Saturday, August 22, 2009

How To Saute Your Veggies In A Microwave Oven

Yes, microwave oven is a very versatile kitchen machine I can not live without. When I saute veggie, what I hate most is the splashing oil everywhere. And the oily floor also.
Do it with microwave oven and you can get rid of all those stuffs.

What you need to do in advance is to prepare some fragrant oil.

What is fragrant oil?

Here the recipe for you :


1 cup cooking oil
2 tbsp chopped garlics

What to do :

Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the chopped garlics until fragrant and golden in color. Keep the oil in a glass jar. That is it!

Next on I will post some microwave saute vegies recipe for you.

Friday, August 21, 2009

How To Keep Your Spices and Flour For A Long Period Of Time

Spices such as shallot, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, chillies, etc are essensial in cooking. All those stuffs we need only a small amount in our dishes, then what would we do to the left over spices? Let them dry out and all go to trash basket. What a waste!!! Actually you can save them all. Do not let them dry out. Keep them in your freezer. Can be kept for months.

Spring onion/leek, onion, celery, pepper, five spice powder, coriander powder, also can be kept in your freezer.

Other stuffs are any kinds of flour. Tang mien flour, corn flour, tapioca starch, cake flour. Keep them in the refrigerator ( do not put them in freezer ) to keep away the bugs and bad smell.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Chinese Steamed Buns / Bak Pao



Just leave your e-mail ID, and you will get the recipe

Anchovies, Potatoes, and Peanuts Sambal / Sambal Teri, Kentang dan Kacang



Do you need the recipe? Tell me where you reside and leave your e-mail. I will get back to you asap!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Flour coated Fried Chicken with Coriander Seed/ Ayam Goreng Tepung dengan Ketumbar


I have many fried chicken recipes, but this one is absolutely a keeper. Beside the yummilicious taste, it can be kept in refrigerator for a week. No need to re-fried, just heat in microwave oven, it tastes as good as freshly fried one. It also goes well with warm rice.

Ingredients :

500 gr chicken breast fillets
Oil for frying
50 gr all purpose flour

Other Ingredients :
15 gr ground coriander seeds
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
8 gr salt
12 gr chopped garlics
1 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsb pepper
1 tbsp sugar

Methods :
Marinade the chickens fillets with the other ingredients for at least 1 hour or overnite in the refrigerator.
Add 50 gr of all purpose flour, mix well and fried them right away. Serve hot.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Huat Kuih/Kue Mangkok


I myself do not like this kuih, but it seems like this is a very important kuih to offer for worship on the ancestor’s altar. I love to make this kuih because the process and the result. When I opened my steamer and found my kuih all were smile widely, I would smile as well. There are many stuffs we have to know to make this kuih successfully. The steamer has to be filled with water at least ¾ part full. The water must be ragely boiled when you put in the kuih to be steamed. You have to keep the steam inside the steamer during the steam session ( the lid must be tight enough ) and no peeking. The best cups for this kuih mould are those with holes. Remember, NO PEEKING AT ALL !!!!


Ingredients :

For the ‘tapeh’ :
1 ‘tapeh’ yeast ( ciu pia ), grind into powder
250 gms cooled cooked rice

Methods :
Make the tape :
In a clean and dry plastic box, spread a thin layer of the tape yeast, then arrange a thin layer of rice, spread a thin layer of tape yeast on the rice layer, arrange another layer of rice, another layer of tape yeast until the rice is used up. The last layer must be a thin layer of yeast. Cover the box with a piece of paper, tie up with rubber band, let it be fermented for 48 hours.

Other ingredients :
500 gms rice flour
250 gms sugar
600 gms washing rice water (when we wash rice for the second time, save the water)
1 pack of ENO fruit salt ( can be substituted with 1 Vit.C effervescent tablet, eg. Redoxon, grind the tablet into powder )

Method :
Put the tapeh into a blender and blend into puree.
Add the sugar into the water to dissolve, then add the syrup to the flour. Add in the tapeh, blend well, check the lumps.
Keep the batter in a warm place for 3 hours.
After 3 hours, stirr the batter slightly (2x or 3 x) , add in a pack of ENO, stirr slightly (2x or 3x) until the ENO dissolve, do not stirr till the foam fade away.
Pour the batter into the paper lined cup, steam for 15 minutes. Do not put too many cups into the steamer.

Tips : for pink huat kuih, slightly tint the batter with pink food coloring, do this before the ENO.

Selat Popiah " The Cups"/Mangkok Salad


Chicken Curry/Gulai Ayam



I used to wonder why did my curry appear not as great as those served in Padang resto, but later after many many attemps, I found out the clues. First of all, we have to use a lot of oil and red chillies for color. When we dont like it hot, substitute the red chillies with red paprika will do it. The second clue is the thick coconut milk. When add the thick coconut milk, don’t do it at rage boiling stage, wait until it cool down a bit, then add the thick coconut milk, keep stirring until it boils. If you stop stirring at this stage, the coconut milk will appear break


Ingredients :

1 chicken, cut into small pieces
1 grated coconut, add 1 cup of warm water, extract the thick coconut milk, then add 2 liters water and extract the thin coconut milk
Salt to taste
Knorr cube chicken flavour to taste
1 cup cooking oil

Ground Spices :

6 gms peeled ginger
15 gms tumeric
30 gms galangal
35 gms shallot
15 gr garlic
2 red chillies, add more when like it hot
80 gms red paprika, for color
15 gms candlenut
15 gms lemon grass, white part only
15 gms ground coriander seed
1 tsp ground pepper

Other Spices :
3 bay leaves
6 kaffir lime leaves
1 star anise
4 cloves
2 tumeric leaves, knot
1 cardamom

Methods :
Heat oil in a skillet, add in the ground spices when oil is hot enough. The amount of oil should cover the ground spices. Keep stirring until fragrant and the oil color turn into orange. Put in the chicken, stirr until it is half cooked. Transfer to a big pot. Pour in the thin coconut milk, other spices, Knorr cube and salt to taste. Cook until the chicken is done. TURN THE FIRE TO LOW, wait 5 minutes, then carefully pour in the thick coconut milk, keep stirring until it boils slightly, turn off the stove.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Aloe Vera Beverage/Minuman Lidah Buaya






Aloe vera in Indonesian Language is lidah buaya, meaning croc tongue. Does a croc has tongue? Funny name.
When I was kid, the only usage of aloe vera was for the growth of the hair. But later they found out that this plant also can be consumed and is good for skin and hair, and can prevent cancer as well.
I have tried out this recipe, it tastes great, though I didn’t eat too much worry I might allergic to it. Who knows?


Ingredients :

5 aloe vera big leaves, peel the leaves, take the white gelatinous part only
1 ripe mango, diced
Passion fruits syrup, or any syrup of your choice
1 can of canned longans, drain the syrup
Diced jack fruits
Sugar
Salt
Ice cubes

Methods :

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add the peeled aloe vera leaves, and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, drain.
Cubed and boil them again once more for 5 minutes. Drain.
Add sugar to the cooked and drained aloe vera. Set aside.
Prepare the fruits and the syrup. Add in the aloe vera and ice cubes.
Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Roasted Peanuts Made Easy / Kacang Tanah Gongseng


Many recipes call for roasted peanuts such as ang koo filling, mua chee coating, acar awak and many more. But to make roasted peanuts with a skillet or oven will take too much time and too many kitchen utensils to clean up. With a microwave oven, making roasted peanuts sounds like fun. Easy and neat !


Ingredients :
500 grams dried peanuts with or without skin
A pyrex pie pan or any microwavable pan big enough for the peanuts

Methods:
Wash the peanuts under running tap water. Do it fast don’t soak the peanuts.
Drain the peanuts and put them into the pie pan.
Microwave them at high, and stirr them every minute until the peanuts get dry and golden brown in color.
The time it takes depends on the microwave power, mine takes only 5 and a half minutes!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Black Mushrooms/Ayam Tumis Kentang dan Jamur


This is easy dish yet yummy with a very little seasonings. It has thick sauce, a bit sweet in taste, makes a good company for warm rice. For the potatoes, they can be fried or not up to our like. I mostly did it without frying the potatoes to save a lot of work, and the dishes still taste great.

Ingredients :

1 chicken of 800 to 900 grams in weight, cut into small pieces
1 ripe tomato, cut into pieces
4 black mushrooms, soak and cut each into 8
3 potatoes, peel , cut into pieces, fried
1 stalk spring onion
Half tbsp chopped garlic
Half tbsp julienned ginger
Oil

Seasonings :
1/2 tsp pepper
Salt
to taste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce

Method :
Heat a little oil in a wok and saute the chopped garlic and julienned ginger until golden brown and fragrant. Put in black mushroom, spring onion and tomato, keep stirring. Add in the chicken and potatoes, stirr until half cooked. Pour in 2 cups of water and seasonings to taste. Cook until the chicken is tender and the sauce thicken. Dish up.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Salted Duck Eggs / Telur Asin


I was always tempted to purchase when I saw duck eggs. The unique shape and color or the shells attracted me. Some are greenish, while others have pure snow white color. The greenish was laid by those ducks with black feathers. And to my surprise, the greenish one is more expensive than the white one. When both of them have the same nutrition, why would people have to pay more for the shells they don’t eat? Some people here believe the greenish egg has healing power. That is it!
When I had duck eggs in hand, the only idea I have in mind was salted duck eggs.

Ingredients:
10 good quality fresh uncooked duck egg, wash off duck shit and let them air dry
Enough cooking salt
Transparent plastic bag
Rubber bands

Method:
Put the cleaned duck eggs into refrigerator to let them chilled for a while.
Take them out and let them sweat at room temperature.
Put 2 tbsp salt in a small bowl and roll the wet eggs in the salt to catch as much salt as possible. Do it 1 by 1 and arrange them in the plastic bag, preferably in 1 layer.
Tie up the plastic bag with a rubber band.
Put them in a place with enough light (avoid direct sunshine) at room temperature.
The salted duck eggs will be ready in 14 to 20 days when you are in tropic, and will take longer time the cooler the weather ( up to 30 days ).
Don’t forget to turn the plastic bag over everyday to make sure the brine gets around all of the eggs inside the bag.
How do you know when the salted duck eggs are ready :
Take 1 and shake it hardly several times. If you can hear ‘the solid egg yolk hits the shell‘ sound, then it is ready.
Or just simply hard boiled it!
When the salted duck eggs are ready, wash off the salt, let them dry, put them in an air tight container and keep them in refrigerator.
You can hard boiled them anytime and enjoy!