Fragrant Rice with Barbeque Chicken

Ok...I've not really been cooking lately. Just been enjoying my life and busy with everything and everyone around me. But, I came across this recipe and decided to give it a shot! Turned out awesome and it's simple to boot to cook!

Ingredients (Fragrant Rice): -
- 2 cups fragrant rice, washed
- 3 cups water

- 2 tbsps chicken stock concentrate or 2 chicken stock cubes

- 1 tbsp sesame oil

- 3 cm ginger, crushed

Ingredients: -

- 1/2 cup chopped spring onions

- 1 tsp salt

- 6 pieces of chicken (drumsticks, chicken ribs, chicken wings or chicken breast)

- 4 tbsps barbeque sauce

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line baking tray with foil and grease with some oil.

2. Put rice ingredients in a rice cooker to cook. Add chopped spring onions to rice and mix well. Cook as normal.

3. Rub salt over chicken, then coat with barbeque sauce.

4. Place the chickens onto prepared baking tray and bake for 40 mins or until sauce is sticky and chicken is cooked through.

5. Spoon rice into serving bowls or plates. Top each bowl/plate with chicken and some vegetables.

Doesn't it look absolutely delightful??? A healthy meal for the family......

Hot Fried Prawns

It's been a while since I made this dish and gave it a shot tonight. Another easy recipe and pretty fuss free with an exception of having to devein the prawns which I absolutely hate doing. Hehehehehheheh....

Ingredients:-

- 625g large prawns (cleansed, trimmed & deveined without shelling the body)
- 4 tbsps cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tsps chopped ginger
- 2 spring onion stalks, chopped
- parsley for garnishing (optional)
- 1 tbsp cooking wine / rice wine

Seasonings:- (Mixed)

- 3 tsps chilli sauce
- 2 tbsps tomato sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 tbsps water

1. Heat 3 tbsps oil in pan. Pan-fry prawns on both sides till colour changes.
2. Remove prawns and leave aside.
3. Heat remaining oil in pan. Saute garlic, ginger and spring onion till fragrant.
4. Add seasoning mixture and allow to simmer for 1 minute.
5. Return prawns and stir-fry till quite dry.
6. Mix in cooking wine and dish up. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Looks and sounds yummy, right???

Loh Shee Fun with Mince Meat

My all-time favourite. I have been making this dish for yongs now but never seem to get to blogging about it. Either I had no camera with me to photograph the food or by the time I started eating; I would then only remember of wanting to take a picture. Sigh......

Anyway, here it is. Literally an idiot proof recipe and so very, very easy to make and one of Caitlin's favourite meals.

Ingredients: -

- 2 tbsps cooking oil
- 2 packets of Loh Shee Fun (you can get it from wet markets or Chinese sundry shops)
- 300-500g of mince meat (depending on how many people you want to feed)
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1 1/2 tbsps soy sauce
- 1-2 tbsps thick soy sauce (depends how dark/black you want your sauce to be)
- 300-500ml hot water
- 2 tsps sugar
- salt & pepper to taste
- some green leafy vegetable of your choice
- spring onion for garnishing

1. Heat oil in a pot.
2. Add onion and garlic and fry for 1 minute.
3. Add mince meat and continue to fry until cooked.
4. Add soy sauce and thick sauce sauce and stir fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add hot water and simmer for about 5 mins, whilst adding sugar, salt and pepper.
6. Remove from fire after the meat mixture thickens slightly.
7. Meanwhile, with boiling water; blanch the Loh Shee Fun and then the vegetables.
8. Garnish with spring onions and serve as shown.

Voila!!!!

Japanese Curry Rice or Chicken Curry Katsu Don

This is an All-Time Favourite of the household; even my my little precious Caitlin. A simple do which even Yuli my helper has mastered!!!

Ingredients:-

- 300g Chicken or Pork (cut into cubes)
- 1 large onion (cut into pieces)
- 1 carrot (cut into about 2x2 cm cube)
- 3 medium potatoes (cut into 2x2 cm cube)
- 750ml hot water
- 2 sticks of celery (cut into cubes)
- oil for frying
- Kokumaro Curry Sauce Mix (sold at Japanese stores or Cold Storage)

1. Use a medium-size pot.
2. Heat oil in pot and fry the meat for about 1 minute.
3. Pour int the onions, carrot and potatoes; and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add hot water and boil.
5. Then, simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are soft.
6. Add the Kokumaro Curry Sauce Mix. The box comes in 2 separate packets. 1 packet serve for 5 people.
7. Cook until sauce thickens. But if you do find it a bit too thick for your liking; please add another 100-200ml of hot water.
8. Add the celery last and simmer for a while so that celery will still be crunchy.

If you prefer the Chicken Curry Katsu Don style whereby the chicken is fried with breadcrumbs; please go to my Breaded Chicken Chop in Mushroom Sauce recipe to get the recipe on breaded chicken chop. Once deep fried; slice the chicken chop and serve on a plate of hot rice and pour the curry sauce over.

Of course, whilst cooking using breaded chicken chop; you can omit the meat in the curry sauce mix.

Hope you will like this recipe as much as my family do.

Tuna Bake

I have made this dish a couple of times but not for a year now. So, since it's a public holiday today and I have time on my hands; decided to venture into this recipe. Hehehehehehe....and I must say; it tasted good.

Here's the recipe.....

Ingredients:-

- 200g short curly pasta
- 4 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
- 4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill (you may use the bottled ones)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 110g butter
- 3 tsps madras curry powder (any curry powder may do)
- 50g plain flour
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) cream
- 170g mayonaise
- 3 x 210g cans tuna, drained
- 2 cup (160g) fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsps grated Parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 180 degree Celsius.
2. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling water until al dente. Drain well. Lightly grease the ovenproof dish.
3. Combine the egg, spring onion, dill and lemon juice and season in a separate bowl.
4. Melt 60g butter in a saucepan, add the curry powder and cook for 30 seconds. Stirr in the plain flour and cook for 1 min, or until foaming.
5. Remove from the heat, gradually stir in the milk and cream, then return to low heat and stir constantly until the sauce boils and thickens. Reduce to a simmer for 1-2 mins, then stir in the mayonaise.
6. Combine the sauce, cooked pasta, tuna and egg mixture and spoon in the prepared dish.
7. Melt the remianing butter in a frying oan, add the breadcrumbs and garlic, and cook stirring for 1 min or until the crumbs are golden and coated in butter.
8. Stir in the parsley and grated Parmesan, and sprinkle over the tuna mixture.
9. Bake for 15-20 mins, or until golden and heated through.

The recipe may look complicated but it actually isn't. You just need to work on one thing at a time. First sort out the eggs, then work on making the cream and then making the breadcrumbs.....

Here's the side of the tuna bake.....


Let me know how you like it!!

Curried Chicken and Rice

Here's a recipe which I found pretty easy to tackle. It's been a while since I've updated any recipe because I've just been so darn busy and whatever I've been cooking are the ones that I'm already pretty familiar with. Anyway, this is not spicy and it's ok for kids to eat it because Caitlin had this for dinner.

Ingredients:-
- 60ml/4 tbsps vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 chicken (about 1.5kg/3-3.5 lbs) or chicken pieces, skinned and boned and cut into bitesize pieces
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 450g jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
- 2 tsps salt
- 1 litre/ 4 cups chicken stock
- small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped to garnish

1. Heat the oil in a wok or flameproof casserole, which has a lid. Add garlic and cook over a low to medium heat until golden brown. Add the chicken, increase the heat and brown the pieces on all sides. (You may want to cook in batches)
2. Add the garam masala, stir well to coat the chicken all over in the spice, then tip in the drained rice. Add the salt and stir to mix.
3. Pour in the stock. stir well, then cover the wok or casserole and bring to the boil . Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes until the rice is cooked and tender.
4. Lift the wok or casserole of the heat, leaving the lid on and leave for another 10 minutes. Fluff up the rice grains with a fork and spoon on to a platter. Sprinkle with the coriander and serve immediately.

Try this recipe. It tasted pretty good in my opinion.....

Corn Flake Cookie

A very simple recipe and who can resist Corn Flake Cookies.

Ingredients A:-
- 100 g butter
- 80g caster sugar

Ingrdients B:-
- 1 egg (Grade A)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Ingredients C:-
- 150g plain flour
- 15g custard powder
- 30g cereals
- 50g almond nibs

***You will need about 80 to 100 small paper cups and 150g corn flakes for decorations***

1. Place ingredients (A) in a mixer. Beat until fluffy, add in ingredients (B). Mix well, fold in ingredients (C) to form a dough.
2. Divide dough and roll into small balls and coat with the cornflakes. Leave in the paper cup. Repeat process and arrange the cups on lined baking trays like below.

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for about 15-20 mins. Cool and store in airtight containers.

An easy recipe and a healthy snack.....

Sunflower Seed Crisp Cookie

This recipe is very similar in terms of looks and taste to my Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookie except that this recipe has cereals and sunflower seeds added on. For those of you who don't want it to be too sweet, my advice is to lessen the sugar in the recipe.

Ingredients A:-
- 200g butter
- 80g caster sugar
- 140g brown sugar

Ingredients B:-
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 eggs (grade A)

Ingredients C:-
- 270g plain flour
- 50g cereals
- 200g chocolate chips
- 200g sunflower seeds
- 1/4 tsp baking soda

1. Beat ingredients (A) in a mixer until fluffy. Add in ingrdients (B) and mix well. Fold in ingredients (C) and combine to form a dough,
2. Divide into small rounds and arrange on line baking trays.
3. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 10-15 mins. Cool and store in airtight containers.

Ghee & Almond Cookies

An all-time favourite especially for hubby. Since I first made this some 4 years back, hubby has always loved it and it's been 2 years since I've bothered to make any cookies to begin with. Time never seemed to be on my side and since my decision to make some cookies this festive season; my as well make hubby's favourite cookies.

Also, it's quite simple to bake as well.

Ingredients A:-
- 150g ghee
- 130 icing sugar

Ingrdients B:-
- 150g almond powder (toasted)
- 230g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder

Glazing:-
1 egg yolk

1. Stir ingredients (A) together until well mixed. Fold in ingredients (B) and stir together to form a dough
2. Make it small round balls and arrange on lined baking tray. Glaze surfaces.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for about 10-15 mins. Leave to cool and then store into airtight containers.

I told you it was an easy recipe.....

Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookie

An all time favourite for people of all ages. Well, following the recipe, you may want to lessen your sugar if you're not all that into sweet stuffs. I followed the recipe to the T and felt it was a bit sweet for me but hubby seems to love it.

So, it's entirely up to you.....

Ingredients A:-
- 160g butter
- 80g caster sugar
- 110g brown sugar


Ingredients B:-
- 1 egg (grade A)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Ingredients C:-
- 200g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 100g Macadamia nuts (diced)
- 100g chocolate chips

1. Place ingredients (a) in a mixer. Beat until fluffy and add ingredients (B) and mix well. Fold in ingredients (C), Mix till paste-like.
2. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the dough and use a second teaspoon to aid in shaping the dough on lined baking trays.

3. Bake in a preheated over at 180 degrees for about 10-15 mins or until golden.

4. Cool well on wire racks and store in airtight containers.

See??? An easy recipe...