Malay Style Briyani Chicken

I love the biryani we get back in Malaysia and the one I had prepared earlier with the ready mix spices just don't taste nor looks anywhere near to that. This time, I decided to try out the recipe that calls for the preparation from scratch instead and yum... it does taste superbly good. Just be cautious that the list of ingredients may look really long.

I made it twice actually and once with chicken and the other is with beef rendang.

For the rice:

• 3 cups basmati rice, soaked at least 30mins, then washed and drained
• 1tbsp butter
• 2 pcs shallot, slice thinly
• 2 cloves garlic (I'm using Australia garlic that is rather huge, it comes out to roughly 3tbsp amount), minced
• 1tbsp ginger, minced
• 1/2tbsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2tbsp cloves powder
• 1tbsp cardamon powder
• 2tsp tomato puree
• 1/4 cup grated carrot
• 2 pandan leaves, washed and knotted
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups evaporated milk
• 1/4tsp numeric powder
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup of cashew nuts (I used pine nuts coz i don't have cashew at that time)
• 3tbsp chopped coriander leaves

**Note: I don't have cardamon powder so what I did was use the grinder and grind it to powder form. You may choose to place the entire cardamon, cinnamon or/and cloves in as in original form but it taste better once it is grounded to powder form

1. Heat the pressure cooker up, put in the butter and shallot. Slightly saute before adding in the spices.
2. Next add in the tomato puree and carrot and stir.
3. Add in the pandan leaves next and stir till fragrant (roughly a min) before adding in the rice,  water and evaporated milk.
4. Switch the cooker to risotto mode (KPT13mins) and leave it to cook.
5. Once done, remove and add in coriander leaves, raisins and nuts. Next fluff the rice and mix the new add on stuff evenly.

For the chicken:

• 6pcs of drumstick, marinate with minced garlic (1cloves), ginger (1cm) and 1tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1tsp oil
• 4 shallots, sliced
• 1.5tbsp minced garlic
• 1.5tsbp minced ginger
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2 cardamon pods
• 4pcs of cloves
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3/4 tsp fennel powder
• 3.4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 knotted pandan leaves
• 2tsp coriander powder
• 1tsp chilli powder

1. Clean the chicken and wipe it dry. Marinate it with the marinate ingredients for at least 30mins.
2. Place the chicken in the air fryer and set at 180c for 5mins.
3. Heat up some oil in the pressure cooker pot and saute the shallots, garlic and ginger.
4. After the shallots soften and it starts to give nice aroma, add in the cinnamon stick, cardamon, cloves, fennel powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and pandan leaves. Stir for 1-2mins.
5. Then add in the chicken and set the pressure cooker to meat mode and KPT for 15mins.

For the beef:

• a piece of beef tenderloin roughly 400g, cut to cube (roughly 1"x1")
• 1tsp salt
• 1/2cup evaporated milk
• 1/8cup of desiccated coconut
• spices to blend
• 3 shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3tbsp of blended chilli
• 2tsp of belacan powder
• 1cm ginger
• 1tsp turmeric powder
• 1 lemongrass stem, cut to small pieces the end part (the top part bruised and leave aside)
• 2 kafir lime leaves, sliced finely
• 1 handful of vietnamese mint
• 2tbsp oil

1. Blend all the ingredients for the spices together till it forms a thick paste. If too hard to blend, add a little water (like a teaspoon or more or less).
2. Heat the pressure cooker and add in the oil to the pot. Fry the spices ingredients till fragrant.
3. Add in the desiccated coconut and fry for another 2mins.
4. Then add in the beef and coat it well with the spices. Set the cooker to meat mode and cook for 15mins.
5. Once released pressure, add in evaporated milk and salt and cook under high saute mode for 8-10mins till the sauce thicken to your preferred thickness.
6. Once done, turn off the power and stir in the kafir lime and vietnamese mint leaves.

For the pickle:

• 1 whole cucumber
• 1 whole carrot
• 4pcs of shallots
• 1tsp salt
• 1cup rice vinegar
• 2tbsp sugar

1. Cut the cucumber to roughly 3cm length, 1cm thickness size. Removed the core.
2. Season it with the salt and leave it aside for at least 10mins before washing off.
3. Cut the carrot to the same size as the carrot.
4. Slice the shallots finely.
5. Heat up the vinegar and melt the sugar in it.
6. Once the mixture cool down, place the carrot, cucumber and shallots in it. Set aside to marinate for at least 30mins before placing it into the fridge.

**Note: You can top up the veggies with the same liquid if they are still there after you finish up the veggies.

Beef and/or Pork Adobo

Heard bout this Filipino dish for a while but has not tried eating or cooking it. And a friend recently attempted it and hence I thought I'll give it a try since it is rather easy.

Ingredients:

• roughly 350-400g of beef, slow cook fillet, slice to roughly 1.5cm thickness
• pork rashy, roughly 200g, cut to 1.5cm thickness
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup malt vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3pcs of bay leaves
• 1tbsp of peppercorn
• sprinkle of crushed pepper

Steps:

1. Put everything into the pressure cooker pot, mix it evenly. 
2. Turn on the pressure cooker, set to manual, KPT5mins.
3. After the 5mins, cover the valve with a piece of cloth and manually release the pressure.
4. Then leave the valve setting to baking and set to bake for 5mins.
5. Once sauce thicken, it is all ready to be served with your favourite veggie, rice or noodle.

Sup Ekor or Oxtail Soup

Just had the felling of drinking those Malay type of soup and so, I bought a bag of oxtail from the butcher the other day and wanted to try cooking it myself.

Here it goes .

Ingredients:

• 500-600g of oxtail
• 2 teaspoon of cumin seed
• 1 star anise
• some dried chills (I omitted this cause my daughter is drinking, she don't like it spicy)
• a small piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 carrot cut big chunk
• 1 potato cut chunk
• 1 tomato, quartered
• a little oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• a handful of chopped spring onion
• a handful of parsley
• half a big onion, sliced and fried till crispy, for serving
• 1.5l water

Steps:

1. Wash the oxtail, and dry it.
2. Pound the star anise and cumin seed together till it is quite fine and form a paste. put them in the muslin cloth.
3. Pan fry the oxtail till brown all side, leave the cinnamon stick in the oil too.
4. Put the oxtail, cinnamon stick and the paste in muslin cloth in the pot (I uses the pressure cooker). Add in the water. Boil for 2hours. I boil mine on high for 15mins and low fire for another 15mins. If you using chilli, add in now too.
5. Add in the potato, carrot and tomato and cooked for another 2hours (mine another 20mins).
6. Season before serving with salt and top with the rest of the ingredients.

Japanese Beef Curry

Ingredients:

• 150-180g of beef cubes
• half carrots cut into chunk
• half potato cut into chunk
• half a pureed apple (I used the shredder to shred it to it is mushy too)
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/4 onion cut into thin slices
• 1/4 tbsp oil
• 120ml water
• 1 tsp garam masala
• a small pinch of salt
  
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Worcester sauce
• a pinch of freshly grounded pepper

Methods:

1. Heat up the oil in a sauce pan and fry the onion till golden and caramelised, used medium fire.
2. Once the onion brown, add in the beef cubes to brown it.
3. Add in the carrot and water. Turn the fire high.
4. Once at boiling stage, add in the potato, apple and garam masala. Simmer on low fire for about 20-30mins.
5. On a separate pan or saucepan, melt the butter, add in the flour and stir constantly.
6. Add in garam masala, curry powder, tomato paste, pepper and Worcester sauce.
7. Continue to stir till the mixture becomes dry and crumbly.
8. Add in the mixture into the pot of beef stew and stir till it mix well. Season with salt and done.

* amount for one person's lunch box, so multiply based on person eating.. :D

Salad Craze

Recently, I'm on a little salad craze after watching too much MKR. So decided to do some. Here there is two different salads, roast chicken with roast sweet potatoes salad and rump steak with roast pumpkin salad.

For the roast chicken salad:

Ingredients:

• 5 pieces of chicken drumstick, minus the bottom part (that's how it was sold)
• 1 piece of medium size sweet potato, skinned and cut to cubed of roughly 2x2cm
• 2 pieces of medium size red onion, wedged to roughly 2cm size
• 1 medium size potato, cut to cubed of roughly 2x2cm
• olive oil, salt (use less coz the olives are rather salty), pepper and curry powder
• a handful of sweet peas, removed the sides and cut diagonally across
• 5 pieces of mini radishes with the leaves (washed and sliced thinly)
• half a avocado, sliced to wedges
• spinach
• a handful of crumbled feta cheese
• a handful of black olives
• half a lime juice (for the dressing)
• 1 tablespoon of honey (for the dressing)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for the dressing)
• juices from the roast chicken (for the dressing)

Methods:

1. Arranged the first four items in the baking tray, lined with baking paper.
2. Drizzled with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly grounded black pepper and salt.
3. Sprinkle the curry powder on the chicken only.
4. Roast in the oven at 200C for about 20mins.
5. Add in the sweat peas at the last 5mins.
6. Let it rest in the oven for about another 5mins after turning off the power/fire.
7. Mixed all the ingredients for the dressing together till the honey is dissolved.
8. Mix all ingredients together in the mixing bowl along with the dressing and served.. yum

For the pumpkin salad:

Ingredients:

• Roughly 300g pumpkin, skinned and cut to cube, approximately 2x2cm
• 2 pieces of medium size red onion, wedged to roughly 2cm size
• olive oil, salt, pepper
• a handful of crumbled feta cheese
• a handful of spinach
• quarter a lime juice (for the dressing)
• 1/2 tablespoon of honey (for the dressing)
• 1/4 tablespoon olive oil (for the dressing)

Methods:

1. Similar to the above, lined the baking tray with paper and arrange the pumpkin and onions in it. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Roast in the oven, 200C for about 20mins.
3. Mixed all the ingredients for the dressing together till the honey is dissolved.
4. Mix all ingredients together in the mixing bowl along with the dressing and served.. yum

Beef Bake Rice

Too dry... mayb not enough sauce and cheese to cover.

Marmite Beef

• 300g of sliced beef


• 2 tablespoon of flour


• 3 tablespoon of oil for fying


• 2 tablespoon of marmite - A


• 1.5 teaspoon of oyster sauce - A


• 1 teaspoon of maggi seasoning sauce - A


• 1 pinch of pepper to taste - A


• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seed


• 1 tablespoon of chopped scallion


• 1 tablespoon of crispy shallot + garlic

1. Mix all ingredient A in a bowl.


2. Sprinkle the beef with flour.


3. Fry the beef slice by slice. Each side for max 10sec to avoid over cooking.


4. Place all the cooked beef on the A mixture and mix well so that all beef is covered the sauce.


5. Sprinkle the toasted sesame and scallion all over. Garnish with shallot + garlic.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/26242/marmite-beef.html

Soto Beef Noodle

Went to that Sabah FoodCourt for lunch again with some colleagues and this time I ordered Soto Beef Noodle. Taste good, but too bad, the portion is kinda small for the price...

Beef Dishes

The failed Beef Udon Soup. Failure coz the udon tasted terrible. Got to throw away everything and substituted my dinner with

Beef steak instead