Ginger Braised Chicken Legs

Sometimes I just don't know what to cook for dinner especially for just two person :p To make things easy , I took out two chicken legs from the freezer , thawed it and braised them with ginger and sesame oil. Wow....the aroma of ginger and sesame oil can tinkle your smell sensory and send your salivary glands into action. Believe me , this is an awesome dish and it reminded me of those times when I was in my confinement, my mommy used to cook this everyday for me. Of course that was 21 years ago :p Even Daddy loves the aroma and he came into my domain kitchen and said " whoa...like people in confinement....what are you cooking ? " heehee I answered him this " we eating confinement dish today...coz I miss my mommy ! " He rolled his eyes and walked away :))

delicious and aromatic ginger braised chicken legs

served with brown rice and fresh celery

topped with thousand island sauce

simple and delicious!

Ginger Braised Chicken Legs

Ingredients:

2 free range chicken legs – cut into smaller pieces

1 thumb sized ginger – crushed and chopped coarsely
2 tbsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
½ tbsp of corn flour
½ tsp thick soy sauce
a dash of white pepper

Preparation:

Marinade the chicken pieces with oyster sauce, pepper , thick soy sauce and corn flour for 10 minutes. Heat up sesame oil in a wok, put in the chopped ginger and sauté until it is aromatic. Add in the marinated chicken pieces and sauté until half cooked . Add in ½ or 3/4 cup water and braised the chicken pieces till tender and the gravy has thickened. Dish up and served hot with brown rice .

Quote of the day

" In the childhood memories of every good cook,

there's a large kitchen, a warm stove, a

simmering pot and a mom "

~ Barbara Costikyan ~

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Baked Dressed Potato Halves

I love potatoes cooked in any way...boiled, baked, fried or mashed...name it and I will gobble it down :)) Yup I am a big fan of potato * wink but becoz of its starch content, I cook them once in a blue moon. For this once, I boiled it till cook, cut into halve , scoop out the potato from its jacket and mixed with mustard & dill sauce, chopped parsley and rosemary, grated cheddar cheese, black pepper , cajun powder, olive oil and sea salt. Fill the potato mixture into the jackets and topped with more cheddar cheese. Drizzle more olive oil on to the filled up potatoes and baked in a preheated oven at 200 C for 25 minutes or till golden brown. Simple yet delicious.

scoop the potato out of its jacket and mixed it with

mustard & dill sauceblack pepper, chopped parsley

& rosemary, cajun powder ,olive oil

and sea salt and let it stand for 15 minutes

till the ingredients have infused into the potato

cajun gives spiciness and cheddar cheese adds flavor

to the potato fill back the potato mixture into its jackets

topped with cheddar cheese and drizzle lots of olive oil ...mmmmm

mmm...this is one favourite style of baked potato...well dressed :p

every mouthful is cheesilicious-ly delicious! yummm

Baked Dressed Potato Halves

ingredients :

2 large potatoes - boiled and halves

(A)

1.5 tbsp of mustard & dill sauce

1 tsp of toasted black pepper - crushed

1 tsp of cajun powder

3 tbsp of grated cheddar cheese

few sprigs of fresh italian parsley & rosemary - chopped

2 tbsp of olive oil

sea salt to taste

Topping:

extra grated cheese & some rosemary for deco

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 200C .

Scoop out the cooked potato out of its jackets. Add in all the ingredients A into the scoop potato and mixed till well combined. Let it stand for 15 mins. Filled back into their jackets and topped with more grated cheddar cheese and decorate with sprigs of rosemary. Placed them on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil on to the potatoes ready for baking. Bake in the oven at 200 C for 25 mins or till golden brown. Serve as an appetizer.

Quote for the day

" It is wonderful, if we chose the right diet, what

an extraordinarily small quantity would suffice "

~ Mahatma Gandhi ~

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I Came, I Saw, I Bought !

Guess what??? yessss..... I added two cookbooks to my collections of cookbook on my shelf. I know, I know...I told you guys that I don't want any more cookbooks as Xmas pressies and here I bought two more myself :)) I saw this cookbook all on oats....biscuits, cookies and cakes ...whoa...how could I resist it :p and another one on baked and steamed buns ...ohhh as you guys know that I am now itching to knead and when this fever comes I am stricken....dead if I don't knead LOL! just kidding.. I am a sucker for cookbooks.... especially attracted to the cover of this Oats Delicieux ! Bookfairs everywhere.... My Piggy gal , Joanna , she bought 60 over books from the " Big Bad Wolf booksale " in KL !!! She beats me to it :p I bought two and she bought 60 over !!! @@

nice cover but the inside contents is much nicer LOL!

Oats goodness....healthy grains... good for health

Baked and Steamed Buns is another good one...haha

so I carted them backhome...so stay tuned....

lots of goodies will be posted up soon LOL!

I am the happiest person today.... I got 2 new books to keep myself occupied with :))

Have a great weekend !

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Organic Oat Cereal Soy Noodle In Konbu Soup

I am not really a health freak but I do plan my meals properly…a well balanced diet and everything in moderation is my motto in life. I visited an organic shop the other day and had bought some dried organic noodles made of different ingredients and this oats cereal soy noodles looks good…has lots of nutritional values . I cooked them for dinner last night and wow…it did taste good….texture is exactly like the fettucine and has a subtle cereal and soy fragrance mmmm I will definitely buy more in my next trip there :) It is a versatile noodles..you can have them in soup or fry them with veggies and meat fillets/shrimps. It will taste just as good. But for me, I cooked a konbu soup base with lots colorful veggies, like the carrot, fresh baby corns, wakame, curly lettuce/ little gem and on second thoughtsadded some shrimps to the soup for a more balanced diet. It is indeed a delicious bowl of noodle soup….serve with a plate of chopped chilli padi and fresh garlic with light soy sauce…Mama mia ! how could one go without this flavorful fresh chilli dipping . It is a must in my family to have this chilli garlic sauce when eating a bowl of soup noodle. A delish and a well balanced one dish meal !

dried organic oat cereal soy noodle made from organic oat and soy flour

Slurp slurp…. yummy !

Konbu gives out a very nice fragrant

when making clear soup for noodles

the colorful veggies make this one dish meal

a balanced diet...thumbs up!

you get the oomph eating this noodles with

the chilli garlic sauce...mmm my tongue is smiling again :p

simple and yet a great sauce for the noodles..we cant eat without this sauce :))

Organic Oat Cereal Soy Noodle In Konbu Soup

Ingredients:

2 pieces of dried organic oat cereal soy noodles

Soup base:

1 small piece of dried konbu

3 bowls of water

3 chinese red dates

Sea salt to taste

Veggies:

5 fresh baby corns- cut into halves

1 small carrot – sliced

2 stems of curly lettuce/little gem

1 tsp of dried wakame – soaked

5 shrimps – deveined but leave shell intact

Preparation:

Cook the organic noodles in hot boiling water till al dente. Strained and arrange noodles in a noodle bowl. Leave aside and meanwhile boil 3 bowls of water in a soup pan under medium heat. When water boils add in konbu and Chinese red dates and boils under low heat for 25 minutes until you can sniff in the wonderful aroma of the konbu. Add in all the veggies, wakame and shrimps. When the shrimps turned red, add in sea salt. Boil for another 3 minutes. Off the heat and pour the soup over the cooked noodles and serve hot with the chilli garlic sauce.

Enjoy and have a great weekend !

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Fried Chinese Rice Cake aka Char Koay

I love this delicious chinese rice cake fried with preserved radish and lots of garlic . I went for my evening walk and saw this road side stall selling this and whoa...I told myself I am not going to cook dinner...we shall have this for dinner instead. Luckily , I brought out some ringgits with me and thus bought back 2 packets ...one for the other half and the other for myself. I told the man to add eggs and requested for extra radish. I cut short my brisk walking and walked as fast as I could...like in a marathon race , carrying these deliciousness with me , sniffing in the aroma of these fried rice cake as I took a detour back home....LOL! Very typical of me....when there is good food...I will cut short my brisk walking :p

We can get this dim sum dish from the night market * pasar malam * but this stall is still the best for me. Hot and garlicky aroma...who could resist such as simple and yet delicious mouth watering fried rice cake. Just look at the famous Ipoh bean sprouts and lots too...ohh, by the way , Ipoh is famous for its bean sprouts or 'taugeh ' :)

this fried rice cake is full of bean sprouts and garlic.....



the garlicky aroma with the dried radish...simply
mouth watering....:))

a light and hearty dinner for Daddy and Me

this is what Malaysian hawker food is all about......cheap yet delicious :))

and the best thing is I don't have to cook but

someone out there, for once ,

cooked for me.....LOL!

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Cooling Winter Melon Dessert

After all the deep fried , hot and spicy dishes taken the last few days, I steamed this winter melon for 2 hours with dried longans and cane sugar to cool down the body system as we chinese are fond of observing such belief. Straight after work, I put the winter melon to be steamed under medium heat for 2 hours and it was just in time for a after dinner dessert. It was so delicious and I took two bowls of this sweet cooling dessert. I was surprised Daddy took two bowls too * wink ( it must be good for him to want another bowl of this delicious sweetness )

Wash the outside of the melon clean..cut off the top and scoop out the seeds



put in the dried longans and cane sugar and
add in hot water..3/4 full and
cover back with the cut off top. Let the melon sit on
a big bowl and steamed in a steamer over
medium heat for 2 hours.

this good for health..take off the heat from our
body.....

I love dried longans so I put in more :p

a bowl of deliciousness to die for ...

Cooling Winter Melon Dessert

Ingredients:

1 medium sized winter melon - washed and cleaned

50 gm of dried longans

2 pieces of cane sugar or rock sugar
3 cups of hot water

Preparation:

Wash and clean the winter melon. Cut off the top and scoop out the seeds. Put in the dried longans and rock sugar/cane sugar and top up with hot water till 3/4 full. Cover back the top and let the melon sit on a big bowl . Put in the steamer under medium heat and steam for 2 hours. Constantly check on the steamer and see that there is enough water for the steaming.

Scoop the melon pulp together with the sweet soup when serving. Serve it hot or chilled.

Enjoy!

Quote for the day

" ...planning a brilliant menu and preparing it

beautifully doesn't guarantee a recipe for

success. It's pointless giving painstaking thought

to food, if you haven't given food to thought

The truth is, people are the most

important ingredient. "

~ Kathy Lette ~

AN ICED CAKE FOR CLAIRE

I can't believe it!!! I iced a birthday cake for Claire....LOL! a funny looking one too! Well, I really sucks when it comes to icing a cake but the most important is the thought...right Claire ?

I just want to wish you a very Happy Birthday and many more to come...by then I will be good in icing a cake...so don't worry the next one will be better designed than this :)) I think I really need to go for cake decorating course soon !!! But rest assured the outside may not look appealing but the inside is moist and fluffy , the best butter cake ever ! LOL! So never judge a book by its cover applies in this case :p

Claire....this is made with love....thanks for the

warm friendship extended to me :))

haha...i found a flaw here....but who cares as long as I

know this cake taste good :p


I would like to dedicate this birthday poem to you , Claire


Birthday Blessings

Instead of counting candles,
Or tallying the years,
Contemplate your blessings now,
As your birthday nears.

Consider special people
Who love you, and who care,
And others who’ve enriched your life
Just by being there.

Think about the memories
Passing years can never mar,
Experiences great and small
That have made you who you are.

Another year is a happy gift,
So cut your cake, and say,
"Instead of counting birthdays,
I count blessings every day!"


By Joanna Fuchs



Have a wonderful day with your loved ones, Claire :))




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Crispy Chicken Wingettes

This is something so appetizing and truly finger licking good crispy chicken wingettes. I got this recipe from Angie's blog - Seasaltwithfood. I didn't know that periperi sauce can be used as a marinade for these wingettes and the flavor is awesome. I have a bottle of Peri Peri sauce from Nando's and it has been sitting in the fridge for a while ( wow..6 months to expiry date ) so this recipe came in time...save my dollars and Daddy is most pleased with the crispy chicken wingettes. Using the sweet potato powder is also something new. I could not get hold of this powder but I managed to get the potato powder and it works well. The chicken wingettes turned out crispy . Delicious and finger licking good! Lucky for me, I have a bottle of peri peri sauce at home so I can try this recipe out.....I will be making this again for sure for the coming Xmas dinner ! Thanks Angie for sharing this delightful and mouthwatering crispy chicken wingettes!

this flavor is awesome...try this out if you have a bottle of

periperi sauce at home, if not try getting them from Nando's :)
marinade the chicken wingettes overnite for best result

coat them with sweet potato powder

before frying them in hot oil

finger licking good crispy chicken wingettes

with a glass of cold beer or red wine...mmmmm

Crispy Chicken Wingettes ( adapted from Angie - Seasaltwithfood)

Ingredients:

30pc (1.2 kg) chicken wingettes

2 bottles Peri Peri sauce

200gm sweet potoato powder

2 tbsp lemon juice

Sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Add the peri peri sauce, lemon juice and season with sea salt and black pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge for at least 4 hours. Turn the chicken pieces once or twice to distribute the flavors.

Pour at least 2" of oil into a large frying pan over medium heat. Heat until the oil is hot. Pat the chicken in the sweet potato powder to coat it on all sides, making sure all the nooks and crannies are covered.

Add the chicken into the hot oil and fry till until it is crispy and golden. It is important that the chicken is cooked right through to the bone - use tongs to turn the pieces over a couple of times until you are satisfied that they are dep golden and cooked through. Lift out onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Serve immediately with lemon wedges to squeeze over the top, if desired.

Enjoy!



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Traditional Ratatouille

I love ratatouille since the day I was introduced to it by Flavour magazine Sept-Oct issue 2007. Ratatouille is a very versatile dish and can be eaten with spaghetti , as topping for pizza and on baguette or as a side dish for a main course. There is no short cuts - like what the writer said , it is a good understanding of the various parts of the recipes that will allow you to make the perfect ratatouille. I decided to have ratatouille with the organic bread that was given to me by my friend Claire. It tasted so good that I had four slices of the organic bread for dinner. The ratatouille was well cooked and it was flavorful...mmmmmm yummy no doubt. I will let my pictures do the talking once again. I added the shimeiji coz there were a small portion left after cooking the Ramen, so instead of wasting it, I throw them in to make the ratatouille and it was truly good. Now I know why the French people love this dish! It is simply delicious!

Step 1 : gathers all the ingredients together

Step 2 : saute them in a non-stick pan

with olive oil till fragrant

Step 3 : add in the tomato puree

and the fresh herbs- rosemary and parsley

Step 4: Simmer over low heat for 1 hour

the taste of love...real traditional ratatouille

this is the organic bread that Claire gave me

texture is rough due to the 7 grains that is used

in this bread...but lotz of goodness

the 7 grains are millets, rye, lentil, soya , wheat, oats and corn :)

a loaf costs RM 6.50

served them with ratatouille and topped with...........

cheddar cheese...yummy !

I really love ratatouille and can have them everyday

very tasty and flavorful and lots of goodness in this

dish.... this is my dinner and lots of vitamins and minerals

can be found in this ratatouille :))

Traditional Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1 long purple aubergine

salt for sprinkling

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 zucchinis, cut into 2cm cubes

1 onion, cut into cubes or sliced

1 red capsicum, seeded and sliced

1 green capsicum, seeded and sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

200g tomatoes, peeled and cubed

100g tomato puree or to taste

1 sprig rosmary ( or other herbs)

1 sprig thyme ( or other herbs)

brown sugar to taste

salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

optional: black lives, saffron, smoked

chillies, sun dried tomatoes

Preparation:

Split the aubergine lengthwise, place in a colander, and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitterness. Set aside for 30 minutes, drain and cut into 2cm cubes.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed or cast iron pan. Add the aubergine and cook until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, cook the zucchinis the same way.

In the same pan, cook the onion ( add more oil if neccessary) until translucent. Add the red and green capsicums and cook until tender, add garlic, aubergine, zuchinnis, tomato and tomato puree. Cook for 1 minute.

Pluck the rosemary and thyme leaves, and add to the ratatouille. Add optional ingredients, if using. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

Alternatively, you can cook it the oven at 180 C for 40 minutes, then at 150 C for another 40 minutes.

Season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper. Remove from heat, allow to cool and refrigerate if not using immediately. The flavors will develop overnight. Serve warm or cold, as a side dish, as a topping or use as a base or flavoring for other recipes.

Enjoy and have a great weekend with ratatouille a french cuisine! :))

Quote for the day

" We must keep these pleasures in proper

perspective; we must indulge them reasonably,

not grossly.....

The savour of good food and good wine

is one of the elements of true civilization,

and no man who embarks upon a fine meal

in that knowledge can rise from it

without thinking something real has been

added to his nature. "

~ Bernard Levin ~

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Ramen Cold Dish

Yesterday I went to one Organic Shop and I had a wonderful insight into some organic stuffs and their goodness. I came home with 2 kilos of 9 grains and some organic ramen mee. So as usual knowing me, I will not just let those organic stuff alone till I have tried them out ! I took out whatever I have left in the fridge and make a delish Ramen Cold Dish. Red capsicum, carrots, fresh italian parsleys and not to be left out..my favourite korean shimeiji....all combined with the cooked ramen ...sprinkle some sesame seeds on them ...chilled them and serve them cold. Yummy if you like it cold. For me , not everything I like chilled except for this dish. I used Kikkoman Teriyaki Honey Sauce and it was a great sauce for this ramen dish! You can have it hot if you do not like it cold :) Japanese eat them cold though :))

Chlorella Ramen from the the organic shop. It has a lot of goodness in it ,so they claimed. They used organic high protein flour, japanese chlorella, seasalt and filter water to make the ramen. Mmmm .....chlorella is good for health..body and brains. Good for Elin ! :))

this is what I found in the fridge drawer and into the wok they go
to make a delightful dish for the ' queen ' Elin :p

look how yummilicious ....appealing to you ?

I can have the whole dish to myself....

the teriyaki honey sauce goes well for this dish

D-E-L-I-C-O-U-S !!!!

Ramen Cold Dish

ingredients:

1 serving of Organic Dried Chlorella Ramen

1 tbsp of olive for the ramen

1 red capsicum - julienned

1/2 carrot - julienned

1/2 pkt of korean shimeiji

3 pips of garlic - chopped

3 sprigs of fresh italian parsley- chopped

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of kikkoman teriyaki honey sauce

Preparation :

Cook the ramen in hot water till al dente - rinsed over cold water ,drained and pour 1 tbsp of olive oil onto the ramen and mix well. Leave aside.

Saute garlic in a wok with 1 tbsp of olive oil till fragrant, add in the capsicum, carrot and shimeiji and stir fry till cooked. Add in teriyaki honey sauce and parsley. Dish on to the cooked ramen and lightly stir them together. Chilled in the fridge for 25 minutes and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

* You can have it hot if you can't stand cold dish :)

Have a nice day !

^_____^

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