Sunday, September 21, 2008

Internet is down....

The internet at home is down.
Sighhh... we are trying to revive it. I'm sneaking in this log from the office ;-)
Oopppss... if you are reading this boss, this is the only time.

Anyways, I'm looking for a new service provider... wich me luck!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

More Chicken Recipe - Sze Chuan Chicken and Sesame Chicken

I was telling Jacq the other night that I created my own recipe which I named Sze Chuan Chicken. Well... I was watching Kylie Kwong cooked some pork dish in a restaurant, and I kinda noted what she threw in and explained why she did that. But I cannot remember the name of that dish. So one day I decided I copied her style... served it for dinner. F asked what's this called...? I'm like... errrm... Sze Chuan Chicken, and he's happy with it and started eating. The truth is I don't even know what Sze Chuan chicken tastes or looked like... heheh.





Then Jacq was telling me her style... using sesame oil. I'm like... yeah, that's one ingredient that I read about alot but yet does not have it in my pantry....So last month's grocery shopping, top of the list is the Sesame Oil.





My Sze Chuan Chicken



A small chicx - about 800grms... or you can use chix breast - either one, cut into cubes of about
1" - 1.5" and marinated with a bit of tumeric
1/3 cup Rice flour
1 egg
1 tbs of sesame seeds





3 tbs dark sweet soya sauce
3 tbs of light salty soya sauce
2 tbs sugar
5 dried chillies (more if you like it spicy)
1 tbs grinded onion
1/2 tbs drinded garlic
1/2 tbs grinded ginger

Veggies - I used long beans, carrots and Japanese cucumber

Spring onion to garnish

1. Coat chix with the mixture rice flour, egg and sesame seeds... deep fry in a wok of hot oil, until it's crispy or golden. The tumeric that the chix was marinated in will give it a nice colour.
2. Heat your wok and put in little oil, fry the dried chillies first... then onion, garlic and ginger till fragant
3. Pour in your soya sauces and then sugar
4. Simmer for a bit and pour in your veggies
5. Last is to pour in the chix and stir it around till the sauce evenly coats the chix... you dun need to cook it for soo long since the chix is cooked...
6. Garnish with spring onions and serve.








Sesame Chicken
I used a small chix too - abt 800grms, cut into cubes of about 1" - 1.5"
2 garlic - sliced
1" ginger - sliced
2 tbs of peanut oil
2 tbs of sesame oil

3 tbs dark sweet soya sauce
3 tbs of light salty soya sauce
2 tbs sugar
5 dried chillies (more if you like it spicy)

A bit of water

Veggie - Brinjal

1. Heat up the peanut oil in the wok and fry your dried chillies, garlic and ginger for about 2 mins
2. Pour in your soya sauces and sugar
3. Pour in the chix and let it simmer on a low fire...
4. If you are in a hurry (like me) simmer for about 5 mins, or until you can see that the chix is cooked.... por in the sesame oil
5. At this point, brace yourself cos the smell of the sesame oil will take you off your feet. it happened to me... heheh....
6. Simmer a bit more and arrange your brinjal (i cut mine breadth-wise 1" thick, so I get nice round firm pieces) on top of the simmering chix... you want them to cook but not disintegrate into the dish
7. Cover for about 3mins
8. Open the cover and give it a quick stir so that the brinjal absorbs some of the flavour
9. Garnish with spring onions and serve ( I garnished with a bit more bird eye chillies cos I know the dried chillies will not have much impact for F after being simmered in the sweet sauce...)

Jacq taught me the basic. I decided to add the brinjal as an after thought, and it worked well with the dish!
The longer you cook the dish, the more ooommpph! it'll have, Jacq said.
True enough, heat it up the next day and droool....F loved it too!!

Foul Mesdammes

I made soo many blogger friends after Lydia posted my pantry pixs. This is soo amazing!!
Here's the Foul Mesdammes recipe as requested by Susan G....

Foul Mesdammes
Serves 4 – 6

2 cans of broad beans*
1 can of peas

350 grams mince beef
4 large tomatoes
1 bunch of coriander leaves, about 20 cents worth… more if you like – cut into 1cm length

Oil

Grind
5 garlic
2 large onions
1 inch young ginger

1 teaspoon each of fennel, cumin and coriander seeds
- Fry the above in a wok without oil, until fragrant. Then grind them coarsely.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

For Granish
- Large onion cut into cubes
- Green chillies
- Sunny-side-up eggs
- A bit more of the coriander leaves


Cooking instructions
1. Puree 1 can of broad beans and 1 can of peas and put it aside
2. Wash and cut the tomatoes into cubes
3. Heat the oil and fry the grinded garlic onions, garlic, ginger and the coarsely grinded fennel, cumin and coriander seeds and salt… until fragrant
4. In goes the mince beef and fry until the beef is cooked
5. In goes the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes is a slightly soft
6. Then pour in the pureed beans, peas and the remaining 1 can of broad beans, water and all.
7. Leave it to boil… stir once in a while to make sure it does not burn at the bottom
8. Salt and pepper....
9. Throw in the coriander leaves... save some for garnish
10. Ready to eat :-)

* Canned broad beans are available at:
- Sheng Shiong supermarket at $0.50 a can. This one’s made in China.
- Mustafa Supermarket at $1.90 a can. This one’s from Dubai.
- Or you can use dried Fava Beans… just remember to soak it overnight

Good luck Susan G!!

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Pantry Entry in The Perfect Pantry

Errmmm. Okie, it's a mouthful.
Anyways, Lydia of The Perfect Pantry had featured my entry for Other People's Pantries.
Go see my pantry entry in Other People's Pantries #32.
Heheh...

Thanks Lydia!!