Spicy Fried Chicken (Ayam Goreng Berempah)

Spicy Fried Chicken (Ayam Goreng Berempah)

Recipe source : Adaped from  Azie Kitchen

"Ayam goreng berempah"  is an all time favourite among Malaysians. You can find them in almost all the Mamak or Malay stalls around town. Very often, these stalls will have nasi briyani to go with the piping hot ayam goreng. But not all stalls sell good "ayam goreng berempah". Some can be just downright mediocre. 

My favourite nasi briyani stall that was situated between two rows of old shophouses near OCBC Bank in downtown Kuala Lumpur.  I was so disappointed when I went there a few weeks ago only to discover that  the stall had been demolished and relocated elsewhere. Sigh! I had walked in the sweltering heat just to eat my favourite fried chicken and now only parked vehicles lined the lane where my favourite stall once stood.

So my next best option was to try frying some chicken at home to soothe my craving and to nurse back my profound disappointment.  

Ingredients

3 pieces chicken whole legs, cut into 2 sections each
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp of minced chilli
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp jintan manis
1 tsp jintan putih
6 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 sprig curry leaves
2 inch piece of ginger
1 inch piece of fresh turmeric
2 pieces lemon grass ( serai ) - use the white parts only
Oil for deep-frying

Method

1.  Use a mortar and pestle to pound the shallots, garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric and lemon grass into a fine paste.
2.  Add in the chilli paste, curry powder, jintan manis, jintan putih and curry leaves. Mix thoroughly to form a spicy paste.
3.  Marinate chicken pieces with this spicy paste for 4 to 5 hours.
4.  Heat enough oil for frying. When the oil is hot, fry chicken pieces until crisp and golden. 

Singapore Noodle

Singapore Noodle

Recipe source :  here

Malaysian and Singaporean food are virtually the same. So much so that I find it difficult to draw the line between Malaysian and Singaporean recipes. So to be safe I chose a recipe which clearly stated the country of origin, "Singapore noodles". 

This is unlike the usual fare that I come across. This noodle dish has a spicy twist to it as curry powder was used. And this is the first time I used capsicum and snake beans to fry noodles! 

Tastes good!

Ingredients

125ml vegetable oil
100g snakebeans, cut into 3 cm lengths
250g shrimps, remove shells and keep the tails intact
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder, mixed with 2 tbsp water to form a paste
300g vermicelli or beehoon, soaked until soft and drained 
160g bean sprouts
60ml soy sauce

  

 Red capsicum

 Snakebeans

 Shrimps

Instructions

1.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok until hot. Fry snakebeans over high heat for about 5 minutes or until slightly charred. Remove and set aside .
2.  Add shrimps to pan-fry until they curled up and turned pink. Transfer them to the plate of snakebeans.
3.  Add 2 tbsp oil and stir-fry capsicum and onions together for 3 minutes or until tender. Transfer to the plate of snakebeans. 
4.  Reduce heat to medium and pour beaten eggs into wok to create a thin omelette. Remove and cut them into thin slices. Set aside.
5.   Add remaining oil to wok. Then add curry paste and bean sprouts, followed by beehoon. Use a pair of bamboo chopsticks to toss the beehoon. Add soy sauce and mix well. Then add the snakebeans, shrimps and capsicum. Stir-well and mix everything together.
6.  Add sliced omelette on top to garnish.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  : Singapore

Hosted by Grace Phua of Life Can Be Simple

Special Steamed Chicken Curry Pau 蒸咖哩面包鸡

Special Steamed Chicken Curry Pau 蒸咖哩面包鸡

Recipe source :  Inspired by Coco Kong ( Y3K magazine )

While browsing at a bookstore I came across a recipe by Y3K magazine featuring  Coco Kong's cookbook on various "pau", including this steamed version of a pau filled with chicken curry.  As I was reading, I remembered my friends telling me about a coffee shop located in Klang which sells this speciality pau.  I have yet to visit that shop to sample their speciality, but after reading the recipe from Coco Kong, I guessed I am gamed to try it out. 

Now, here I am sharing my humble experience. Half-way through making it, I  realized that these pau are going to be huge because I needed plenty of dough to wrap up the foil cups! The end results was totally out of my expectation. I did not envisage the pau to be this big. Anyhow, I managed to make four gigantic pau, measuring more than six inches in diameter each. 

It was very satisfying when my son showed me the thumbs up!  We both agreed that they were truly finger-licking good!

A point to take note - the pau dough was enough to make four huge pau but there were plenty of chicken curry left over. So, if you are making this, do remember to reduce the amount of chicken curry or alternatively, make more pau dough to use up the chicken curry.

Double thumbs up!!

Ingredients for Chicken Curry ( recipe by Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours )

1/2 a chicken ( about 550g )
3 large potatoes ( about 500g) - peeled and cut into pieces, then deep-fried
2 1/2 tbsp curry powder
80g minced chilli
80g shallots, finely chopped
30g garlic, finely chopped
1 cup coconut milk  ( santan)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soya sauce
4 tbsp cooking oil 

Utensils required

4 aluminium foil cups

Potatoes - deep-fry the potato pieces

Top left : minced garlic. Top right : minced shallots

Centre :  curry powder

Bottom left : santan. Bottom right : minced chilli

Preparation 

1.  Heat wok until hot. Add in 4 tbsp cooking oil.
2.  Saute chopped garlic and shallots until fragrant. Reduce to medium flame. Add in minced chilli. Stir to mix well.  
3.  Add 2 tbsp coconut milk , followed by the curry powder. Stir evenly until red chilli oil oozes out. 
4.  Add in chicken pieces and mix well. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes. 
5.  Add in 4 Chinese rice bowls of water. Bring to a boil.
6.  Pour in the deep-fried potatoes. Stir to mix well.
7.  Allow to simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes until done.
8.  Remove and let it cool down before spooning the curry chicken into 4 aluminium foil cups.

 

Ingredients For Pau Skin ( recipe is from Blue Key Pau Flour )

1 tsp instant yeast
180ml warm water
330g pau flour (sifted)
50 fine sugar
1 tsp double action baking powder
25g shortening

Method

1.  Place pau flour, baking powder, sugar and shortening into a mixer bowl. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Pour yeast into the mixture and knead until a smooth dough is form. 
2.  Cover dough with cling film and let it rest for about 30 to 40 minutes or until it has doubled its size.
3.  After proofing, divide dough into 4 portions. 
4.  Roll out one portion of dough into a large circle. Place one aluminium cup containing the curry chicken onto the dough and wrap it up and gather the edges together on top of the pau,
5.  Alternatively, wrap a piece of rolled-out dough on top of the aluminium cup and gather the edges to seal at the bottom of the cup.

Step 4 and 5 of wrapping the pau

Bottom left : the edges are sealed underneath the pau.

Bottom right : the edges are sealed on top of the pau.

 The result of method 4

 The result of method 5

 

 Chicken curry inside a steamed pau!

I am linking this to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for July  2014 is Potato

Hosted by Jasline of Foodie Baker

This event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids 
and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

 

Hong Kong Curry Fishballs 香港咖喱鱼蛋

  Hong Kong Curry Fishballs 香港咖喱鱼蛋

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

Curry fishball is a popular street food of Hong Kong. They are easily available from vendors along the streets. I remember my youngest son never seemed to get tired of eating them while we were in Hong Kong. He requested to buy curry fishballs every time we turned a street corner when he saw a vendor selling them. 

My son, YS, is most happy today when he saw me making these curry fishballs.  

Ingredients

20 home-made fishballs
2 tbsp curry powder
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 chilli padi, pounded or finely chopped
3/4 bowl chicken stock
4 tbsp coconut milk
2 tsp sugar
1/2 salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Satay sticks ( optional )

 

Thickening Solution

1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Mix together to form a thickening solution

Method

1.  Heat oil and fry the fishballs until golden. Remove and set aside.
2   Heat oil in a wok and saute the garlic and shallots and minced chilli until fragrant.
3.  Add curry powder, chicken stock and coconut milk and stir to blend the mixture.
4.  Add in salt, sugar and pepper. Adjust to taste.
5.  Add in the fried fishballs and stir well.
6.  Add thickening solution to the curry fishballs. Make sure the fishballs are well coated with curry paste.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest : Hong Kong + Macau - Jan & Feb 2014, hosted by Annie from Annielicious Food

 

Cream Puffs With Curried Minced Pork Fillings 咖喱肉碎泡芙

Cream Puffs With Curried Minced Pork Fillings 咖喱肉碎泡芙

Recipe source :  Adapted from Ellice Handy

I always admire photos of cream puffs and used to drool over them. I have not attempted to make any as I thought making cream puffs was very difficult. Do you know what finally spurred me to make this batch of cream puffs? 

Well, I was in the office the other day, when a colleague offered me a cream puff. All the ladies tried the cream puffs offered and they were good! Mind you, the one who offered the cream puffs was a guy and he boasted that he made them all by himself the night before. We all knew this guy can't cook but then he managed to make cream puffs. He claimed it's his specialty! As we savoured his cream puffs, he taught us how to make them but then he declined to give us the recipe which he claimed was his wife's.      
                                                                                                                                                              
I looked up my old recipe books and came across recipes by Ellice Handy. Both the cream puffs and curried minced pork were in her cookbooks but they were featured separately. Ellice Handy mentioned that one can fill up the cream puffs with either sweet or savoury fillings.  I mixed and  matched her recipes and came up with this version. 

I remember Jasline is hosting a Choux Party this month. Great timing!
 

Ingredients

(  make 30 cream puffs )

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter ( 125g )
1 cup sifted plain flour
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Method

 
1.  In a saucepan, heat water to boiling, then add salt and butter.
2.  When butter is melted, add the flour, all at once. Stir well with a wooden spoon till the mixture forms a  ball and leaves the sides of the pan.
3.  Remove pan from heat and cool mixture slightly.
4.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, breaking the mixture after each addition and beating hard till the mixture is smooth.
5.  Add baking power and continue beating.
6.  Use two teaspoons, form teaspoonful of mixture and place them on slightly greased baking trays, space a little apart.
7.  Bake at 200 degree C until well risen and golden brown.

Ingredients for Curried Minced pork

300g minced pork
2 tbsp Quaker oats
2 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp chopped shallots
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp soy sauce
1/3 tsp salt

Method

 
1.  Heat wok and saute chopped shallots until fragrant.
2.  Add minced pork and stir-fry to break the lump.
3.  Add curry powder, Quaker oats and water.
4.  Stir-fry until almost cooked and add flour to thicken.
5.  Dish up and cool before stuffing into the cream puffs.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #34 : Choux Party!

hosted by Jasline @ Foodie Baker

And I'm sharing this with :
Cook-Your-Books #3 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

                                                                                                                 

Hot Pot Pork Ribs 番茄咖哩排骨

Hot Pot Pork Ribs 番茄咖哩排骨

Recipe source :  Adapted from a booklet distributed by Lea & Perrins sauce

This is not the usual hot and spicy curry that we, Malaysians are familiar with. The recipe calls for curry powder and lots of Worcestershire sauce. Both ingredients blended beautifully with the tomatoes and big onions resulting in a piquant stew. The pork ribs were tender and full of flavour.

This dish certainly has my vote. Thumbs Up !!

Ingredients

500g pork ribs
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 big onions, quartered
3 big tomatoes. halved
1 carrot, cut into thick chunks

Seasonings

80ml Worcestershire sauce
1000 ml water
1 tsp salt

Instructions

1.  Heat oil in a pot. Saute the big onions until fragrant
2.  Add in the pork ribs and stir-fry until the colour turns whitish
3.  Pour in the water and add the remaining ingredients and seasonings
4.  Bring to the boil, then lower the flame and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
5.  Switch off flame and dish up.

I am submitting this post to Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders

The theme for June 2013 is curry powder

This event is linked to Little Thumbs Up

The event is organised by Zoe, of Bake For happy Kids and Doreen, of My Little Favourite DIY