Chilli

Chilli , yum yum . I guess this is the first time i enjoy eating chilli. Is not because i am so narcissistic into thinking that other chilli is not great and my chilli recipe is the best. Well, of course i hope so , but the truth is usually in a restaurant the chilli is cooked with minced beef and i dont really fancy beef. I guess that is kind of obvious that i don't have any beef dishes in my blog. Anyway, this is chilli that is cooked with minced pork .. YUMS ! love it .. is a comfort and hearty meal. :)

Recipe
1 can of kidney beans
3 roma tomatoes blended
1/2 yellow bell pepper
2 red jalapenos ( we love it spicy)
2 big onions
1 lbs of minced pork
1/4 cup of red chilli pepper flakes
2 tb of hot sauce
1 tb cumin
1 tb dried oregano
1 ts coriander
2 ts paprika
1 tb cornmeal
1 tb cornflour
1/2 can of beer
1/2 cup of water
2 cloves garlics
1 tb olive oil
salt to taste
sugar to taste

1) Chopped onion , yellow bell pepper , garlic, jalapeno
2) Saute onion , bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno until fragrant, then add minced pork
3) Saute until brown, then add blended tomato, beer, and 1/2 cup of water
4) Add cumin , paprika, red chilli flakes, coriander, hot sauce, oregono and drained kidney beans
5) Bring to boil , then simmer for about 2 hours
6) Thickened with corn flour, and cornmeal ( add more cornflour of you like thicker consistency)
7) Add sugar and salt to taste
8) Serve it warm

Chicken BBQ Pizza

Ingredients

One 9 inch Pizza Dough ( recipe in this blog)

1/2Chicken breast
BBQ sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tb minced onion
2 tb corn
2 tb pizza sauce
1 tb Extra virgin olive oil
1 tb cornmeal
2 tb chopped red pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Directions
1) Cut chicken breast into half
2) Marinate chicken with BBQ sauce , then grill /broil for about 8 minutes each side in the oven
3) Cut chicken breast into cube
4) Preheat oven to 550F
5)Sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza pan and place the pizza crust on top of the cornmeal
6)Brush a layer of olive oil on the pizza crust
7) Arrange the garlic, onion, pepper, chicken, corn and mozarella cheese on the pizza
8) Bake on lower rack oven for 6 minutes, and bake on upper rack oven for another 6 minutes or until brown

Ginger black bean sauce steam tilapia

Recipe
2 tilapia fillets
1 tomato sliced
2 stalks scallions sliced
2 inch ginger ( minced)
1 tb black bean
1 tb fish sauce
2 tb sambal paste * left over from kangkung belacan, recipe in this blog*

1) Marinate tilapia with all the ingredients except tomato and scallions
2) Top tilapia with tomato and steam it for about 10 minutes-15 minutes
3) Garnish with scallions

Ginger Milk Custard

Ginger Milk custard is amazingly simple, and tasty. Here is the recipe

5 inches of ginger

1/2 cup milk ( i used 2% milk, but whole milk is cremier)

1 tb sugar

1) Peel off ginger skin, processed it in food processor , and strain it in muslim cloth

2) Divide ginger juice into two ramekins/bowls

3) Heat milk in a small pot until nearly boiled and remove from heat

4) Cool the milk by pouring the milk to another bowl, back and forth for 10 times

5) Then pour it into the prepared ramekins

6) Let it set for 10 minutes

7) Serve warm or cold

Grill Salmon

Ingredients

1 tb soy sauce

1 tb worcestershire sauce

pepper

salt

1/2 salmon fillet

1) Preheat oven to 350F

2) Bake for 5-7 minutes

3) Then, broil the fish in oven until brown

4) Serve it hot with mango tomato salad

Balsamic Vinegar Chicken

This is the recipe that i have been looking for since i was 2. Well , i know , i am exaggerating ! Well, this is one of the dishes that i love so much that i have been looking for the recipe for a long long time. Thanks to JustjanS, this recipe was posted in recipezaar ! http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Japanese-Mums-Chicken-68955

Recipe

2 chicken breast

1 cup of water

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup of soy sauce

2 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno

1 tb oil

2 tb sugar

1) heat oil in pan , then brown the chicken

2) add water, vinegar,sugar, bruised and peeled garlic, jalapenos

3) bring to boil , then reduce to simmer for 15-20 minutes

4) turn heat to high to thicken the sauce until it covered the chicken like a glaze

Wanton Mee

I love wanton mee. This would be one of our top 10 " must have" when we were back in Malaysia. The simplicity of the dish makes it great ! There is 2 ways you can have wanton mee, dry and wet.

Recipes adapted from http://www.malaysianfood.net/recipes/recipewontonmee.htm

Wanton Mee ( Soup version) - serve 2

2 cup egg noodle

1 cup of chopped choy sum

3 slices of ginger

6 cups of water

10 cups of water ( to cook the noodle and wantons)

2 stalks of scallions

6 wantons ( wantons recipe below)

1/2 chicken breast

1 tb soy sauce

1 tb shaoxing wine

1 tb fish sauce

1 tb of sugar

sesame oil

pickled green chillis

salt

pepper

1) In a stock pot , bring 6 cups of water to boil.

2) In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water to a rapid boil

2) Add in scallions, chicken breast and ginger into the stockpot

3) simmer about 25-30 minutes, remove chicken , set aside

4) blanch choy sum until al dante in the same boiling water, then remove the choy sum and set aside ( Now you have a chicken and vegetable broth! ) . Add sugar. salt , pepper, fish sauce, shaoxing wine to taste ( slightly saltier then u want it because when you add the noodle, it will balance it up nicely)

5) Cook wantons for about 3-5 minutes in the large pot and set aside

6) Cook the egg noodle in the large pot until al dante for about 1-2 minutes

7) Shred the chicken breast

8) To assemble, put the egg noodle in a bowl, then add wantons, choy sum , shreded chicken, and laddle in the broth

9) add a dash of pepper , and 1 ts of sesame oil

10) serve it hot with condiment ; pickled green chillis (recipe below)

Wanton Mee ( Dry Version)

2 cup egg noodle

1 knob ginger

1/2 cup chopped scallions

2 ts salt

3 tb oyster sauce

2 ts dark soy sauce

1 tb of soy sauce ( adjust to taste)

1 tb sesame oil

1/2 tb white pepper

1/2 cup chopped choy sum

1) In a large pot , bring 1 litre water to boil

2) Add salt, 1/4 cup scallions, and ginger

3) Cook egg noodle in the pot until al dante, drained

4) Blanch Choy sum in pot for 1-2 minutes

5) Mix oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper with noodle, mix well

6) To assemble, place 1/2 the noodle on one plate, with choy sum and chicken.

7) Garnish with 1/2 of the remaining scallions, and top it up with some pepper

Wanton recipe

10 of wanton wrappers

1/2 cup of ground pork

1/2 tb corn starch

1/2 tb sesame oil

1 tb soy sauce

1/2 tb fish sauce

1 tb shaoxing wine

1) Mix ground pork with corn starch , sesame oil , soy sauce and shaoxing wine

2) wrap with wanton wrappers to form 10 wantons

Pickled green chillis

2 green chillis

1 cup of water

1 cup of vinegar

1) chop the chillis

2) boil water, remove water from heat

3) soak chillis in boiled water for 10 minutes

4) drain the chillis and soak chillis in vinegar overnight

Char Kueh Teow

Fried Kueh Teow is one of the food that is commonly seen in the Malaysian restaurant menu and hawker stalls. I don't think i have achieved the ultimate way to fry this noodle , without the "wok hei" , which means the pan fragrant created by high heat, but i think this recipe can cure the craving for char kueh teow for those who are living far from home. As the saying goes, "bo hu , hei pun hor", no fish , prawn is acceptable too .

Recipe

1 bowl of kueh teow

1/4 cup of chives

1/4 cup of bean sprout

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 egg

1/2 tb siracha

1 tb oil

1 ts chicken stock

1 ts of fish sauce

1 ts dark soy sauce

1 tb light soy sauce

1 ts sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1) heat 1 ts oil in the pan

2) break the egg and roughly scramble it

3) dish out and set aside

4) heat the remianing oil , add chopped garlic , and fry till fragrant

5) add the kueh teow, fry fro 1 -2 minutes, add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, siracha , chicken stock , fish sauce , and sugar

6) Add salk and pepper to taste

7) stir fry on high heat and then add bean spout and chives

8)stir fry until the vegetable mix well with the noodle

9) Dish out and serve

Strawberry Banana Smoothies

Recipes
1 cup strawberries
1 tb honey
1 banana
5-8 ice cubes
1/2 cup plain yogurt ( low fat is preferred)

Blend everything together and enjoy

Glutinous Rice Dumpling

Recipefor 12

Glutinous rice 500 g

Pork tenderloin 24 small cubes

12 Duck egg yolks

12 chestnuts

200 g peeled mung beans

6 shiitake mushrooms ( halved)

2 shallots

2 garlics

salt

soy sauce

Dark soy sauce

oyster sauce

5 spice powder

rice wine

3 tb cooking oil

30 Bamboo leaves

long strings

1) soak bamboo leaves in cold water overnight

2) marinate the pork with 2 tb rice wine , 2 tb soy sauce , 1 tb oyster sauce , 1 ts of five spice powder overnight

3) soak glutinous rice overnight with cold water, then drain

4) chop shallots, garlics, and fry in cooking oil until fragrant then removed from heat

5) Boil bamboo leaves for 10 minutes
6) Use 1/2 of the shallots /garlic oil to fry the rice , add oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt and five spice powder until slightly saltier than preferred ( the reason is when you cook the glutinous rice, it will balance it up). Fry for 3-4 minutes . Dish out and set aside
7) Fry 1/ of the shallot/garlic oil with mushroom until fragrant . Dish out and set aside

8) Fry 1/4 of shallot/garlic oil with pork until brown ( you just want to brown the the pork , not cook) . Dish out and set aside

9) fry the chestnut until brown , add 1 tsp 0yster sauce + soy sauce . Dish out and set aside

10) soak the mung beans for 1/2 hour

11) Dry the Bamboo leaves and make a cone with 2 bamboo leaves.Fill with 2 tb rice + Duck egg + chest nut + 1 tb mung beans + mushroom+ meat . Wrapped the filling , and tie with strings

12) repeat until you have 12 nice dumplings

13) boil in water for 2 hours

What I learned

- not to tie it too tight , because the dumpling will burst open

- practice makes perfect

- need to put more filling in my dumpling

- and practice makes perfect !

Enjoy !

Mango-Apple-Blueberry Smoothies for 2

Is fun to play with your food and come up with something tasty and yummy and nutritious! This is one of the mix and match fruits , blend together and Ta.. Da.... Super tasty and healthy smoothies for lunch .

Recipe

1) 1/2 cup of green apple

2) 1 cup of mango

3) vanila low fat yogurt

4) 1/2 cup of blueberries

5) 6 cubes of ice

6) 1/2 cup of cold water

Blend everything together and there you have a healthy, super good for you smoothies :)

Low Carb Caesar salad dressing and crouton

Yeah , yeah , eating healthy post again ! Crouton + Caesar salad dressing = Great salad. I remember the first time i cooked for my mother, i made caesar salad with a packet of crouton and packet of caesar salad mix. There, is my caesar salad which i claimed to make ! Seriously , why do people have to buy crouton and the dressing. It is extremely easy to make and you can whip the dressing up in 5 minutes or maybe less.

Recipes for caesar salad dressing

1 cloves of garlic / 2 ts of garlic powder

1/2 cup of low fat plain yogurt

1 ts worcestershire sauce

1 ts - 2 ts of white vinegar ( depends on preference)

1/8 ts salt

1 lemon

1 tb olive oil

mix everything together , cover

refrigerate until ready to use

Vegetable mix

* 1 slice of green apple , 1 ts chopped chives, 2 tb chopped red pepper , 1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage, tomato , 1/2 cup chopped brocolli

Crouton

Recipes

2 slices od stale bread

1 tb garlic powder

2 tb olive oil

1-2 tb dry basil and parsley

1)Peheat oven to 350F

2) Cut the bread into 1 inch X 1 Inch

3) Toss the bread with garlic powder, olive oil, dry basil and parsley unitl incorporated

4) Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes ( until dry and brown)

p/s : this is a low carb version, and of course there is a real version of caesar salad out there in google ! :) enjoy !

Kangkung Belacan

While doing my weekly grocery shopping yesterday, i found kangkung!! I was so excited because i was told once that kangkung was banned in MN? I don't know how true that is, but that was what i was told by one of the Malaysian restaurant owner here. While the stock last, i just grabbed one big bunch of the kangkong and started dreaming about my kangkung and how to make my belacan all day !! yumsss.All i cared and all i talked about whole day was ... kangkung .. Kangkung .. and Kangkung ;)

Recipes adapted from

http://www.malaysianfood.net/recipes/recipekangkungbelacan.htm

1 red chili ( chopped)
1 lb kangkung
2 tb oil
1 tsp sugar
salt

A
1/2 cup dried shrimp
3 tablespoon of siracha
6 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp belachan
3 red chili

1) soak dried shrimp in water for 10-20 minutes
2) Ground A in food processor until chunky
3)Heat wok on high , heat the oil
4) stir fry paste until aromatic 2-3 minutes
5) Add kangkung , sugar and salt to taste
6) Serve immediately

Mango Lassi

I have been playing with my food so much lately and my current obsession is mango. We used to have mango lassi in indian restaurant for USD 3-4 per drink. It's so EXPENSIVE ! Thanks to google that we can easily find mango lassi recipe EVERYWHERE, and it is so easy to make.

Recipes , serve 2

1 big mango or 2 small mangoes

1 cup of plain yogurt

1/2 cup - 1 cup of milk ( depending on the thickness preference) cold water

5 cubes of ice

How to make it ? well it is not rocket scientist. Just cube the mangoes , and blend all the ingredients in your blender.

Serve immediately and start enjoying the cold, refreshing , sweet , tasty drink ....

Turmeric Chicken Wings

I made chicken wings in two-ways today. The chicken wings on the left are the turmeric chicken wings and the one on the right are Malaysian Style Chicken Wings. Turmeric chicken wings are basically marinate with whatever i have in pantry and it turned out to be one of the yummy chicken wings that i will definitely make again.

Recipes
3 chicken wings
olive oil
A
1 tb turmeric powder
1 ts fennel seed
1 tb cayenne pepper
1 tb paprika
salt and pepper


1) Marinate chicken wings with A overnight / 6 hours prior
2) preheat broiler
3) brush the pan with olive oil
4) arrange the chicken wings on the pan and broil the chicken at high
5) Broil each side about 5 minutes or until slightly charred
6) serve immediately with potatoes wedges or salad as sides

Malaysian Style Chicken Wings

Siu kai yik aka chicken wing is one of the famous street food in Malaysia. This is the easiest and fuss free dish that i loved to make for a lazy dinner at home.

Recipes
3 chicken wings
2 tb olive oil
A
2 tb honey/maltose
1 tb dark soy sauce
1 tb soy sauce
5 tb of oyster sauce
2 tb hoisin sauce



1) Marinate the chicken wings with A , cover and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours
2) preheat broiler
3) Layer the pan with olive oil
4) Arrange the chicken on the pan and broil in oven until dark brown ( about 5 minutes each side) or until dark brown and slightly charred
5)Serve with some coleslaw/ potatoes wedges at the side

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I bought lots of chicken breast in costco recently, with the thought of eating healthy. I usually will get chicken thigh or chicken drumstick, because to me , dark meat usually is tastier and juicier but for the sake of " healthy diet", i just need to make some changes . This chicken cordon bleu doesn't disappoint. It is easy, does not need hours to marinate and is great!

Recipes
3 tablespoon of butter
2 chicken breast
2 slices of cheese
2 slices of ham
bread crumbs
2 tb paprika + cayenne pepper + a dash of salt+garlic powder
Salt
pepper

White sauce
1/2 cup of white wine / shaoxing wine
2 tablespoon of flour /cornflour
1/2 cup of milk/ heavy cream / half and half


1)Preheat oven to 350F
2)Use the back of the knife to pound chicken breast to 1/4 inch thickness
3)Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken
4)Place a slice of ham on top of chicken followed by a slice of cheese
5)Roll the chicken and secured with toothpick
6)Coat the chicken with bread crumb+ cayenne pepper+paprika+ garlic powder+ salt
7)heat the butter in a pan, pan sear the chicken about 5 minutes each side, until brown
8) bake in oven for 35 minutes
9) Meanwhile, to make the white sauce, add flour to the pan (with the chicken dripping)
10) Add milk/cream and wine. Cook until thickened.
11) to serve, pour the sauce on top of the chicken. For side dishes, boiled the green peas and brocolli and seasoned with pepper and salt

Mango Mousse Cake

Mango Mousse Cake
It is very seldom for me to be proud of the cake I baked! I remember the first cake that I baked was in 2005, a cheesecake which was a total disaster. Instead of looking like a cake, it looks like a pie instead. Fast forward it to 2010; I baked a mango mousse cake! This cake taste great, looks great and is amazing! I used the foolproof sponge cake recipe from Christopher Kimball. I have been looking for the recipe for mango mousse for weeks, after the birthday boy requested for a mango cake. It is really my bad of asking, since I just wanted to make an easy cake and topped it up with fondant! Yeah, all I care about was the decorations. Since he wanted the mango cake, I did lots of research and came upon these websites. They are real “guru” in cake ..
http://novice-baker.blogspot.com/2008/05/looking-at-bright-side-mango-mascarpone.html
http://allthatmatters2rei.blogspot.com/2009/04/mango-mousse-cake.html
Adapted from Christopher Kimball , novice baker and all that matters blog

1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Cover pan bottoms with rounds of parchment paper( you can use 8 inch or 9 inch pan)

Sieve the flours, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Take the sauce pan off the heat and add in vanilla extract; keep the mixture covered and warm.

Separate the eggs, placing the whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
Beat the whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites to soft, moist peaks.
If using a standing mixer transfer the beaten egg whites to a large bowl and add the egg yolks to the standing mixer bowl (you don't need to clean the bowl).

Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and turns a pale lemon color, about 5 minutes. (very important step because we tend to stop after 1-2 minutes)
Add in the beaten egg whites to the yolks, but do not mix.

Sieve the flour mixture over the egg whites and mix on low speed for 10 seconds.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, make a well in one side of the batter and pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl.
Fold gently with a large rubber spatula until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and yolks are evenly mixed, about 8 strokes. (Use a half circular motion, and fold from bottom to top)
Also make sure that you have incorporated the butter into the mixture. There should not be visible oil as you pour the mixture into the cake pans.

Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, about 16 to 18 minutes for 9-inch cake pans and 20 to 22 minutes for 8-inch cake pans.

Invert the cake and let cool completely. To remove from the pan, use a knife to loosened the side and releases the cakes from the pans. Remove the parchment paper.

Mango mousse
17g Gelatine Powder
60g Hot Water

350g Whipping Cream
3 Tbsp Icing Sugar

300g Mango Puree (if refrigerated, bring to room temperature)
1Tbsp Rum

200g to 220g Cubed Mango

Mango topping
150g mango puree (bring to room temperature)
1 Tbsp gelatin
4-1/2 Tbsp boiling water



Method
1) In a mixing bowl, whip whipping cream with icing sugar to mousse state. Refrigerate to chill.

2) In a small bowl, dissolve gelatine powder in hot water. When the gelatine powder is fully dissolved, add to mango puree. Add rum to the mixture. Mix well.

3) Fold mango into the whip cream
4) In a springform pan, place a layer of cake and pour in mango mousse, Add mango cubes and cover them with some mousse. Let it set for about 10 minutes in the fridge.

5) Lay another cake layer and pour the remaining mousse. Let it set for 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge.

6) Dissolve gelatine in hot water for mango puree topping. Mix in mango puree. Wait till the mousse is set and the topping is cooled, arrange sliced fruits, if using, pour in the topping carefully. Let the cake chill for at least 3 hours
7) Then is time to enjoy your cake … Enjoy !