Fish Sauce Curry Chicken

There are really many versions of curry chicken and so long as they are spicy and aromatic, I like.  This one is quite unique as no salt is used.  As the name implies, fish sauce plays a part in seasoning of the curry.

The curry is very aromatic, quite dry with thick gravy coating the chicken pieces.  Taste - not too spicy, sweet and tangy.

Ingredients

Recipe Source - Yum Yum magazine No. 77 - modified

[serves 5-6]

6 chicken thighs or 3 chicken whole legs - cut into bit size pieces-skin removed

125 ml oil 
Seasoning

1 tbsp honey

5 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup water [used only if you want more gravy otherwise omit]

200 ml milk

some lime or lemon juice to taste

Ingredients A - Ground to Paste

6 stalks lemongrass - cut white part only

1 big onion - peeled and cut

5 pips garlic - peeled

5 cm ginger

Ingredients B - Mix together

4 tbsp meat curry powder

1 tsp tumeric powder

1. Ground ingredients A into a paste.
2. Mix B together, set aside.
3. Heat up oil and saute A until fragrant.  Add in B, fry until aromatic.
4. Add in chicken, stir fry to mix well until chicken is firm.
5. Add in seasoning and milk.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer until chicken is tender.  Stir continuously until gravy is thickened.
6. Add in lime juice to taste.   Dish up to serve.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Notes: Visit this site for its' Nutritional Facts [here]
I'm sharing this post with Cook Your Books Event #8 

hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

With this post, I would like to wish everyone 

"A Very Happy Chinese New Year and may this year of the Horse be a safe, healthy and lucky year for all "

MY Family Butter Cookies [CNY 2014]

I wasn't in the mood for baking any cookies this Chinese New Year cos' I lost my youngest brother on Christmas Day in a road mishap.   In fact, I had prepared the ingredients for this cookie on Christmas eve but didn't get to bake them until now.   With or without mood, as a daughter in-law, I still have to bake some cookies for my mother in-law's CNY celebration.  Luckily, this is an easy, simple butter cookie recipe which is also my family's favourite.  These cookies  are buttery, crispy and not sweet at all.  The dough is easy to handle and for piping with any star nozzle mould.

Ingredients

[makes 120 pieces]

250 gm butter [I used Golden Churn brand]

110 icing sugar

1 small egg

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 tsp salt

300 gm plain flour - sifted 

4-5 red cherries - diced

1. Cream butter and icing sugar until light.  Add egg, vanilla essence and salt.  Continue beating until creamy and fluffy.
2. Stir in sifted flour and mix until well combined.
3. Remove a portion of the mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle fitted to it.
4. Pipe star rosettes onto baking trays lined with parchment paper.
5. Place a piece of diced red cherries on each rosette.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove to cool on wire rack before storing in airtight container.
   
   
   

I'm submitting this post to the Bake Along event hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids,

Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Lena of Frozen Wings

Vegetarian Egg With Black Fungus

This dish is exactly the same as Sesame Oil Ginger Vegetarian Egg.  For this version, I used vegetarian egg with sesame oil and lots of ginger and black fungus [bok nee] instead of mushrooms.   Simple, tasty and yet appetising with rice.

Vegetarian egg is called tau pau or fresh bean curd sheet that comes in rounds or rectangular form.  For this recipe, choose the round type.

Ingredients
[serves 10]

10 pieces vegetarian egg - pan fried until golden brown

5 florets  of black fungus - soaked and break into small florets

3 tbsp ginger - cut fine shreds [here I used more, rinse once under running water]

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

3 tbsp sesame oil

a dash cooking wine

100 ml water [tau pau will soak  up some of the gravy] 

1. Heat sesame oil in wok, saute finely cut ginger until aromatic and slightly  crispy.  Set aside.
2. Add in sauce ingredients and water.   Bring to a boil, then add in black fungus.
3. Cook for several minutes, then put in the fried vegetarian egg pieces. 
4. Braised for another 5-10 minutes and add a dash cooking wine.  Add a little more water if you want more gravy.
5. Dish out to serve with rice.
   
   
   

Notes: Visit this site for it's Nutritional Facts [here]

I'm linking this post  to Little Thumbs Up Event - Soy Beans organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and me, Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Mich from Piece of Cake

Vegetarian Tempe Curry

Always a delicious vegetarian curry that is so good with rice at any time when you are on vegetarian diet.

My family and friends' favourite curry which is a must to prepare during the annual vegetarian diet time.

Ingredients
[serves 10]

300 gm potatoes - skinned and cut wedges

300 gm cabbage - break into bite size pieces
1 carrot - peeled and cut wedges

150 gm tofu puffs - halved
1 piece tempe - cut cubes and fried

2-3 sprigs of curry leaves

2 pandan leaves - knotted

100 ml oil

100 ml coconut milk

3 cups water [more gravy]

Ingredients - Curry Paste [Combine together]

50 gm chilli paste

20 gm lemongrass paste

30 gm coriander paste

1 tbsp galangal paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

3 tbsp meat curry powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp vegetarian msg [optional]

Curry Paste and Spices

1. Heat oil in wok,  fry tempe until golden.  Dish out.
2. Use the oil to saute curry paste, curry leaves and pandan leaves till aromatic and oil rises. 
3. Add in potatoes and carrots to cook.  Stir fry to combine well with curry paste.   
4. Add in water and coconut milk.  Bring it to boil until potatoes are almost soft.   Add in cabbage, cover to cook until cabbage is soft.  
5. Add in seasoning to taste. Add in tofu puffs, boil for several minutes.
6. Lastly add in fried tempe to mix, off fire.  Dish out into bowl to serve with rice.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Note: This vegetarian curry is without onions or garlic because the dish is for vegetarian diet for religious reason.

Notes: Visit this site for its Nutritional Facts [here]

I'm linking this post  to Little Thumbs Up Event - Soy Beans

 organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and me, Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Mich from Piece of Cake

Vegetarian Red Yeast Rice Char Siew [Ang Chow Char Siew]

This is actually mock char siew flavoured with red yeast rice residum, nam yee and sweetened with gula melaka. Very different from the normal store bought vegetarian char siew which I think uses some red colouring.

Surprisingly good.  My niece loved it.  My hubby thought it was store bought, started tasting it after I told him it's not colouring but 'Ang Chow'.

Ingredients

[serves 5-6]

300 gm wet gluten balls [mee keen] - tear or cut strips

2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 cup water

30 gm gula melaka

some toasted sesame seeds

Marinade

1 tbsp red yeast rice residum [ang chow]

1 piece red fermented beancurd - nam yee

1/2 tsp 5 spice powder

1/4 tsp pepper and vegetarian msg

salt to taste

1. Marinate gluten shreds with marinate for several hours or overnight.
2. Heat sesame in oil.  Stir fry marinated gluten shreds for several minutes.
3. Add in water, bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add in gula melaka and simmer until gravy is reduced and thicken.
5. Taste to adjust seasoning.  Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds.
6. Dish out to serve.  Garnish with extra toasted sesame seeds.
   
   
   
   

ORANGE COTTONY CAKE I [OGURA CAKE]

I have been baking cottony cakes of various flavours including this one but I didn't realise that I have not posted the recipe.

This cake was baked for my neighbour.  I only get to try the cake when I trimmed off the edges.  The cake rose beautifully but somehow did shrink a little.  Very fragrant, tangy taste, soft and spongy cake.

Ingredients for Egg Yolk Mixture

[use 9" square tin]
75 gm superfine flour - sifted

1/4 tsp salt

5 egg yolks

1 whole egg

60 ml corn oil 
80 ml  orange juice [from 1-2 oranges]

zest of 1 orange

1. Place the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and make well in the centre. Add in eggs, corn oil and orange juice.  Using a paddle hook, beat ingredients until creamy and well combined.   Set aside. 
2. Pour 1 and 1/2 cups water into baking tray, place baking rack on the tray and  preheat oven at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes.

Ingredients for Egg White Mixture
5 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
70 gm castor sugar

1. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg white until frothy, add in cream of tartar and whisk until  slightly foamy.  Add in sugar in 3 batches.  Whisk until soft to stiff peaks formed.
2. Using a spatula, fold in 1/2 of the meringue into egg yolk mixture.  Lift and fold until well combined, then add to rest of meringue.  Fold again until well mix.
3. Pour the batter into a 9" square tin [line base with baking paper at the bottom only].    Lightly shake the pan and the batter will spread out evenly. 
   
4. Steam bake in oven at 160 degrees C for 40 minutes.   Reduce temperature to 140 degrees C and bake for a further 20 minutes.  [Note: for the water bath, use 1 and 1/2 cups water for the duration of baking.  This way the cake base will be dry after baking].
5. Remove from oven and invert the cake to cool slightly [about 5 minutes] before removing the pan and baking paper [there maybe some vapour on the baking paper].
   

   
6. Cool cake completely before slicing to serve or refrigerate for slicing and serving later.
   

   

Notes: Visit this site for it's Nutritional Facts [here]