Green Chillies Chicken Curry

If you are looking for a simple chicken dish to eat with Naan, Roti Prata or rice, do try this recipe out. Do not be alarmed by the amount of green chillies which I added.  You can adjust the spiciness by de-seeding some of the chillies.  I prepared this dish together with Naan & Spicy Cucumber Raita for lunch yesterday and my two boys really love the taste, taking into consideration that our son dislikes anything which is green in colour.  An excellent dish to serve as a side dish as well.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 kg chicken thighs (without bones), to be washed, dried & cut into bite pieces
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 tsp salt

Ingredients to be blended:
8 to 10 green chillies, to be washed, dried & coarsely chopped
(Note:  De-seed the chillies if you want your curry to be less spicy.)
1 medium-size onion, to be peeled & coarsely chopped
1 pip garlic, to be peeled & sliced
5 cm fresh ginger, to be peeled & sliced
50 g coriander leaves
20 g mint leaves
2 sprigs of curry leaves

Ingredients to be sautèed:
1 medium-size onion, to be peeled & finely sliced
a sprig of curry leaves
150 g yoghurt
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter

Method:

In a bowl, add chicken meat, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt.  Mix well and set aside.

Add the blended ingredients to chicken mixture and mix well.  Leave aside for about 20 minutes.

In a medium-size pot, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat.  Add sliced onion & curry leaves and stir-fry for about 2 or 3 minutes.  Then, add chicken mixture and mix well.  Lastly, add yoghurt and mix well.

Slowly simmer chicken without lid until the gravy becomes a bit dry.

Serve with rice or any Indian bread!

Bon Appetit!

Naan

A soft, flat Indian bread which is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven, where the dough is slapped onto the interior wall and quickly baked over an open fire. Fortunately, we can still prepare this bread at home by using either an oven with a pizza stone or a frying pan.  Tastes excellent when served with any Indian curry dishes!

Ingredients (yields 6 pieces):
260 g plain flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
a pinch of baking soda
3 tbsp yoghurt
2 tbsp corn or vegetable oil

1 tsp dry yeast
140 ml lukewarm water

extra flour for rolling of naans
2 tbsp melted ghee, for brushing

Method:
Dissolve dry yeast in lukewarm water and leave aside for about 10 to 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.  Mix well.  Add yoghurt and oil.  Mix well. Then, add the yeast mixture and knead to form a firm dough.  Knead dough until smooth.  Cover bowl and leave aside in a warm place for about 3 to 4 hours until almost double the volume.  As the dough rises, the texture will become soft.

Heat your conventional oven (without fan) with a pizza stone placed on the middle rack to a temperature of 260° C for about 30 to 45 minutes.  The pizza stone will lend almost the same kind of heat as the clay tandoor pot.  Once the right temperature is reached, switch on the "grill/broil" mode (maximum temperature).

Divide dough into six equal portions.  Dust worktop with a little flour.  Take a portion of dough and roll into an oval shape, making sure that it is dusted with flour in order that it does not stick to the worktop.  Repeat procedure with the rest of the dough.

Lightly wet your hands and flip the rolled out naan between your hands.  Place two naans on the pizza stone at a time.  Bake for about 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.  Once done, remove from oven and brush lightly with warm melted ghee.  For garlic naan, add minced garlic to warm ghee before brushing.  Reheat oven again before baking the rest of dough.

Alternatively, you can cook naan in a hot & dry non-stick frying pan.  Cook naan until air bubbles appear on surface & the underside is slightly browned.  Turn over and cook until the underside is slight browned.  Remove and brush lightly with melted ghee.

Serve hot or warm with any kind of Indian curry!

Bon Appetit!

Ubi Kayu Goreng Berempah (Spicy Fried Tapioca)

One of our favourite Malay snacks which I prepared last weekend!  I mixed both plain flour and rice flour along with baking powder, salt, turmeric powder, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, aniseed, coconut milk and egg.  The tapioca sticks are then dipped in batter before they are deep-fried until golden brown.  A pleasant change to the usual fried tapioca.  End result:  SEDAP!!! Do give this recipe a try!

Ingredients:
180 g rice flour
180 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
6 tbsp thick coconut milk
1 medium-size egg
3 tbsp melted butter
enough water to form a thick batter

Ingredients to be pounded:
1 small onion, to be peeled and sliced
2 pips garlic, to be peeled and sliced
1 tbsp coriander seeds, to be soaked in warm water
1 tsp cumin seeds, to be soaked in warm water
1 tsp aniseed, to be soaked in warm water

1 kg tapioca (cassava)
oil for deep-frying

Method:
Cut tapioca into required lengths.  Then, peel and cut each length into 4.  Then, cut each quarter into two.  Wash and soak in water.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients together by using a whisk.  Then, add egg, coconut milk, pounded ingredients and melted butter.  Mix well before adding enough water to form a thick batter. Checking seasoning.

Heat enough oil for deep-frying over medium heat.  Dip about 8 to 10 tapioca sticks into batter and deep-fry until golden brown.  Once done, remove to a tray which is lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.  If you have balance of batter, add to the hot oil a little at a time & fry until brown and crispy.  They really taste good.

Serve hot or cold!  They taste excellent eaten as they are or served with a spicy rojak sauce!

Bon Appetit!

Rasam

A popular South Indian soup which is very tasty and simple to cook.  A mixture of chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, chillies, tamarind juice and spices are simmered slowly before the tempering ingredients (my favourite part of cooking) are added.  It is believed that eating Rasam is healthy due to the presence of garlic, tamarind and black peppercorns.

Ingredients (serves 4):
6 medium-size red tomatoes, to be peeled & chopped finely
1.2 litre water
1 medium-size onion, to be peeled & chopped finely
2 stalks green chillies, to be coarsely chopped
2 pips garlic, to be peeled & sliced
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera (cumin) powder
1 tbsp fresh tamarind, to be mixed with 1/2 cup water
salt & sugar to taste
a handful coriander leaves, to be chopped

Tempering Ingredients:
2 tbsp ghee
2 stalks dried chillies, stalks removed & cut into two
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
1 tsp urad dhal
a pinch of hing (Asafoetida)
1/4 tsp turmeric
8 fresh curry leaves

Ingredients to be pounded:
10 black peppercorns
3 pips garlic
1 tsp jeera (cumin) seeds

In a medium-size pot, add water, chopped tomatoes, onions & green chillies, sliced garlic, chilli powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, salt & sugar to taste and chopped coriander leaves.  Lastly, add a little tamarind juice - be careful to add just enough or else your rasam will become sour.  I actually prefer to use fresh tamarind instead of tamarind paste.  Bring mixture to boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes before adding the tempering ingredients. This is to ensure that the spices are infused together.

Preparing the tempering ingredients:  Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add dried chillies and mustard seeds.  Let them pop before adding the other ingredients.  Add methi seeds - be careful that they do not get browned.  If needed, remove pan from heat.  Then, add hing, curry leaves, turmeric powder and curry leaves.  Then, add the pounded ingredients.

Add to simmering mixture in pot and simmer for another 15 minutes.  Check seasoning.

Serve with rice, papadum and chutney.  The taste of this soup gets better day by day. I have tried dipping baguette into it and the taste is heavenly!  Do give this recipe a try!

Bon Appetit!

Mee Siam

Another local favourite back home & also my hubby's besides his Mee Rebus!  As promised, I prepared this dish for lunch two weekends ago.  This is the Mee Siam with gravy version.  If you want to make it more spicy, add more chillies!  The following recipe is spicy enough for me, taking into consideration the Sambal Tumis which is served on the side.

Ingredients (serves 6):
1 pkt (400 g) beehoon (rice vermicelli), to be soaked in water for an hour & drained
500 g beansprouts, to be cleaned & tails removed
300 g shelled prawns
3 tbsp taucheo (soya bean paste), to be pounded coarsely
salt to taste
cooking oil

Ingredients to be blended:
15 stalks dried red chillies, to be cut, soaked in warm water & drained
1 big onion, to be peeled & sliced
4 pips garlic, to be peeled & sliced
2 tbsp dried prawns, to be soaked in warm water & drained

Gravy Ingredients:
2 stalks lemon grass, to be crushed
2 cm galangal (lengkuas), to be crushed
50 g peanuts, to be deep-fried & finely grounded (you may use the snack peanuts)
200 g taucheo (soya bean paste)
1.5 litre water to be mixed with 2 tbsp of fresh tamarind
6 tbsp sugar or to taste
salt to taste
cooking oil

Ingredients to be blended:
15 stalks dried chillies, to be cut, soaked in warm water & drained
10 red shallots, to be peeled & sliced
2 tbsp dried prawns, to be soaked in warm water & drained

Garnishing:
2 pcs firm beancurd, to be deep-fried & cut into cubes
a bunch of chives, to be washed, dried & cut into 2 cm lengths
5 small limes, to be halved or 1 lime, to be cut into wedges
4 or 6 hardboiled eggs

How to prepare the gravy:
In a medium-size pot, heat enough oil over medium/high heat.  Add the blended ingredients and stir-fry until fragrant.  Add in the crushed lemon grass and galangal.

Add taucheo, sugar, tamarind juice and salt to taste. Bring to a light boil over medium heat.  Then, add grounded peanuts and simmer for at least 20 - 30 minutes.  Check seasoning.  Once done, remove from heat.

How to prepare the noodle:
In a wok, heat enough oil over medium/high heat.  Add the blended ingredients and stir-fry until fragrant. Then, add the taucheo and stir well.  Check seasoning.  Then, check seasoning and then, add the prawns.  Mix well.

Add beehoon portionwise and mix well.  Finally, add the beansprouts and mix thoroughly.

To serve, add a serving portion into a bowl and pour some gravy on top.  Serve garnished with fried beancurd cubes, chopped chives, one half of a hardboiled egg and Sambal Tumis (optional)  on the side.

Bon Appetit!

Salmon & Tuna Sushi

Nowadays, modern rice cookers are programmed to cook all kinds of rice including sushi but I prefer to cook the sushi rice the traditional way as taught to me by my Japanese teacher.  I have written my recipe simple to follow and used sushi mould to make the preparation easier and faster. The following recipe yields two big platters of sushi which are sufficient to appease six sushi lovers.

Ingredients (serves 4 - 6):

2 x 300 g pkts fresh salmon

1 x 300 g pkt fresh tuna

2 tubes wasabi (Japanese horseradish)

strips of gari (picked ginger)

Note:  We bought both salmon & tuna from Metro.  Ask your fish monger for fresh fish which is specially for sushi making.

Ingredients for Sushi Rice:

4 metric cups sushi rice

5 metric cups water

1/2 pkt of sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) - If you cannot get ready-made sushi-zu, add 75 g sugar & 4 tsp salt to 75 ml rice vinegar (Japanese su) into a pot.  Heat mixture to dissolve the sugar, then cool pot rapidly by plunging the base of the pot into cold water in order to avoid distillation of the vinegar.

Method:

Rice is best cooked in about its own weight of water.  New rice which contains less moisture may need less water, whereas old rice may need more water.  Experiment to get the best results.  It is advisable to stick to one brand of sushi rice.

Wash rice thoroughly until the water becomes clear.  Pass through a sieve and let rice dry & swell for about an hour.

As mentioned above, I prefer to cook the sushi rice the traditional way.  Kindly read the instructions carefully before commencing to cook the rice.  To make things easier, the preparation steps are listed below:

1. You will need a large pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Add rice and water to pot.  Bring the rice to a boil over medium heat and then, cover pot tightly.
2. Boil over a high heat (8) for 2 minutes.
3. Reduce to medium heat (5) and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Then, reduce heat to low (2) and cook for about 15 minutes to absorb the remaining water.

You should be able to hear the different stages of cooking:  firstly, the bubbling sound and after all the water has been absorbed, you will hear the hissing sound.  It is very important NOT to remove the lid during the cooking process in order to achieve the best sushi rice.  Note:  The figures in brackets applies to my induction hob.

Once the rice is cooked, remove the lid and drape a teacloth over the top of the pot. Leave to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour rice into a hangiri (a wooden rice-cooling tub) or other non-metallic container. Spread rice out evenly by using a shamoji (rice paddle) or a large wooden spoon. Then, quickly & lightly toss the rice to separate the individual grains, at the same adding the sushi-zu.  You need a helping hand from someone to fan the rice (by using an uchiwa - fan) while you are doing the above.  This action will result in an added gloss to the rice grains.  It will take about 10 minutes for the rice to be thoroughly mixed and down to room temperature.  Note:  If you are preparing your own sushi-zu, you will need 150 ml sushi-zu to treat 750 g uncooked sushi rice.

How to slice the fish:

Place a small bowl of water with a slice of lemon at hand for wetting the knife.  Fish is always cut on the bias like shown below:

Normally, I will use the Nigiri-Sushi technique to prepare the sushi.  But this time, I am using a simpler way of making sushi by using a mould.  Place a slice of salmon into each slot and by using your finger, dab a little wasabi onto the salmon slices as shown.

Fill up mould with sushi rice.  Then, place the mould presser onto the rice and press gently.  Turn mould over and remove ready-made sushi from mould.

Repeat procedure with the other salmon and tuna packets.

To serve, arrange sushi on a platter together with wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce for dipping.  Bowls of Miso soup will complement this dish!

Bon Appetit!

Pandan Chiffon Cake

One of my favourite local cakes back home!  When one is far away and has cravings for such a cake, especially a Chiffon Cake, one must die die bake it!  This time, it turns out well with no ugly "scratches".  Thanks to a "well seasoned" cake tin which has been used several times.  My next project will either be the Orange Chiffon Cake or the Blackcurrant Chiffon Cake.  Do keep tuned .....

Ingredients (for a 22 cm diameter chiffon cake tin):
7 egg whites (large size)
100 g fine sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

7 egg yolks (large size)
200 g fine sugar

To be mixed together:
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp pandan paste or 2 tbsp pandan juice
1 tsp pandan essence (optional)
100 ml corn oil
150 ml thick coconut milk

200 g plain flour or cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder

Method:
As a rule, please ensure that your chiffon cake tin is not greased.  Preheat your oven to a temperature of 170° C.  In a bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix coconut milk, corn oil, pandan paste, vanilla essence, pandan essence (if using) together.  In a clean mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until light & creamy.  Add mixture to the egg yolks mixture slowly and continue whisking. Then, fold in flour mixture in portions.

In another mixing bowl which is free from fat, whisk egg whites.  Add sugar & cream of tartar gradually.  Continue whisking until egg whites are stiff and hold its shape.

By using a spatula, slowly fold in the egg whites mixture in portions to the egg yolk mixture.  Ensure that you fold in one direction.  It does not matter whether you add the egg yolks mixture to the egg whites mixture or otherwise.  I have tried both methods and I still get the same result.  Just remember not to overmix!

Before pouring batter into the chiffon cake tin, give your batter bowl a few blows by dropping it from a low height onto the worktop in order to get rid of the bubbles.  Pour batter into an ungreased chiffon cake tin.  Ensure that the batter is spread evenly by using a spatula.

Give the cake tin another blow by dropping it from a low height onto the worktop. Bake in a preheated oven for about 50 to 55 minutes.  Once done, invert cake tin over a rack and leave to cool down completely.  Your chiffon cake will come out easily without any scratches if your cake tin is "well seasoned"!  I had to "season" my cake tin a few times before my chiffon cake comes out intact. My tip:  Do not wash your cake tin with any detergent.  Simply wash it with hot water and dry well.

Voilà!  Here is the Pandan Chiffon Cake completely out from the cake tin!

Happy Baking!