The Cooking Foodie

Under our Recipes page, we will be sharing old favourite recipes, seasonal recipes (think Hari Raya delicacies) and even some contemporary ones.

Pan-Fry Barbecue Chicken
(Makes 3-4 Servings)

So here is the recipe for Pan-Fry Barbecue Chicken which you can enjoy as a meal at home or at a barbecue (remember to put in on sticks or skewers)

You will need :
8 skinless, boneless  chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I suggest using olive oil)
1/3 cup honey
1/3 soya sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed

The marinate should have a balanced taste of sweet and salty. If you like a more tangy taste. add a tablespoon of lemon juice)

Steps :
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soya sauce & peppers. Place chicken and garlic into the bowl and marinate for at least 2 hours. (the longer the better)

Heat skillet. You dont have to add any oil as the marinate already has oil in it.

Pan-seared the chicken, turning occasionally. It will only take a few minutes for chicken to cook and be careful not to burn the chicken. Note that the chicken will brown quickly due to the honey.

When chicken is cooked, remove and cool. Serve with fresh vegetables like cucumber and tomatoes and toasted bread for a complete meal. Enjoyz.

Note : If you are not a fan of honey, you can substitute it with brown sugar.

Some bubbles will appear. This is the due to the honey.

Remove from pan when chicken is golden brown like this.

Yumms!

Tip : Use a non-stick pan so that chicken will not stick and will cook faster. 


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Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins 
(Makes 12)

I dare say this is one of my signature desserts at home..Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins. These muffins is always a hit with the kids, and always get great reviews from friends and family. And best of all, they are so easy to do.

I think the key ingredients in this recipe that makes a whole lot of difference are the sour cream and melted chocolate. Use good dairy milk chocolate, for example Cadbury milk chocolate. They are not expensive, but will give a muffins a really good chocolate taste and flavour. 

You will need :

A:

150g plain flour

175g caster sugar (you can substitute with light brown sugar for better flavor)

35g unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda

¼ teaspoon salt

B:

125ml sour cream, at room temperature (I usually use light sour cream)

3 tablespoon vegetable oil (eg canola oil)

50g butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

75g plain chocolate, melted (I would suggest Cadbury dairy milk chocolate)

* refer to tip below on melting the butter and chocolate together. 

25g flaked almonds (for muffin top - optional)

For cheesecake mixture:

175g cream cheese or full-fat cheese, at room temperature

60g caster sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do :

Preheat oven to 190 C /375 F/ Gas mark 5. Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper cups.

Combine A in a big bowl and set it aside. 

In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients well by using a whisk. 

Make a well in the centre of mixture A and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk until well combined but do not over-mix. 

For the cheesecake topping, combine the cheesecake mixture ingredients and with a hand whisk, whisk the mixture until just combined. Do This mixture makes a lot and its actually enough for a double batch of the muffins.

Fill in the paper cups with the muffin mixture (3/4 filled will do). Spoon the cheesecake mixture on top. With a wooden satay stick or a chopstick, stir the cheesecake mixture to get a marbled effect. Lastly, sprinkle a few pieces of the almond flakes in top. I skipped this part in mine, because again,  the kids are just not fans of nuts.

Bake for 20-25 mins or until risen and firm to the touch. Cool muffins.

Serve warm or cold. Personally, I think the muffins taste better the day after..if they last that long, that is. 

Tip : The fastest way to melt the butter and chocolate is to microwave the butter for about 1 to 1.5 mins. Remove from the microwave and stir in the chocolate (chocolate must be at room temperature or it will curdle). Don’t forget to cool the mixture before combining it with the other wet ingredients.

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12 Nov 2012

The Simple Chicken Curry

As a tribute to our neighbours who will be celebrating Deepavali today, here is a simple version of the Chicken Curry. Eat it with white rice or dip it with bread, this dish is a winner every time.

You will need :
1/2 kg of chicken parts
2 carrots, cut to 1/2 inch lengths
2 potatos, cut into quarters or smaller, depending on the size
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 tablespoon onion and garlic paste * (see below)
2 tablespoon curry powder (you can use any brand, I use Baba's because there is enough heat in the curry powder without having to add any chilli paste)
2 stick cinnamon
3 pieces of star anise
5 pieces cardamom
5 pieces of clove
50ml low-fat coconut milk
4 tablespoon of oil (try to use healthier oil like olive or canola)
Salt for seasoning
Ajinomoto (optional)


Steps :
Clean the chicken parts and coat it lightly with tumeric and some salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and fry lightly. I recommend this step as the light frying will help to seal the juice of the chicken, keeping it tender and so that the chicken pieces will not disintegrate easily after re-heating. Drain away excess  oil and set aside.

Boil the carrots and potatoes until half cooked. This will speed up the cooking process of the curry so that you don't have to simmer the curry too long later. Keep the boiled water, it would be waste to throw away all the flavour of the carrots and potatoes. We will use it later.

Mix the curry powder with the onion and garlic paste. Add a little water if the mixture is too thick.

Heat the oil in a work. Add the spices and fry until fragrant. Sometimes the cinnamon or cloves might pop so be careful. Add the curry paste. You should have a good sizzle and the aromatic of curry, onion & garlic should be wafting through your kitchen. Continue stirring but watch the fire. The mixture should be bubbling happily.

A friend use to ask me how do I know when the paste is well cooked before adding the other ingredients. Well, I would say it's a good control of the fire and making sure there is just enough oil and moisture to sautee the paste well. As you stir, you will notice that the paste will start to reduce a little  oil bubbles appearing. And if you take a good smell, the curry paste should start smelling cooked curry. (this takes a bit of experience but with some practice, you will notice it)

If the mixture becomes too dry, add the little water (and not oil) to give some it moisture and continue to stir. Once you have the oil bubbles appearing evenly (it should take about 4-5 mins), add in the boiled water from the potatoes and carrots. Stir well.

Add the chicken pieces and carrots and potatoes, add the salt to taste. If you like to use a little Ajinomoto in your cooking, you can add it in, otherwise, leave it out.

Bring the curry to a boil. Add the coconut milk and continue stirring. Kill the fire. Garnish with parsley and spring onion when serving.

Nothing's like a good curry. :)

The easy Chicken Curry

* How to make onion & garlic paste : The proportion of onion to garlic is 1 medium onion to 4-5 cloves of garlic. Blend the two together and from there, use the paste as required in the recipe. 

Tip : You don't really need to use a lot of coconut milk to make good curry, as it is basically just a thickener. If you use enough onion and garlic paste, the gravy will taste just as good. 

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10 Nov 2012

Butterscotch Poached Eggs

So here is the recipe for the Butterscotch Poached Eggs. This makes a wonderful breakfast or a light meal by adding a salad on the side.

You will need :
2 slices of butterscotch bread (I use the brand Bonjour) *
2 slices of tomato
1 egg
some water
butter for spreading
black pepper or pepper for seasoning
salt for seasoning

Steps :
Put some water in a small bowl. The water should be enough to cover the egg completely.
Carefully break the egg into the bowl. Using a satay stick, or a sharp utensil, poke 2 small holes into the egg yolk. This is to prevent the egg from bursting during cooking. Microwave the egg for 1min 10 sec, in 20 secs intervals. This is to check on the doneness of the egg at every interval (if your egg is of a smaller size, you might just need 1 min to cook it). The egg is done when the whites are cooked. Remove the egg from the bowl immediately. If you are not serving the egg immediately, put the egg in a bowl of ice water. This is to stop the cooking process and the yolk will remain runny.

Toast the butterscotch bread and spread on some margerine or butter thinly. Arrange the tomato slices on the bread. Place the poached eggs on the tomatoes. Sprinkle some black pepper and salt on the egg if desired.

So there you have it. The butterscotch bread is a perfect accompaniment as it is not too sweet. The tomato adds flavour, and the butter provides a subtle saltiness.

Heathly, simple, and utterly delicious.

Oh and it'll look gorgeous too.

Yummylicious

* You can substitute the butterscotch bread with the bread of your choice. I think raisin bread or corn bread will work very well too.

Tip : Make your meal healthier by using better quality eggs. Try carrot eggs, which contains Lutien which is an antioxidant and is beneficial in maintaining good eyesight. 

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9 Nov 2012

Banana Muffin with Cream Cheese Frosting

So here is the recipe for Banana Muffin with Banana Cream Cheese Frosting. (recipe adapted from Chef Wan Cakes by Minibooks).  This recipe makes about 18 muffins.

You will need :
225 unsalted butter
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 cup ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla essense
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Banana Cream Cheese Frosting

Steps :
340g (12 oz) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup bananas, mashed
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

Steps :

Preheat oven at 180 C (350 F).

Sift together flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (batter will change into a lighter color). Add eggs one at a time followed by mashed bananas. Add yogurt and vanilla essence. Fold in the flour mixture.

Spoon batter into muffin cups (3/4 full). Bake for about 15-20 mins. I would suggest checking on doneness at 15 mins. Remove from oven and set aside to cool on a cooling rack.

To make the frosting, simply beat cream cheese (you won't need to use a electric beater for this, a whisk will do) until smooth. Add in the bananas and sugar and beat until well combined. Add in the walnuts. (I didn't add any in mine as my kids are not fans of nuts :)

Using a piping bag with a star tip, pipe the frosting onto the muffins. If you don't have a piping bag,  simply use a butter knife and spoon the frosting over the muffins.

This recipe will produce soft, cake-like muffins so if you prefer to serve it as a cake, simply bake the batter in a 22cm (8 inch) cake tin. No need to change any of the ingredients. And spread the frosting on top of the cake.

So there you have it. Enjoy the muffins!

Tip: When using eggs in cake making or food preparation, break the eggs into a bowl first. You might never know if an egg turns out to be bad and this way, you can avoid breaking a bad egg into a batter. 

How do you like this recipe? Let us know by dropping a comment.

Banana Muffins with Banana Cream Cheese Frosting

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But before we begin, we would just like to say that my partner and I are not restaurant chefs, but more of the daily kitchen chef who cooks for our families on a daily basis. Therefore, in all the recipes that we share, there is always one constant ingredient..love.

So first up is an old favourite of mine…the Bubur Kacang Durian. Some might even call it a grandmother’s recipe, but grandmother or not, this dessert always have me sighing in bliss. In fact, if done right, you might even be able to convert someone who dislike durian into an overnight fan. And I know that from a personal experience! During the last Eidul Adha family gathering, I made this dessert to my sister-in-law's house and without sounding conceited, this dessert was the unanimous hot favourite of the day. Not surprising though, as many of us are avid durian lovers. :)

So let’s begin..

Bubur Kacang Durian (Green Beans with Durian Dessert)

You will need :

1 styrofoam box of durian (definite more if you are a big fan or durian)

250g – 300g of green beans (or half a regular packet)

200ml of low-fat coconut milk (I use Ayam brand)

1 packet of palm sugar (gula Melaka).

½ teaspoon of salt

3 stalks of screwpine leaves (daun pandan)

Steps :

< 1.  Wash the screwpine leaves and tie them into a tight knot. Place in a pot of water.
[i 2.   Wash the green beans & add to the pot of water. Boil until the shells breaks and beans are cooked.

< 3.    In a saucepan, combine the palm sugar  with some water. (about a cup). Cook the palm sugar until melted well. Once melted, strain the mixture into a bowl .This is to get rid of any unmelted pieces or other small particles from the palm sugar. Pour the palm sugar mixture into the pot and bring it to a boil again. At this stage, you may want to add more water to the pot, depending on how thick you want to bubur to be.

< 4. When the mixture is boiling, add the coconut milk, and salt.

< 5.   Add in the durians pieces. Do note that the coconut milk and durian will thicken the dessert so if you prefer a more diluted dessert, add a bit more water. Remember to give it a taste. The dessert should have a creamy texture and you should taste the sweetness from the palm sugar and the durians, but not too sweet. Continue stirring and bring the dessert to the boil again. At this point, the durian pieces will start to disintegrate a little.

There you are, as simple as it can be. Enjoyz!

Tip : Be sure to wash the screwpine leaves because dirt are easily trapped along the grooves of the leaves. Washing it under a low running water will ensure the screwpine leaves are washed clean.

Also, if the durians that you use are already very sweet, you may want to reduce the amount of palm sugar used. 



A bowl of Bubur Kacang Durian, before I devour it in bliss

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