Head Bursting Sambal Belacan

Ok, I guess this is something most Malaysians will find it hard to live without especially my dear husband who loves chilli and sambal a lot....

Since I bought the ingredients, why not make something...

While making it, hubby and dear daughter complain that the house stinks and I basically sin so much, I killed almost 50 or more flies that day (attracted by the belacan.. kekekekeke)

Ingredients:

• 1 cube of Jeeny's belacan, crushed them while they are still in the packet, though it was stated that it is roasted, I still roast it on the pan without any oil for another 2-3mins.
• 3 big size shallots
• 5 cloves of garlic
• a big handful of dried chillies (from the Asian grocers)
• 2 fresh red chillies
• 3 super spicy small red chillies (that's how Woolies labelled it)
• a small pinch of salt
• 5 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of tamarind puree
• some oil
• lime juice (to be added when u want to serve only)

Methods:

1. Roast the belacan on a dry pan with no oil, medium fire for about 2-3mins.
2. Soaked the dried chillies. 
3. Removed seeds from all the chillies (some left is ok).
4. Since I wanted more flavor out of the sambal, I pounded the first 6 items first. And I dont have that much of energy to do it till they are super fine, I transferred all the ingredients into the magi mix. Include the rest of the ingredients except the lime juice. Blend till fine.
5. Heat up the oil, saute the mixture till they are fragant and dry. This should takes at least 15mins on low to medium fire.
6. Cool and keep in air tight container/jar. Served with lime juice.

Lentil Potato Burger

Not sure what to do with the leftover lentils that I used for the dhall curry, and dont feel like making shall again and again, so, decided to make some healthy lunch for myself instead.

Ingredients:

• 1.5cups of yellow split beans (soaked overnight in the fridge)
• 2 small size potato, cut into cubes, skin removed
• 3 tablespoon of oat
• 2 chinese mushroom, soaked
• one bunch of black fungus, soaked
• half a medium size carrot
• 2 tablespoon of water
• 1egg
• 2 teaspoon of curry powder
• a dash of cinnamon powder
• 2 teaspoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• a dash of ground pepper

Methods:

1. Cooked the bean and potato in the sauce pan with enough water to submerge the ingredients for about 15mins.
2. Then mixed it with ingredients 3 to 7 in the magi mix (or the blender). Blend till all items are fine and mixed well.
3. Add in an egg and continue to blend till it is even.
4. Season with the rest of the ingredients. 
5. Similar to the pork burger, shaped and keep in the fridge.
6. Pan fry and served as per the way you like it.

Pork Burger Patty

Made this last night for hubby to bring for lunch today, to go with the muffin we bought that was on sale... :D

Ingredients:

• 100g of pork belly (or the Chinese called it the 3 layer meat), skin removed, cut to cubes
• 200g of lean pork meat, also cut to cubes
• 1/2 medium size onion
• 3cm x 1cm size of ginger, skin removed
• 4 tablespoon of rolled oats
• 3 cloves of garlic, skin removed
• 3tablespoon of chinese cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Methods:

1. Add in first 6 items in the ingredient list in the blender (of course, I need to maximise my pressie, again, into the magi mix small blending bowl). Blend till all fine all well mixed. If mixture is too dry, add one or two tablespoon of water to it.
2. Season with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Wet both hands and scooped about 3 tablespoon of mixture and formed the shape of a burger patty. Place it on top of cling plastic wrapper. Continue till all ingredients are used up. 
4. Refrigerate the patties in the fridge for at least 4hours. 
5. Pan fry on the pan for 4mins on each side and served the way you like it... :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

Zucchini Bacon Muffins

I have some zucchini in the fridge which I bought "wrongly" and they gonna be going into the bin soon if I dont do something with it. So, marvel of internet, google and found a recipe for it, did a little twick and here it is.. yummy.

Savoury muffins:

 Batter before baking

 Turn into golden brown nice soft yummy mini muffins 

Hubby as usual, with his chilli sauce.. even on muffins.. argghhh...

Ingredients:

• Approx 500 grams grated zucchini (mine is roughly two pieces, minus the spoiled part.. :D)
• 1 carrot grated
• 1 medium onion peeled and diced finely
• About 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup diced bacon
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 4-5 eggs (depending on size) 

Methods:

1. Pre heat your oven to 180C (I uses 200C coz this oven is not so powerful)
2. Drain your grated zucchini, by placing them in a clean tea towel, and squeezing out as much moisture as you can, you will be surprised how much comes out of even very firm vegetables. 
3. Put into a large bowl, and add the grated carrot, onion, cheese, bacon, flour and olive oil. Stir together, and add salt and pepper to your taste.
4. Add 4 eggs, and stir the mixture thoroughly, it should be moist but not to runny. Unlike normal muffins, this batter can take plenty of stirring without producing a tough result. If the mixture looks to dry, add the remaining egg.
5. Bake in greased muffin trays for about 20-25 mins at 180C until golden brown. Mini muffins will only take 15-20 mins.

Improved Hainanese Chicken Rice

Now, with our own utensils, etc, I decided to try the Hainanese Chicken Rice dish again yesterday. This time, I'm having the chicken rice chilli.

Let's start with the chilli, blended with my magimix again... hehee... using the small bowl.

Ingredients:

• 4 red chillies, all the bird eyes chilli
• 1 green chillies, all the bird eyes chilli
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (I dont have lime in stock.. but it works la)
• 2 tbsp chicken stock (from cooking the chicken)
• 2cm ginger
• 4 cloves of garlic
• a dash of sesame oil
• a pinch of salt

Blend all the ingredients together. Adjust the ingredients based on your taste preference.

The chicken:

Ingredients:

• one whole range chicken, roughly 1.5kg
• 4 tbsp salt
• 3x3cm stalk of spring onion, the white part
• 4 slices of ginger 
• 3 cloves of garlic (white skin, bruised)
• a pot of water enough to submerge the chicken
• another pot of cold water
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of oil
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• parsley for deco

Methods:

1. Boil the water and 2 tbsp of salt.
2. Wash the chicken, then scrub with salt and wash it off (this is to remove any bad odour and to give the chicken a smooth shiny skin).
3. Stuffed the cavity of the chicken with ginger, garlic and spring onion.
4. When the water boils, add the chicken in, breast down. Let it boil for another 2mins, turn off the fire. Let it rest in the hot bath for about 5-7mins before turning the fire on again till boiling point and shut off again. Repeat for another time. The final, let it rest for about 10mins. This is to preserved the juices of the chicken in it.. :D
5. Use chopsticks to remove the chicken (under the "armpit") and submerge in cold water.
6. Remove the contents in the cavity. When chicken cool down, cut up the chicken and remove the main parts and the meat from the chicken breast.
7. Put back the chicken carcass back to the soup and boil for another 15mins under low fire. This will be the soup, served with some chopped spring onion.
8. Heat the oil, saute garlic. When the garlic is bout to turn golden brown, add in the soy sauce. Once boiling stage, turn off the fire and pour it over the chickens.

Rice:

Ingredients:

• 1.5cups rice
• 2 cups of the chicken stock from cooking the chicken
• 2cm ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
• bout 1/2 tablespoon of butter (if add this, reduce the water a little)

Methods:

1. Wash rice, mixed all the ingredients together and steam it or cook in rice cooker.

Kai Tan Kou (Egg Cake, no oil)

During the last month in KL, the girl was at my mom's house and I just found out that the girl likes kai tan kou, so I decided to hunt for the recipe to make it. What more now with the new toy, it makes baking even easier.

The only setback I noticed so far (only used it twice), there is no speed, either auto or pulse...

Anyway, here is the little teddy cake saying hi!

Ingredients
1 large egg
30gm sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract

30gm plain flour
1/8 tsp baking powder













Ingredients:
2 large eggs
50g brown sugar
1/2tsp vanilla extract
50g flour
1.4tsp baking powder

* Need to increase the amount coz I notice this only make 5 of my teddy... so little.

Method
1. Place a greased kuih balu mould into a preheated 200C oven.

2. Whisk egg for bout 1min until light, pale and frothy.

3. Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat until thick and creamy.

4. In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Slowly add in the flour mixture little by little and each add, pulse the mixture a little

5. Scoop batter into the heated greased mould. Fill to the top of the mould.

6. Bake at 200C for 8 minutes or until the top is golden brown. The time and temperature depends on your oven. So, need to do a little test and trial or know your oven well.

7. Remove kuih bahlu from mould with the aid of a skewer and leave to cool on a wire rack. Continue with the the rest of the batter (step 5-7).

8. Store in an airtight container.