Stewed Chicken In Beer

This recipe is from Yum Yum 65 Issue 2010.  Loved the fact that beer is used to slowly stew the chicken.  The result is a yummy chicken dish with beer aftertaste.  Love it ! And I recommended this to my chinese colleague and she was sold straight away :)  A can of beer and black fungus and ginger and 3 chicken legs is all it takes to make this dish.  Easy to prepare and it tastes good. If you have run out of idea what to do with your chicken meat at home, try this. Of course this applies to my non muslim friends and readers only.  

love the beer in this dish.....a new method of cooking your chicken

Stewed Chicken In Beer - adapted from Yum Yum 65 Issue 2010


Ingredients:

1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp of sliced  garlic
1 tbsp of shredded ginger
20 g black fungus, soaked and cut into pieces
3 red chillies, sliced
3 pieces chicken whole legs, cut into pieces
1 can beer (325ml)

Seasoning:

1 tbsp rock sugar
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Heat up sesame oil, saute garlic and ginger until fragrant.  Add in black fungus, red chillies, chicken and stir fry until lightly browned.

2. Pour in beer, seasoning and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 mins . Serve hot.

Enjoy !

Ganmodoki - Japanese Tofu Balls

Saw this tofu recipe in  The Japanese Kitchen cookbook by Kimiko Barber which I acquired during the last BBWS.  An interesting book with lots of information on Japanese cooking.  I made a few alteration where the ingredients are concerned and came up with one that is delicious....nom nom crisps on the outside and soft and savory on the inside. Tofu is recognised as being healthy but it tends to put people off especially the men because of it softness :p  But with this recipe, it will change the mind set of the men. Ganmodoki can be served as a delicious healthy canape or starter.

It would have been 100 percent japanese if I had added in the konbu and mushrooms. I substituted these two ingredients with home planted spring onions and sweet jalapeno ...gosh they was one awesome tofu balls or ganmodoki.   You can make a dipping sauce with just soy sauce, rice vinegar and grated ginger but since WB and myself prefer spicy dips, we omitted the real dipping sauce for ganmodoki and replace the sauce with chilli sauce :)  I served them before having our usual dinner LOL! reason being it smell so good that we just wanna eat them before our dinner.   We prefer to eat it while it is still warm though ganmodoki can be served hot or cold.  WB is one of those men who doesnt fancy tofu much but with this recipe, WB certainly change his mind set about tofu after having tasted such wonderful tofu balls LOL! 

crispy  on the outside and soft and savory on the inside...lovely ganmodoki

those spring onions were from my garden

I planted them on pots ...now I can have supply of organic

spring onions anytime I want :) enough for everyday cooking

I prefer to mesh the tofu coarsely so

that we get to feel the bits and pieces of tofu

as you can see in the pic above :)

Ganmodoki- Japanese Tofu Balls - adapted from The Japanese Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 block cotton tofu ( firm variety )

1 piece konbu * I replaced with spring onions

2 dried shiitake mushroom -softened and chopped - * I replaced with sweet Jalapeno

2 oz carrot, peeled and finely chopped *  I omitted this

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 egg white beaten to soft peaks

1 tbsp light soy sauce * I omitted this

1 tsp of mirin

1/2 tsp sea salt

* for crispness , I added 2 tbsp of rice flour to the tofu mixture

vegetable oil for deep frying

Dipping sauce:

4 tbsp of soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp grated ginger

Method:

Put the block of tofu on a chopping board, place another small chopping board or plate on top and put a little weight on top of it and tilt it at an angle to drain off the water from the tofu. Leave it for at least 45 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, mesh the compressed tofu corasely, add in all the chopped ingredients and seasonings. For my version, I add in the rice flour last.  Using two tablespoons, shape them into balls and put them into hot oil and deep fried them in batches.  Take out when they are golden brown.  Place them on paper towels to absorb all the excess oil from the tofu.  Serve them hot or cold with the dipping sauce.

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Linguine With Fresh Mushroom Coated With Ao-nori

I know it is linguine again LOL!  With a fresh packet just opened, I thought it would be better to have linguine for dinner again.  Surprisingly , WB has no complain whatsoever over linguine again for dinner.  I have some leftovers of Ao-nori ( seaweed flakes ) which I had opened for making some muffins last month and the amount left was just perfect for making this delicious pasta.  Ao-nori are great for adding to Okonomiyaki , Yakisoba noodles and  Takoyaki.  Kept some for making takoyaki  tonight for our midnight snacks .  Alright...before I digress further, lets head back to this pasta .  This is so easy to whip up and it taste absolutely delicious with the ao-nori .  Every strands of linguine is coated with it...mmmm so good that I had a big portion for dinner.  It is healthy dinner for the both of us  :)

All you have to do is boil the linguine till al-dente. Drain off excess water.  Stir fry the fresh mushrooms with garlic till soft and cooked, add in some cherry tomatoes and add sea salt to taste.  Add in the cooked linguine and pour in ao-nori ( add in amount enough to coat all the linguine  )and give it  a quick stir so that all the strands of linguine is evenly coated.  Off heat. Dish up and serve while it is hot.

Linguine With Fresh Mushroom Coated With Ao-nori

ingredients:

linguine enough for two persons
1/2 packet of Ao-nori
sea salt to taste
15 cherry tomatoes - halved
fresh mushroom of your choice - rinsed and dry with kitchen towels
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
a tbsp olive oil

Method:

Cook linguine in boiling water till al dente, drain off excess water, keep aside.

Heat up wok, add in olive oil and saute garlic till fragrant, add in mushrooms and stir fry till soft, add in tomatoes and sea salt ( amount to taste ) and give it a quick stir.  Add in the cooked linguine and Ao-nori and continue to stir till the linguine is evenly coated with the Ao-nori. Dish up and serve hot.

Have a great day !

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Linguine With Mushroom Topped With Fried Salmon Skin

Dinner was simple last night.  Boiled linguine till al dente, drained off the water and mixed into the stir fry fresh mushroom. Throw in a pinch of herbed sea salt  for taste.  Added some chilli flakes and ground black pepper for some hotness.  Pan seared salmon , a squeeze of lemon on it and tada...dinner is ready in less than 40 minutes.  Yummilicous and we eat this facing the idiot box watching my favorite programme of the night...yea watching Angel's Revenge which I had recorded in the morning before going to work.  I love one dish meal for just this reason.  Each of us holding a plate of pasta and multi tasking away.  Chomping down the pasta and the eyes glued to the idiot box LOL!  

love one dish meal especially pasta like this...mmmm yummy

garnish with the fried  salmon skin 

and this pasta tasted so good that WB asked for second helping

Enjoy  !

Stir Fry Fresh Shiitake And Oyster Mushrooms With Sea Prawns

I am a fan of fresh mushrooms :p and most of my meals consists of kimchi and stir fry mushrooms :) WB always complain that I live on mushrooms alone LOL!  but I always cook a meat dish for him or our Piggies will think I bully their Daddy Boar :)  Today I am sharing another mushroom dish . This dish is flavorful because I added deep fried whole garlic the dish.  It gives a stronger garlicky taste in the gravy and the deep fried garlic melts in the mouth...mmmm I can tuck in all the fried garlic and WB surprisingly loves the fried garlic too. 

can you see the cloves of deep fried garlic in the dish

it just melts in the mouth...lovely. I think I will add more of deep fried garlic

in all my stir fry dishes :)

Stir Fry Fresh Shiitake And Oyster Mushrooms With Sea Prawns

Ingredients:

250 gm fresh shiitake  - rinse and drain dry

250 gm fresh grey oyster mushrooms - rinse and drain dry

10 pieces of fresh sea prawns - shelled and devein - season with a pinch of sugar 

                                                and a dash of  light soy sauce

5 cloves of garlic - deep fried

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

1 slice of ginger

spring onions - cut into 1/2" inch length

thickening sauce - mix together till well combined

1 tsp of corn flour

1 tsp of oyster sauce

1 tsp of chinese cooking wine

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of water

Method:

Heat wok , add in a slice of ginger and saute till fragrant.  Add in the seasoned sea prawns and stir fry till it turns pink and cooked.  Add in the fresh mushrooms and continue to stir fry till soft and cooked.  Add in the deep fried garlic and thickening sauce and spring onions.  Once the gravy thickens, dish up and serve hot.

Enjoy !

CG Dinner @ Sun Lee How Fook Restaurant ,Ipoh

This post is long overdue. Almost forgotten until I was about to format my thumbdrive :p and I saw this folder with restaurant dishes. I remembered we had a cell group dinner at Sun Lee How Fook , Jalan Kampar.  The CG normally celebrate the members birthday once every two months.  This dinner was held to celebrate two members birthday.  I can't remember whose it was... LOL!   Have a peep to see what else was ordered for that dinner.   Read on to see what you can ordered from this restaurant.  Most of the food there are tasty and delicious.  Prices are quite affordable though I would not say it is cheap either :p  The food we ordered came to about RM500 plus :)  I can't remember the name of the dishes but I know they are delicious..mmmm yummy !

Homecooked Bak Kut Teh

The name ' Bak Kut Teh' is translated as ' meat bone tea '.  It consists of meat pork ribs simmered in herbs and spices ( star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic ) for hours.  I don't know they called it tea though there is no tea in the dish itself.  Additional ingredients such as offal, varieties of mushroom , pieces of dried tofu or fried tofu puffs are added to the dish.  WB bought a packet of A1 brand bak kut teh spice that comes in two sachets.  We used up the two sachets for one cooking.  It is so convenient to use ready packed bak kut teh spice.  All we need to add is required water, light and dark soy sauce and lots of garlic and of course the meat ribs and whatever ingredients we favor.  This is a versatile dish , you can add any meat you like.  I added coriander leaves for extra flavor.  Love this simple to prepare and delicious homecooked bak kut teh.   Oh, I added lots of tofu puffs and fried beancurd skin.  Serve this with piping hot rice and of course not to forget chopped bird eye's chillies and garlic sauce.  I can eat two bowls of rice at one sitting.

Bak Kut Teh

Ingredients:

1 packet of ready packed Bak Kut Teh spice/herbs - I used A1 brand

1/2 kg meat ribs

* optional - offal of your choice

dried mushrooms - soak and cut of stems

tofu puffs

dried beancurd skin

coriander leaves - amount up to individual

water

light soya sauce

dark soy sauce

sea salt to taste

1 head garlic - crushed

enough water to cover the meat

Cook the  meat ribs and offals in hot boiling water for 10 mins.  Pour away the water. Drain off excess water.  

Put the  A1 satchets of  bak kut teh spices,  garlic, the parboiled meat, and water in a deep pot.  Put to boil under high heat for 30 mins.  Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and mushrooms to the soup and simmered for another 1 hour under medium low heat.  When the meat is soft and tender, add in the tofu puffs, dried beancurd skin and coriander leaves and continue to simmer for another 20 mins. Add in salt to taste.  

Serve with piping hot rice.

Enjoy !

Oven Baked Spring Roll

I saw this healthy version of crispy spring roll from MyKitchenSnippets.  Baking them is much more healthier as not much oil is used, just a drizzle of oil on the surface.  The disavantage is,  it doesn't keep its crispness for long and it doesn't brown evenly.  But I still prefer this version though the fried ones would be crunchier. The chinese turnips filling is .packed with flavors and the wood ear fungus give the rolls the crunch it deserved :)  If you are making this as finger food for a party, it is adviseable to deep fried them so that they retain their crispness longer.  I finished them all within minutes and for once I don't have to feel guilty...nom nom away :)

Oven Baked Spring Roll - adapted from My Kitchen Snippets with some alterations

Ingredients:

1 medium size jicama/bangkuang/yam bean
1 small onions – slice thinly
2 carrots – julienned
6 pieces of dried chinese mushroom – slice thinly1 big piece of wood ear fungus - soak and slice thinly
3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
a few sprigs of coriander – chopped up coarsely

1 egg - beaten
1 packet of spring roll wrappers

Seasonings:

1 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp of sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of water

Method:

1. Thaw the frozen spring roll wrappers.
2. Heat up the frying pan with a tbsp of olive oil. Add in chopped garlic, onions and stir fry until fragrant.  
3. Add in jicama and carrots and wood ear fungus. Stir fry for a few minutes and add in all the seasonings and 1/2 cup of water. Continue cooking for another 7 minutes or until the jicama is soft. Check seasoning and lastly add in the chopped coriander leaves. Set aside to cool.
4. Prepare a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Lightly brush it with some vegetable oil.
5. Peel off a piece of wrapper and place it on a flat surface. Place some cooked filling in the center of the wrapper, pull over both ends and roll up the wrapper. Brush the end with some egg to seal.
6. Line all the spring rolls on the baking sheet. Lightly brush the spring roll with some vegetable oil.
7. Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve warm or room temperature with some chili sauce.

Enjoy !

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