Spiced Indian Rice with Curry Chicken

Yes, yes...It's been a long time. So long that I actually forgot my username and password!

But it's back to business from now on. I've definitely expanded my menu now that I've become an actual uni student again.

Before I start, I apologise beforehand for all the photos that I'll post here. I think I'm the only person who still believes in film cameras and the only modern camera I have is my crappy 1.3 megapixels phone camera.

But who cares about pictures? We need to eat!

* note: I haven't put in exact measurements for how much rice or chicken to use. It really depends on how many people you're serving. Just adjust accordingly. *

Spiced Indian Rice

Basmati rice
1 red onion (huge if possible) - diced
A tiny bit of minced ginger
1 carrot - grated
Butter
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
1 teaspoon tumeric powder (a.k.a kunyit)
Sultanas

1. Wash the Basmati rice and drain off the water. Set aside.

2. Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a wok/frying pan, throw in the cinnamon, cloves and onion. Fry until onions are soft and fragrant but not brown.

3. Pour in the rice and carrot. Stir fry for a bit. Then add in the tumeric powder and mix well. The rice will turn yellow. Add a bit of salt.

4. Transfer the rice into a rice cooker. Flatten the rice so it sits in nicely then pour in some water. Just enough water so that there's a thin layer of water above the rice.

5. Leave the rice to cook. Once the rice is done, mix in sultanas.

6. Voila!

Curry Chicken

Chicken breast or drumstick (depends what you prefer)
1 red onion (huge if possible) - diced
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
A bit of curry leaves
1-2 teaspoons of tumeric powder (just enough to marinate chicken)
2 tablespoons dry curry powder
2 tomatoes - wedges
2 potatoes - wedges
1 zucchini - sliced
2 tablespoons santan powder mixed with water or coconut milk

1. Wash chicken, pat dry and rub chicken with tumeric powder and salt. Set aside.

2. Heat oil, throw in cinnamon stick, cloves and onions. Fry until onions are soft and fragrant but not brown.

3. Add in chicken and stir fry. Add curry powder and continue to stir fry. If chicken starts to stick to the wok, add in tomatoes or a bit of water. Throw in curry leaves.

4. Add in potatoes, zuchinni and some water. How much water depends on how much gravy you want.

5. Turn the heat down to medium and wait until the potatoes are cooked and soft.

6. When the chicken and potatoes are done, stir in santan. Add in more santan if you want your curry to be thicker.

7. Add salt to taste and serve with spiced rice.

8. Voila!

Tags: indian spiced rice curry curry budget recipe

Dim Sum Style Chee Chong Fun!

recipe from Imperial Kitchen Forum

Ingredients :
150g Rice Flour
1 ½ Tbsp Wheat starch flour
2 Tbsp Corn flour
1 Tbsp Oil
2 cups Water
½ tsp Salt

Method :
1. Sift the 3 types of flours together.
2. Slowly add the water, mixing as you add.
3. Add the oil and salt and mix thoroughly. Set batter aside for at least an hour.
4. Prepare your steamer. Grease a swiss roll pan or any aluminium tray with oil
and pour the batter directly on the pan and steam for 5 mins.
5. After steaming, using a plastic scrapper roll the ccf up. If you are using
ingredients like char siew or prawns, you can sprinkle it over the steamed ccf
and then proceed to roll it up.
6. Place in a plate brushed with a little oil. Continue with the rest of the
batter.


Sauce:
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp sugar
a few slices of ginger
½ cup water
4 tbsp mushroom flavoured soy sauce or normal light soy sauce
½ to 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

method:

1. Place ginger with oil and sugar in a pot. Cook over small fire until sugar
turns brown.
2. When sugar is brown, add in the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium
fire for about 5 mins. Taste the sauce and adjust taste accordingly. If you
find the sauce too sweet, you can add in a bit of salt.

Modifications: I added sliced chinese shitake mushrooms in the sauce too. (To prep: Soak in hot water with 1 tsp of sugar for 20 mins). For filling, we added crabsticks, the mushrooms, spring onions.

Comments: HEAVEN!!!! It's really the thin and soft type ccf...very yummy!!! Quite time consuming though....Qin and I took nearly 1 hour 15 mins to make 6 rolls....eat and make, eat and make...so by the end of it, we were both very full cos the meal took so long!!! hahaa...

Tags: chee chong fun stuffed rice noodles dim sum budget recipe

Spiced Steak

Wet-market butchers aren't all that known for custom cuts of meat - in my wet market, most of the butchers either sell pork or chicken. Only one stall sells the red meat, mutton and beef, so there wasn't a high chance of getting the "western" style cuts of meat like ribeye or tenderloin. But, I felt like a steak for lunch. So I went up to the Indian butcher and told him:

"I feel like a steak for lunch!"

He reached in his chilled meat compartment and took out a hunk of sirloin. "How thick do you want it?" I got a 3/4 inch piece of sirloin steak for $3. Seeing how I don't usually eat steak at home, I felt inspired to dress it up a little:

Noel's Spiced Steak

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp olive oil
A nice piece of steak

1. If you have the time (like I did), use whole cumin and coriander seeds, toast them lightly on a pan before grinding them into powder.
2. Form a paste using the cumin, coriander, chili powder and oil.
3. Marinade the steak, rubbing the spice paste of both sides of the steak before leaving in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour (I gave it two)
4. How to cook a perfect steak: On a medium heat, heat a little oil on a grill pan. Once hot, place steak on pan AND LEAVE ALONE FOR 4 min. Then flip over, for another four minutes. That's right. JUST FLIP ONCE. After that, move to a plate and cover with a pan cover, or something. For another FIVE minutes.
5. Serve with nasi padang, like I did. =D

Tags: spiced steakbudget recipe