
280 g low-protein flour i.e. hongkong flour (Lotus Brand), if possible OR cake flour

80 g icing sugar
50 g corn starch

30 g vegetable or cooking oil

8 g instant dry yeast

160 ml lukewarm water

1/2 tsp white vinegar (optional) - I tried both with & without vinegar before and the results are almost identical although others say that there is a difference

10 g baking powder (please do NOT use baking soda because it is a totally different thing)  

10 ml cold water
Note:  Again, it is optional to use this baking powder/cold water mixture!  I have tried both ways and found that by using this mixture, my baos are more fluffy.  If one is using this mixture, please ensure that the baking powder is completely dissolved or else there will be tiny "yellow dots" on the baos once they are done!

Method:

Sift both flours and icing sugar together into a bowl.  Make a well in the middle and add lukewarm water, vinegar  and yeast.

Knead mixture slowly and add oil gradually until a soft dough is formed. This should take about 10 minutes and the surface of the dough should be smooth.

Cover dough with a cloth and let it rise until it is doubled in size.  It will take about one or two hours.  
Be patient if you want your bao to be fluffy! 

Optional Step:  Dissolve baking powder in cold water, sprinkle over dough and knead until well combined.

Divide dough into 12 to 14 equal portions and flatten each portion with a rolling pin to make a round circle.  Place about 2 tsp filling on it and wrap & pleat dough to seal.  Place on a round parchment paper or muffins cases with the sealed side facing upwards.

Arrange buns in a steamer, leaving gaps in between buns.  Spray water over buns and steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 12 minutes.  Remove buns from steamer and cool on rack to prevent soggy bottom.

Chicken Filling Ingredients:

400 g chicken meat, to be skinned and chopped into bite pieces

2 or 3 shallots, to be finely chopped

2 tbsp plum sauce

Marinade:

2 tbsp sweet black soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp dark black soy sauce (thick & sweet)

a dash of sesame oil

lots of ground white pepper

1 flat dsp brown sugar

Method:

Mix chicken and marinade well and leave aside.

Heat a bit of oil in a pan and fry shallots until fragrant.  Add chicken and its marinade. Cook over high heat until the mixture crystalizes.  Finally, add plum sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Bon Appetit!

Cornbeef with Bell Peppers

After a long morning of hard work in our home, I prepared a rather simple meal for lunch:  Cornbeef with Bell Peppers, a side dish of Fried Cabbage with Anchovies, sunny-side-up fried egg served with rice.  I classify cornbeef as one of our convenience food because it always come in handy when I am too tired or lazy to cook.  I will make sure that I have two cornbeef cans in my cellar.  The following recipes serve 4 persons.

Cornbeef with Bell Peppers

Ingredients:
1 can cornbeef
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 green bell pepper (capsicum), to be deseeded and cut into cubes
1 yellow bell pepper (capsicum), to be deseeded and cut into cubes
1 medium-size onion, to be finely sliced
1 red chillie, to be finely sliced
a pinch of curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
oil

Method;
Combine cornbeef and tomato ketchup in a bowl.  Mix well.

Heat oil in a pot and stir-fry sliced onion and chillie.  Add in bell peppers and cornbeef/tomato ketchup.  Mix well and add curry powder.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fried Cabbage with Anchovies

Ingredients:
half a cabbage (small), to be cleaned and cut into bite pieces
1 medium-size onion, to be finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, to be finely sliced
1 red chillie, to be finely sliced (optional)
a handful of anchovies, to be cleaned and head removed
salt to taste
oil

Method:
Heat oil in a pot and stir-fry anchovies until brown and crispy.  Remove to a plate which is lined with kitchen paper.

In the same oil, stir-fry onion, garlic and chillie slices until fragrant.  Add in cabbage and stir well. Cook until cabbage is almost cooked.  Add in fried anchovies and season to taste.

Prepare sunny-side-up fried eggs as shown.  Serve these dishes with rice.

Bon Appetit!