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!

Hainanese Roasted Chicken Rice

Another of our family's favourite chinese dish:  Hainanese Roasted Chicken Rice. This dish is of chinese origin and is widely available in Singapore and Malaysia.  The following recipe is a compilation of various recipes to reach the certain authenticity in taste which is comparable to those found in these countries.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 1½ kg)
1 tbsp ginger juice (from grated ginger)
1 tbsp black soy sauce (thick)
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp five spice powder

Rice ingredients:

450 g uncooked jasmine rice (rinsed)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tbsp oil
10 cloves garlic (leave skin on)
1 bunch of pandan leaves (if not available, it is okay without)
700 ml chicken stock (taken from soup ingredients)
1 tsp salt
ginger piece from the soup ingredients
1 tbsp chicken stock granules

Soup ingredients:

1 chicken leg (to make soup)
2 cm fresh ginger, crushed
1½ litres (about 6 cups) water
3 tsp chicken stock granules

Garnishing:

1 cucumber, peeled, halved and slantly sliced
3 tomatoes, washed and sliced
2 sprigs coriander leaves

Chilli sauce:

90 g red chillies
15 g garlic
50 g fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
60 g limes
50 ml chicken stock (taken from soup)

Extra Sauce ingredients (optional) – all to be mixed together:

90 ml chicken stock (taken from soup)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tsp sesame oil
1½ tsp sugar
3 tsp shallot oil

Method:
Trim the fat from chicken, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the ginger juice, soy sauce, honey, salt, pepper and five spice powder together. Then, rub this mixture all over the chicken. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes to marinate.

Preheat conventional (no fan) oven to 200º C (400º F). Place chicken in a roasting pan with rack and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 170º C (350º F) and roast for 30 to 40 minutes until the skin is brown and crisp. If the chicken turned brown before the time is up, cover the chicken with aluminium foil (with the shiny side up) to avoid it getting black and burned. Always check the chicken in the oven. The chicken is cooked if the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork. Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes, then cut into serving portions.

While the chicken is roasting, prepare the soup. Place all ingredients into a big pot and bring to boil. Simmer until the chicken is tender.

Heat oil in a pot. Stir-fry chopped shallots and garlic till fragrant. Add the rice and stir well. Pour the mixture into a rice cooker. Add chicken stock, seasonings, whole garlic cloves, pandan leaves and piece of crushed ginger. Cook until rice is done.

Rinse the red chillies and wipe dry. Skin the ginger and garlic. Juice the lime. Blend the red chillies, ginger and garlic in a blender till fine. Add sugar, salt, lime juice and chicken stock. Stir well.  Adjust seasonings to one's taste.

Note: The extra sauce would normally be served by sprinkling on white Hainanese chicken. When serving roasted chicken, just place it in a bowl on the side.

To serve: Arrange tomato and cucumber slices on a platter. Place serving portions of chicken on top and decorate with sprigs of coriander leaves.

Bon Appetit!

Cherry Cake (Kirschkuchen)

This recipe was given to me by my german girlfriend who attended a baking course study in one of the local Vocational Institute (Berufschule) in Germany.  The instructions are simple to follow, even a novice would be able to bake this cake without any problem.  I will use fresh cherries during the summer season as it is abundantly available everywhere.  If not, cherries in glass bottle can be used as a substitute.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
300 g sugar
1/8 litre fresh milk
120 g butter
300 g flour
3 level tsp baking powder
1 bottle (420 g) red cherries (pitted) or 500 g fresh cherries (pitted)
3 tbsp sugar
about 1 tsp powdered cinnamon
50 g sliced almonds

a rectangular baking tin (24 x 36 cm) or the deep baking tray (which normally comes with your oven)

Method:
Beat eggs and sugar until creamy.

Heat milk and butter in a pot to a boil. Add the hot milk/butter mixture to the egg mixture slowly and beat well.  Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder and mix well. Spread mixture on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Arrange the cherries on top.

Mix the sugar, powdered cinnamon and almonds together.  Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cherries.

Bake in a preheated fan oven (180º C) centre rack for about 30 – 35 minutes. Cool cake down before cutting it into squares. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar before serving.

Note:  Instead of using cherries, one can use fresh apples (about 5 medium-sized apples will do). Just peel, quarter and slice them into small pieces.  Sprinkle a little lemon juice over them to prevent them from turning brown.

Happy Baking!

Frühlingssuppe (Spring Beef Soup)

This recipe has been in my husband's family recipe collection for years.  It has been passed down to me by my dear mother-in-law, who is an excellent cook herself.  I will prepare this dish especially when the weather is getting cold, normally during the spring and autumn seasons.  It is a simple and practical dish which does not require much work.

Ingredients (serves 4 persons):

500 g beef (or Suppenfleisch), fats removed
2 cloves garlic, to be peeled and crushed
2 medium-size carrots, to be peeled and cut into small cubes
1 leek, to be halved, cleaned and cut into small cubes
a small piece of celery root or 1 stalk of celery, to be cut into small cubes
4 big-size potatoes, to be peeled and cut into small cubes
3 tbsp rice
a cube of beef stock (instant)
salt and pepper to taste
parsley, to be chopped finely (for garnishing)

Method:

Place beef with crushed garlic & water in a pot and bring to boil.  Cover pot and reduce heat.  Cook beef until tender.  It will take at least one hour.  Once the beef is tender, remove from pot.  Do NOT throw the beef broth away.  Then, cut beef into bite pieces.

Return beef into pot containing beef broth and add the rest of the ingredients except parsley.  Simmer slowly until the vegetables and potatoes are cooked.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm sprinkled with chopped parsley or croutons and bread.

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Biryani

One of our favourite family dishes is the Chicken Biryani.  This indian rice dish is normally served during special occasions i.e. at a wedding.  This dish is known for its layers of basmati rice and meat with gravy.  But in this recipe (serves 4-6 persons), I am preparing the chicken and rice separately.  I was taught by an indian chef who used "Shan" Bombay Biryani Masala spices which are readily available in any asian shops.  So, if you want to avoid the tedious preparation involved for such dishes, this recipe is a fool-proof and tastes equally good!

Biryani Rice
Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):
4 cups of Basmati rice, to be washed, soaked in water for about 2 hours and drained
boiling water to cook the rice
salt

4 tbsp ghee
1 medium-size onion, to be sliced finely
2 petals of star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp garlic paste or 5 cloves of fresh garlic, to be blended
1 cm fresh ginger, to be sliced and blended
2 tsp of "Shan" Bombay Biryani Masala spices

4 tbsp carnation milk to be mixed with 2 tsp rose water
orange colour

1 big onion, to be cut into fine rings and fried until golden brown
coriander leaves, to be roughly chopped
mint leaves, to be roughly chopped
raisins
cashew nuts

Method:
Bring a big pot of water to boil and then, add some salt.  Add in soaked rice and cook until the rice is half cooked.  Remove from heat and thoroughly drain the water through a fine sieve.

Add ghee to a big pot.  Once hot, stir-fry the sliced onion, star anise, cinnamon stick, garlic & fresh ginger paste and "Shan" spices until fragrant.  Then, add rice and stir thoroughly.  Cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Then, spread carnation milk/rose water mixture over top of rice.  Sprinkle drops of orange colour over top of rice.  Do not stir.  Cover and cook over low heat for another 10 minutes.

Once done, sprinkle coriander & mint leaves, raisins and cashew nuts.  Stir well before serving!

Chicken Biryani
Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):
750 g chicken, to be cut into pieces
5 medium size onions (about 300 g), to be finely sliced into rings
4 medium-size tomatoes (about 300 g), to be chopped
3 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp garlic paste or blended fresh ginger
200 g plain yoghurt
ghee or oil
1 packet "Shan" Bombay Biryani Masala

Method:
Fry onions in hot ghee or oil until golden.  Add chopped tomatoes and fry until the oil separates.

Add chicken, garlic, ginger, yoghurt and Shan Bombay Biryani Masala.  Stir-fry for about 15 minutes. Add 1 cup of water (a little at a time) and cook over low heat until chicken is tender.

Increase heat and stir-fry until oil separates from the gravy.  Serve with Biryani rice, Acar Timun (cucumber pickle) and Paceri Nenas (pineapple pickle).

Paceri Nenas
Ingredients:
500 g fresh pineapple (or canned), to be cut into 1 cm cubes
1 tsp fresh tamarind, to be mixed with 4 tbsp water

Blended Ingredients:
12 stalks dried chillies, to be cut into pieces and soaked in hot water
2 cloves garlic, to be sliced
1 cm ginger, to be sliced

Stir-fry Ingredients:
1 stalk curry leaves
1/2 tsp biji sawi (mustard seeds)
1 medium-size onion, to be sliced finely
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

Method:
Add blended ingredients and tamarind water (without seeds) to pineaple and mix well.

Heat oil in a pot and add the stir-fry ingredients.  Fry until fragrant.  Then, add the pineapple cubes. Cook further over low heat until the gravy is slightly thickened.

Acar Timun (Cucumber Pickle)
Ingredients:
1 long cucumber, to be quartered, seeded and sliced into 4 cm pieces
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp sugar

Method:
Add vinegar and sugar into a small pot and bring to boil.  Leave it aside to cool.

Add chilli, coriander, turmeric powders and salt to sliced cucumber.  Mix well.  Then, pour vinegar/sugar mixture over cucumbers.  Leave overnight.  Store in a bottle for later use.

Bon Appetit!