Penang Style Indian Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles)

You gotta do what you gotta do.

Especially when you’re desperate.

I’ve been having a craving for the Penang style Indian Mee Goreng for the longest time. Actually, come to think of it, I’m forever craving this. It’s a life long, constant crave. 

It’s addictive.

There’s a ton of carbs in here … but who cares. Malaysian food is all about carbs anyway. 

And I don’t get this anywhere in the big city, nothing that can compare to the ones on the island.

And when you’ve had one too many bad ones, you kinda give up and get all hot and bothered and then decide to just make it yourself.

I must say it isn’t bad at all …. can’t get up to par to the island masters but it’s as close as I can get without the sweet potato spiced gravy or the chilly squid curry/sambal that is such a secret to each individual stall. It’s enough to satisfy my crave …. for now.

INGREDIENTS

Oil for frying

5 large garlic cloves (chopped)

4 tbs chilli paste

500g yellow noodles (blanched and drained)

2 pieces firm tofu (fried and cut into cubes)

1 large waxy potato (boiled, peeled and diced)

1 tomato (diced)

dough  and shrimp fritters (I got these from the rojak man), cut into bite sized pieces

2 large handfuls beansprouts

1/2 cup coarsely ground peanuts (optional)

Sliced chinese lettuce for garnish

Sliced green chillies for garnish

Sugar and salt to taste

Lime or calamansi

Sauce: mix together

3 tbs soy sauce

3 tbs thick dark caramel soy 

3 tbs thick tamarind juice

1 tbs white vinegar

3 tbs tomato ketchup

METHOD

Heat a deep pan or wok with a few tbs of cooking oil. Fry chopped garlic and chilly paste.

Add cut potatoes and tomatoes.

Stir in drained noodles and sauce mix.

Stir until noodles are slightly dry. Then add in the tofu, fritters and bean sprouts. 

Turn off heat. You don’t want to overcook the beansprouts. 

Stir in ground peanuts or just sprinkle over the top when you wanna eat. 

Garnish with sliced lettuce and sliced green chillies.

Eat with a squeeze of lime and get transported to the lovely Pearl of the Orient. 

I’m so satisfied right now …. burp …. squeeze me.

Overnight Oats

Some folks just don’t like eating oats. I’ve been told it’s boring.

Well …. YOU are boring. 

Oats are so boring you can actually make it very interesting. 

Growing up, mum used to dump an egg, milk and honey in my oats, cook it to a custardy yumminess and serve it to a delighted me. Don’t go eeww … custard IS made with eggs.

Just last week, a visiting good friend was talking about overnight oats. That triggered a childhood craving for oats …. but with a new and modern, healthy twist … no cooking and raw.

You know, it saves a ton of time in the morning. Just prepare it the night before and it’ll be nice and ready when you’re rushing for time the next morning. 

It’s yummy and keeps you energised til lunch …. sometimes I still don’t feel hungry at lunchtime and just have a light snack. How good is that? And that’s even after a tough 2-hour tennis game. Of coz that also depends on how much of the oats you consume.

This is my portion …

(I use a 200 ml jam jar)

3 - 4 heaped tbs rolled oats

1 tsp chia seeds (this makes it gooey. I love gooey oats …. oats are meant to be gooey. You can omit this if you don’t want it gooey. It’ll be a little coarser. I’m not a horse. I don’t like coarse and gritty down my throat)

1 tsp honey

1 good pinch of cinnamon

milk (filled to about 3 quarters of the jar)

Stir everything together and then add the fruits. You can also add the fruits just before eating.

diced peaches

blueberries

Put the lid on and leave in the refrigerator overnight. 

Yeah … overnight …. why do you think it’s called OVERNIGHT oats?

Tons of options:

Almond / soy milk

Yogurt (dilute a little)

Nuts

Other spices

Chocolate chips / syrup

Cocoa powder

Coffee

Raisins

Bananas

Your fav fruit

Whatevers ……

DO NOT be boring

Hot Sauce (Sriracha) Chicken Wings

There are so many types of chilly sauce here, locally made to suit our very fireproof tastebuds. I’ve only come across the name “Sriracha” in the American blogs and recipes. And I don’t think it was even on our grocer shelves til recently. 
I’ve ignored it for the longest time, never having a need for some foreign brand telling me it’s better than what I can get at home. 

Then this recipe popped up. The gooey deliciousness got to my tummy and I. 
Drool, I did. Make, I want.

I was sure this could also be made using our local chilly sauce / hot sauce. But then, I’ve never tasted Sriracha. Who knows, maybe it’s got an interesting flavouring that makes the recipe. Gotta get a bottle. Bought, I did.

Meh. It’s hot sauce. Chilly sauce, minus the sugary sweetness that many of our local brands favor. Now I can truly say … yes, this can also be made using our local chilly / hot sauces … minus the honey.
The thing that makes this more interesting is the bergamot leaves. It gives it an exotic flavor and a beautiful scent to the whole “burn my tongue silly”. 

(Recipe adapted from Slow Roasted Italian)

INGREDIENTS

6 chicken wings (drummets to tips, whole or separated)
1/2 cup Sriracha sauce
1/2 cups honey
1 tbs butter
juice of 1 lime
2 tsps finely shredded bergamot leaves (lima purut), divided

METHOD

Toss everything with 1 tsp of shredded bergamot into a slow cooker. 
Stir to coat chicken wings.
Cook on high for 2-3 hours. 
Remove wings gently (gets very tender and might fall to pieces) and place on a lined baking pan.

From this point, you can broil the chicken wings immediately and baste with the watery liquid or reduce the liquid to a thick syrup and then baste and broil and baste and broil …. to your heart’s content and until it’s slightly caramelised.

Remove from oven.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp shredded bergamot leaves and serve warm.

Banana Chia Power Smoothie

So you’re all pooped from the festivities. 

Need an energy booster? 

Or a cure for a hangover? (Do I sound like an ad?)

This was something I picked up from my travels. An instant energy booster. Yummy to boot.

Just the other day, I’d found it on our local grocer’s chiller and wait …. how much was that? You gotta be kidding me?! Forget it, I’ll make my own ….. 

It makes a great breakfast on the go as well. For someone (me) who isn’t into the whole shebang of slicing, toasting, pan frying, buttering, eat, wash and wash some more … this is just brilliant. 

Make it the night before and you’re all set to take on the world the next day!

INGREDIENTS

(Note: measurements are per 250 - 300 ml bottle / mason jars)

1 - 2 small bananas, sliced (this depends on how thick you want your smoothie to be)

1 cup apple juice

1 tbs chia seeds (too much of this and you’ll get pudding)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

honey / sugar (optional)

METHOD

Puree bananas and 1/2 cup of the apple juice in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Put 1 tbs chia seeds and ground cinnamon into bottle / jars. 

Pour in puree and top up with remaining apple juice, cap and shake to mix it up.

Leave overnight in the fridge.

Glug the next day … watch out, world!

Pumpkin Rice

~Pumpkin, Pumpkin,

Round and fat.

Harvest time is coming.

Yum, yum, yum.

That is that!~

I have the sniffles and I think it’s pumpkin fever. Incurable. I die happy.

I found this recipe on a fellow blogger’s site. It caught my eye. And why not? It’s got pumpkin in it.

Hers is a loaded version. You can check it out here.

I just made a simpler one since I’ll be having kung pao chicken on the side. Altho this turned out scrumplicious, basmati rice would be a better choice as it's less fluffy and with a springier bite. 

It’s so appetising! Good even on its own. Thanks Phong Hong!

I’m gonna be making this very often and with different variations.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed and drained

1 Chinese sausage, thinly sliced (or substitute with any meat of your choice)

1 cup diced pumpkin

2 tbs dried shrimp, soaked, drained and coarsely chopped

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups chicken / vegetable stock

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbs oil

Chopped scallions

METHOD

Heat oil. Sauté the garlic and the dried shrimp.

When it’s fragrant, toss in chopped onion, pumpkin, sliced Chinese sausage and ground cinnamon. Stir it around until onions are soft.

Turn off the heat and mix in the rice. Coat evenly.

Transfer into a microwave safe bowl and add in the stock.

(Same method as how I cooked rice before. Alternatively, you can also plonk it into a rice cooker if you have one).

Cook uncovered on high for 10 mins.

Sprinkle chopped scallions just before serving.

Chocolate Chips Pumpkin Cake

It’s pumpkin season again. 

I love pumpkins. I used to go crazy thinking of unconventional things to make, cook, bake with pumpkins. 

Crazy moments: 

~ Fried Pumpkin Indian Style

~ Pumpkin Roasted Duck Steamed Kuih

~ Pumpkin Tomato Soup Chicken

~ Pseudo-Chinese Pastry

There must be over a hundred varieties out there. We get a good variety from the local grocers. And to mess about with, I wouldn’t even bother getting expensive imported ones. Our local variety is good enough …. similar to the winter squash, Linus’ pumpkin patch types, the one Cinderella took to the ball and forgot to come back before her curfew and lost her shoe (definitely pretty ill-fitting shoe, I must say, and probably had one too many margaritas … you really have to read between the lines of those fairy tales to get the gist of the saucy substance of what the author is actually trying to say but could not due to childrens’ story books bylaws or whatnots).

Anyway, enjoy this while pumpkin is still in season or just freeze mashed pumpkin and you can have it all year through! 

Oh …. before I go mess about some more ….

For those who do not want to use canned pumpkin puree, you can prepare your own very easily.

Just get rid of the hard skin and seeds. Cut into large chunks and steam them for a few minutes (you can tell when they’re soft. The colour turns a darker orange). 

And, in this recipe, I did not mash the pumpkin too fine (I did call it mash and not puree). It’s good either way. I kinda like the speckled orange look.

(This cake is a combination of recipes. So if anyone feels that this originated from yours, please let me know. I’ll add a link and your cake pic to this). 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup (4oz) butter, melted
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170ºC.
Generously butter a 9”X5”X3” loaf pan or three 6”X3”X2” mini loaf pans.
Combine flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix well.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs.
Add pumpkin, melted butter, and milk. Mix well.
Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix.

Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan/pans. 

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove cake from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Instant Jammin' - Spiced Peach Jam

 

 

 

This has got to be the fastest and freshest jam making process I've ever experienced. No cooking, fresh, refreshing and healthier too! I must say tho, the texture isn't quite as gooey and sticky as regular jams but you know that's all a bunch of sugar and pectin.

This doesn't rely on too much sugar nor pectin. It uses something that's popular in the health circles these days.... Chia seeds....botanic name: Salvia Hispanica.
Remember those days where you have all sorts of funny clay animal figures which you kept watering and eventually sprouted and gave them "hair"? Yup....those. Chia pets, they were called.
Now we ingest them instead of pasting them on figurines...the seeds, not the clay things. Nope...you won't get a hairy chest nor is it an alternative solution to hair loss. What you will get is some long list of health benefits. Go look it up, will ya. I'm talking jam here.
Immersed in liquid, the seeds turn into a gelatinous goop. Apparently, they absorb 10 times their weight in water!

My sis-in-law posted a link on her Facebook wall about this. The recipe called for fresh berries. Berries of any sort is expensive here and since this was an experiment, I wasn't gonna waste it if it doesn't work out. So, I'd decided to use up some canned peaches left over from a wannabe peach cheesecake....that's another story.

Amazingly, it worked. Why I doubted it in the first place, I don't know. Maybe I'd just doubted myself...my ability to get it right...I have this knack for screwing up the simplest of process.
And of course I can't keep it simple. I'd added some spices to liven things up.

An experimental jam.

INGREDIENTS

About 1 cup canned peaches, drained
1tbs chia seeds
Sugar to taste, or honey (I used sugar so as not to alter the peach flavours too much)

1 star anise
1 stick cinnamon


METHOD

Put the peaches and sugar in a food processor or blender.
Buzz til you get a texture that you like.
Stir in the chia seeds.
Place spices at the bottom of a jam jar and pour fruit purée over.
(You can use a spice infused syrup for a stronger flavour)
Seal and leave overnight for the seeds to absorb the liquid.

Note: since making this, I've discovered that this is a great way to make chutneys and mint jelly as well. Unfortunately, this doesn't keep too long since it's non cooked.

Why not experiment for yourself and do let me know what you've made and how it worked out for you.
 

 

Oven Fried Chicken

There is a shop in Ipoh, one of the northern states in Malaysia, famous for their salt baked chicken. And then there's the lesser known one just 2 roads away. I'd found it by accident trying to find the more popular shop. After buying one from there, we went further up the main strip and found the other. So, I had to buy another chicken. Why not? I need to compare, right?

And the verdict .... I like the one from the underdog. I can't quite put my finger on why I prefer that. It could be that it's more herbally, the chicken tastes more free- rangey (yeah, that's a word). You know how free-range chicken meat is a little tougher and stringier than commercially bred chickens? Well, it's like that.

Anyway, point of the post is, I've been trying to replicate the flavors at home and haven't had much luck. Sometimes, one may get all the spices and seasonings correct but it's in the tweakings of the proportions that can make or break a recipe.

Or, you might get lucky and have a fairy-blogmother send you the perfect concoction in a packet!

In this case, it was Elin of Elinluv's Tidbits Corner. (Thank you so much, Elin!) Actually, she sent me this a while ago and I've been happily using the spice mix in different ways and each time trying hard to get a nice pic to do justice to her generosity and kindness. But each time it gets gobbled up so quick, or folks complaining about the chicken getting cold and not too appetizing ... you get the picture ... or not.

This was also a technique I learnt from Shannon of Just as Delish ... Oven Fried Chicken. Yup, Oven + Fried. Nope, my brain ain't fried, just the chicken. I love this way of cooking chicken. Of course, it doesn't get as crispy as deep frying but there is a delicate crunch minus the usage of potfuls of oil. I hate deep frying. I don't hate eating fried foods, just hate doing it myself. You can get Shannon's version here.

I used what Elin sent me to marinade this. The original recipe calls for the chicken to be baked in a salt crust or as the packet of spices instructed, to use the foil included as a wrap. But, like I said, I'd used the oven-baked way instead for today. You can see how it's supposed to be done using the foil here, at Elin's.

Either way, it's easy, no hassle, no mess, no extra oils ... no kidding!

If you can get your hands on this packet of spices, I highly recommend it. For the folks who aren't of this world ... I mean, this side of the big blue .... try out this way of "frying". I'm very happy with it and I'm sure you will be too. Just use dry-ish seasoning and make sure the coating is sticky and not watery. That's all there is to it!

INGREDIENTS

2 whole chicken legs (with skin)

1/3 pack of salted chicken seasoning (scroll all the way down for pack) / or just use your favorite dry marinade

1 1/2 - 2 tbs cornflour

METHOD

Make slits (or not, I do that to make sure my chicken's thoroughly cooked through) on chicken. (See pic)

Rub marinade all over (chicken, of coz. Oh boy.) and into the slits.

Place in a baggy, seal and leave to marinade in the fridge for a couple of hours (not too necessary).

Preheat oven to 200˚C.

Rub cornflour evenly all over chicken. You'll want a sticky, paste-like coating. If it's too dry add a little water. (Too watery and it won't turn out crispy)

Place a rack (big enough to hold all pieces in a single layer) on a lined baking tray, place the chicken on top and bake, skin side up, for about 45 mins (depending on the size of the pieces) or until skin is crisp and nicely browned. (This is to prevent the chicken from soaking in the juices or fat).

Serve hot with a side of greens or whatever.

*Important note: This is best served hot out of the oven. If left too long, the skin gets chewy. Not advisable to make for the next day.

Chocolate Dipped Candied Ginger

This'll spice up your love life. No, not talking about weird toys or little blue pills. Just something sweet, something spicy, something different.

I had made some candied ginger at the post before this. And it occurred to me to turn this plain little cube-like things into something a little more exotic than the usual chopped-up-and-put-into-cakes-or-cookies.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. And may I remind everyone that this day isn't just for the head-in-the-clouds folks, but also for old fogies like me to appreciate and to send out some appreciation and some platonic love (in case some folks get the wrong idea here).

Ok, shutting up now .... going to get some spice in my life ... going to chew on some chocolate ginger. What were you thinking?

INGREDIENTS

candied ginger (see previous post)

good quality dark chocolate (sweet, semi sweet, bitter, white, whatever)

METHOD

Melt chocolate however you want. I zapped mine in the microwave in short bursts (so that it doesn't burn).

Stir in between zaps.

Dunk candied ginger pieces halfway into chocolate. (You can dunk the whole thing if you like).

Allow to cool and set in fridge.

*Tip: Skewer the ginger pieces, dunk them in chocolate and then stick the skewers into a styrofoam block while they cool and set (like a pin cushion) so that they don't get smeared.

February is #chocolatelove month! Check out all the gorgeous yummies!

Spiced Yogurt Chook

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Essential Curries

I was craving for something sweet-ish but not a dessert ... not an eye-popping type sweet ... something sweet but savoury at the same time. Yes, I'm a difficult person/tummy to satisfy. And my husband will vouch for this ... I'm super grumpy when I'm hungry and don't get what I crave for. Poor guy.

So when I saw this recipe, my tastebuds popped out of their sockets and I could literally eat the page right out of that book. I could just imagine those flavors, and that was exactly what I needed right then. Sweet from the raisins, a light tartness from the yogurt, spices for savoury ... absoverylutely perfect!

Yay! It's gonna be a good day!

INGREDIENTS

250 ml natural yogurt

1 tsp salt

fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp chilli powder (I thought this was a little mild, add more if you prefer)

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

1 kg chicken pieces

oil

5 cardamom pods

3 cloves

1 stick cinnamon

2 bay leaves

3 tbs slivered almonds,

2 tbs sultanas / raisins

METHOD

Mix together yogurt, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and half of the fresh chopped coriander. Set aside.

Season chicken pieces with the other 1/2 tsp salt and some black pepper.

Heat some oil in a pan and add in cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Stir a little and then add in the chicken pieces. Brown on both sides and remove to a large bowl.

Put the sultanas/raisins and almonds into the same hot oil. Stir quickly. Once the almonds turn golden and the raisins puff up (they look so cute! .... oh and this happens really fast, so, work quickly) return the chicken with all it's accumulated juices to the pan.

Add the seasoned yogurt and stir to mix evenly. Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for about 20 mins, stirring once or twice in between.

Remove the lid, turn the heat up and cook until the liquid is reduced and just clings to the chicken pieces. Turn the chicken over to coat evenly with the sauce.

Serve over fluffy white rice or with some damper bread.

* Note: If you can figure out which are the almonds/raisins and which are the spices, remove them for easier eating. I didn't enjoy biting into those cloves ... reminds me of the dentist. :{

Otherwise, this was a super delumpcious dish!