EZCR#90 - PAN FRIED 5 SPICE CHICKEN CHOP

This chicken recipe is a good dish to energise the body. It is also a healthy dish for slimming diet if you are cutting down on carbo intake and yet can enjoy a good meal while shaping up.

A very simple fried chicken that is aromatic, tasty, savoury and sourish.  Great to have them with a bowl of salad or raw leafy greens.  Adding lime juice helps to eliminate some of the fat content.

Ingredients

3 deboned chicken whole legs with skin - remove excess fats

some chopped coriander leaves

some toasted sesame seeds

some lime juice

Marinade

1 tbsp cooking wine

1 tsp each of 5 spice powder and ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt to taste

1. Prepare the chicken whole legs, chicken chop style.  You can get the vendor to prepare this for you.  
2. Marinate chicken whole legs with marinade for several hours or overnight. Store is a tight container in the fridge.
3. Heat a non stick wok without oil, pan fry chicken whole legs [skin side first] until oil from the skin oozes out.  Use this oil to fry until the skin is golden brown and crispy at the edges.
4. Flip over to fry the meat side until chicken is cooked through.  You can cover to fry the chicken pieces to speed up the cooking time.  Sprinkle some sesame seeds .
5. Flip over to fry the skin side for 1-2 minutes before dishing up o n a plate.  Remove excess oil
6. Cut the fried chicken, drizzle over some lime juice and then sprinkle with some toasted sesame seeds and extra ground black pepper.
7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.  Serve immediately.
   
   
   
   
   
   

LOW FAT BANANA BREAD

These days I have been buying bananas regularly as bananas is high with potassium which is good for regulating  the sodium level  in our body. Too much sodium affects the level of blood pressure.

Today, I baked this banana bread using a muffin tray which shortens the baking time by half  if it is baked in a loaf tin.  Looks like an energy saving tip, hehehe! which I discovered.

This recipe  is adapted from Stephanie of Joy Of Baking with some modifications to the ingredients such as substituting a portion of the brown sugar with jaggery sugar.  Maybe is for this reason, the muffin shaped banana bread looks a little darker than usual.  Anyway, it is okay to me.

The banana bread is soft, moist and of course aromatic with cinnamon and vanilla essence.  Can’t wait to let it cool completely before I tried a piece while still warm, hmmm… it is awesome.

Really, didn’t expect the bread to be that good, so much difference from store bought.  There is no overly strong scent of banana essence, non-greasy and the sweetness is just perfect.  This recipe is a keeper and I wouldn’t mind baking this bread often.

Ingredients

[makes 6 large size muffin shape banana bread 

or 10cm x 20 cm greased loaf tin]

Dry Ingredients [ sifted and mix together]

130 gm plain flour + 65 gm wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder + ¼ tsp salt

45 gm dark chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients 1 [mash and mix together]

3 medium size bananas or 2 large bananas – peeled and mash with a fork

120 ml plain yoghurt

1 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients 2 [whisk together]

1 large egg 

60 gm brown sugar + 60 gm jaggery sugar [gula merah]

60 ml corn oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Sift and combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.
2. Mash bananas in a bowl, mix in plain yoghurt and baking soda.  Mix till well combined.
3. Whisk  wet ingredients 2 until sugar dissolves and blend well.
4. Combine the mashed banana mixture with egg mixture lightly with a spatula.
5. Pour it into the dry ingredients.  Mix lightly until well incorporated.  The batter is thick.
6. Scoop into prepared muffin tray until 80% full.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 15-20 minute.  Test with a skewer before removing to cool  on wire rack.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

KELANTAN STYLE HONG BAK

Hong Bak is basically quite similar to Tau Eu Bak [Soy Sauce Pork Belly] but there is some variations to ingredients, seasoning and steps.  Each one recipe for Hong Bak has its’ own unique taste and flavor.  It is just a matter of one’s preference, choice and familiarity of the dish.

Though this recipe is different from my usual family recipe or other chef’s recipes, I like this too.  I love trying various Hong Bak or Tau Eu Bak recipes but I will keep those which I really like the tastes.  This one is more on the sweet side which my hubby commented and he still prefers the one which tastes savoury.  As I said, it is a matter of preference and to me, I like the chewy pork belly pieces which is well braised, the tasty hard-boiled eggs and the thick sauce which is packed with all the flavours of this dish.

The thick sauce was good with plain white rice mixed with sambal belacan and freshly cut cucumber slices.  It is just awesome for a simple meal in the comfort of my home.

If my hubby doesn't like, no problem, I get to enjoy a bigger portion, hehehe!  Anyway, there isn't much left because half of this portion went to my mother in-law who loves braised pork belly with soy sauce.  In fact, it is my hubby who asked that I cooked this for his mum.

Ingredients

600 gm pork belly with skin  – cut bite size pieces

10 hard-boiled eggs – shelled [you can add less]

1 piece cinnamon stick

2 star anise

6 cloves garlic – crushed

90 gm palm sugar [gula Melaka]

450 ml water [150 ml x 3]

½ tbsp oil

Seasoning

2 tsp dark soy sauce for colour

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp preserved soy bean paste [taucheong]

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

1. Heat up wok, dry fry cinnamon stick and star anise until aromatic, push aside.
2. Add in oil, sauté garlic until aromatic, add in palm sugar.  Stir to mix, until sugar dissolves. 
3. Add in pork belly pieces, stir fry to coat with the caramel and firm up, then add in the seasoning ingredients.
4. Continue to fry until meat pieces are fragrant and some oil oozes out from the meat.  Add in 150 ml water, bring to boil for 10 minutes.
5. Pour in another 150 ml water together with hard boiled eggs.  Bring to boil, cover to simmer ingredients for a further 10 minutes. 
6. Add another 150 ml water, bring to boil again, then braise until meat is tender and sauce is thick.
7. Dish up to serve with rice and sambal belacan  [Pork dish tastes better after resting. Reheat before serving]. 
   
   
   
   
   
   

STEWED BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN

This is a second stewed meat recipe which I tried from this cookbook . The first one was the Spare Ribs With Tomato Curry Stew which was an awesome One Dish Meal. I believe this stewed chicken with black pepper flavor is also as good and easy to prepare for cooking.

Just love this kind of dishes cooked by stewing method where all the flavours are well combined and infused into the ingredients. Really easy yet the result is never disappointing at all. 

The chicken and potatoes are cooked till tender and soft while the thick sauce is aromatic and spicy. Great to serve with rice or even freshly baked warm buns.

The original recipe uses some black pepper sauce which I substitute it by increasing the seasoning by a little.

Recipe adapted from Yum Yum Magazine No.103 with slight modifications

Ingredients

[serves 3-5]

2 chicken whole legs with skin – cut into big pieces

Marinade for at least an hour with ½ tsp each of salt and pepper, 1 tsp oyster sauce and 1 tbsp light soy sauce. Mix and coat with 1 tbsp cornstarch.

1 large potato – peeled and cut wedges

½ carrot – peeled and cut wedges

3 black mushrooms – soaked and halved

3 cloves

1 onion – peeled and cut wedges

5 dried chillies – soaked

1 tbsp each sliced garlic and shallots

Seasoning

1 tsp each of ground black pepper, sugar and dark soy sauce

2 tsp each of oyster sauce and light soy sauce 

1 tsp cornstarch [optional]

300 ml water

1. Heat a non stick wok, then add in 1 tbsp oil. Put in the chicken pieces to fry from skin side first until brown and firm. Dish up and set aside.
2. Using the oil in the wok, sauté aromatics [garlic, shallots, dried chillies and cloves] until fragrant. Add in onions, potatoes and carrot. Stir to mix well, then add in the seasoning followed by fried chicken.
3. Stir to mix well, pour in water. Bring to boil, then cover, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until chicken is tender and sauce is reduced.
4. Turn to high heat to thicken the sauce, then dish up to serve hot. 
   
   
   
   

This post is linked to Cookbook Countdown Event #16 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Emily of Emily's Cooking [Makan2] Foray