Sweet Sticky Rice Rolled in Shredded Coconut

Sweet Sticky Rice Rolled in Shredded Coconut

          I grew up in a culture where rice is the main staple food.  We eat rice at least three times a day and we even eat rice delicacies for snacks or dessert. Don't you think it is too much? But I guess many of you would notice that we use certain varieties of rice for regular meals and a different variety of rice for snack foods.  Usually, we use a glutinous rice variety to make a snack food or dessert. Recently I attempted to make one of my favorite rice delicacy. Originally based on a recipe called "Kalamay", a Filipino term for a sticky rice delicacy cooked in coconut milk and palm sugar.  My failed attempt to make it into a finger food led me to create a different version of the recipe.  Here's my own version of it.

Ingredients:

2 cups glutinous rice flour

2 cups of brown sugar

4 cups coconut cream

1 cup of shredded coconut

2 tbsp of smooth peanut butter

Method:

        In a non-stick pan or wok, combine the sugar and the coconut milk until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Add the glutinous rice and stir them well until they are free of lumps. Turn the heat on and continue stirring until about 15-20 minutes, by this time the mixture will become thicker and a bit sticky. Add the peanut butter and continue stirring non-stop for another 30 minutes or more.  Depending on your preference of its thickness, remove it from the heat and transfer it into a greased container and let it cool. Take a spoonful at a time and roll them in shredded coconut.

Red Claw and Vegetable Tempura

Red Claw and Vegetable Tempura

      My husband is a keen fisherman so having a spontaneous fishing trip is not new to me. We've had a couple of spur of the moment fishing trips recently and we've been lucky to catch some red claw. I love tempura so I made this red claw tempura and some vegetable tempura for dinner. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

10 red claw, peeled

1 medium size egg plant, sliced thinly

6 thin slices of pumpkin

2 cups plain flour

2 eggs

1 tsp garlic salt

chilled water (approximately 2 cups or just enough to make the batter a bit lumpy)

Vegetable oil (just enough for deep frying)

Method:

Boil the oil in the deep sauce pan (about 5 cm deep)

Make the batter by sifting the flour, adding the egg and the chilled water in a bowl.  

Whisk until it is well combined but still lumpy.

Dip the red claw one at a time until well coated.

Add the red claw into the oil and cook for 4-5 minutes or until its a bit brown and crispy

Repeat in batches with the remaining red claw and vegetables.

Serve with the soy and lemon dipping sauce.

Butter Chicken

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Easy Butter Chicken

           I developed a liking for butter chicken since I have tried it in an Indian restaurant years ago.  I once experimented on making it from scratch using the authentic Indian spices and ingredients that are available from the Asian shops. The taste wasn't too bad but I found it to be too complicated to make then.  So I started using the home brand bottled stuff if I feel like eating butter chicken. But to be honest, the taste is not as good as the one that I made from scratch and so much different from the one you order from the restaurant.  So, I decided to experiment on using simple recipes. The main spice ingredient "garam masala" can be easily found in major supermarkets and combining it with tandoori paste or even  yellow curry paste will create a good spice for your butter chicken.  So here's my version of butter chicken which was based on trial and experimentation "In the Knight Kitchen." I was pleased with the results.

   

Ingredients:

1 Kg Chicken Breast Fillet

125 g butter

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 medium size onion, sliced

1 can of Heinz Condensed Tomato Soup (if not available, please use 1/3 cup tomato paste)

300 ml cream

100 g natural yoghurt

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 1/2 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp tandoori paste (in the absence of tandoori paste, you can use 1 1/2 tbsp yellow curry)

1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup cashew nuts

A pinch of pepper

Method:

Melt butter in a sauce pan. 

Sautee garlic and onions in butter for about 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and add the curry paste and the garam masala.

Stir the chicken well and sautee them for another 3-5 minutes.

Add the salt and oyster sauce and occasionally stir the chicken.

Add the condensed tomato soup and let it boil. 

Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the chicken is about tender.

Add the cream and the yoghurt and simmer until the chicken is cooked.

Add the pepper and cashew nuts.

Serve it on cooked basmati rice.

Garlic Chicken (or Pork) With Soy (Chicken or Pork Adobo)

      Filipino Style Adobo

Adobo is a common Filipino food originated from Spain and it is widely adopted in Latin America and some of Spain's colonised countries like the Philippines and Portugal.  Its basic ingredients are lots of garlic, soy sauce and vinegar and has to be marinated for at least half  an hour to an hour to get a  good flavor.  The Filipinos have several versions of this dish, but because its so simple and so easy to prepare, you can have delectable dish with minimal preparation time.  I love my mother's version of Adobo. Although I have made my own twist to it to incorporate whatever healthy and available ingredients I have in the kitchen.  My husband even learned to cook this dish as he finds it easy to cook. He also likes it as it is very yummy. Whether you use chicken or pork or even both, the dish is so perfect to be eaten on top of a steamed rice or fried rice.  

Adobo according to Wikipedia, was employed initially as a method of food preservation, but recently with the advent of refrigeration, it became a good method to give flavoring to the food. The other versions of Adobo included the addition of oregano and paprika, but my home-made recipe uses only a few ingredients.  Here it is:

Ingredients:

1 Kg chicken or pork

1/2 Cup of Soy sauce

2 tbsp garlic, minced

4 bay leaves

1/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup cane sugar (or honey)

1 tbsp pepper

Method:

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl.

Add the chicken and stir to coat.

Marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

Transfer the chicken mixture into a deep sauce pan.

Bring to boil at high heat. Let it simmer for 5 minutes then reduce the heat and let it simmer for another 20 minutes. Stir the chicken occasionally.

Reduce the sauce to taste and preference (The more the sauce is reduced, the stronger the taste becomes).

Smarties and Cashew Cookies

There's a Cookie Monster in the House!

       There's a "little golden book" at home that my kids inherited from a friend, the title is "Me Cookie".  It is about cookie monster's childhood development and recount the story of how he ended up being called "Cookie Monster".  Since he was a baby he just loves eating cookies. My daughter loves the book, she wants me to read it over and over again and she finds it really funny. My kids love cookie monster and they love cookies. Every time I make cookies for them, the cookies instantly disappeared. They love them, so I always say, where are the cookies? They'll say they are all gone, in reply. Ahh! There must be a cookie monster in the house:) Below is the common cookie treat that I make for my little monsters.  Its base recipe is from "Australia's Sweet Baking Favorites" by Nestle.  I just replaced the chocolate chips with Smarties (you can use M&Ms, or any type of chocolates of your choice), and the nuts, the recipe says macadamia but I used cashews in here, you can use the nuts of your choice.  Would you like some cookie today? Here's the recipe :) Happy Easter!

Ingredients:

125 g butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 3/4 cups self raising flour

1 cup smarties

3/4 cup cashews (coarsely chopped)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees. 

2. Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy, add egg. Beat until just combined.

4. Stir in flour, add the SMARTIES and cashew nuts (or any nuts of your choice). Mix until well combined.

5. Roll level tablespoons of mixture in balls; place about 4cm apart on prepared trays, gently press down on dough to flatten slightly.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

7. Set aside to cool on trays for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: google.ca viaFiloz Unlimited on Pinterest

Beef and Potato Yellow Curry With Cherry Tomatoes

Of all the curry dishes I cook in the Knight kitchen, yellow curry is an all time favorite.  It is easy to make and the ingredients are so simple. If  you are like me who don't make the curry paste from scratch :), this curry dish is just for you.  You can use beef, chicken or pork and you can  even add some vegetables depending on your preference.   The yellow curry paste is readily available in major supermarkets in Australia. If you have a specific brand preference, you can also visit your nearest Asian shop.

Ingredients:

700 g lean beef cut in small pieces

2 medium size potatoes, cut in 6 pieces

2 tbsp (gaeng karee) yellow curry paste

1 small onion, sliced

1 tsp of minced garlic

3 tbsp of fish sauce

1 tbsp cane sugar

2 tbsp cooking oil

10 cherry tomatoes

1 can (375 ml) of coconut milk

Method:

1. Heat oil in a deep sauce pan.

2. Sautee the garlic, onions and the curry paste for about two minutes

3. Add the beef and cover the pan with the lid.

4. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

5. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and cane sugar.

6. Then add the potatoes and the cherry tomatoes.

7. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the potatoes and the meat are tender.

8. Serve it on steamed rice.

Source: readingforsanity.blogspot.com.au viaFiloz Unlimited on Pinterest

Homemade Sausage Rolls

Quick, Easy and Cheesy Sausage Rolls

I just made these sausage rolls earlier. I based my recipe in Master Chef's Julie Goodwin's Homemade Sausage Roll Recipe which you can find in here, with a few modifications. You would notice that I don't have the curry powder in here, and added mixed herbs and lots of cheese in the recipe. I also replace the french mustard with dijon mustard. Also made almost half of the portion and adjusted the ingredients accordingly.  The mustard and the cheese combination were just yummy.

Ingredients:

700g beef mince

1 small brown onion, grated

1 small carrot, grated

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepperA pinch of mixed herbs

4 sheets frozen puff pastry

1/3 cup of cheddar cheese, grated

1 egg, beaten

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

2. In a bowl, place all ingredients except for the pastry and egg. Using your hands, work the mixture very well until all combined.

3)Lay the pastry out on a work surface and cut each sheet in half. Work with the pastry still a little bit firm from the freezer as it is easier to handle.

4) Divide the sausage mixture into 8 pieces and lay in a line along the length of each pastry half- sheet. Fold the two sides over the sausage mixture and gently press to join.

5) Turn the rolls over, cut into thirds and brush with the egg combined with 1 tablespoon water.

6) Bake for 20-25 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden.

Source: mylusciouslife.com viaFiloz Unlimited on Pinterest