Vance stumbled upon this dish in a Chinese grocery store, interestingly enough. It was one of those prepackaged cold food that they sell in a container and he immediately fell in love with this dish, a combination of sweet and spicy sauce on cubes tofu. I did my best to recreate this dish and it came out pretty similar. It is really easy to prepare.
2 boxes medium firm tofu (cut into 1"x1" cubes)
1 teaspoon oil
2 tablespoon ketchup
3 tablespoon Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon Huy Fong chili garlic sauce (add more to increase the heat)
Enough oil for deep frying
Deep fry tofu cubes until golden brown. Drain well.
In a wok, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add in ketchup, sweet chili sauce and chili garlic sauce. Turn the heat to high and cook until sauce thickens. Add in fried tofu cubes. Toss and cook for a minute. Serve warm or cold.
September 22, 2008
September 8, 2008
Stir-Fry Chicken with Ginger and Mushroom
I've been really busy since school started and I haven't had the chance to cook especially since now I get home in the late evenings from school and work. This is a quick fix meal that I like to pack to school lunch. Sometimes college food is just plain nasty. I find that some Asian grocery stores refer to "King Oyster mushrooms" as "Prince mushroom". I have no idea why but whatever the name is, it is tasty and meaty (surprisingly).
2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (about 4 cups)
King Oyster mushroom, cut into bite size pieces (about 8 cup)
4 inch ginger, julienne
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 large shallots, sliced
3 stalks scallion, sliced into 1 inch sticks (about 2 cups)
4 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (optional)
Heat oil in wok until hot. Add shallot, garlic and ginger. Fry until they start to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add in chicken piece. Cook for a few minutes until all sides turns white. Add in mushroom. Stir evenly and add in oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, water and Chinese cooking wine (if you're using it). Stir and fry for a few minutes. Cover the wok for about 5 minutes. Take the cover, cook until sauce thickens. Stir in scallion and turn off the heat. Serve with warm rice.
2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (about 4 cups)
King Oyster mushroom, cut into bite size pieces (about 8 cup)
4 inch ginger, julienne
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 large shallots, sliced
3 stalks scallion, sliced into 1 inch sticks (about 2 cups)
4 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (optional)
Heat oil in wok until hot. Add shallot, garlic and ginger. Fry until they start to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add in chicken piece. Cook for a few minutes until all sides turns white. Add in mushroom. Stir evenly and add in oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, water and Chinese cooking wine (if you're using it). Stir and fry for a few minutes. Cover the wok for about 5 minutes. Take the cover, cook until sauce thickens. Stir in scallion and turn off the heat. Serve with warm rice.
August 28, 2008
Oven Baked Fried Chicken
I'm been craving fried chicken a lot lately but we all know it's full of grease and has tons of calories! I came up with this recipe by experimenting with my favorite spices and instead of frying it in grease, I opted on baking it on non-stick aluminum foil with some non-stick spray. Marinating chicken with milk before frying will make more tender and juicier, no one wants to eat a piece of dried chicken!
3 chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces each
Ingredients (A) :
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup Bisquick Original Pancake and Baking Mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
non-stick aluminum foil
non-stick cooking spray
ziplock bag
Marinate chicken pieces with ingredient A in a ziplock bag for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight in the fridge.
Take chicken out of the fridge and let it stand until room temperature. Preheat oven to 450 °F.
Whisk egg and pour it into the ziplock. Mix well with chicken pieces. On a plate, combine Bisquick mix, salt and black pepper. Dredge chicken pieces on flour mixture.
Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. Spray enough non-stick cooking spray on top of the foil. Arrange chicken pieces on top of foil. Spray more cooking spray on chicken pieces so that it helps to brown and crisp the chicken pieces. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn chicken and bake for another 15 minutes. Check to see if chicken is cook, if not bake for another 5-10 minutes.
3 chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces each
Ingredients (A) :
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup Bisquick Original Pancake and Baking Mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
non-stick aluminum foil
non-stick cooking spray
ziplock bag
Marinate chicken pieces with ingredient A in a ziplock bag for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight in the fridge.
Take chicken out of the fridge and let it stand until room temperature. Preheat oven to 450 °F.
Whisk egg and pour it into the ziplock. Mix well with chicken pieces. On a plate, combine Bisquick mix, salt and black pepper. Dredge chicken pieces on flour mixture.
Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. Spray enough non-stick cooking spray on top of the foil. Arrange chicken pieces on top of foil. Spray more cooking spray on chicken pieces so that it helps to brown and crisp the chicken pieces. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn chicken and bake for another 15 minutes. Check to see if chicken is cook, if not bake for another 5-10 minutes.
August 23, 2008
Banana Cake
Banana cake or kek pisang in Malay is one of my favorite cakes. It brings back memory of childhood where my aunt would bake banana cake for me. Banana cake is much moister than banana bread and best eaten with a cup of tea.
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 bananas, mashed
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
A pinch of salt
Cream sugar, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add one egg at a time into the mixture and beat for a few minutes. When mixture is light and fluffy, add flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt and bananas. Mix.
Preheat oven at 350 °F. Pour mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for about an hour. Cake is done when skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 bananas, mashed
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
A pinch of salt
Cream sugar, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add one egg at a time into the mixture and beat for a few minutes. When mixture is light and fluffy, add flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt and bananas. Mix.
Preheat oven at 350 °F. Pour mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for about an hour. Cake is done when skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
August 22, 2008
Ray's Chicken Curry
My mum loves this curry and it's sorta like stuff of legend in the family. Imagine how devastated she was when I turned vegetarian 3 years ago and would refuse to cook meat. Well good news, I'm not a vegetarian anymore (I can still remember my parents cheering in the background) and I decided to make her this curry for her birthday party since she's been deprived of it for years. This recipe was handed down to me from my grandmother (my mum is a lost cause, ha ha). The curry is much darker but the flash from my camera makes it almost whitish.
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces.
8 medium sized potatoes, cut into large chunks.
Oil, enough for frying.
1 medium sized onion, chopped.
1 tablespoon chopped garlic.
2 cinnamon sticks.
1 teaspoon cloves.
1 teaspoon cumin seeds.
Curry leaves, about 1/2 cup.
2 stalks lemongrass, cut into pieces and bruised.
1/2 cup oil (oil from frying potatoes and chicken).
2 cans coconut milk (480 mL).
1 cup water
Salt to taste
Mix into curry paste:
1 cup Mae Ploy Thai Panang curry paste.
1 cup curry powder.
1 tablespoon turmeric powder.
1 tablespoon red chili powder.
1/2 cup water.
Heat oil in a pot. Fry potatoes until slightly browned. Set aside. Fry chicken pieces in the same oil until slightly browned. Set aside. When oil cools, reserve 1/2 cup of oil and discard the rest.
Heat the reserved oil in a wok or pot on medium heat. Fry cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds and cloves for a few seconds. Add in curry leaves, onion, garlic and lemongrass. Fry until onions are brown. Add in curry paste. Lower the heat and fry curry paste for about 20 minutes until fragrant and oil starts coming out from the curry paste. In Malaysian cooking, this technique is call pecah minyak. If the paste is too dry, add a little bit of coconut milk. Stir constantly so you don't burn the paste.
Add potatoes, chicken, coconut milk and water into the wok or pot. Turn the heat up back to medium. Cover the wok or pot and cook the curry for an hour, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn't burn. Serve with rice, naan, roti canai or nasi kunyit.
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces.
8 medium sized potatoes, cut into large chunks.
Oil, enough for frying.
1 medium sized onion, chopped.
1 tablespoon chopped garlic.
2 cinnamon sticks.
1 teaspoon cloves.
1 teaspoon cumin seeds.
Curry leaves, about 1/2 cup.
2 stalks lemongrass, cut into pieces and bruised.
1/2 cup oil (oil from frying potatoes and chicken).
2 cans coconut milk (480 mL).
1 cup water
Salt to taste
Mix into curry paste:
1 cup Mae Ploy Thai Panang curry paste.
1 cup curry powder.
1 tablespoon turmeric powder.
1 tablespoon red chili powder.
1/2 cup water.
Heat oil in a pot. Fry potatoes until slightly browned. Set aside. Fry chicken pieces in the same oil until slightly browned. Set aside. When oil cools, reserve 1/2 cup of oil and discard the rest.
Heat the reserved oil in a wok or pot on medium heat. Fry cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds and cloves for a few seconds. Add in curry leaves, onion, garlic and lemongrass. Fry until onions are brown. Add in curry paste. Lower the heat and fry curry paste for about 20 minutes until fragrant and oil starts coming out from the curry paste. In Malaysian cooking, this technique is call pecah minyak. If the paste is too dry, add a little bit of coconut milk. Stir constantly so you don't burn the paste.
Add potatoes, chicken, coconut milk and water into the wok or pot. Turn the heat up back to medium. Cover the wok or pot and cook the curry for an hour, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn't burn. Serve with rice, naan, roti canai or nasi kunyit.
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