Archive for category My Cook Book

The Chicken that seduces Rice

How do you like your steamed chicken? Do you chop it into chunks with bone intact and steam it or do you go for boneless chicken breast? For me I always like to to steam the chicken without chopping it, no de-boning before steaming what so ever. This way its juices sealed inside the chicken and the meat is tender yet juicy.

I bet  with this simple dish, your Hubby will eat alot of rice, also if he likes ginger even more rice!!

To begin with, I use half free range chicken for the steaming, enough for 2-3 person. Sprinkle a teaspoon of fine salt on the chicken and leave it. You dont have to rub it  on the skin, I am making chicken that is salty and seduces.  Wahahhaha joking

 

 Also I fried some julienne ginger, onion,  with chinese black mushroom cut in cubes until fragrant with 1 tsp of soy sauce. Set aside.

In a wok, when the water has reached its boiling point, put the chicken to steam. A medium size chicken takes about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it there for another 10-15 minutes to make sure that the heat inside the chicken is still cooking and yet the chicken will not be overcooked.  After that, remove it and give the chicken a cold bath for 5 minutes.

Ini ayam suka mandi -oh!!

 Do not throw away the steam chicken broth, put it back into the steamer/ wok  to keep warm if you like.  Chop the chicken into bite size. I like boneless chicken too, so I’ve deboned the chicken except its wing part. Its easier that way too, as after the chicken is deboned, you dont need to use much strength to chop the chicken and the juices  and small sharp shards of bone ‘terbang’ everywhere. Less cleanup to do.

Plate up the steam chicken with its broth and fried gingers on top.

 Try to make this dish and then you’ll know why I said this recipe of Steamed Chicken seduces rice!!

 

 

 

 

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Easy Sunday Meal, Baked Potatoes

Lazy Sunday morning.. er probably ‘mor-noon’ or ‘ning-noon’. bleh.. what am I doing try to create a new word? What do you usually do on a Sunday? Do you like Sunday at all? I am more a Saturday person as Saturday you know that the next day is Sunday and you dont have to go to work. Saturday is always better than Sunday. Sunday for many people are meant for – do nothing day. For me is the other way round. Its the day where I cook and do housecleaning and visit my mother. I have a heck of a busy schedule on Sunday itself, usually I have no time to squeeze a nap or go for a movie on Sunday except  to hog the tv remote control while waiting for the laundry to be done. Totally Domestic Affair at home!! That’s how I spend my Sunday, so Auntie.. ewww :(

I should go shopping, go facial, tea with frens and go to gym. My goodness!! But get me  wrong, I enjoy my  cooking time at home and cooking keeps me happy and so, its okay to trade shopping with cooking (for a while).

On a Sunday I prefer to use the oven as I can do so much at one time while cooking. Roasting or baking is one of the best cooking method on a lazy or busy day. The result for that, Mood lifting Meal,  Good Food at home.

Please.. try to make this at home. Bake a potato!!

I gather what I have at home, Jack Potatoes Medium size, you dont have to peel. Give it a good wash or scrub, drizzle and coat evenly with olive oil, a pinch of salt and some pepper and bake the potatoes about 170C for 1.5-2hours. Its easier to cook the potatoes if you prick it with fork but I dont like it that way. You can bake the potatoes the night before if you like, maybe before bedtime just set the timer probably bake an hour then reserve another half of the baking time to do it the next day if you want to have a quick and fast meal.

Also prepare some meat, I am using here Ayamas Black Pepper sausage, one yellow onion medium size and 3 eggs. For the Eggs I made a scramble egg and put aside for the sauce making later.

How to know if the potato is ready? As I said I dont like to prick it, so test it with your hand. You will be able to squeeze the flesh of the potatoes without too  much resistance. Remove it from the oven, let it cool for say 10 minutes. Cut the potato to half and then scoop  the flesh.  You dont have to be perfect on how much flesh left with the skin on, just try not to break the skin and make a big hole out of it will do, that’s why cooling the potatoes is important to achieve that. Simply chop the potatoes flesh and add a pinch of salt, butter, parmesan cheese and whatever seasoning that rocks your mind. In my opinion potatoes taste  best with just salt and butter.

 

Put back all the potatoes flesh into the skin, use  aluminium foil to wrap the skin too like shown on the photo. The reason for the aluminium foil is it functions like a potato holder and protects the skin from burnt / charred when I put it into the oven for the 2nd time. Put some cheese on top of the potatoes filling and bake again for 10 minutes.

 

While waiting for potatoes in oven, prepare sauce!! Very simple.

Fry the onion and sausage cubes prepared earlier until fragrant. Add Omelette. Then open a can of baked bean and cook for 2 minutes until everything is hot and cooking hot hot hot. Then open another can of whole tomatoes just pour everything in and bring to boil, add a pinch of salt and some pepper. The sauce is ready. Simple right?

Now, the baked potatoes are ready to be serve.

Just put the baked potatoes on the plate, remove the aluminium foil and serve generously with baked bean sauce.

 

This is one of the most satisfying Sunday Afternoon meal you can cook anytime at home.  A squeeze of lemon juice if you like!

 

 

 

 

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Tomato Cream Pasta with Chorizo in 30 minutes

Last weekend I went to HomeDec Expo at KLCC and bought 5 copies of GoodFood Magazine for only MYR10. Eventhough it is past publications but I do not mind, afterall when does recipes has expiration right? I’d always love cookbook and everytime I passes by any bookstore I’ll be at the cookbook section.  

I did not take leave on Monday like most of my colleaque does and tts the Labour Holiday the next day. I love holiday and since I do not need to work the next day I decided to make this hearty meal. I know Hubby need some comfort food and I’d like to keep his tummy warm. 

Went to Village Grocer and bought a pack of Pasta (at last no more pasta at home) and saw they also selling Chorizo. F**k liao, so expensive lah!! But I always wanted to try Chorizo ever since  I saw Nigella Lawson use it in many of her recipes.

 The original ingredients needed for this recipe as per the photo above, as usual I did not follow and prepared a variation of it based on what I have at home. Truly Mrshomely.

First in a pot cook the pasta following packet instruction usually it takes 10-15 minutes. Then caramalized the onions and honey bake ham by slowly cooking it with olive oil. I am using the Olive Oil infused with Feta Cheese. I dont usually use the olive oil in such a way, it is quite a waste to use it for cooking but I figure I am using feta cheese later on so I steal abit from the bottle. Its so fragrant I tell ya!!

Caramelizing… yummmmm. Once its done, dish out and set a side.

 Now to make the sauce  snip the end of the Chorizo sausage package and squeeze out the fillings. Dont waste the sausage skin, its slightly harder than normal sausage skin and chewy. So I chop it into tiny tiny pieces and fry everything together. You need not to add anymore oil, as the pan already coated with olive oil. Dont forget to mash the chorizo feeling ops fillings, slow cook it until fragrant. Add chilli padi if you like some spicy to it, or pepper or chilli flakes on your own preference.

Then stir in 1 tbsp of tomato paste and 3tbsp of cream. The recipe call for creme fraiche but I do have balance of Whipped cream from the tiramisu I made recently, so I subsitute whipped cream with cream fraiche. All I need for the similar flavour was to squeeze some lime juice to the pasta befor serving.

When the pasta ready, add into the pan, add the caramalized onion and ham and stir evenly until coated with all the yummy sauce. Add some pasta water into the pan if the sauce is too thick or dry, a pinch of salt please.

 Tadaa!!! Serve with parmesan cheese or crumbled feta cheese with fresh herbs like spinach or sweet basil. I prefer feta cheese as I think parmesan too strong for this meal.

 My variation of pasta compared to the original recipe printed :P

 

 

 

 

 

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Peking Tong Ren Tang – Chinese Medical Hall

Have you heard of Peking Tong Ren Tang? It is a Famous chain of Chinese Medical Hall and they have an outlet conveniently located at PJ  SS2. The first impression this place gave me was, wow the workers here really come from China as the lady attending to us speak Mainland  mandarin and we have a hard time communicating with her. She asked us to write our Chinese Name on the Patient Registration card pulak. Lucky I know how to write my own name at least.

For first timer, you need to pay RM20 for registration. Then the 2nd time I visited I have to pay RM20 again. Maybe I misunderstood the 1st time I visited. This means everytime you come please pay RM20 before seeing the Chinese Medical Doctor. That’s the Doctor Fees.

Then the Chinese Doctor will Diagnose based on seeing the patient’s tongue and pulse  other than whatever we think is not right like difficulty in sleeping, sweaty palm, constipation, heaty etc. The doctor checked mine and said I’m stressful in office and easily aggitated. True hehe

After that she will write everything down and pass it to the assistance to prepare and pack the herbs for us.

Look at the amount of herbs!! OMG that much.. its  costly.

Still using chinese traditional weighing scale.

Its no fun boiling our own herbal drink. So we let them do it and pack it for us. Just need to wait 2 hours or  you can go home, go for a meal, or come back next day to collect it.

Nowadays, seeing the chinese medicine doctor is so convenient, but the price to pay of course is costly too for all the services.

 

 

 

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Mrshomely cook White Cake (bak kao)

 In my childhood years I used to go to Pasar Malam (night market) to buy white cake usually in the form of small bowl.  I like the blandness taste of the rice cake and the pairing with salty toppings of preserved carrots made it so delicious to eat.

Last year itsmevivian posted the recipe on how to make the white cake and I didn’t know it was so easy to make. So I followed her recipe for this simple chinese tea time food for a couple of times and the recipe never failed me. Now I can easily cook this dish in less than 30 minutes without looking at the recipe.

I have mastered this recipe.. wahahahhaha I have graduated!

You can browse itsmevivian for the recipe.

So let me show you how I make this simple tea time dish.

I bought a 500gm rice flour, pour half into the pot. Then add water about 500ml. I use whatever I can find to stir the rice flour and water together well. Start the fire, I dont have patience so I use medium to big fire, keep stirring until close to boiling point and reduce heat and keep stirring.

Then when the rice flour mix started to curdle please  off the fire.  Its okay if it looks ugly, taste the same. This is the lazy ppl method of cooking hehe

 Then use a container/ a mould to scoop the rice flour mixture into the mould. I use this rectangular glass that can withstand heat, can use in oven too. I put about a tablespoon of olive oil to coat the glass so that the rice cake doesn’t stick and easier for me to wash later.

Its hot in the kitchen, woohooo!!  having a cup of beer to chill while doing the cooking.

Scoop all the curdled rice flour into the mould and add some pepper if you want. Put it into the steamer and steam approximately 20-30 minutes depending.

 The next thing to do is to add ice into the beer glass. Ops!!  The next thing to do is to prepare the salty and savoury and full of flavours toppings. Ingredients up to you, use whatever in the fridge, meat, onion, chilli, salty vege, fresh vege, salt, anchovies, whatever you like.

Cook the ingredients make sure its enough to compliment and add flavour to the rice cake bland taste.  

 Serve the toppings  with white cake. Add soy sauce - secukup rasa. Up to you lar…

Simple isn’t it. Try making this!!

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Stay away from Butterfish for Butter Ass

I learn a life lesson before the arrival of Y2012 from the fish I ate at one of the Italian restaurant in Jaya One. I shouldn’t quote the name of the restaurant but the choice of fish they serve and failure to inform the diners of what are the side effects of it leave me with one feeling – H A T E !!!!!

To make it short,

STAY AWAY FROM EATING  BUTTERFISH!!!

Read on below here if you would like to know why, but its a disgusting experience I am going to write here. Up to you. Your choice to continue below or leave. Dont say I didnt warn you.

 

WHAT Happened

On 31st Dec 2011 I went for a workout at the GYM, I cycle, I Ran, I go for Sauna, and shower and then drink my coffeee while waiting for Hubby to pick me up after his golf session.

When I reached home, I have strong urge to pee, ok pee wasn’t the symptom. I just want to pee. So after I am done and wash I stand up and saw what looks like ‘Orangy Chilli Oil’ in the toilet bowl.. floating. I was alarmed at the sight of it!

First thought: Am I dying? Have I got any disease? OMG on New Year’s Eve?

I touch my ass**** and it felt so oily!!

Its disgusting!!

It smells like very strong Palm Oil that has gone bad.  (What would you expect it to smell? Smell Good from your ass****?)

Seriously??? 

What’s happening?!!  I dont feel anything and the liquid just drip out  and I dont have stomach pain, feverish nothing!

I quickly clean myself, showered and ran downstair to tell Hubby what happened.

His reply to me was: Smelly Ass.WTF!!

Then I type ORANGY OILY DROPS + DIARRHEA and  start googling.

Apparently what I am experiencing was the side effect of consuming the tasty creamy and delicious Butterfish (at the same time I imagined the flashbacks of how much I enjoyed eating the fish that taste like cod fish). Butterfish also known to some as escolar or snake mackerel or white tuna which may show the symptoms of anal leakage after 24-36 hours of consuming this fish because 20-30% of the oily contents from this fish cannot be digested by human thus the ugly experience.

That’s just great!! ’D O N T   L A U G H’!!

In some countries this fish was banned, read  here/Escolar

Then I start warning my friends and family of the danger of eating butterfish, some of them remarked that the Butterfish Sashimi taste great. Okay probably Sashimi might not gives you anal leakage but a cooked one certainly does.

So on the 1st day of New Year 2012, I wore a very long Sanitary Pad and are very concious of my fart. I also have to stay home so that I dont embarrass myself in public with the oily explosives.

What a ‘Happy’ New Year I’ve got!

 

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Christang Delicious Pork Burger

 Ooooh yes.. Pork Burger (drools)

A friend recommended this place for a delicious pork burger meal and Christang is located at Avenue 8, a short distance drive from our home, pretty convenient.

Eventhough I’ve grown from fat to fatter, nevermind about my weight now coz its PORK! furthermore  I went jogging earlier and burned a hundred calories so I’m allowed to chow down a thousand calories of pork meal.

* eyes rolling*

Again.. its Pork! Who cares about calories

Christang @ Avenue 8 is located at the opposite of PJ Hilton, that’s the only landmark I can describe or ex-Thrifty Supermarket which I assume  PJ-ians should know. The interior of the restaurant, cozy, romantic and quiet. Inside you can also find lots of small and cute piggie memorabilias decorating every corner of the restaurant.

You got to to love pork to come to this restaurant.

We ordered Mussels for appetizers

Oh Forgot to mention… they have this fantastic chopped petai sambal with minced pork (add on)  that is so delicious!!! (Okay I know Jynn hates petai ) Stink Bean aka Petai the name speak for its own, its smelly (click here wikipedia for petai) but I never eaten any petai ever since I got married and I want to eat it that day eventhough Hubby swears he wont kiss me that night (Stupid husband forbid me, said I will stink his toilet too)

Here’s the Pork burger I ordered – The Urban Legend with the chopped petai sambal.. Yummeh!!!! Drools… The petai sambal taste was just right, not pungent just a little hint of the petai and … my hubby who hates petai ate it too. The pork burger were served with a huge portion of the pork patty, bacon bits, melted cheese, Onion rings, picked cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and fried potatoes wedges.

I can’t finish the pork burger *damn*

 This one if not mistaken is Tandoori Pork Burger. Still Urban Legend wins! It taste better.

Hubby ordered the conventional Pork Burger, with Bacon and Pork patties. Urban Legend wins again.. The chopped petai sambal is just awesome :)

 I’ll definitely re-visit Christang again for the delicious Pork burger with PETAI.

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Creamy Mashed Potatoes

 I made a batch of sinfully fluffy, smooth and creamy mashed potatoes as a side dish for my Sunday dinner. This is by far one of the very simple recipe or method to make and it is so Yummeh!!!

I know there are many ways of making mashed potatoes and the first time I made one was from Jynn’s sister recipe which includes egg yolk and butter in it. However due to my recent diet attempt, I switch the usual recipe to a healthier version with the consistency of the KFC Mashed Potatoes less the salt, pepper and KFC secret ingredient -’the sauce’.

I am not bragging lah, it is delicious nonetheless.

First, cook potatoes in salted water until soft. Peel off the skin.

Here’s the easy part. Use a grater to shred the potatoes flesh, it save you tons of energy compare by using a fork and it is not as smooth and fine as a grater.

 

Blop the shredded potatoes into a a saucepan or pot on slow fire. Slowly add milk depending on the thickness you want and stir.

Add salt and pepper according to taste!

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

 Very tasty and smooth yo….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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