Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi

Have you tasted this Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi (Chicken in bird's eye chilli & coconut sauce)?

Eventhough this dish using more than 20 bird's eye chilly, to me it is not that fiery hot at all.  I think this dish is the most easiest dish to cook.  Just prepare those ingredients on hand and blend it to paste and put everything into a pot and cook till the chicken cook.  That's it.

I seldom use coconut milk in my cooking and even when I cook chicken curry, I don't use coconut milk but I substitute with fresh milk instead.  But for this Ayam Masak Lemak it is just simply too delicious to try it out to use the coconut milk.  What is Ayam Masak Lemak when it doesn't use coconut milk?

Chicken In Bird's Eye Chilli & Coconut Sauce

Recipe sourced from Azlita of Masam Manis

 

Ingredients

½ chicken; cut to bite size (I’ve used only chicken thighs)

3 medium size potato; cut in 4 pieces

½ tumeric leaf, finely sliced

2 lemongrass, bashed

1 cup (250ml) thick coconut milk

2-3 kaffir lime leaves

2pcs tamarind slice /assam keping (optional)

Salt to taste

Grind/Blend to paste

20 bird’s eye chilli

2” fresh tumeric root

2” ginger root

2 lemongrass (white part only)

½ tumeric leaf

3 shallots

2 garlic

2 cups water

Method

Put the blended paste into a medium size pot.  Add in the chicken pieces and potato, bring to boil, and lowering the heat till the chicken and potatoes has tendered and cooked.

Add in the coconut milk and frequently lightly stirring to avoid the coconut milk split into oil.  Add salt to taste.

Sprinkle the additional thinly sliced tumeric leaf and serve hot.

                           
                    You can always reduce the chilli if you can't withstand the spiciness!

"Almost Perfect" Butter Chicken

My family and I absolutely loves Butter Chicken!  Whenever I am back to Auckland for visit, Butter Chicken is a must for me to indulge into.

I have in fact cooked few versions/recipes of Butter Chicken but non of those are of the similar taste that I have tasted to that "Shamiana"or "Masala" restaurant Butter Chicken.  Either it was too tangy in the sauce or it doesn't have that herbs in taste.

I have almost 5 or 6 recipes I have bookmarked previously but wasn't ready to try it out.  Yes, I did alot of google searching, even go to the extend of studying one recipe comparing with another what herbs and spices to go into it.  Until one day I searched in the youtube and saw this video and it just clicked to me that this is just the right one.  

Well, one of the ingredients is "dry fenugreek leaves" which I have doubted whether I can find it here.  I tried searching at the local hypermarkets here and no... they don't have it.   Going to the Indian grocery spice shops  one shop after another and no....they don't have.  So, I thought maybe I go ask at the wet market to see whether they have the fresh fenugreek leaves (daun halba).  Oh no...they don't have too and some they don't even know what I am talking about.  And one young Indian lady just shove me the curry leaves instead!

Well, one of the weekend, I went to the city looking for it at the Indian shops again.  I went straight to the worker and asked "Do you have kasuri methi?"  He just went to one of the corner and gives me a pack of it.  You wouldn't believe it as I wanted to jump up high with joy when I finally found what I want!!

Cooking Indian food is not my forte, but butter chicken is my favourite so I will try and try and try to achieve that butter chicken taste that I had wanted;  just like "Shamiana" butter chicken!

BUTTER CHICKEN
Recipe inspired from Vahrehvah with changes

Ingredients
500g boneless & skinless chicken thigh, cut into long strips
1 sprig coriander leaves
50g butter
80ml cream (cooking cream or heavy cream or whipping cream)
1 tsp tomato ketchup (optional)


Marinade
1 tsp ginger garlic paste 
½ tsp chilli powder

½ tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp salt 

Sauce 

2 tbsp oil

1 medium size onion

400g tomato

1 green chilli

6 pieces cashew nuts

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tbsp coriander powder

2 tsp dry fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi), lightly crushed

1/4 - 1/3 cup water

2 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

Method

Marinade the chicken pieces with the marinade ingredients for 30 minutes.

In a large frying pan, heat the pan with the oil and lightly pan fry the chicken 10 minutes till fragrant.  Dish out the chicken pieces and set aside.

In the remaining oil in the frying pan, add in the cumin seeds, onion, ginger garlic paste, and some water in.  Give it a stir for a minute then add in the coriander powder, cashew nuts, chilli powder, fenugreek leaves. green chilli, and lastly the tomatoes.  Stir to combined all up and cover with a lid.  Cook for about 10 minutes till tomatoes are soften.

Remove from heat and let it cool slightly before pouring it into the blender.  Blend till all mashed up.

In a clean frying pan, add in the butter, pour in the juice from the chicken pieces, and the tomato puree mixture (I strained the tomato mixture before pouring into the pan), add in some water in,  salt to taste (I add about 1 tsp) and the sugar.  Let the sauce comes to a boil and add in the tomato ketchup (optional), 1/2 cup cream and stir to combine the sauce up.  Lastly add in the chicken pieces and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Dish up and serves with steamed rice or naan bread.

Do watch his video

*  The Butter chicken has the mild sweet in taste.

*  Those butter chicken serving in the restaurant/hotel has more vibrant in orangy colour as 

    they add artificial colouring in it. 

This is the dry fenugreek leaves ("Kasuri Methi")

Should anyone of you needed some of this dry fenugreek leaves, email me and I will send some to you.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest - Indian Subcontinent hosted by  

Chef and Sommelier.

Simple Hainanese Chicken Chop

When Sonia of NasiLemakLover posted her Hainanese Chicken Chop recently, she has reminded me how much I missed my mum's Chicken Chop instead!  And so much as we are the Hainanese descent ourselves!

After my mum left to NZ to stay, I missed all her home cooked food and dishes.   And lucky for me, when I was young, I used to watch my mum cook this in the kitchen and now roughly I try to replicate her easy and simple version of our Hainanese Chicken Chop!  

Simple Hainanese Chicken Chop

Recipe source from Mel’s Mum

Serve for 1

Ingredients

1 boneless chicken thigh

1 small potato, peeled and cut to wedges

1 small tomato, cut to wedges

1 small onion, sliced

1-2 tbsp frozen green peas or canned green peas (light blanched or cook in saucepan)

Oil for frying

Marinate ingredients

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt & pepper (add to your preference taste)

2-3 tbsp plain flour

Sauce

1-2 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp worchestershire sauce

½ tsp sugar

¼ cup water (or slightly more if you prefer more sauce)

Method

Lightly marinade the chicken thigh with salt and pepper, and add in the 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce for about 15 minutes.  

Before frying, coat the marinated chicken with plain flour all over, and lightly sprinkle some water to the chicken.

(Don’t wash the bowl that marinate the chicken)

Add in all the sauce ingredients into this bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Using a small saucepan, pour in some oil (about 2”-3” deep) and fry the potato wedges till brown on the edges.  Drain on paper and sprinkle some salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Heat a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp oil and frying the chicken thigh on low-medium heat on skin side down first then turn the other side till cooked.  Dish up and put to the serving plate.

Pour in the sliced onions and lightly sauté till soft, add the sauce ingredients in.  Once the sauce comes to boil and thicken up, remove from heat and pour the sauce mixture onto the chicken chop.

Serve in with other ingredients; fried potato wedges, tomato and the green peas.  

                            
                                Back in those days, we used the canned green peas........

       

Honey & Thyme Roast Chicken

I think no one will say no to fried chicken or roast chicken, right?  I am constantly looking for new recipe and flavour for roast chicken or fried chicken because I love to eat  chicken meat.  When I see new post of roast chicken from fellow bloggers, I will usually visit to view their ingredients and if the ingredients are simple and easy, I will not hesitate to try it out.

I have in fact have tried out many version of roast chicken but rarely post it to my blog because it is just not good timing to take pictures during evening time.  Well, if I can, I will try to snap few if good lighting permits me to do so.

Honey & Thyme Roast Chicken 
Makes 6

(Recipe Source from Jessie - Cooking Moments with slight change) 

Ingredients:
6 ChickenDrumsticks
6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
6 tbsp Melted Butter
4 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Ginger Juice * 
2 tbsp Shao Xing Cooking Wine
1.5 tbsp Garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Five Spice Powder
1 tsp Salt 

*  (I use 2 tsp ginger powder dilute in 2 tbsp water) 

Method: 
1. Marinate Chicken with all other ingredients & refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 180C(fan-forced).  Cook in the middle level for 15 minutes.
3. Remove, baste the chicken with the marinade & put back to the oven.
4. Reduce heat to 175C. Repeat Step 3 every 12-15 minutes until golden & the chicken parts
   are cooked through. 

NOTE: 
The chicken skin will be browned very quickly after each basting, so do watch out the heat or alternatively, cover with foil.

Absolutely delicious!  All roast chicken are delicious even if you marinated with simple ingredients.  

A fuss free meal and less utensils to wash up or scrub your kitchen stove later.....LOL!!

 I’m submitting this to Little Thumbs Up(LTU) Oct – Soy Beans theme that was originally organized by 

 Zoe@Bakefor Happy Kids & Mui Mui@My Little Favourite DIY & currently hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake.

Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

I guess those of us who cook for the family, we are constantly in a dilemma what to prepare and cook for the family. Well, for me if I cook the same old boring food frequently, I might get bore of it too, not to say my family members and of course I wouldn't want to hear from my members saying "oh no, not this again!".  For me here at home, I had fish almost everyday..... and sometimes even when I try various way to cook the fish, I still get bored of eating fish sometimes.  

Have you heard the news lately?  The normal meaty Chicken, the chicken seller dye the chicken into yellowish colour and sell it to consumers saying that the chicken is the "Kampung Chicken" (free range chicken).  Sometimes, I just can't believe this kind of thing they also want to cheat the consumers.   Nowadays, I really don't know what food is healthy to eat.

I'm sure almost everyone loves fried chicken right?  Why not give this a try, Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) a change from the normal usual fried chicken.

Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
(recipe source and adapted from Sonia from NasiLemakLover with slight change
 

Ingredients

 3 boneless chicken thighs (with skin on), cut into small equal bite size pieces

Seasonings
1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
2 tsp Mirin (I used Sake) 

1/4tsp salt or to taste
1tsp grated ginger
1tsp grated shallot

For deep frying
5 tbsp potato flour 风车粉
3 tbsp self raising flour
3 tbsp iced cold water
Oil for deep frying

Garnishing- Japanese mayonnaise, tomato wedges, cabbage thinly shredded (soak in iced cold water for crispiness)

Method
1. Marinate chicken with all seasonings, keep inside the fridge for 1 hr.
2. Add in potato flour, self raising flour and iced cold water, mix well.
3. Heat oil in a wok over medium high heat (to test oil readiness for deep frying is by putting 

    chopstick in the oil and when you see bubbles around the tip).
4. Deep fry the chicken pieces in few small batches, fry for about 2mins. Drain on a wire rack.
5. Continue to deep fry till finished. Return the fried chicken to the hot oil and deep fry again.
6. Serve the fried chicken with shredded cabbage and tomato, and drizzle with Japanese 

    mayonnaise.

Oishii !!

Baked Chicken Drumstick (Asian Style)

What to eat?  What to cook for dinner?  This is the common question frequently run into my head everyday.  As being the cook for the family, I am sure some of you might have to think ahead the menu to prepare for that day.  And most headache one is, if a member of the family is one picky of certain food, or if another member having cough or cold, we have to avoid deep fry food, or and so go on and on....

I think the easier way for me is Baked Chicken!

 
Baked Chicken Drumstick (Asian Style)
Recipe inspired from Greedy Gourmet 

Ingredients

olive oil, to drizzle

10 chicken drumsticks 

sea salt & black pepper to rub on the chicken

Glaze Sauce

6 tbsp honey

3 tbsp fish sauce   (I add only 2 tbsp)

1½ tbsp light soy sauce

1½  lemon lemons  (I only use 1 lemon)

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar 

1½ tbsp sesame oil

some whole shallots (optional)

Preheat the oven to 140°C.

Lightly oil a large baking dish. Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper and arrange in the dish in a single layer. Drizzle over a little olive oil, cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Prepare the glaze in the meantime. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until evenly combined.

Take the chicken out of the oven and increase the temperature to 180°C.

Pour over the glaze and coat each drumstick.  (You may add in the whole shallots or garlic if you wish).

Return the chicken to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes, turning several times, until the chicken is tender and nicely glazed.

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. 

At first I wasn't really sure whether this Asian style baked chicken would taste good because right after I have prepared the mix glaze sauce and give it a sip taste.....oh....very the 'soya sauce taste' but nevertheless just give it a go....

I served this Baked Chicken Drumsticks with steamed rice and baked tomatoes.

One picky member of my family, keep saying this chicken is very delicious for almost ten times!

"Ho chiak"

 

Simple Japanese Chicken Curry

Hi everyone, good day to you.

Do you like Japanese Curry?  I loves Japanese Curry and usually I cooked it at home using the convenient and instant Japanese Curry Roux.  I only like to buy that "brand" and it is not always that I can get this brand at the supermarket shelves.  And other brands/packs only cook for 1 serving.

I read with ecstatic when Nami of Just One Cookbook posted her Simple Chicken Curry recently and even had a post on how to make curry roux from scratch !

Since the homemade curry roux is so easy to make, I have wasted no time to make this immediately.

Today my lunch is Simple Japanese Chicken Curry.  

JAPANESE CHICKEN CURRY

Largely adapted from Nami of Just One Cookbook

Ingredients:

500g boneless skinless chicken breast

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

2 carrots

2 onions

1-2 potatoes

½ tbsp ginger

2 cloves garlic

4 cups/1000ml chicken broth  

1 apple (I used Fuji apple)

1 tbsp honey (I didn’t add this)

2 tsp salt

1 recipe of Homemade Japanese Curry Roux * (please see below for recipe; make this

   ahead first)

½ tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Ketchup

Method:

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Discard the extra fat and cut it into bite size pieces. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Peel and cut the onions, carrots and potatoes

Grate the ginger and crush the garlic.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onions until they become translucent.  Add the ginger and garlic and give it a thorough stir.

Add the chicken and cook until the chicken changes color.

Add the carrot and mix.

Add the chicken broth (or water).

Bring the stock to boil and skim out the scrum and fat from the surface of the stock.

Peel the apple and coarsely grate the apple into the pot.

Add the honey (if you are adding this but I opt this out) and salt and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

When the potatoes are ready, add a ladleful or two of cooking stock and mix into the homemade curry paste.  Add more cooking liquid if necessary and mix well until it’s smooth.

Add the roux paste back into the stock in the large pot and stir to combine.

Add soy sauce and ketchup. Simmer uncovered on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the curry becomes thick.

 Serve the curry with Japanese rice on the side and garnish with soft boiled egg.

Homemade Curry Roux

(Please go over to Nami's blog  for tutorial pictures)

Ingredients

42gm unsalted butter

4 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp curry powder

½ tsp chilli powder

Method:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat.

When the butter is completely melted, add the flour.

Stir to combine the butter and flour. Soon the butter and flour fuse and swell. (Do not stop stirring because the roux will easily burn)

After 20-30 minutes, the roux will turn to light brown color. Add the curry powder, garam masala and chilli powder.

Cook and stir for 30 seconds and remove from the heat.

(If you are not using this immediately, store the roux in an air tight container and keep in the fridge for 1 month, and 3 months in freezer.)

Do I like this curry?  Of course and it taste awesome and delicious; almost perfect taste like the store bought instant curry roux.

                             Thank you NAMI for this wonderful delicious curry!

AVOCADO CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

I am not a fan of avocado.  What about you?  I remember the first time I tasted avocado was many years ago, dining in an Indonesian Restaurant.  I can't remember who order me the Avocado Juice and one sip of it, eeeeweee, I don't think I like it and I swap the juice immediately with someone else.   Even when at later years, when my brother-in-law made sandwiches with avocado as part of the ingredients, I choose to opt that out.

But now as I have learned the nutrition goodness in avocado, so I got to appreciate this fruit.  

When Hui of Butterfly Waltz made this Avocado Chicken Parmigiana last February, I thought I should give it a try too for an easy way to prepare and cook for my lunch.

 AVOCADO CHICKEN PARMIGIANA 
 Recipe sourced from Hui of Butterfly Waltz & from Esther, The Fuss Free Chef 

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Drumstick (Boneless & Skinless), seasoned with salt & pepper
½ Cup Plain Flour
2 Tbsp Fresh Milk
1 Egg
1 ½ Cups Dried Breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ Cup Tomato Pasta Sauce
1 Avocado, Sliced
½ Cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese
Salad Green & Cherry Tomato to serve

Line a baking tray with baking paper; brush the base with cooking oil.  Preheat the oven to 180 celcius.

Mix the beaten egg and milk in a shallow bowl.  Set aside.

Coat the chicken pieces with flour and shake off excess.  Dip each chicken piece into the egg mixture and then coat it evenly with the breadcrumbs.

Arrange the meat in the dish, spray or brush the top evenly with cooking oil and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 min, or until the crumbs have turn a golden brown.  Turn the meat over halfway.  You might need to do this probably 2-3 times per side, each time at a shorter interval, depending on the thickness of the chicken meat.    

Once the chicken is just cooked through, spoon the tomato pasta sauce onto the chicken meat and smear evenly.  Arrange some slices of avocado on top, followed by a generous sprinkle of grated cheese. 

Bake for another 5 min until the cheese has melted and is starting to bubble and brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately with a side salad. 

This recipe also from Cuisine Paradise

 

                         I sprinkle some dried parsley on top; 10 minutes before took out
                         from oven.                                                   

                         A satisfying lunch....oh, of course together with a cup of tea too.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by

 Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids.

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Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce)

I have wanted to cook this Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken In Spicy Tomato Sauce) for so long but only waited till now.  

You see, my house only have 2 sometimes 3 persons, so cooking for a small portion to me is quite difficult.  And when I wanted to cook it, either I am not well (bad cough) or the other family member is on Chinese medicine for a month and so have to wait, and then another had sore throat, blah , blah, blah, and wait till the timing is right for me to cook this.

I am not good in cooking spicy dishes,  and when I prepare the ingredients, blend to paste, fry, saute, add this, add that, and wondering in the end am I doing it right procedure.  But of course, no worries, in the end, the taste do seem real good and delicious!  How I wish the expertise to help to taste and comment for me...

Lisa. , actually I wanted to use fresh milk in this but do not know whether it feels right or not and in the end I still go ahead with the coconut milk ~ hee...hee....just trying to cut down my cholesterol level since doctor said it is high after my last check up.

So, herewith my post today is Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken In Spicy Tomato Sauce)

 

Ayam Masak Merah Recipe 
Recipe from Lisa of From My Lemony Kitchen
Serve 8-10
(I cooked half portion of this recipe)
 
Ingredients:
2 x 0.9-1kg chicken, cut into 8 pieces/chicken
20 dried chillies, soaked
2 red onion
5 cloves of garlic
40g ginger
25g galangal (lengkuas)
5 lemongrass
2-3 star anise
4 cloves
3 inch of cinnamon
3 cardamom
1 can of tomato soup
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for deep frying plus ¼ cup extra
1 cup of peas, optional

Method:
Preparing Chicken. 
Rub chicken with turmeric and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. Heat up the oil in a wok and deep fry the chicken pieces until golden in colour. Set aside.
Roughly chopped red onion, ginger, galangal and lemongrass, then transfer to a blender or food processors. Add in chillies and garlic. Process into a paste.

Heat up the wok with ½ cup of oil. Sauté the spices : Cinnamon, star anise, cloves and cardamom until fragrant. Then add in the blended paste. Bring the heat up until the paste bubble then lower the heat. Simmer till the paste is thoroughly cooked, fragrant and the oil separates from the paste (pecah minyak). 

Add in canned tomato soup, coconut milk and chicken pieces. Bring up the heat for a quick boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickened. Add peas and season with salt to taste. 

Garnish with some spring onion before serving.

 

So, was it good?  You bet, two thumbs up!!  Taste much more better eating with your hands!

Aah, another dish to go with extra rice.........