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.

French Beans with Almonds and Cashews

Stir Fried French Beans with Almonds and Cashews

Sometimes, all I want is a delicious 10 minutes dish that is versatile enough to complement main course and is highly nutritious. Furthermore, I eat meat or any form of animal protein only on an occasional basis. Maintaining a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle helps to maintain good health, age gracefully and keep a sharp mind, as my grandmother put it.

Ingredients
• 15 to 20 french beans stringed and sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 3 garlic minced
• ½ onion minced
• 5 almonds crushed roughly
• 5 cashews crushed roughly
• One or two grate of nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoon canola oil or olive oil
• Salt to taste

Directions
• Heat oil in pan
• Add garlic, onion and cook till translucent
• Add the nuts and sauté till light golden
• Add the french beans
• Add white pepper, stir for 2 minute (or till beans are cooked)
• Add salt and remove from stove

Serving note : Serve with fragrant rice, bread, or savoury crepes. Elevate this simple stir fry into a wrap using flatbreads or crepe; a side dish for your main course. Goes well with seafood, meat or tofu.

Coconut Candy Bars with Muscovado Sugar

Coconut Candy Bars

A good sweet treat at the end of a meal is a ‘delish’ to complete any culinary experience. This treat is between a cookie and a candy that melts in your mouth almost like a sugar cookie. The bars are full of fresh toasty coconut, covered with dark muscovado sugar, rich in molasses and laced delicately by the black sesame that makes it exquisite nutty fragrant candy bars. Each scrumptious bite makes you feel deserving and I strongly believe anything in moderation will only lift your spirits (And yes, this includes sugar).

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 cups freshly grated coconut 
• ½ cup muscovado sugar
• ½ cup castor sugar
• 1 cup condensed milk
• 1 cup hot water 
• ½ teaspoon expresso coffee
• 10 tablespoon black sesame seed, toasted lightly and grind into a fine cakey powder (without any water)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Directions

• Prepare a ‘20 x 20 x 4cm’ square baking tin and set it aside.
• Mix the sesame powder with the fresh coconut evenly in a bowl and set aside.
• In another bowl, add the muscovado sugar and pour hot water. Stir the mix until sugar is completely dissolved, then strain it to remove impurities or lumps.
• Heat a heavy wide pan on low medium flame. Pour the muscovado sugar syrup, and the castor sugar into the pan. Let it simmer until the syrup is thick and slightly sticky (avoid stirring).
• Next add coffee, salt, and condensed milk to the syrup. Give the syrup a good mix and simmer for couple more minutes. 
• Followed by the coconut and sesame mix into the simmering syrup. Stir the mix until syrup has covered the coconut evenly. 
• At this point you can add the vanilla and keep stirring until mix is thick, sticks together and comes away from the pan. This may take about 30 to 40 minutes.  
• When the candy mixture is done, spoon it into the baking tin and use a spoon to level and smooth it out. 
• Let the coconut candy to set for 10 to 15 minutes and use a knife to cut it into squares in the pan.  Leave the coconut candy bars, for further cooling and setting.
• Once completely cool, (at this point you will be able to remove the bars but it may be still a bit moist), leave overnight in the fridge.
• Take the candy bars out of the pan the next day and store them in a jar. 

Serving Note: You can have this coconut bars as dessert after a meal, or for tea, crumbled on ice creams and puddings.

Happy cooking !

Creamy Yellow Lentils

The lentil and rice duo are nostalgic, a reminder of childhood, affectionate love, innocence, happiness and self awareness in its purest form. A plate of lentil and rice, creates a warm loving place to hide from all the troubles of the world. At least that’s what it means to me. Lentils are available in many types, from black, green, orangey red to bright yellow. It is the perfect base for soups, gravies or deep fried snacks. High in protein, starch that breaks down slower than rice, vitamin B, iron, phosphorus and zinc makes it a wholesome, diabetic friendly food.

The lentils in this recipe are sweet and creamy but without being overwhelming to the palate,  as they are perfectly balanced by the spicy, citrusy, minty and zesty flavours of the coriander, cumin and lime juice. The tempered agents adds smokiness that is sweet, warm, fragrant and nutty. The crispy potato garnish subtly complements the lentils with a bit of saltiness and crunch that lifts sophistication of this ordinary dish.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup yellow lentils, soak in water for 1 to 2 hours
• 3 cloves garlic, skin removed
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon cashew and almond paste
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and crushed or broken
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and crushed or broken
• 2 to 3 tablespoon coriander leaves
• 1 tablespoon lime juice or tamarind
• 1 tablespoon cream (or coconut cream)
• 1 teaspoon molasses sugar/palm sugar
• Salt to taste

     For Tempering

• 1 teaspoon mustard seed+black gram+fenugreek seed+fennel seed mix
• 8 shallots or 1 big onion diced roughly
• 1 inch ginger, cut into thin julienne
• 2- 3 dried red chillies, cut into 1 inch length
• 1 tomato diced into 8 pieces (optional) 
• 1 to 2 coriander roots
• 1 teaspoon molasses sugar/palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon ghee (optional)
• 3 tablespoon coconut oil

     For Garnish

• 1 Potato, cut into thin strips (or diced thin and filmy)
• 1 teaspoon chilli/paprika powder
• 5 shallots, sliced thin
• Salt to taste
• Canola oil for frying

Directions

• In a bowl mix patatoes, onions, chili powder and salt.
• Fry the potatoes and onion mix till crispy and set it aside for garnishing later.
• In a pot, cook lentils on medium heat with 4 cups water (or a bit more), few drops of oil, garlic, salt and turmeric till almost mushy (This stage is important, lentils must be yellow, cooked and soft).   
• Once lentils are cooked, turn flame to low, add a bit more water as needed and let it come to a simmer.
• Add cashew, almond paste along with sugar, cumin and coriander seeds, let it simmer.
• In the meantime, in a frying pan, pour two or three tablespoon of oil and caramelise the sugar.
• Add onions, cook till it start to turn slightly golden.
• Next, add the mustard seed mix and let it pop.
• Followed by ginger, coriander root and dried chillies.  Cook till the ingredients start to turn light golden.
• Add the tomatoes and ghee, cook for a minute.
• Remove the pan from stove and pour tempered items with oil, into the simmering lentils.
• Add the coriander leaves, lime juice, salt to taste and let it simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.
• Lastly add the cream to finish.

Serving Note : Serve hot with white rice (or single boiled white rice) and garnish the lentils with fried potato-onion mix. Alternatively, serve with flatbreads or savoury pancakes work well too. You can accommodate vegan friends by replacing the cream with coconut cream, and leaving the ghee out altogether.

Happy Cooking!

Rice Abundance - Fish and Asparagus

Asparagus is packed with vitamin K, folate, riboflavin, thiamine and minerals such as iron which promotes bone health and prevents cardio related hazards. Whereas, fish is a great source for protein and oils to carry fat soluble nutrients (vitamin A, D, E and K) such as the one found in the asparagus. Making this combination a great match when together.

The somewhat slightly chewy red rice, tender bits of fish and the crunchy asparagus with the undertone of cumin, coriander and lemon bound by the coconut oil makes each bite satisfying and guilt free. As such, leaving you feeling so torn as to which between the fish and the asparagus gets the credit.  I suppose, you’ll thank the red rice later.

Ingredients

• 1 white pomfret, filleted and sliced thin, around ¼ cm thickness
• 1 cup red rice, cooked and completely cooled (Rice cooked the previous day is ideal)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 10 asparagus diced into ½ cm pieces
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 shallots sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder 
• ½ teaspoon of cumin seed, crushed roughly
• ½ teaspoon of coriander seed, crushed roughly
• ½ teaspoon red chili or paprika powder
• 3 tablespoon of coconut oil
• Salt to taste  

Directions

• Heat the oil in a wide pan under medium flame. 
• Once oil is hot, turn down heat to low and fry the onions till golden crisp. Drain it on a paper towel and set aside.
• Place the fish fillet on a paper towel to remove excess moist. Rub the fish fillet thoroughly with chilli powder, cumin, coriander and salt.
• Turn heat up to medium (re-use the oil used for frying the shallots in the previous step). Carefully add the fish pieces into the pan and stir quickly to avoid the fish from sticking to the pan.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, till fish is cooked and liquids have evaporated. 
• Add the garlic, cook till light golden. 
• Next, add the lemon juice to the fish.
• Followed by the asparagus and cook for just 30 seconds.
• At this point, turn heat up to high, add the red rice, stir the mix quickly while it traps steam for 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Turn off heat, add fried onions, white pepper and salt, give everything a good mix.   

Serve with a clear soup, shrimp chili sauce, ginger or daikon pickles. Feel free to experiment with other white fish too.

Happy cooking !

Chicken in Black Sesame Sauce

This is an ancient recipe tweaked to fit current times. The dish uses black sesame for the base of the sauce, that is packed with nutritional goodness to protect liver, kidney and blood production. It’s sweet and peppery flavours are both comforting and warm to the stomach. The nutty aromas create an almost carefree, blithe atmosphere that can nurture anyone back into high spirits after a hard day’s work. The results are best when the chicken is marinated accordingly. As such this recipe does require a bit of pre-planning and prepping. However, the cooking process is pretty straight forward and is easy to follow.

Ingredients

• ½ kilo boneless chicken
• 2 tablespoon black sesame
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 green chillies
• 6 cloves garlic made into paste
• 1 inch ginger made into paste
• 6 shallots diced finely
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar (or molasses sugar)
• Salt to taste

Directions

• Mix chicken, garlic, ginger and salt in a bowl. Marinate for 2 hours.
• Heat oil in pan and once oil is hot add the sugar or molasses into the oil. Let it caramelised a bit and then add the onions.
• Cook the onions till they caramelise, then add the chicken. Let it cook.
• In the meantime blend sesame, pepper and chillies into a fine paste (use 1 to 2 tablespoons of water)
• Once chicken turns brown just slightly (but still juicy), add the sesame paste and let it thicken (add a bit of water if needed but not more than 2 or 3 tablespoon).
• When chicken is almost done the sesame paste will start to cover and stick to the chicken.  Oil too will start to separate. At this point the chicken is ready and you can dish them out on a plate.  

Serving note: Serve with plain white/brown/red rice or bread.

Happy Cooking!

Rice Abundance - Tofu and Sprout

Vegetarian food could be as delicious if we are just willing to try.  This highly aromatic, and nutty rice dish is based on fresh soy tofu and beans sprout. The baby corn is an effective extra added for sweetness and crunch to provide another dimension. The soy based tofu, acts like a white canvas that takes on the flavours of the tempering ingredients and binds the rice mix together. The sesame finish releases a pleasing and inviting aroma till the last bite.

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of fresh soy tofu blocks (not silken)
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked and completely cooled (yesterday’s leftover is just fine)
• 3 tablespoon of white sesame, toasted and crushed roughly
• 6 shallots diced 
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 table spoon of light soy sauce 
• 3 tablespoon coriander leave chopped fine
• 1 cup fresh beans sprout
• ½ cup baby corn cut into ½ cm pieces
• 3 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• Salt to taste

Directions

• Crumble the tofu with your hands or a fork. Add a few drops of soy sauce in it and set it aside.
• Heat the pan with oil, add garlic and onions. Cook till translucent. 
• Add the crumbled tofu, chilli powder, palm sugar, soy sauce, and a pinch of salt. Mix them in the pan evenly and cook away all the liquid till oil starts to separate.
• Add the baby corns and char it slightly in high heat.
• Next, add the cold white rice, sesame, butter and coriander leaves and mix evenly for about 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle a pinch of salt and continue mixing the rice. 
• Lastly, add the beans sprout, stir it In quickly into the mix for about 1 minute and remove from heat. The bean sprout will continue cooking in the residue heat of the rice and retain it’s crunchiness.

Serving Note: You can style this dish up for lunch or dinner with chilli pickles, clear soups or even grills. Tweak the recipe for vegans by simply replacing butter with oil.

Happy Cooking!

Vegetarian Snacks - Fried Cucumber / Bitter Gourd

Cucumber is a fresh vegetable, often taken raw with spicy Asian dishes, juices, salads, and pickles. When taken fresh, cucumbers are well known for its high content of vitamin K and other nutritional values that packs it with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits.

This recipe however involves pickling of the cucumber ahead of time and then fried with a light batter with garlic and herbs.

Crispy Vegetable Chips

Ingredients

for the pickle
* White vinegar
* couple of cucumbers
* salt
* two crushed garlic

for the batter
* 1 cup flour
* 2 cups water
* salt to taste

for Frying
* cooking/vegetable oil

Preparation
For the Pickle
* Slice the cucumbers real thin
* Add them to a jar
* Pour in the vinegar
* Add salt
* Add crushed garlic
* Leave a whole day in a cool place
(You could also leave sprigs of mints or other fresh herbs of your choice in the jar)

For the batter
* Add water to flour
* Add salt to taste
* Beat till batter is smooth, light and runny
( add more water if batter is too thick )

For Frying
* Last step is to heat the fryer or pan with oil
* Dip the pickled cucumbers in batter and fry till crisp
* Drain them on paper towel before serving or storing

Serve with fish or prawn meals or as a snack on its own.  You can also do the same with bitter gourds or melon. Both vegetables taste great served as snacks.

Happy Cooking!