Stir-Fried Chicken with Chilli Caramel Sauce

It's been a while since I've made this dish. A simple dish to cook but will take quite some time to marinate. A very yummy recipe....



Ingredients:-
- 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
- 2 tbsps grated fresh ginger
- 2 tbsps soy sauce
- 60ml (1/4 cup) Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed or diced
- 800g chicken thigh fillets, cubed
- 4 tbsps soft brown sugar
- 3 tbsps rice vinegar
- 2 tbsps chilli sauce
- 2 tbsps fish sauce
- 3 tbsps chicken sotck
- 3 tbsps oil
- 1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 tbsps coriander, finely chopped
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, to garnish (not a necessity)
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1 Put the five-spice, ginger, soy sauce, wine and half the darlic in a glass bowl or ceramic bowl. Add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, thn stir together. Add chicken, stir to coat, then cover and marinate in the fridge for about 3-4 hours.
2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, rice vinegar, chilli sauce, fish sauce and chicken stock.
3. Heat the wok and add 2 tbsps oil. When oil starts to smoke, add the chicken in batches and stirfr for about 3-4 mins, until golden brown. Remove each batch and keep warm while you cook the rest.
4. Reduce the heat slightly and heat the remaining oil in the wok. Add the chilli and remaining garlic and cook for 30 secs. Pour in the sauce mixture and allow it to bubble until reduced, syrupy and caramelised. This will take about 3-5 mins. When the sauce is thoroughly reduced and caramelised, return the chicken to the wok, without any of the accumulated juices, and cook for 1 min to coat the chicken in the sauce and heat through. Stir in the coriander. Garnish with the spring onion before serving if you wish.
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NOTE***
Glass and ceremic are ideal for marinating because metal reacts with acids and plastic absorbs strong flavours.
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Well, that's it for now!!! :D

Beef Stew

Another recipe that I love and have always been cooking this dish on a regular basis and I was pretty surprise that I didn't actually share this with you all. Anyway, here's the recipe. You may use lamb if you prefer especially for those of you who don't eat beef......... :D




Ingredients:-
- 500g beef
- 300g potatoes
- 200g carrot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsps flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 650ml hot water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 pepper
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1. Rinse meat, drain and cut into 3cm cubes or you may buy those pre-cut ones. Peel carrot and potatoes into 3cm cubes as well. Chop garlic finely.
2. Add meat, garlic and plain flour into a non-stick pan/wok/pot and stir well. Cook under high heat for about 3 minutes, mix well. (no need for any cooking oil)
3. Add hot water, dried bay leaves, dried thyme, potatoes, carrot, salt and pepper to the meat mixture and boil.
4. Stir constantly so that the ingredients do not get stuck to the bottom of the pot.
5. Boil for about 15-20 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender.
6. Add another 50-100ml of hot water if the stew becomes too thick.
7. Serve with rice.
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Yummy!!!! Absolutely yummy.............
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Bistro Pepper Steak with Fries

I have never cooked a steak before and came across this recipe which looked pretty easy to make and decided to give it a shot.
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The recipe's pretty idiot proof.
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Ingredients:-
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) beef/chicken stock
- 1kg frozen potato fries
- 2 tbsps peppercorn medley
- 4 beef fillet steaks (600g)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) thickened cream
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1. Prepare the fries according to instructions
2. Meanwhile, place pepper and salt in shallow dish; press onto both sides of steaks.
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan; cook steaks until browned on both sides and cooked as desired.
4. Remove from pan; cover to keep warm
5. Add stock to pan; simmer, uncovered, until reduced by half. Stir in cream.
6. Serve steaks with sauce and chips. You can also steam some fresh vegetables like french beans and carrots like what I did.
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See....not difficult right?
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Just a note, I will suggest that you at least slice a few lines across your steaks. It cooks faster.
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Have fun!!!!

Chicken & Mushroom Pilau

Ok, I'm getting back into the cooking mood and am beginning to get a bit adventurous. Went to the supermarket over the weekend to buy some ingredients to try out some new recipes for the week.

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Hopefully, I'll get to try out all 3 new recipes. Tried one today but in hubby's opinion, it wasn't really his cup of tea or his tastebuds, to be exact. I think it was alright. Nevertheless, I still decided to share the recipe because it may entice some of you who follow my recipe blog....

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Ingredients:-

- 300g (1 1/2 cups) basmati rice

- 2 tbsps oil

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed

- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

- 500g chicken tenderloin fillets, trimmed and cut into small pieces

- 300g Swiss brown mushrooms

- 90g (3/4 cup) slivered almonds, toasted

- 1 1/2-2 tsps garam masala

- 125g (1/2 cup) plain yoghurt

- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves, plus extra for garnishing

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1. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Drain and leave for 30 min.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir in the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, covered for 5 mins; or until the onion is browned.

3. Increase the heat to high, add the chicken and cook, stirring for 3-4 mins, or until the chicken is lightly browned.

4. Stir in the mushrooms, almonds and garam masala. Cook covered for 3 mins or until mushrooms are soft.

5. Remove the lid and cook, stirring for 2 mins or until the liquid evaporates. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan.

6. Add the rice to the pan and stir for 30 seconds or until well coated in the mushroom and onion mixture.

7. Pour in 375ml (1 1/2 cups) water and bring to the boil, stirring frequently to prevent the ingredients catching on the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2mins, or until most of the water has evaporated.

8. Return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat to low and steam, covered for 15 mins or until the rice is cooked.

9. Meanwhile, combine the yoghurt and chopped coriander in a small bowl. Fluff the rice with a fork then divide among serving bowls. Top with a dollop of the yoghurt mixture and garnish with coriander leaves.

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There we go....the whole works..... In my opinion, it tasted quite alright but like I said, it may not be up to everyones tastebuds.....

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