Tamarind Chicken

This is something I have wanted to try for sometime but I hardly buy chicken meat so never have the chance until now. Surprisingly it tasted quite good... For those who are craving for more sourish dish... maybe can give this a try.

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Ingredients

• 400-500g Chicken meat (I used 2 drumsticks + 2 breasts)


• 2 Bombay onions


• 2 Chili padi


• 20g Tamarind (Add 1 cup water and sieve out juice)


• 1tbsp Brown sugar


• 1tsp Oil


• 1/2 tsp Black soy sauce


• Salt and pepper for taste

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Methods

1. Cut chicken to smaller pieces, add cut chili padi, oil, tamarind juice, brown sugar, black soy sauce, salt and pepper to marinade for 2-3 hours (best over night)


2. From the residue of the tamarind earlier, put another 1/4 cup of water and sive out juice for the sauce later.


3. Heat up wok with a little oil, lightly fry the chicken pieces without any sauce from the marinade. Lift it when cooked.


4. There will be sauce in the wok after you completed frying the chicken, leave it and throw in cut onions and continue to fry until slightly soft, put the fried chicken pieces and continue to stir for 3-4 minutes, pour in the tamarind juice (those left in the marinade and the additional) and stir for a further few minutes.

Fried Fish Fillet in Tangy Lemon Juice

I had the worst case of nausea during my pregancy. My appetite was really poor and I lost a lot of weight during my the 1st and part of my 2nd trimester. When my appetite begin to get better, I started craving for sourish food. For most of my pregnancy, I was staying at my mom's place as my PiggyBeng has to travel and MIL is in Germany with SIL, so there isn't anyone to take care of me. Therefore, PiggyBeng sent me back to my parents' place... it was a wise decision...

From what I've read, fish is a good source of Omega 3 and it is good to consume at least 2 fish meals a week especially during pregnancy. Therefore, mom tried to prepare adequate portion of fish for my diet. That was when I discovered mom's fried fish recipe which I fell in love instantly... and my appetite was better than before! The special ingredient? Lemon!

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Ingredients

• 1 slice Siakap (deep-sea) or Salmon fillet


• 1 Chili padi


• 1.5" Old ginger (shredded)


• 1/6 of a Lemon juice


• 1.5 tsp Light soy sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand is recommended)


• 50ml Water

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Methods

1. Heat up wok with oil. When oil is hot (can see smoke rising) turn to low fire and gently put in the fish fillet. Fried till both sides turn golden brown. Lift up and put on a plate.


2. Using the remaining oil in the wok, fry ginger and chili until fragrant. Lift up and put on top of fried fish.


3. In a small bowl, mix light soy sauce with lemon juice and water. Pour into the wok, stir and let it boil for 1 minute then pour over fried fish fillet. Serve.

Longbeans with Sambal Shrimps

I had a request from Angeline a few weeks back asking for some spicy dishes. I seldom cook spicy dishes as they are rather heaty but I know my PiggyBeng will loves them so I have to cook one or two dishes of hot stuff once in a while. Though my MIL will cook some fish gulai (curry with no coconut milk and a more sourish version) but that ain't enough so I will try to add some varieties if I can.

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My mom gave me some habaneros (one of the most intensely spicy chili peppers - Wikipedia) during my last trip back to KL and I have totally forgotten about them sitting in my chilies box in the fridge. Some has started to rot when I checked them out so decided to cook them asap!

Ingredients

• 300-400g Longbeans


• 100g Dried shrimps


• 7-8pcs Shallot


• 4 cloves Garlic


• 5pcs Red chilies


• 1pc Habanero or 3pcs Chili padi (I put them all!)


• 1/2"x1" Belacan (Shrimp paste)


• Water or Tamarind juice


• Sugar (in case too spicy)

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Methods

1. Wash longbeans and cut to 2" long. Heat up wok with some oil and lightly fry the longbeans till 60/70% soft. Lift them up.


2. Grind (blender) dried shrimps, shallots, garlic, red chilies, habanero and belacan. Add about 3 tbsp oil and fried the paste and adding a little oil after every 2 minutes and fry till fragrant. (try to fry using medium fire)


3. Add in fried longbeans into the chili paste and stir for a while, add some water (about 3/4 cup) and cover, stir occassionaly till the longbeans turn soft. Serve.

Fried Beehoon with Ikan Bilis

Yesterday was the 15th of the Lunar calendar and as usual, MIL will go for a vegetarian lunch at one of the temple at Bayan Lepas and I went along. We had vegetarian buffet @ RM8 per person and both of us were so full we can hardly walk! :P After lunch, she decided to visit her sister who lives nearby but she's not home yet so we went to Giant to do some shopping. As we were so full, MIL said she don't feel like having dinner but my PiggyBeng still need to eat mah so suggested to her that I'll fried beehoon instead. So bought some taupok (tofu puffs) and lettuce to add in.

We did not have any meat at home so I used ikan bilis and this is how it turned out...

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Ingredients

• 1 pkt Beehoon


• 80g Ikan bilis (anchovies)


• 1 pkt Taupok (9 pcs)


• 1 stick Carrot


• 6pcs Shallots


• 4 Chili padi


• 2 Eggs


• 150g Lettuce


• Black soy sauce


• Light soy sauce


• Pepper


• 2 cups Water

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Methods

1. Soak beehoon in water or boil for 3 minutes, sieved and put aside.


2. Heat wok with 3 tbsp oil and fry the ikan bilis till golden brown, lift and put aside.


3. Fry shallots with the oil which you used to fry the ikan bilis, add in chopped chili padi and continue stirring, add in shredded carrot and sliced taupok (add 1tbsp oil in between frying).


4. Add in beehoon, stir, add in black soy sauce (your preffered tone), stir, add in light soy sauce, stir, add water, stir and cover for 2-3 minutes or until all water is being absorbed. (If you think the beehoon is not soft enough, do add in more water)


5. Beat eggs and pour over the beehoon and continue to stir till eggs are mixed well, add in pepper.


6. Throw in the shredded lettuce and stir for a while, serve.

East Meet West Pasta

This is a delayed post... supposed to put it up on Sunday but only download the photos last night.

We have abundance of dried mushrooms (MIL brought bak from Germany where my SIL operate a Chinese restaurant) and if we do not finish them up those tiny beetles will start to invate as our fridge is over stuffed with so many things so we can't keep them in there. Since we had another round of spring cleaning last Sunday, I decided to help by cooking.

Had a bottle of pasta sauce and a packet of clourful vege spiral pasta so came out with this idea... another east meet west dish! :P

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Ingredients

• 1 pkt Pasta (I used the 3 colours vege pasta)


• 1 btl Pasta sauce (tomato with onion base)


• 1 can Button mushrooms (sliced)


• 4pcs Dried mushrooms (cubed)


• 1 stick Carrot (cubed)


• 5pcs Onions (cubed)


• 4pcs Tomatoes (cubed)


• 1 or 2pcs Green bell pepper or capsicum (cubed)


• Water (add less for thicker sauce)


• Salt for taste


• Magerine or butter to loosen cooked pasta


• Mixed herbs


• Pepper (black pepper preffered)

Marinade

• 1 whole Chicken breast meat (deboned and cut into cubes)


• 2tsp Corn flour


• 1tbls Soya sauce


• Pepper for taste

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Methods

1. Boil pasta till soft then drained, add some magerine with a sprinkle of mixed herbs and stir till all loosen, put aside.


2. In a separate saucepan, boil the cubed carrots and dried mushrooms.


3. Heat up wok or large pot with 4-5 tbls cooking oil or olive oil and sautee the onions till soft and add in the sliced button mushrooms, capsicums, dried mushrooms, all stir for around 3 minutes each in between before adding the next item.


4. Next add in the marinaded chicken cubes, stir till 70% cooked, pour in the pasta sauce, stir and add desired amount of water, stir and covered for a few minutes. (I had 2 cups or 250ml)


5. Lastly, add in the cubed tomatoes, stir and add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle some mixed herbs.

East Meet West Mixed Vegetables

Mixed vegetables or chap-chai is one of my favourite... especially the east meet west type. Why east meet west? I used dried mushrooms, which is considered very Chinese so I named it East and West because I used broccoli as it's more of a western type of vegetable. (the dried mushrooms were hidden below, hence can't see in the photo)


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Ingredients

• 1 head Broccoli


• 1/4 stick Carrot (sliced thinly)


• 3 pcs Dried mushrooms (sliced thinly)


• 200g Lean pork (cut strips)


• Few slies of ginger

Marinade (pork strips)

• 1 1/2tsp of corn flour


• 1tsp oil


• 1tbsp soya sauce


• pepper for taste

Sauce

• 2tsp Corn flour


• 1tbsp Soya sauce


• 1/2 cup Water

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Methods

1. Boil brocoli and carrot in a saucepan for about 3 mins, sieve away water.


2. Heat up wok with cooking oil and lightly fry the ginger till golden brown, pour in marinaded pork strips and stir for 3-4 minutes (till pork is about 70% cooked).


3. Add in dried mushrooms, stir for 2-3 minutes and add in the boiled broccoli and carrot. Add a little water and cover for a minute.


4. Pour in the sauce mix and continue to stir until sauce thicken, lift up and serve.

Dried Mushroom Pork Patties

With the recent case of beta-agonist used by pig farmers in Malaysia, many people tried to avoid buying and eating pork. I don't do so much marketing these days since my MIL is doing the marketing and cooking. Unless she is unable to cook then I will help her out. My MIL has assured me before that the stall she bought the meat from are free from the beta-agonist jab.

The past few days MIL has been entertaining a friend visiting from Singapore so has been out most of the time. PiggyBeng prefers to eat home cooked food so I have to do the cooking but MIL will do the marketing every morning before she go off with her friend for the famous Penang hawker fare...

Found a packet of minced pork meat in the freezer so thought of cooking something with it. And here is what I came out with....


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Ingredients

• 300gm Minced pork


• 2pcs Dried Mushroom (cut square)


• 1 Chili padi (chop finely)


• 1tsp Cooking oil


• 1 1/2tsp Corn flour


• 2-3tbsp Water


• Salt and pepper for taste

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Methods

1. Mix minced pork with dried mushroom, chili padi, cooking oil, corn flour, water, salt and pepper.


2. Press and roll the mixture into a ball and try to do the passing from one palm to another until the mixture is well glued together. Divide into smaller portion and roll them into patties.


3. Heat up wok with oil and fry on slow fire.