TFC Chicken Curry

A good chicken curry can fix almost anything. For those not accustomed to spicy food, you need to understand the science behind why this darling dish is Asia’s most favourite. Almost every home has a well protected family recipe.

The chili that is used in the curry (or capsaicinoids in it) binds to the receptors in the lining of the mouth. This receptor registers pain from heat, creating sort of a burning feeling, resulting from the flow of calcium ions between the cells. This molecule has an electron poor area, which is attracted to the electron rich area of the receptor protein. Regular intake of  spicy food can deplete these receptors, enabling you to eat hotter chillies with the same effect. The burning sensation causes our body to release endorphins,  the natural painkillers, resulting in a feeling of happiness and well being.

Ingredients
• ½ chicken cut into moderate pieces
• 3 tablespoon of vegetable or cooking oil
• 1 cup of fresh coconut milk
• Some coriander leaves chopped roughly
• 2 Potatoes diced into big chunks
• 1 medium tomato, cut into quarters
• 1 cup water
• Whole spice
o 1-2 Star anise
o 3 cloves
o 1 cinnamon
o 2 cardamon
o 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• Salt

Paste 1
• 6 garlic cloves
• 3.shallots (small red onions)
• 1” ginger
• 1 lemon grass ( peel the outer layer), slice them ( don't use the green more woody part at the top )
• ½” blue ginger/ galengga
• ¼” yellow ginger
• Water enough to blend the paste

Paste 2
• 2 – 3 tablespoon chicken curry powder
• 1 tablespoon plain Chili powder
• 2 candle nuts
• Water enough to blend the paste

Directions
• Blend paste 1 and 2. Set them aside.
• Place a heavy pot on medium flame and pour oil.
• Throw in the whole spice into the hot oil. Temper until spices releases fragrance.
• Next add paste 1 and cook till translucent and fragrant.
• Add the chicken and mix evenly till all the chicken pieces are coated with the paste.
• Add the tomato and a dash of salt. Let everything cook for just a few minutes.
• Now add paste 2, potatoes, and mix evenly.
• Turn the flame slower if needed and cover for 4 minutes. Keep watch, so that the paste doesn't burn but gently cooks with the chicken and the potatoes.
• At this point the chicken should start to release it’s juices into the paste and lighten it a bit.
• Add sufficient hot or warm water to the curry to the consistency that you wanted. Still keep it thick so that you can add the coconut milk last.
• Let everything simmer till the potatoes are perfectly cooked.
• Lastly add the coconut milk and let it come to a simmer.
• Taste and adjust salt.
• Lastly add the coriander leaves and turn off the flame.

Notes: Serve with white rice, noodles, flat bread or toast. Goes well with a fresh cucumber and pineapple salad on the side.

Chicken Sausages in Sweet Soy Caramel Sauce

Sausages are not the healthiest of food choice, but we all have our own cravings for dirty food. My advice, choose something fresh from your butcher, preferably chicken sausages. Leave the grill, mustard and ketchup that is usually associated with sausages. Pick a frying pan and wooden spatula, this is a delicious sweet and spicy 10 minutes stir fry that goes with bread, rice or on its own.

Ingredients
• 4 – 6 sausages sliced diagonally into 3mm thickness pieces.
• 1 potato cut into 5mm thickness chips
• ½ green bell pepper, sliced diagonally into chunky pieces
• 1 big red onion, sliced into 5mm thickness rings
• 2 garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, cut into fine julienne
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy caramel sauce
• 4 to 5 tablespoon water
• 1 to 2 tablespoon oil
• Pinch of salt

Direction
• Heat a heavy frying pan on the stove (medium flame)
• Pour oil and heat it gently.
• Add the sausages, potato chips and just a dash of salt (but not enough to season just yet). Cook them till both the potato chips and sausages are starting to brown. The chips usually are somewhat half cooked at this point.
• Add the paprika and white pepper powder. Give a quick stir.
• Add mince garlic and ginger. Let it cook till translucent and then stir evenly.
• Drizzle both the dark and light soya source.
• Pour water and mix everything evenly.
• Add the onion and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Lastly add the bell pepper, give a quick stir and remove pan from stove.
• Add salt to taste.

The heat from white pepper and paprika is perfect when combined with the thick sweet soy caramel sauce. The potato chips and crunchy bell peppers soaks up the sauce and completes the dish with all the nutrients you need in a single dish. Make you feel a lot less guilty.

Pasta with Dried Chilli and Seafood

I love localising pasta dishes according to regional taste (Asian or Chinese inspired). This version is one of my favourites. It’s spicy and can be accompanied by any white fish, squids or prawns. Best, the chilli paste can be pre-prepared and used over a period of two weeks for a variety of dishes. Means, meals can be prepared in record time.

 

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot (small red onion)
• 10 dried red chillies, seeded and soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
• 10 prawns, skin removed and deveined
• ½ carrot, thin swirls (or just Julien it)
• Some cabbage thinly sliced
• Pasta for two servings
• 1 to 2 Kasturi limes (or quarter of a lime), extract the juice
• 3 to 4 tablespoon of coconut oil (cold press or virgin is best)
• Salt to taste  

Directions

• Boil water with a bit of salt and few drops of oil. Cook the pasta till al dente and drain it (overcooking the pasta will spoil the dish).
• In the meantime, take a mortar, add the garlics, shallot and soaked chillies. Pound till it becomes a paste (but still coarse). You can also store the paste if there is leftover.
• Take a large sauce pan, pour the oil and heat it on medium flame. Add the chilli paste into the oil and let it cook for 2 minutes. 
• Then add the prawns and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Add lime juice and a bit of salt.
• Once ingredients have amalgamated, turn off the flame.
• Add the pasta, carrots, and cabbage into the prawn and chilli. Mix evenly. 
• Adjust salt and acidity.

Serving Note: Goes great by itself and with sparkling wines. You can also replace the carrot and cabbage with zucchini swirls. If you can't get coconut oil, use good quality sun flower oil.

Pandan infused Beans Sprout

The humble beans sprout is hardly a dollar a bag in Asia. Widely used by the Chinese and people of the Indo-Cina region in their soups, stir fries and spring rolls, this sprout is highly nutritious, packed with Vitamin C, B and other nutrients that keeps your body young. I love this vegetable just the way it is – crunchy, hydrating and sweet. The mix of soy sauce, white pepper and honey along with ‘pandan’ infused shallot oil, only enhances its already naturally fragrant and fresh taste.

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 cups beans sprout (mung bean sprouts), roots removed, washed in cold water and drained
• ½ a carrot finely julienned
• 4 to 5 shallots finely sliced (smallest red onion)
• 3 to 4 tablespoon chicken stock ( or just use water)
• ½ teaspoon of white pepper powder
• 2 to 3 tablespoon light soya saucer
• 1 tablespoon honey (or sugar)
• 1 pandan leaf cut into 4 pieces and squish then
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil (or canola)
• Pinch of salt

Direction

• Prepare a low depth dish (2 to 2.5 inch) for the beans sprout (so that you are not scrambling for a dish later).
• Boil water in a deep pot.
• Turn the stove off, after water starts to boil.  Blanch the beans sprouts and julienned carrot together for a minute or two (don't let it get soggy, vegetables must still be crunchy when you take them out).
• Drain the water from the blanched vegetables and place it on the serving dish prepared earlier.
• Mix light soya sauce, honey, chicken stock, salt and white pepper powder in a pan on lowest heat. The mix should never boil, just heated gently until everything is amalgamated smoothly. Once sauce is ready, pour it over the beans sprout on the dish.
• In another sauce pan heat the oil and fry the sliced shallots along with the squished pandan (screw pines) leaves together.
• Once onions are golden brown, turn the stove off and scoop the oil and pour over the beans sprout.

Serving note: This is a great dish to go along with any spicy fish, chicken or tofu dishes. I also often have it, all by itself with just brown or red rice. For vegans and vegetarians, you just have to replace the chicken stock with water. You will still get satisfactory results.




 

Yogurt Gravy with Thai Eggplants

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We start 2017 with a yogurt gravy that is somewhat Indian of origin but modified to suit current times. This is also a great dish after all that partying we did to usher the new year. It relaxes the body system and energises for all that is coming. It cures hangovers, flu and even an upset stomach. Best of all, it is packed with nutrients and takes only 10 to 15 minutes to get done. If you are a vegan, you can use black gram water (1 tablespoon black gram powder added to 1 cup water) with almost the same result but tasting equally divine.

Yogurt Gravy with Thai Eggplants

Ingredients

• 3 cups yogurt
• 6 shallots diced
• 3 clove garlic minced fine 
• 2 green chillies chopped
• 1 inch ginger, cut into thin julienne
• 1 bunch coriander leaves chopped fine
• 1 coriander root sliced thin
• 4 thai white eggplants sliced into ½ cm thickness disks
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon black mustard seed
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seed
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seed
• ½ teaspoon black gram seed
• 5 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 Tablespoon clarified butter
• Salt

Direction

• Pour yogurt in a bowl and whisk the yogurt lightly with a fork until the mix is silky and free of lumps. Add a bit of water if necessary.
• Place the eggplants in another bowl and mix it evenly with turmeric, paprika and salt. 
• Pour 2 to 3 tablespoon of oil in a pan, on medium flame. Pan fry the eggplants till both sides are golden. This might take between 2 to 3 minutes max. Once done set the eggplants aside.
• Use the same pan and turn flame to medium low. Pour 2 tablespoon oil in the pan.
• Once oil is hot, add the black mustard seed, fenugreek seed, fennel seed and black gram seed. Let it pop. 
• Next add the onions, chillies, ginger, garlic and coriander root. 
• Add clarified butter and let the onions caramelised while everything becomes fragrant.
• Add the yogurt mix and stir constantly until it comes to a soft first boil.
• Add salt to taste.
• Add the coriander leaves and the eggplants into the sauce.
• Give it a light mix and remove the stove.

Serving Note : Serve with hot white rice. Best eaten during lunch with other accompaniments such as fried potatoes, or even grilled fish, prawns or squids.

Spicy Fried Chicken

A Sunday picnic without some old fashion fried chicken is just a complete bore. How else would one spoil themselves and their loved ones. Pick a healthy free range chicken and you will certainly notice the difference in the meat quality and overall taste. This recipe is pretty straight forward and the coconut cream is optional, but does add a tropical tone to the chicken.

Spicy Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 chicken cut into medium size pieces (4 to 6 minutes cooking time roughly)
• 2 tablespoon coconut cream (optional)
• Salt
• 3 eggs beaten
• Canola oil for frying

For the Marinate

• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1 inch ginger
• ¼ cm yellow ginger
• 6 to 8 dried chillies, seeded and soaked in water
• ½ teaspoon fennel seed
• ¼ teaspoon coriander seed
• ¼ cumin seed

For Coating

• 1 ½ cup flour
• ½ cup corn flour
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 inch cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• Salt to taste

Direction

• Blend all the items for the marinate with a bit of water to form a fine smooth paste.
• In a big bowl, mix the chicken pieces with the paste mentioned above, salt and coconut cream thoroughly. Set it aside to marinate for 2 hours minimum (best 5 hours).
• In the meantime dry blend the clove, star anise, cinnamon and white pepper to form a fine powder.
• In a rectangle baking tray mix flour, corn flour, paprika powder, salt and the dry blended spice powder evenly. Set it aside for coating the chicken later.
• In another bowl, beat the eggs till light and smooth.
• Once chicken is ready (marinated enough), heat the deep fryer on medium heat.
• Take the chicken pieces, dip into the beaten eggs, coat generously with flour mix and place it carefully into the fryer.  
• Let•it fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Once chicken is golden and crispy, take the chicken out and drain it on a paper towel.
• Repeat the dipping, coating and frying of chicken pieces until all the chicken pieces are fried.

Serving Notes: Pack it for your Sunday picnic, brunch, or lunch. Serve by itself, or with home made chili or mayo sauce. Also goes well with rice mix, or to complement noodles.

Okra and Patatoes Stir Fry

This is kind of Indian but improvised to suit current taste and somewhat nostalgic to me.  Tasty and packed with stuff that is beneficial to health, but you can totally go away with the mustard, fennel and black gram seeds if you wish too.  It’s a great side dish for fish or prawn curries. Best of all you can whip this up in 10 minutes.

Okra and Potatoes Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 15 to 20 ladies fingers, sliced diagonally into ¼ cm thickness
• 2 potatoes peeled and diced thin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin, crushed roughly
• ½ teaspoon coriander seed, crushed roughly
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 5 shallots minced
• 2 to 3 red chillies minced
• 1 cm ginger minced
• 1 tablespoon of mustard seed, fennel seed, and black gram seed mix
• 4 to 5 tablespoon canola oil  
• Salt to taste

Directions

• Mix the diced potatoes with salt,cumin, coriander seed, turmeric and paprika powder in a bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wide pan and sauté the potatoes. Potatoes need not be crispy, but must be soft and starting to brown at the edges (if needed sprinkle a bit of water till potato softens). 
• Move the potatoes to the side of the pan and add the mustard–fennel-black gram seed mix. 
• Once the mustard has popped, add the garlic, shallots, chillies, ginger. Cook till translucent.
• Add the ladies finger and stir the mix in high heat, till the slime is gone.
• Salt to taste and remove from the stove.

Serving note : Serve with fragrant rice, bread, or savoury crepes. Elevate this simple stir fry into a wrap using flatbreads or crepe; or as a side dish for seafood courses.