Thai Marinate (Fire) Roasted Butterflied Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 whole organic chicken, butterflied

For marinate:

• 2 cloves of Garlic, mashed
• 1 Lime, juiced
• 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped or ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon Chilli Paste (optional)
• 2 sprigs of Lemongrass, mashed (optional)
• 1/4 cup Fish Sauce
• 1 teaspoon of Soya Sauce
• 1/2 cup Coconut Milk
• Salt and Pepper
  
  
  

1. Clean the chicken and place it on a big bowl/plate.
2. Mix the marinate ingredients well. Pour the ingredients and rub it on the chicken until all parts are covered.
3. Marinate for at least 4 hours. Even better overnight. Cover the chicken with a wrap and put into the refridgerator. Before cooking, allow the chicken to sit in room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes.
4. On fire grill, spray some non-sticking oil spray and turn on the lowest heat, covered. Make sure the grill is preheated for about 5 minutes before cooking the chicken. Then, place the chicken skin side up first and cook for 30 mins on the lowest heat. Turn to the other side, spray with more non-stick cooking oil and grill for another 25 minutes. Let it rest for 3-5 minutes before serve.
5. If cooking with oven, allow oven to preheat at 425 degrees F. Then roast chicken for 15 minutes per pound. (Example, a 3 pound chicken must roast for 45 minutes)

Serving suggestion:

With rice and slices of fresh cucumber.

Steamed Chinese Herb Chicken

My mother taught me how to make this dish. It's so easy to make and the juice that the chicken produce is so delicious pour over plain rice. As a kid, I remember loving this dish that I could finish the whole chicken myself. I'm sure other Malaysian would agree with me on that!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole organic chicken, clean and gutted.
• A handful of Sweet Red Kei-Chee (kee-chee)
• A handful of Dried Red Chinese Dates
• 6-8 slices of Dried Dong Gui (Chinese Angelica)
• Sea Salt

1. Place the whole chicken on top of a big tin foil first, allow enough of foil to cover the bird.
2. Stuff the chicken cavity with half of the red chinese dates and dong gui with a pinch of sea salt.
3. Place the rest of chinese dates and dong gui on all sides of the chicken.
4. Sprinkle the kei-chee on top of the chicken as well as some sea salt, just enough to cover the top part.
5. Wrap the bird up by pulling the foil up together to the top and twist it like a scroll until tight. Seat the wrapped bird on top of a steel plate.
6. Boil some water in the wok. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer. With the steamer stand, sit the steel plate on top and steam for 40-45 minutes, covered. To know if the chicken is cook, fork the breast and the juice should run clear.
7. When it is done, unwrap slowly as the steam inside the chicken can be very hot.

Other suggestion:

You can also do this method with drumsticks, chicken breast or chicken thighs, unwrap. Just place the pieces chicken on top of the steel plate with the chinese herbs on the chicken, and steam for 20 minutes or until cook. Serve with rice and plain stir fry bok-choy.

Malaysian Kaya (Coconut Milk and Egg Custard Jam)

Living abroad makes you think of all the simple good food you used to have during childhood. One of my absolute favorite is Kaya and I was so hyped up to make it after my Mom filled me in on how to make it.

The amount of ingredients is simple, ratios is simple (1:1) and they are easy to find. However, the workload on this homemade jam is quite taxing as it demands your attention every second. I salute and admire our grandmother's generation, who would make kaya for breakfast. No wonder people say good food is made with lots of love and care. Kaya is no easy thing to make, imagine all the amount of energy put into producing something that expire in short time with no refridgerator system, yet the love and care diligently cook it with a wooden spatula because no electric beater ever existed... but even if they do, it is not affordable. You'll know what I mean. And whoever the genius is to create something so scrumptuous? You deserve an award.

Ingredients:

(Equal parts of everything... can be a bowl, a can, or 300 gram)

• 1 cup of sugar (you may mix brown and white sugar together)
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 1 cup of eggs (beaten until fluffy with electric mixer)
• A few sprigs of Pandan leaves (Screwpine leaves), tied up with string

Fluffed eggs with a 1/4 cup sugar

Coconut milk warming up in the rice cooker with the tied up Pandan leaves

Caramelized sugar under low heat

1. Pour the coconut milk into the rice cooker on warm mode with the Pandan leaves.
2. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl with a 1/4 cup sugar, and use the electric mixer to fluff them up.
3. After that, put the rest of the sugar into a small pot and on low heat, caramelize the sugar slowly.
4. Once it is all melted, pour into the coconut milk immediately. Turn from warm mode to cook. The caramelize sugar will harden once you pour inside but do not worry, it will melt. Stir constantly with an egg beater.
5. Before the sugar and coconut mixture started bubbling, start pouring the egg mixture ladle by ladle. Stir vigorously to avoid getting solid egg lumps. Every ladle has to mix well before the next ladle of eggs come in.
6. When it starts to boil, turn the cook mode to warm, stir even more vigorous now that it has thicken. Watch out for splatters.
7. Once thicken, make sure you turn off the rice cooker quickly to maintain the smooth consistency and avoid curdling. If you have the conventional rice cooker, remove the rice cooker container off from the cooker and let cool. Continue to stir.
8. Place the Kaya into sterilized jars. Let cool before covering the Kaya with the jar cap.
9. Keep in refridgerator. If you see water evaporated onto the cap, wipe it away. It will last for about a week.

Serving suggestion:

Best spread onto toasted bread, butter cakes and salted crackers.

Tuna Waffle

What other better way to eat canned tuna than putting in a waffle? They are absolutely refreshing with toasted waffle, even sweeter with onions and not to mention, good for you! Here you get all the protein you need before a whole days worth of errands and it keep you full but not bloated!

Ingredients:

• 1 small can of Tuna in olive oil/water
• 1/2 of a small Red Onion, diced
• 1 tbsp of Mayonaisse
• Salt & Pepper
• Slices of one Tomato (optional)
• Slices of Cucumber (optional)
• 4 frozen Waffles, toasted

1. Mix the tuna, red onion, mayonaisse, salt and pepper until well.
2. Toast the waffle. When it's still warm, spread the tuna mixture on top.
3. Served with slices of cucumber and tomatoes on top. Sunny side ups eggs on the side.

Low-Fat Beef Stroganoff

Everyone's favorite classic dish! Easy to make and so very satisfying.

Ingredients:

• A pack of Beef Stew cut OR 2 pieces of Sirloin cut (bite size pieces)
• 1 small Onion
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• Few sprigs of Parsley
• 1 tbsp Woschestire Sauce
• 1/2 cup of Yoghurt (may add more if you want thicker sauce)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 can of Button Mushroom
• 1/4 cup of Tomato Ketchup
• A handful of frozen Green Peas (Optional)

1. Marinate the beef with Woschestire Sauce, salt and pepper ahead of time before preparing other ingredients.
2. Heat the frying pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and then stir in the onion and garlic.
3. Just before the onion caramelized, add the beef in and stir to coat with oil. Leave the beef cook for 3 minutes or until all the liquid comes out from the meat.
4. Add tomato ketchup, yoghurt and button mushroom, and mix well with the beef liquid.
5. Let simmer and thickens for about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the frozen green peas if you like.
7. Put onto serving plate and garnish with parsley.

Serving suggestion:

Butter rice with chopped parsley/cilantro

Pasta/Egg Noodles

Leftover Chicken Dish

Ever had leftover roast chicken, pork, or duck in the refridgerator? Chop them up in bite size pieces, follow this recipe and you'll have something entirely different for dinner the next day, regardless the marinate! Again, another easy dish to cook... so delicious every time.

Ingredients:

A few julienne/slices of Ginger (the more the better, if you like ginger)
1 or 2 cloves of Garlic
Chicken/Roast Pork/Roast Duck cut into bite size pieces
1 tsp Dark soy sauce
1 tsp Soy sauce
Pinches of Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup Water

1. Heat the oil in the frying pan in medium heat and stir fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant.
2. Add chicken into the pan, stir to coat the chicken with the oil for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir to coat every pieces until darken.
4. Lastly, add the water and let simmer in low heat until the sauce thicken.
5. Serve warm with rice.

Grandma's Tasty Spicy Chicken

This is one of my favorite recipe of all time! My grandmother used to cook this when I was little and obviously, I have forgotten about it, not knowing what the dish was actually called. And then one day, I found this recipe online in Kuali.com but never realize it was the dish Grandma used to make. I tried, taste it and then realized, wow... it immediately brought me to childhood. Here I tweak some part of the recipe a bit by adding more sauce to the dish than the much drier type of the original recipe. It's so delicious, so tasty and it only taste better overnight.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, chopped (or you can do 4 chicken wings and 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of milk / coconut milk
• 2 to 3 tbsp of oil

Spices A:

• 1 big yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp of cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 3 sprigs of curry leaves (if any, not necessary)

Spices B (mix all together):

• 3 tbsp of chilli powder / 3 tbsp of chilli paste (if using chilli paste, don't add water)
• 3 tbsp of water (to dissolve all dry spices)
• 1 tbsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp of coriander powder
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 2 cm of ginger, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp of ground black pepper

Seasoning C:

• 1 tsp of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp of sugar

Seasoning D:

• 1 tsp of fish sauce (you may add a bit more oyster sauce if you don't have fish sauce in your pantry)
• 2 limes juiced
• 1 tsp of dark soy sauce

1. Marinate the chicken with Seasoning C in a large mixing bowl for 20 mins - 1 hour.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan in low heat and fry Spices A until fragrant, then add Spices B. Fry for another 2 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high, put the chicken in and fry until well-combined, stirring frequently. Let it heat up for 3 minutes, and then add water.
4. Mix well and bring it to boil. When boil, turn the heat down to low-medium heat, cook covered for 20 minutes.
5. Pour in the milk and cover the pan until the sauce turn somewhat thicker. If using coconut milk, the sauce will be much thicker.
6. Lastly, add Seasoning D, stir until well mix and serve with rice.

Serving suggestion:

With brown rice and stir fry okra/lady fingers with garlic.