Chicken Rendang

Rendang is my favourite Malay dish & also it's fun to cook. I used chicken for domestic reason but beef would be more to my liking. It does look or feel like a complicated dish to cook but in actual fact it's rather simple with many little preparations, similar to performing an experiment in a science lab with its set of instructions. Sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks. Either way it'll only make you a better cook.

Into the blender :
3 cm of Galangal (lengkuas)
2 cm of Ginger
5 Cloves of Garlic
8 Shallots
4 Lemon Grass
2 Big Chilis
1 Packet of Chili Boh (chili paste with salt & vinegar)

Other ingredients:
1.5 kg of Chicken Thighs
Coconut Milk - 1 liter
Rule of Thumb: 1 Coconut will give ½ liter of Thick Milk
1 Cup Grated Coconut - Dry fry to become Kerisik
Fennel, Cumin & Turmeric Powder - 1 Teaspoon each
Brown sugar
Salt
Lime Leaves - Daun Limau Purut

Heat up your pot & add 2 chinese spoon of oil. Fry the grated coconut till brown before adding the blended ingredients (fennel, cumin, turmeric powder & chili boh). Stir till the aroma surrounds your kitchen then add your chicken. Next, add coconut milk & simmer under low/medium heat till gravy turns thick. Add brown sugar & salt to taste. Finally, the lime leave to garnish which adds the extra punch to it!

Yum!

Salad Chicken - Chicken Mayo

Some call it chicken chop or salad chicken. Easy dish & what we'd normally order when eating out. Use chicken breast for the soft & succulent meat :o)

500 g of Chicken Breast
Worcester Sauce
Salt/Pepper
Constarch

Marinate the chicken with Worcester sauce (Lea & Perrins), then mould them with constarch & shallow fry. When cooked, put aside on paper towel. Slice chicken evenly, add mayonnaise & serve. Easy. Kids should like 'em!

Chicken Kurma (Kormah) With Roti Canai

Chicken Kurma is a very authentic Indian cuisine & boy do I love it. In a nutshell, Indian food can be divided into 3 colours; Red (paprika), Yellow (saffron) & Green (coriander). Therefore Chicken Kurma is the green side of Indian food. Well that's how I look at it.

1 kg Chicken - Thighs Section
Chopped Onions
5 Garlic Cloves
6 Cardamom
Coriander Powder - 3 Tablespoon
Chopped Ginger
1 Star Anise
3cm Cinnamon Stick
Salt to Taste
Chili Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Coconut Milk/Yogurt

Heat up oil (or ghee) & add onions, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom, chili & coriander powder till a paste is formed. Add chicken & ½ cup water. Simmer till chicken is half cooked. Add ½ cup coconut milk & yogurt if you like (I didn't) & cooked for another 1 - ½ hours on low heat before serve. Don't forget salt to taste. It's really that easy. Preparation time is about half hour and cooking time 1-2 hours.

What better way to have your chicken kurma with roti canai. I don't think my roti canai can rival any of those roti canai in the mamak corner's but I'm satisfied. Not as thin & crispy but taste just as good. Interesting weekend of culinary adventure :o)

400 g Flour
½ Cup Milk
½ Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Salt
20 g Margarine
1 Egg - Lightly Beat
40 g - Sugar
Ghee/Oil 3 Tablespoon

Add all in a mixing bowl & you get a big dough. Kneading is required. Divide into 10 smaller portion. I used the back of a rounded bowl to shape the roti cos I don't know how to fly the roti canai. I cooked it on a hot plate with minimal oil. Repeat & serve.

The next time I'm given a corner, I'll open a stall instead of inswinger to top corner for Torres to score :o)

Lemonade Chicken with Lemon Rice

Lemon is the flavour of the weekend. I like lemon a lot not only for its taste but also the way it looks which is much better than the rest of its citrus family. Lemon goes well with tea, dry gin, oyster, pasta, rice, chicken, etc. I must admit I made this dish by accident. I took a can of lemonade from my dad's fridge to quench my thirst & it tasted so good that I decided to pour the rest of the drink into my cooking. Well done!

Lemonade
(ANGLIA Shandy - alcohol content 1%)
Chicken Parts
Potatoes
Mixed Herbs
Butter 20g
Fresh Lemon Juice
Olive Oil

Sweat onions with garlic in olive oil. Add in chicken & stir till brown. Add ¾ can of lemonade, potatoes & simmer for ½ hour under medium heat.The sweet taste of lemonade will seep into the chicken meat & tenderise it in the process. Add salt & pepper to taste, then add fresh lemon & butter to thicken the sauce.

Lemon Rice
Steam rice with lemon juice plus water.
Add a few slices of lemon & a little salt.
There you have it!
Genuine taste of a new lemon dish!

Btw I'm not a fan of the Lemon Tree Song :p

Chicken Fettucini with Tomatoes & Mushroom Sauce

I've been meaning to do a pasta dish for a while now & I finally got to do it. It's the simplest of dish which took me 15 minutes tops.

Boil fettucini with plenty of salt (enough for 2).
Cut chicken breast in small cubes.
Cut mushrooms/tomatoes in pieces.
Sauce - homemade tomato/mushroom sauce
or sauce from Alfredros/Ragu/Reego/etc.
Salt & Pepper
Butter
Cheese (preferably parmesan)
Cut Onions
Olive Oil
Dry (fresh) Parsley

Olive oil in frying pan then add onions/chicken.
Saute till meat turns white & tender.
Add mushroom/tomatoes & sauces/butter,
then add salt & pepper to taste.
Lower heat & simmer till sauce thickens.
Toss with pasta & sprinkle with cheese.

Will love to do this more!

Chicken Rice - Pyramid Style feat. Noah

The best chicken rice in town (Kota Kinabalu i.e.) has got to be Nasi Ayam Viya @ Segama. Noah loves it very much that we decided to give it a try. There was no whole chicken at home for I've not been to the market in recent weeks. So we just tried it out with chicken parts though a whole chicken would make the best broth.

Noah finished the chicken rice, not the chicken though but it's yet another success story seeing him eat the food that he helped to cook.

HE WHO COOKS, EATS! Good tip for parents with kids who are very picky eaters.

Chicken (whole/parts)
Ginger (smack 'em)
Rice
Salt
Chicken Stock

Broth:
Add chicken into (2 cups) boiling water.
Add ginger & salt to taste.
Boil it for ½ hour & continue to do so
for another 15 minutes under lower heat.
Let it settle in order to get a thin oily surface.

Rice:
Fry rice grains with (minimal) cooking oil & ginger.
Add some chicken broth (take top layer of the thin film).
When rice grains turn yellowish
& the whole kitchen smells of lovely ginger,
you know it's time to put the rice in the rice cooker.
Add the remaining chicken broth to rice & let it cook.

Chicken:

The boiled/steamed chicken is normally good enough to be taken with rice but I deep fried our chicken since it was in parts & not whole plus just to be different.

The next time you want to go for chicken rice outside, think again :)

Noah's important tasks:
peel ginger
put 2 cups of rice in rice cooker/wash the rice
set the table
EAT
wash the plates

Chicken Burger - Flat Patty

I always feel that the FAST FOOD burgers aren't really healthy despite them (the management) stating otherwise. Their patties contain too much processed food & miscellaneous ingredients of unknown origin. For me, the quality of the patty defines the burger, good or bad. The sauces such as mustard, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise are secondary & is entirely up to individual taste, so are pickles & lettuce. The patty, therefore, tells the story.

Minced Chicken
Onions
Lea Perin Sauce
Corn Starch
Salt & Pepper

Mix all together
& shape it into flat patties.
Fry it on a non-stick pan
or have it grilled.

4 pieces for my two boys :o)

Winky Lim's Mother Chicken Curry (copy)

The best chicken curry I've ever had in my life! I say this with a lot of appreciation & admiration for a dear friend's mom cooking. I tried to copy her version but somehow lack some of her ingenuity. No recipe for now cos it's her little tips & secrets for me to keep.

"Lu punya mama punya kari ayam yang paling sedap!"
"Your mother's chicken curry is the best!"

Claypot Chicken

This is a lazy way of cooking or mother-of-all-shortcuts for a quick dinner. A classic & will always be close to my heart for "we" had claypot chicken rice when I dated my old time girlfriend during college days. The rest as they say is history.

Chicken Wings/Parts (500g)
Dark/Light Soy Sauce
Sliced Ginger
Dried Mushrooms (diced)
Sesame oil
Chinese Cooking Wine
Chicken Stock (from supermarket shelf)
Rice
Egg

Fry the uncooked rice on light oil together with ginger inside the claypot & add dark/light soy sauce. Stir till rice has fully absorbed all the sauces, then add chicken, mushrooms, Chinese cooking wine (3 tbsp) & continue stirring till chicken is half cooked. Add 3 cups of chicken stock & cook under low heat. When the rice is almost cooked, add a single egg on top & garnish with spring onions if needed.

Serves 4

Big Pheasant (Chicken) with Sweet Butter Sauce

I classify this dish European due to the ingredients
but still very much home cooking.

Chicken (5 parts) - Marinated with Lea Perin sauce
Olive Oil
Butter - 50g
Apple Cider
Lemon Zest
Lemon
Tomatoes
Garlic - Lots of them in pieces

Deep fry the chicken and put aside.
Heat up another pan (wok) with olive oil & add garlic,
then butter/lemon zest/apple cider/tomatoes (mashed).

Lastly add the chicken & let the sauce thickens
before dish is served.

Keep on rolling...

Serves The Hungry

Chicken Curry My Way

What would a Chicken Curry dish do on a cold rainy day for dinner?
The perfect dish!
Sometimes, the curry house (Mamak Corner) can't beat the
all time classic curry chicken from home.

The Stuff:
Chicken - 1 kg (drumstick & thighs)
Curry Powder - 3 to 4 tbsp
(you can mix a few brands together,
e.g. Babas, 888, Ayam Brands, etc.)
The best option of course would be to go to the spice shops.
Onions/Garlic
Coconut Milk
Tamarind
Salt & Pepper
Lemon Grass
Potatoes

The Way:
Heat up some oil in a Hot Pot (clay), add onions/garlic,
then the mixed curry powder.
Fry them till your whole kitchen smells of curry.
Add the chicken & ¼ cup of water (dilution of tamarind juice)
& allow it to simmer away.

Add the potatoes & coconut milk
(200ml for thick or 400ml for watery).
Next, add salt to taste.
Cook under medium heat up to 1 hour.
The slower you cook in a hot pot the tender the texture
of the chicken & the spices coagulate in harmony.

Serves 6

Noeli's Kalabau "Buffalo" Wings

One of my favourites. Easy to cook and can be part of any meals of the day. Best taken with chilled beer on a lazy weekend.

Here Goes :
½ kg Chicken Wings - clipped the wings
Sour Plum Sauce
Black Pepper
Dark Soy sauce
Ginger
Salt
Chili (if extra punch needed)

Complimentary Sauces:
Tomato Sauce
Light Soy Sauce
Cornstarch
Dilute all with water in a bowl (½ cup)

1. Marinate the wings for 15 minutes with plum sauce, dark soy sauce & black pepper.
2. Heat up the oil, stir fry the wings with ginger till the wings are cooked on the outer part.
3. To thicken the gravy, add the complimentary sauces & cook till all the juices are absorbed by the wings.

Some may like it dry & some like it sticky. You call the shots!

A Tip :
How do you know that your wings are fully cooked?
When you see it can no longer fly.
Seriously, JUST EAT IT!

Serves 4

Daulat Tuanku!

Hot Pot Chicken with Dried Mushroom & Tomatoes

This recipe is simple &
needs very little preparation.

Chicken (thigh & drumstick cut to sizes) ½ kg
Dried Mushroom & Fresh Tomatoes
Garlic/Shallots/Ginger
Chinese Cooking Wine
Light/Dark Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Butter (for a touch of the European taste)

All these ingredients are cooked
in a hot pot (clay pot will do otherwise).

Serves 4