Archive for 2019

Indonesian Rendang Curry by Asian Home Gourmet

Monday, December 30, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-


There wasn’t a plan to cook rendang dishes for the weekend, somehow I spotted the rendang spice pre-mixed pack from the Asian grocer. Out of curiosity, I bought a packet for a try.

The instructions (as stated on the packaging) to prepare the dish was rather simple, as contrasted to the usual way to prepare the dish. I was a bit skeptical with the taste of the end product as I suspected it might not taste like the usual rendang which I am familiar to. I was completely right !! The dish did not at all look or taste like rendang, in fact, it tasted like the spicy version of curry chicken. Don’t get me wrong, even though it didn’t taste like rendang, but the overall taste of the dish was good.

My rendang curry was rather watery than I expected. Perhaps I wasn't patient enough with the simmering process. I should have waited for a bit longer until the gravy was thicken. Anyway I quite like the dish. I would name my dish as 'spicy creamy chicken curry' instead of rendang curry.

Ingredients
1 packet Indonesian Rendang Curry spice paste by Asian Home Gourmet
450g chicken breast (cut into cubes)
440ml coconut milk
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste
kaffir lime leaves as garnish (optional)

Instructions
1. Heat up cooking oil in the pan. Add spice paste and stir-fry for half a minute.
2. Add in chicken meat and stir-fry for 2 min.
3. Pour in coconut milk and bring to boil. Simmer the rendang for 30 min under low heat.
4. Lift the cover, continue to simmer for another 20 min until the meat is tender and gravy almost dry. 
 

4-Ingredients Sweet Potato Pancakes

Friday, November 29, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-




I am on sweet potato pancakes' spell and I have made the pancakes twice in a week. Reason ... I just can't enough of these pancakes. They are simply addictive and you will just snack and snack until you realize you have just tagged in the last piece of pancake on the plate. Trust me, they taste super good and you will not be satisfied with just a single slice. Make sure you make more :).

These sweet potato pancakes are not to make though, what you need are just 4 ingredients: 350g sweet potatoes, 1 cup of glutinous rice flour, 5g of sugar (adjust according to your taste) and some cooking oil for pan-fry purposes.

Directions
1. Cut the sweet potatoes to slices and steam under high heat for 15min until they turn soft.
2. Smash the steamed sweet potatoes in a mix bowl. Add in the glutinous rice flour and sugar. With hand, mix everything well until they combine into a dough form.
3. Cover both palms with some glutinous rice flour. Place some dough on your palm, roll it into a compact ball then flatten it into a pancake about 1/2 inch thick.
~Repeat the same process until all all the dough are done~
4. Heat up the skillet with 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Pan-fry the pancake at medium high heat until both sides turn golden brown.

The pancakes serve as an ideal afternoon snack and are best enjoyed while they are warm. They go absolutely well with a cup of hot tea. What an indulgence during a cold afternoon.

Cantonese Porridge with Chicken Balls

Thursday, October 31, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-


Basically there are two type of porridge I know of - Cantonese style porridge and Teow Chew style porridge. What are the differences between the two. The Cantonese style porridge is thicker in texture and it is more flavourful, because it is usually cooked with other ingredients such as chicken, pork or fish. Thus you can eat it on its own without any side dishes. The Teow Chew style porridge, on the other hand, is plain in taste and is diluted in term of texture. It is usually eaten with other side dishes. Pretty similar with plain rice i.e. a form of carbs, but less solid and usually suitable for babies or elderly who can hardly chew solid food. 

I personally prefer the Cantonese style porridge over the Teow chew style, because I like the thick and smooth texture of it. Nevertheless, it is less hassle to prepare as you can just chuck everything into the pot and cook it at one go. I refer it as 'one-pot-meal'.

The only hassle of the cooking is, you need to stir the porridge pretty often to avoid burning at the bottom of the pot. However, the bright side of the constant stirring is, it helps to smoothen the grain and the porridge will turn thick and smooth without to blend it with the electronic blender.

For today's recipe, I will showcase my way of making the Cantonese chicken balls porridge.

Ingredients
Porridge
1 cup rice
8 cup water
1 chicken cube
4-5 slices of ginger
salt (good amount)

Chicken Balls
150g minced chicken
1 tbsp. soy sauce
sugar, pepper and salt to taste
Optional: ginger and chili (finely chopped)

Garnish or toppings
fried shallots
dried scallions flakes
ginger stripes
white pepper
sesame oil
soy sauce

Directions
1. Wash and soak rice for overnight.
2. In a mixing bowl, add minced chicken, soy sauce, salt, sugar, pepper, ginger and chili. Mix well and put a side for 15-20 min (marinate purpose).
3. Form the chicken mixture to 2-3cm diameter wide meatballs. Set aside for later use.
4. In a cooking pot, add rice, water, ginger slices and chicken cubes and bring to boil.
5. Once rice is boiling, turn heat to medium low and continue to cook for another 20-30 min.
* Constantly stir the porridge to avoid burning at the bottom of the pot.
* Add in extra water if require.
6. Once the porridge turns thick and creamy in texture, add enough amount of salt.
7. Slowly add in the chicken meatballs into the porridge (medium low heat).
8. Porridge is ready to be served once the chicken meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
9. Garnish the porridge with a dash of white pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, fried shallots, ginger strips and scallions.

Porridge is simply a must-have dish during fall/winter!

 

Boiled Chickpeas

Sunday, September 29, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-


Ada dished out a small bowl of boiled chickpeas as appetiser. I was fascinated with the dish as they tasted very good - light and refreshing. It is the kind of healthy snack which I can snack all day long without worrying extra calories. As information from the internet, 100g contains just 164 calories (Click here)

The recipe shared by Ada is very simple - just dried chickpeas, salt and water. The ingredients are although simple, it is a bit time consuming to cook the chickpeas. That's the main reason why most of the people opt the canned chickpeas instead of the dried chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are no doubt convenience but they are less healthy since they are packed with excessive salt, sugar and preservative.

Ingredients
400g dried chickpeas
2 liter water
salt for flavouring

Directions
1. Wash dried chickpeas and sock them in the water overnight.
2. In a big pot with 2 liter of water, boil the socked chickpeas at high heat for 15-20 min.
3. Add in good amount of salt.
4. Remove the bubbles with a strainer and continue to boil the chickpeas at a medium heat for another 30-40 min, until the chickpeas soften.

To check whether the chickpeas are thoroughly cooked, you may take a chickpea out and press it using a folk. If it breaks easily with a light press, this indicates that they are cooked. Otherwise, continue to boil them for a couple of minutes.

Chickpeas are so versatile; you may use them for salad, vegetarian curry, chili, hummus etc. You may prepare a big batch in one go and store them in the freezer for later use. Another good tip is to pre-soak the dried chickpeas for overnight to cut down the cooking time.

 

Mo Sang Kor Herbal Chicken Soup

Thursday, August 22, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-

Herbal Chicken Soup

Early of the year, I had posted a recipe of herbal chicken soup recipe using spice mixed by Tean's Gourmet. But this time round, I am trying a new brand called Mo Sang Kor. Initially I have no intention to include it on my blog as Mo Sang Kor is not the brand I would go for when come to chicken soup. However after the first sip of the flavorful broth, I was instantly convinced that this is the best herbal chicken soup herbs and spices mixed which I would definitely go back again.


For those who love herbal chicken soup, I strongly recommend you give this brand a try. The soup tastes authentic and is comparable with the herbal chicken soup which you can get from the famous restaurants. Unlike other brands I had tried, the herbal taste of Mo Sang Kor is much stronger and flavorful, while the other brands tasted a bit diluted. I prefer the stronger herbal taste for my chicken soup. For pre-mixed packets by other brands, I usually use lesser amount of water than recommended i.e. I use 1.5 liter of water instead of the recommended 2 liter. With Mo Sang Kor spices mixed, there is no trace of diluted flavor even with 2 liter of water. Thumb up!

Ingredients
1 packet Mo Sang Kor chicken soup herbs & spices mixed
800g chicken drumsticks
2 liter water
3 gloves garlic
8 pieces mushrooms
3 tsp thick soy sauce
3 tsp soy sauce
salt to taste

Optional: 200g baby corns, 1 stalk of carrot (sliced), coriander

Directions
1. In a pot, bring 2 liter of water to boil.
2. Add in herbs & spices mixed, chicken drumsticks, mushrooms, carrot into the boiling water.
3. Boil for 30-40 min under medium-low heat.
4. Add in baby corns and salt, simmer for 5-8 min.
5. Add coriander then serve.

MasFood Rendang Curry Chicken

Sunday, July 07, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-


Knowing that I am a big fan of rendang curry dish, my friend bought me a pack of pre-mixed rendang curry paste all the way from South East Asia to try on. It is the instant rendang curry paste by Masfood.

I highly recommend this instant rendang paste as it is so simple to prepare and it tastes pretty good. Not to mention, it is very time saving i.e. you can basically cut down the prep time (for a delicious bowl of rendang curry) to half with this instant premixed sauce. Check out the simple instructions below.
MasFood Rendang Curry Instant Paste

The only hurdle had was - to prepare the pre-fried coconut shreds, also known as 'kerisk' in Malay. I have no idea what kerisk is. It refers as 'pre-fried coconut shreds' as stated on the packaging. So without much hesitation, I just browned 100g of dried coconut shreds on the frying-pan, and added them into my rendang curry as per the instructions given. It turned out that the pan-browned dried coconut shreds failed to integrate into the curry gravy, instead they floated as 'foreign objects' in the gravy. The pro is, the dried coconut shreds added body to the gravy. However the downside is, the gravy missed its smoothness i.e. you may bite into crunchy and chewy coconut shreds. After all, it did not affect at all the taste of the rendang curry. 

My advice to all is the get the ready-made kerisik if you can get from your local Asian grocers. If you can't find it, just skip it.

Ingredients
1 packet MasFood Instant Rendang Curry Paste
1kg     chicken meat
300ml water
250ml coconut milk
100g   pre-fried coconut shreds (kerisek)

Directions
1. Stir fry chicken drumsticks with the rendang paste over low heat until aromatic.
2. Add in water and coconut milk to simmer until chicken drumsticks are tender and the gravy becomes thicker.
3. Add in the coconut shreds and cook for few minutes.
MasFood Perencah Rendang Segera

Scallion Pancakes Using Gyoza Wraps

Tuesday, June 18, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-

chong you bing

I love scallion pancakes but find them too troublesome to prepare them at home. I tried to look for the frozen scallion pancakes from the Asian grocers. Too bad, only the paratha flatbreads were available. I was later told by the shop owner that I can make the simplified version of scallion pancakes with the gyoza wraps. The instructions given sounded simple and I decided to give the recipe a try.

Overall the 'gyoza wraps' scallion pancakes tasted pretty good. In term of taste, they tastes pretty similar to the conversional pancake. However for texture wise, they are way too hard and dry. The fluffy texture of the traditional scallion pancakes could not be reached with this simplified method. The hard and dry texture can be further improved by coating pancakes (cooked) with some egg mixture and pan-fry them on a skillet with some cooking oil. 1-2 minutes per side will do (or until the egg mixture is cooked).

Ingredients
1 packet gyoza wraps
scallions (chopped)
cooking oil
salt

Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, add in chopped scallions, cooking oil and salt. Mix well.
2. Lay 2 sheets of gyoza wraps on a table top. Spread the scallion mixture evenly on the gyoza wrap surface. Sandwiched the scallion mixture with another 2 sheet of gyoza wraps.
3. With a rolling pin, roll the gyoza wraps flat until it becomes a single sheet.
4. In a hot skillet, pan-fry till both side turn golden brown.
Note: If you prefer a greasy version, you may heat up some cooking oil on the skillet before pan-fry the pancake. I skipped the step for a healthier version.
Gyoza skin

Spicy Ayam Masak Merah (Maggi premix sauce)

Wednesday, May 29, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-

Maggi perencah ayam masak merah berempah

 Yes, I am making red sauce chicken, aka ayam masak merah again! What differentiated from my previous ayam masak merah is, this is a spicy version. I am using the same premix sauce by Maggi's brand, but with some twist. I am super satisfied with the improvised recipe as it tastes as good as the ayam masak merah dish which you can find at the local malay stalls.  (check out my older post here)

For my first attempt, I followed the cooking instructions on the packet. It was not quite the taste and consistency I was looking for. Perhaps I should have been using chicken drumsticks og chicken thighs instead of size bite chicken breast.

I personally think extra chili powder and chili flakes have done a fantastic touch to the dish. Another key point is, use chicken drumsticks instead chicken breast. Chicken breast can turn dry and hard when cook for long.

Ingredients
800g of chicken drumsticks
1 packet of Maggi's Masak Merah pre-mixed sauce
3 onion (sliced)
2 tomato (cut into cubes)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp chili flakes
3 tbsp ketchup (tomato sauce)
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
80 ml water
salt and sugar to taste

Marinate for chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions
1. Marinate the chicken drumsticks with turmeric powder and soy sauce.
2. Heat up cooking oil in the skillet. Pan-fry chicken drumsticks till golden brown. Dish out, set aside for later use.
3. Mix Maggi's Masak Merah powder with chili powder, chili flakes and water. Stir well.
4. In the same pan, pour in the sauce mixture and bring to boil.
5. Add in the chicken drumsticks, sliced onions, tomato cubes and tomato sauce. Stir well and cook for 5 min.
6. Add lemon juice, salt and sugar. Stir well and cook for another 3-5 min.
7. Dish out the Ayam Masak Merah and garnish it with some coriander (fresh or dry)

Sweet Potato Fries and Baked Salmon

Sunday, April 21, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato is classified as super food and sweet potato fries has been a hit recently. Many fast food restaurants start to include sweet potato fries into their menu and they are well accepted by the consumer.

I am a big fan of sweet potato. I go for any food with sweet potatoes i.e. sweet potato chips, sweet potato cakes, sweet potato buns, sweet potato cookies, sweet potato ice-shave etc. But one thing I rarely have is, sweet potato fries. If there are options to choose between the potato fries or sweet potato fries (to go with my fried chicken), I will undoubtedly go for potato fries. The reason is simple, because I think, when comes to fries, the potato fries with ketchup are still the best.

Yesterday I was making my favourite baked salmon for lunch and I opted a rare side dish - sweet potato fries. I was using the simple to prepare frozen sweet potato fries. They are super easy to prepare. Check out the instructions at the end of the blog.

The sweet potato fries taste surprisingly good, with natural sweetness well captured. The downside is, these fries are way too soft and easy to break apart. You can hardly enjoy them as normal the fries, where you can hold them using your fingers, and pop stick by stick into your mouth. I am wondering, if the problem will be solved by deep frying them. Or perhaps some coating batter is needed?

Anyway, I pretty enjoyed the sweet potato fries as they paired very well with my baked salmon. A hearty meal for a sunny Saturday afternoon!

Instructions
Sweet potato fries
1. Spread the fries on the baking tray. Baked in the oven for 15-20 min, under 200°c heat.
2. Sprinkle some sea salt on top and serve the fries with your favourite dish.

Baked salmon
1. Marinate salmon fillets with some chili mix, salt and some lemon juice.
2. Place the salmon fillets on the baking tray (skin facing up). Drizzle some oil on top of the fillet.
3. Pop the salmon into the oven and bake for 10-12 min, under 175°c heat.
Sweet Potato Fries and Baked Salmon
 

Healthy Avocado Tuna Rugbrød Sandwich

Friday, March 22, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-


Avocado, the super food, is packed with great nutrients, for example potassium, vitamin C, K, B5, B6 and E. Avocados are 0 cholesterol and low in saturated fat. According to the NHANES survey, people who eat avocados regularly tend to be healthier - weighed less, have a lower BMI, have less belly fat and have higher levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.

For the mentioned reasons above, I'm into the bandwagon of avocado eating. Unfortunately avocados are not cheap, so I will buy avocados only when they are on sales. I will buy the supply that could last me for a week. 
Rugbrød

My all time favourite avocado recipe is the creamy avocado tuna spread. These spread are so simple to make and taste super good. You can have the spread with toasts, crackers or even pasta. I usually make a big bowl and store in the freezer. It can last me for 2 days, 4 meals in total. Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
1 canned tuna
1 small shallot (thinly sliced)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1   tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
sesame seeds (optional)

Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and give a good mix. Spread the avocado tuna spread on to your favourite breads or crackers. You can either mix the sesame seeds into your spread or you may just sprinkle them on top of your sandwich as garnish before serving. I like the nutty taste and the fragrant of sesame seeds; therefore I am very generous with the amount used for my spread. Super tasty :)

Inari Sushi aka Stuffed Tofu Pouches

Sunday, February 17, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-


I am a big fan of inari sushi aka stuffed tofu pouches. Inari is a must-order item every time I patron at the sushi restaurants. Unfortunately inari sushi is not commonly found in the sushi menu here (in Europe). So, in order to satisfy my craving from inari sushi, I decided to make my own at home.


The inari tofu wraps can be easily found in most of the Asian grocers here. There are 12 sheets of wraps in the packet, and it costs about €6 i.e. €0.50 per sheet.


These wraps are pre-seasoned and are packed with great flavour - sweet and salty flavour. So if you prefer a light flavour inari sushi, you may skip to season your sushi rice.

Ingredients
12 sheets of pre-seasoned inari tofu wraps
380g cooked rice
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp sesame oil
a pinch of salt

 Directions
1. Mix cooked rice together with sesame oil, salt and sesame seeds.
2. Shape the seasoned rice into 12 individual rice balls. Set aside for later use.
3. Preheat the bag of inari directly into hot water for 1 min.
4. Remove the sheets one by one.
5. Carefully open the pouches and stuff the rice ball into the pouch.
6. Tuck both edges inside to make a pillow shape.
Repeat the same with the remaining pouches.

 12 inari sushi are definitely not enough to satisfy my tummy, so I made additional kimbap. What a sushi feast!

Herbal Chicken Soup (by Tean's Gourmet Klang Herbs & Spices for Soup Kau)

Sunday, January 20, 2019 0 Comments A+ a-

Tean's Gourmet Klang Herbs & Spices for Soup Kau
Temperate continues to drop and chill weather once again hits. There is nothing more prefect than a bowl of hot soup to warm the tummy. Since chicken drumsticks are on sales at the local supermarket, so I decided to make a pot of herbal chicken soup to warm myself up. I am using the herbal soup pre-mixed pack from Tean's Gourmet - Klang Herbs & Spices for Soup Kau.
This is my first time making herbal soup and I am a bit nervous on how the end product will turn out to be. To my surprise, the soup tastes good. The flavour is acceptable and is not over powering despite there are 11 types of herbs and spices in it, which include radix ginseng, star anise, fennel, cinnamon, white pepper etc.

The tip for my good tasting chicken herbal soup is, to add generous among salt and sugar into the soup. Although there is no instruction stated on packaging to add salt and sugar, I recommend you should not skip both the seasonings. The soup without salt can be overly spicy due to the excess white pepper in the pre-mixed pack. The chicken drumsticks are flavourless too, so please be generous with the salt seasoning.  

 Ingredients
1 packet  Klang Herbs & Spices for Soup Kau by Tean's Gourmet
800 g      chicken drumsticks
1500 ml  water
3 cloves  garlic
2 tbsp     oyster sauce
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
salt and sugar to taste

Optional
baby corns
shiitake mushrooms
coriander as garnish

Directions
1. In a large pot with 1500ml water, boil 2 filter bags Klang Herbs & Spices for Soup Kau for 30 min.
2. Add chicken drumsticks, shiitake mushrooms, garlic cloves, oyster sauce, dark and light soy sauce into the boiling soup. Simmer for 30 min.
3. Add salt and sugar. Continue to simmer under low heat for another 30 min, or until the chicken drumsticks are cooked and tendered.
4. Add baby corns into the soup and cook for 1-2 min.
5. Ladle the soup, chicken drumsticks, mushrooms, baby corns into a bowl. Garnish soup with coriander and serve.

The soup is best to enjoyed with fluffy white rice and some cut chili with soy sauce. It tastes good on its own too. 

Don't put off by the oil layering on top of the bowl. These are the natural fat released from the chicken skin.
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