Saturday, November 24, 2007

Orange Glazed Lamb Chop

this is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying meals i've had since i came here. i'm gonna go get more lamb chops. it's much cheaper than beef and sooo easy to cook. this time, i can savely say that the lamb chops are cooked to perfection. definitely beats any lamb chops i've tried in restaurants...

Ingredients:
2 lamb chops
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
or 2 tsp mashed garlic
Salt & pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice

Directions:
Season the lamb chops with garlic, salt and pepper. On a large frying pan, heat the oil and lay the lamb chops without overlapping. Fry for 6 minutes on medium-high heat. Turn the lamb chops over and fry for another 5 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a warm plate and keep it warm while we make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix together the honey and orange juice. Pour it into the pan and turn up the heat to high. Boil uncovered (about 5 minutes) until the sauce is reduced to half and the sauce thickens (it becomes very bubbly, and the bubbles have a brownish coating and doesen't break that easily). Pour the orange glaze over the lamb and serve with potatoes.

Tips & Hints:
* For lamb chops, chose loin, ribs, sirloin or blade chops. Make sure the cut is at least 1 inch thick.
* The garlic gets rid of the strong lamb flavor that many throws many people off of lamb.
* When frying the lamb, once you've laid the lamb on the pan, DO NOT MOVE IT. The heat and oil will caramelize the lamb creating a layer of crust preventing the juices of the lamb from leaking out.
* The 5 minutes sitting time (while you're making the glaze) allows the internal temperature to cook the center of the lamb chop without overcooking the sides.
* To health conscious people, please do not trim off the fat of the lamb chops before cooking. We need the fat there as it gives a smoky flavor. Animal lard, including butter, have a low smoke point, which is the temperature when the heat starts breaking down the fat, releasing smoke in the process. You may discard the fat when u're eating the chops.
* Works great on steak as well.
* Alternatively, one can use Chicken instead of lamb for this recipe. Depending on the thickness of your cut of chicken, reduce the cooking time by about 2-3 minutes.

Friday, November 23, 2007

i miss my photographers...

they're back in malaysia, hence, no pics for my food. if anyone tries these recipes, please take pretty pictures of it and send it to me, i'll post it up on this blog. thousand appologies and many thanks in advance for the pictures...

oh, and it's turkey day today... Happy Thanksgiving!

Microwave Chicken Rice

Ingredients:
1/3 cup rice, rinsed
2/3 cup water
1 whole chicken leg
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt & pepper
3 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped

Directions:
1. De-bone the chicken leg and cut it into long strips. Marinade it with salt and pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil for 10-15 minutes.
2. In a large Tupperware, microwave the rice and water uncovered for 9 minutes.
3. Stir the rice and add in the marinated chicken strips. Cover and microwave it for 4 minutes.
4. Stir the rice again and microwave it for another 2 minutes.
5. Remove from the microwave and let stand for 5 minutes.
6. Mix in the spring onions and serve.

* use jasmine rice
* coz i live in a dorm, and microwaving is the easiest way to cook food, hence this recipe...

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Baked Oregano Fries

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut into 1 cm cube sticks
3 frankfurters, cut into 0.5 cm diagonal slices
1 large onions, cut into thick slices
½ bulb garlic, cut into thick slices
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp extra salt

Directions:
Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover over the potatoes. Add the extra salt and place the pot over high heat to bring it to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once half way through. Remove from heat and strain. Preheat the oven to 400F. On a large baking tray, mix well the strained potatoes with the rest of the ingredients, except the frankfurters. Bake for 10 minutes. Add the frankfurters and mix well before returning it to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

* Frankfurters: a.k.a. sausages (to Malaysians), and a.k.a. hotdogs (to Americans)
* For a vegetarian fare, just leave out the franks, but still remember to toss the potatoes 5 minutes before it's done.
* Alternatively, use 1 tbsp of grounded dried rosemary instead of the oregano and basil
* Serve with roast chicken, roast turkey, grilled fish... etc. etc. etc.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Cantonese Pork Porridge / Congee

Porridge Ingredients:
¼ cup long grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ tsp salt

Minced Pork Ingredients:
½ cup minced pork
2 shallots, extra, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, extra, finely chopped
2 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil, extra
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
Pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse the rice with water twice, pouring away excess liquids. Then in a bowl, add some water from the 2 cups in the recipe, just enough to cover over the rice. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In a nonstick pot, heat the vegetable oil and fry the shallots for 5 minutes. Add the sesame oil and garlic and fry for another minute or until the garlic becomes aromatic.

3. Turn the stove on to high heat and add the rice into the pot, including the liquids. Stir fry it until the liquid is almost completely evaporated.

4. Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth and the remaining water. Add the salt and place a lid over the pot and bring it to boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and let it simmer for 1 1/2 hour. Don’t forget to stir it every 5 to 10 minutes, stirring more frequently as it nears the 1 ½ hour mark.

5. While waiting for the porridge to cook, prepare the minced pork by mixing all the ingredients together. Separate the minced pork into half teaspoon sized balls and place them on a large oiled plate.

6. When the 1 ½ hour is up, use a tablespoon and gently slide the minced pork one by one into the simmering porridge, stirring the porridge occasionally to avoid letting the pork stick together. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.

7. Pour the lightly beaten egg over the porridge, and stir the porridge 3 to 4 times, pausing for 30 seconds or so before mixing it evenly. Let it simmer for another minute before removing it from the heat.

8. Divide the porridge into 2 bowls. Serve to taste with pepper, soy sauce, fried garlic oil, sesame oil, roughly chopped coriander, and finely chopped spring onions.

* * * * * * *

* for anyone living in america, please use thai jasmine rice. dont use yellow or brown rice, it doesnt have the same flavor. look for Thai Kitchen brand's select harvest jasmine rice.

** yes it takes a long time to make this but it's worth the time and effort. since u have to stay in the kitchen to watch over and stir the porridge, best thing to do is to use the time to prepare other food stuff, like marinating beef or chicken and pack it seperately so u can easily defrost the portions u want and cook it when u're hungry.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

american food...

as u may or may not know, i'm stuck in US of A right now, somewhere in NY state in a little county callsed Oswego. i really really miss malaysian food, and me mommy's cooking. if somebody reads this, please fedex nasi lemak, rojak & cendol (frm tmn megah), roti telur bawang, teh ais, mee goreng, taufufar, gungfuchao yeemin, wattanhor, charkueyteow, wantanmee and muichoi zhuyoke, pls pls pls pretty pls?

i've been here for 2 weeks now... the food here is, by american cafeteria standards, quite good. but if u are a food loving malaysian like me, u'll most likely be half dead by now.

starting with my fav food, pasta... the pasta's all soggy and overcooked, and they only know how to eat it with 2 kinds of sauces, alfredo and tomato paste... actually, it makes me wonder why they bother with having the sauces since they drown everything with parmesan cheese. trust me, when u eat the pasta here, the only thing u can taste is their horrible, horrible parmesan. oh, and their instant mac and cheese tastes nasty...

they put cheese into everything... but their cheese sucks... my french friends are always complaining abt the cheese... they said that cheese in france is ALIVE, with all the delicious bacteria crawling around, and mold growing on top.... hahhaa... yeah, so i met this girl who tells me she puts cheese into her ramen........ omg, like, who eats ramen like that?!?
i havent tried their ramen before (like our maggi mee), but my roommate chantal is cooking it now and it doesnt smell too bad, in fact, i'm real hungry now... i bought 2 packets d, maybe i'll try tonight.

oh, and their rice... tasteless and textureless... what happenned to the nice smelling jasmine rice we always eat at home? the ones that smells real good the moment u open the rice cooker... i mean, what they eat here, is NOT rice. it was the point when i ate the rice here that i decided that i shd go out and get some pots and pans to start cooking REAL FOOD. and lucky me, i found jasmine rice hiding in one corner of the grain section 3 days ago at price chopper so yay, i can start eating rice soon.

ok, so the rice and pasta are my main complains... the rest of the food is quite ok, the tortillas are not bad really... but stuff like salmon and steak are overcooked so everything's really dry. their vegies are only ever eaten in 2 ways, overcooked stir fry with butter, which only ever features broccolli and carrots... and eaten raw as salad, with the same kind of leafy vege everyday, and only with thousand island sauce. sigh...

oooh, but i like their quiche though, but they've only had it once. 3 diff kinds of baby quiche, seafood, spinach, and smtg else i dont remember. it's really nice though...

i cooked pasta last weekend... bacon and porcini mushroom penne carbonara. was sharing the kitchen with four other latino girls and it was damn crammed. we ended up sharing our food with each other. they made plantains with crispy salami. it was kinda nice... oh, and i gave some pasta to my roommate as well and she loved it... so now i'm supposed to teach her how to cook over the semester.

what else? oh, yeah, i ordered chinese take out from Food Chow City III, this szechuan, hunan & cantonese style place voted as best chinese cuisine restaurant by the readers of the local paper, the Palladium times. it wasnt too bad. by PJ standards it would have been pretty bad but at least it tastes ok enough... so, got my first fortune cookie, and it's still sitting on my table. i dunno why, i dont feel like eating or even opening it.

ok, enuf talking abt food for now, i'm damn hungry now and my dining hall has just opened for dinner so i'm going down for some food. there's seafood on the menu today, i hope it's good. like ppl here dont eat seafood, and they live right by the lake. so weird. there was this cashier at price chopper who wouldnt even touch the packet of clams this guy in front of me was paying for.

oh well, AMERICANS...
crazy, but lovin' it...

PS: i miss curry... and thai food... green curry... i think i'm going nuts thinking abt food...

Monday, August 20, 2007

vodka melon punch!

my mom made a virgin melon punch for a party coz there were kids around. i've tweaked it up a bit for a more adult crowd and it tastes fantastic!

you need...
1 large ripe honeydew
1 extra large punch bowl
melon scoop
blender
3 litres ice-cream soda
1 1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup cointreau
1/2 cup water

this is how you do it...
cut the honeydew in half, deseed it, and start making little round balls of honeydew with the melon scooper. you can drop the load of honeydew balls straight into the punch bowl. now, dig or cut out the leftover oddly shaped honeydew, cut it into pieces and place it in the blender. add the 1/2 cup water to the blender and process until smooth. pour the honeydew juice into the punch bowl, and wash the sides of the blender with a little more water to get all the juice out. now add in the ice-cream soda, vodka and cointreau. mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve. place a large block of ice in the punch bowl to keep the drink cool throughout the party.

* if you're feeling lazy or just dont have the time for melon scoopers, just cut the honeydew into 1cm cubes.
* add the juice of 1 lemon if you fancy it being less sweet.
* alternatively, you can use tequila instead of vodka.
* if you're out of cointreau, replace it with any other brands of triple sec.

Cheese Baked Lobster

for yoon chun...

Ingredients

2 lobster (1.5 pounds each)
1 cup milk
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp basil, finely chopped
2 tbsp soft butter
½ large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp rice wine
½ tbsp basil, finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Serve with lemon wedges
Chili powder/paprika powder/finely chopped chili

Directions
1. To steam the lobster, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, add 1 tbsp of salt to the water. Place the lobsters in a pan, and place the pan (above the boiling water) within the pot. Cover and let boil. Steam for 10-12 minutes. Remove the pan from the steamer. Save the liquids left in the pan.

2. While the lobster is steaming, heat the milk in a small nonstick pot and bring it to boil. Once boiling, quickly reduce it to a simmer and stir in the cheddar and parmesan cheese until melted. Add the lemon juice and 1 tsp basil. Stir well and remove the pan from heat.

3. Place the steamed lobster on its back and firmly grasp its head. Using a chef’s knife (with a sharp tip), cut the lobster lengthwise from the abdomen (where the head and body connects) to the tail. Then rotate the lobster around and this time hold on to the tail and cut it lengthwise from the abdomen towards the head. You may want to remove the claws and legs ahead of cutting if you wish to serve it without them. You may also choose to discard the stomach sac and feather gills from the head, and the intestinal thread. (Some people enjoy the flavors of the stomach sacs). Please refer to this website for further pictorial instructions on how to cut and clean lobsters.

4. In a sauce pan, heat the butter and stir fry the onion and garlic until fragrant but not browned. Add in the reserved lobster liquids and rice wine. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and bring it to boil. Add ½ tbsp basil and removed from heat.

5. Arrange the lobsters shell side down on two oven-prove serving dishes. Spoon some of the lobster sauce on the flesh of each lobster. Then spoon generous amounts of the cheese sauce over the lobster. Sprinkle the top with some paprika powder/chili powder/chopped chili. Place in a preheated oven and bake on moderate heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 2.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

ham & mushroom carbonara pasta

my good friend kenneth requested to have another taste of my carbonara pasta before i fly off to the states so we were at bangkung park last night with jojo, sheila and josh, and this is what i served them...

heat 2 tbsp olive oil with 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet and leave it on medium heat. saute 1 roughly chopped large onion for 2 minutes. add 5 cloves of minced garlic and continue to saute for another minute or so until fragrant. add in 8 shitake mushrooms (thinly sliced), season with a pinch of salt and generous dashes of black pepper, and saute for 2 minutes. stir in 5 slices of ham (cut in cubes or strips) and fry for another minute. then pour in 750ml (or 3 cups) of whipping cream, season with salt to taste and slowly bring it to boil. let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tbsp of finely chopped basil. gently drizzle in 2 egg yolks (lightly beaten and mixed with 1 tsp water), stirring throughout the process. served warm over pasta (250 g) cooked as per packet instructions. serves 5 pax.

* even though i actually used angel hair pasta on this recipe, i recommend using fettucine (flat & thin), fusili (2 or 3 edged spiral) or penne (medium length tubes cut diagonally at both ends) pasta for better sauce retention and maximum flavor. these types of pasta are common enough to find at most supermarkets.

* how not to burn your butter when pan frying: 2 parts vegetable oil, 1 part butter. the butter is for flavoring only so you dont actually need too much of it.

* if you're using dried shitake mushrooms, soak them in warm water at least 4 hours ahead of cooking.

* i used EMBORG brand's UHT whipping cream for this recipe. if you are using ANCHOR brand's whipping cream, you can cut down the simmering time to just 2 minutes as anchor's cream is thicker in consistency.

* you can forgo the basil leaves if you cant get your hands on any. it's a pretty common herb, available in most major supermarkets (although giant is not exactly prompt in restocking their supplies) and at wet markets.

* try to avoid reheating the sauce after adding the egg. you dont want to compromise the smooth texture of the sauce and turn it lumpy.

tsemeiroquai, over and out...

Saturday, July 14, 2007

potato salad


here's the thing, potato salads doesnt have to be made up of potatoes only.

assuming that you're not providing this to a vegetarian party, this recipe is the ideal thing to bring to a port luck. easy to make and guranteed to taste good.

1. peel the skin off 3 large potatoes and give it a good rinse. cut them into large bite sized chunks and place them in a pot and fill it with water enough to cover over the potatoes. add 1 heap tsp of salt to the water. place the pot on the stove and bring it to boil. then, lower the heat and let it simmer for 12 minutes or until the the potato is cooked. (test by poking a fork or satay stick into the potatoes. it should penetrate it with ease). once cooked, drain the water off and let it cool.

2. in another pot of boiling water, cook 3 whole sausages for 3 minutes. remove the sausages and let cool. in the same pot of boiling water, cook 5 crab fillament sticks for 1 minute, remove and let cool. cut the sausages into little coin shaped pieces and the crab fillament sticks in approximately the same size.

3. (shortened instructions: boil 2 eggs (hardboiled), let cool, remove the shells, and cut them into rough chunks.)
place 2 eggs (room temperature. if you store your eggs in the fridge, it's advisable to let it cool to room temperature before cooking) in a pot with water enough to cover over the eggs. place the pot over medium heat and stir the eggs continuously until the water boils and cook for another 3 minutes, all the while stirring the eggs. remove the eggs and let cool. remove the shells from the egg and cut them into rough chunks.

4. in a large container, mix the potatoes, sausages, crab fillament sticks, eggs, with a pinch of salt, generous dashes of black pepper, 3 heap tbsp of mayonnaise, 2 heap tbsp of coleslaw sauce, 1 whole stalk (or more) of spring onion. cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to be served.
serves 4-5 as side dishes. garnish with more fresh spring onion.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
(*the tedious job of constant stirring is to ensure that the yolk remains in the center of the egg, preventing it from overcooking on one side. overcooked hard boiled egg has a layer of greenish grey colour around the yellows. it's still edible, but if you taste it carefully, that part has a slightly sourish taste.)

(*if you like your yolk to be still a little runny in the middle (not recommended in this recipe), cover egg with water, bring to boil, continue to boil for another minute, remove from heat and let sit for another 2 minutes in hot water before removing the egg, all the while stirring the egg)

Sunday, June 3, 2007

cranberry lust

thought this up as i was clearing up after the margaritas. there was half a can of bitter lemon left and i was gonna store it in the fridge when lo and behold, a big packet of dried cranberries staring back at me... ::lightbulb above my head lighted up::

1/2 tsp dried cranberries
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp grenadine syrup
1 tbsp brandy
bitter lemon, to top up

place the cranberries in the bottom of a martini glass. place 3 to 4 ice cubes above the cranberries. add the lemon juice and then the grenadine syrup, which should mix together to form the first layer. then slowly pour in the brandy and gently top up with the bitter lemon. this should give it a gradual blend of colors from blood red, golden to clear liquid at the top. garnish with a paper umbrella or skewer a few cranberries (fresh or dry would do, or strawberry) together on a toothpick.

it tasted real good, and the color is a luscious red. this is a great party drink, especially if it's a hawaian or red themed party. this layering style of serving is only suitable when you're serving a small group of friends. if you're catering to a large bunch of people, throw 1/2 measure of lemon juice and grenadine syrup, and 1 measure of brandy into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. shake well and strain into martini glasses prefilled with 1/2 tsp of cranberries each and top up with chilled bitter lemon.

if you can get your hands on some fresh cranberry juice, all the better. use it to replace the bitter lemon.

* it's almost impossible to find dried cranberries in malaysia, so try and get frozen ones. as far as i know, it's available at section 14 pj's cold storage. you can try looking for it at the bangsar village grocer or other supermarkets around bangsar.

* garnish using something with a toothpick so that your guests can eat the dried cranberries at the bottom

* sprite & 7-up (or any other brands of lemonade) can usually replace bitter lemon but the drink will be slightly sweeter.

* it's a good way to get rid of the tonnes of VSOPs and XOs we've accumulated over so many CNY

* for something fancier, tint your ice cubes red. in a jug of water, add in a few drops of red food coloring, stir and pour it into the ice tray. for added effect, add a a small piece of frozen cranberry into each cube before refrigerating.

for food enthusiasts...

hihi, hope you'll enjoy this blog. it's abt food, and drinks, and everything in between.

i have an abundance of recipe books at home, but i tend not to follow recipes because it's usually very hard to find the ingredients i want and need (the books are there just for reference sake, and as a good source of inspiration). also, i'm an impulsive chef, so i usually just raid my fridge and cupboards to see what i can find and make something out of it. in time, this became a hobby of experimental cooking, and so far, 99% of the stuff i've tried turned out great. but since most of the stuff i cook is impromptu, the recipes ended up being a one time thing only.

after getting very happy on margaritas a few hours ago, i decided to finally record down some of the recent successful recipes i've tried, starting with a new cocktail drink i just made. coming right up. but, back to the topic...

another reason why i decided to start this blog is for my guy friends who have to suddenly acquire culinary skills to impress their new love interest, and most recently, their mommy dearest... awww... so sweet, how could i refuse? then again, there are those (you know who you are, dont act all innocent) who would prefer to con their way through ala mastercard-ad style, by getting gourmet takeaways... not that i support it but here's somewhere to start looking: (for malaysians) http://www.dinemalaysia.com/guide_catererslisting.php dont say i didnt help...

the recipes i'll be posting will vary in difficulty. so if there's a recipe you'd like to try but seriously couldnt get past words like mince, finely chop, boil, simmer or differentiate between pan-fried, stir-fried and deep-fried, just ask. i'll try my best to guide you through the treacherous world of cuisine as i know it. but, most of it should be pretty simple...

let's get started!