Rendang Ayam Tahi Minyak

Chicken in Spicy Stew

Don't let the name fool you or put u off...I dare to guarantee that this dish is gonna make u lick yourself!...hehe...called Rendang Betawi at some point, this is best eaten with rice and pickled veggie but I would always eat the excess thick gravy with bread..aahhh...heaven!..
note : u really have to be patient and make the Tahi Minyak first...its the key..

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 kg of whole chicken, cut into 12 pcs, marinated with 1 tbsp of salt and 2 tbsp of tumeric and 1/4 cup of water, and fried till 1/2 cooked. Drain and set aside.

2 lemongrass stalks - bruised
16 - 20 birds eye chilli
10 pcs or more kaffir lime leaves - coarsely shredded
2 pcs tumeric leaves - coarsely shredded
2 cups of wet rendang mix - (rempah rendang basah) which u can get at the wet market.
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup palm sugar (gula melaka) - slivered
salt to taste

Tahi Minyak :

800ml thick coconut milk
1/2 cup oil
1 cup of water

Pour the above into a wok and simmer slowly under medium fire, stirring often to prevent big clumps. It will curdle and just stir till u get very coarse granules - but not too dry. This will be your tahi minyak.

To this, add the lemongrass and the rendang mix.
Cook, stir, till it's fragrant, then add 3 cups water, 16 - 20 birds eye chilli, tumeric leaves, lime leaves, sugar, palm sugar and salt. Add in the chicken pieces and let simmer slowly till gravy is reduced to a thick consistency and chicken has absorbed much of the liquid. Adjust the taste of sugar and salt. If salty, add a little more water, if too spicy add a little more sugar. If too sweet, add a few more birds eye chilli.
Serve with rice and Acar Timun Mudah (recipe below).

Chicken Curry - Egg Salad - Veggie StirFry

Initially I was planning to make Roti Kirai to go along with the dishes - but somehow,...I became too lazy to cook anymore...So I ended up eating these with plain rice and bread...hey!...that's fine too!,..and who said that we can't succumb to laziness?......hehe..



Use this recipe for any kind of veggie stirfry..u won't go wrong..just remember never to overcook the vegg. For this, I used celery, carrots, mushrooms, capsicum, broccoli, and u can add anything u want,...just make it colourful.



The Chicken Curry:
U can use my Ayam Kariana for this recipe...mmm..thick and spicy..



For the egg salad with peanut sauce :

Hard-boiled eggs - sliced neatly with an egg-slicer
Cucumber - skinned, raked with fork and sliced thickly
Tomatoes - sliced thickly
Onions - sliced into rings
Some lettuce/daun salad

The Peanut Sauce

12 dried chillies - soaked to soften
2 cloves of garlic
Grind the above till fine

3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp vinegar
1 potato (or sweet potato) - boiled and pushed through a sieve.
salt to taste

1/2 to 3/4 cup of coursely ground-roasted-skinned peanuts

In a saucepan, put chilli-garlic paste, brown sugar, water, salt and tomato puree and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the mashed potato and vinegar. Reduce heat and continue stirring all the time till thick. Add the ground peanuts, stir and remove from heat.Season with a little salt. If using sweet potato, reduce the amount of sugar.

Chicken Macaroni Soup... for the Soul

2nd daughter is down with fever and I decided to make some soup to whet her appetite. Don't feel like having rice as well, hence, the macaroni. Hubby hates pasta but he'll agree to the soup...So I'm safe...

Ingredients

1 packet of macaroni - cooked to al dente
1 whole chicken - cut into 12 pcs, skinned of excess fat
4 medium potatoes - peeled and cubed
4 carrots - peeled and cubed
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
3 cloves
salt
pepper

Soup Base (to be blended)

3 onions
4 cloves of garlic
an inch of ginger
2 pcs of knorr/maggi chicken cubes
6 tbsp of soto spice mix

mix the above with a little water to form a thick paste

Garnishing

fried shallots
spring onions (chopped)
chinese parsley (chopped)

method :
Heat abt 1/2 cup of oil. Thrown in cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves. Stir for a few secs and then add in soup base paste. Saute till fragrant and cooked. Stir in the chicken, potatoes and carrots. Add sufficent water to cover and make sure it's a little dilute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer till chicken is cooked and tender.

To serve, place macaroni in a bowl. Pour over soup with chicken pieces and sprinkle with a garnishing of fried shallots and chopped greens....and THAT....is comfort food for the sick...

Multi-Fried Chicken with Oregano Potatoes

Made these for dinner the other night when I suddenly don't feel like having rice. Had drumsticks and wings..

Ingredients

Chicken thighs (make slashes on thick areas) and wings

Marinade :

3 tbsp of tumeric powder
1/4 cup of hot chilli sauce
1 tbsp of light soya sauce
1 tbsp of ginger powder
1 tbsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp of ground cumin
1 tbsp of ground coriander
2 tbsp of light golden syrup
salt to taste
1/4 cup of water

combine the above and marinate the chicken well, preferably a few hours. Chill to avoid contamination.
Deep fry in hot oil with medium heat till cooked. U may also fry the other parts of the chicken with a box-ready frying mix.

Oregano Potatoes

some potatoes - cut into chunks, deep fry in hot oil. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and while still hot, sprinkle with a little salt and some dried oregano. Mix thoroughly.

To serve, add blanched broccoli and carrots as sides.

Nasi Ayam

Chicken Rice.

Millions of version. You choose one. I choose this cause I cooked this when my husband's family came over to my house for a 'getting-to-know' session 16 years ago...u know what I mean...I was single then and maybe they wanted to know if their future in-law knows how to cook!..well I think they were in for a real treat..

Please browse below for the recipe. Like I said, this is MY version..

The Soup
The Rice
The Chicken
The Veggie (Chap Chye)
The Chilli

The Chicken

Ingredients

The chicken which has been boiled in the soup

1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground tumeric
1 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt

Mix the above thoroughly in a bowl. Smother the chicken (which has been drained off) with the paste. Set aside for abt 30 mins. Arrange on a baking dish lined with alum foil. In a preheated 220 degrees oven, slide the baking dish/tray in. Baste with some soft butter every 10 mins or so to keep it moist. When skin has turned to a nice colour, abt 20 - 25 mins (depending on yr oven),take the chicken out. Cover the whole tray with alum foil for 10 mins.This is to let it rest so the regurgitated juice has the time to seep in back into the flesh again. Cut as desired.

Lemon Chicken

aahh...my favourite to go along with chinese/thai fried rice.
Pour the sauce over the chicken when u are about to serve, to prevent sogginess.

Ingredients

1/2 kg of chicken breast/ fillet - washed and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Dip into all purpose seasoned flour, then into beaten egg, then into the flour again. Dust off excess flour and deep fry by the batch till golden brown and crisp. Set aside.

Sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons water

Place lemon juice, honey, ginger, stock and soy in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil. Mix the cornflour and the water together. Add to the sauce and simmer until thickened. Remove from heat.

Ayam Lemak Cili Api

Another re - run. Still, it's a hot favourite in my family. U may try with the same recipe here. Usually eaten with the spicy brinjals and hot rice.

Wings of the Nite with Oregano Potatoes

Sounds flashy...but seriously, I made this late in the night when everybody starts to announce that they're hungry. So, found some chicken wings in the fridge and rummaged through some potatoes..and therefore, a meal is born..(blame it on the Euro Cup)

Ingredients

Chicken Wings, marinated with..

Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Ground chilli / chilli powder
Ground ginger
Ground garlic
Ground tumeric
salt & black pepper
some water

Marinate well and fry till golden brown.

Oregano Potatoes

Potatoes - cut into big chunks, deep fried to a golden brown. Drain excess oil on kitchen paper and while potatoes are still hot, sprinkle some salt and dried oregano / mixed herbs (oregano,dill,rosemary,thyme).

Serve with your choice of salad and dipping sauce.

Ayam Madras Kariana

Madras Chicken Curry - MY style..

Not feeling well today..tried to focus myself while teaching this afternoon ...so lethargic...but hungry tummies will not wait for any sick chef.So, I picked up all the energy that I have to cook a hassle-free dish. Still, I would say that it will fulfill any hungy man's wish.And one more thing : Please be assured that the food was cooked hygienically..*smile*

Ingredients

1 chicken - cut into 8 or 12 pcs, removed of excess fat and skin

To be grounded

5 onions - (yes, 5 , the more the better)
5 cloves of garlic
2 inches of ginger
a little water

Mix the ground ingrdients with :
6 tbsp of meat curry powder (I chose my favourite brand MALABAR MASALA)

1 inch of cinnamon bark (kayu manis)
2 star anise (bunga lawang)
2 cardamom (buah pelaga)

3 cups of water
1 Tbsp salt( adjust to taste )
4 potatoes - cut into equal chunks (quartered)
2 carrots - cut into 2 inch wedges
1 tomato - wedges
garnishing of fried shallots

Method

Heat 1 cup of oil in wok. Saute the cinnamon bark, star anise and cardamom for a few seconds to release the beautiful aroma. Quickly add in the ground ingredients (with the curry powder mixed together)
and saute the spices till fragrant and oil begins to surface. Add in the chicken pieces and stir, coating them with the mixture and searing the meat. Salt. Add in the 3 cups of water, potatoes and carrots and bring the heat down to a rapid simmer until chicken is tender and potatoes and carrots are cooked. The gravy would have been reduced at this stage. Remove from heat, dump in tomatoes and sprinkle some fried shallots over it. Adjust water to suit yr preferred gravy consistency. I love a mildly-thick consistency. Serve with hot rice or with bread.



Note : I didn't have to add in any coconut milk. The thickness of the gravy comes from the generous heaping of curry powder and onions. Therefore, this dish won't turn bad as fast as the ones using coconut milk. U can also freeze any leftover to be consumed the next day. Just heat up well.

Chicken Mayo Bun

Again, use your favourite bread dough and fill it in.

Filling

250g chicken breast, boiled, cooled and shredded
1/2 cup mayo (add more if u want a wet texture)
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano

Bake likewise as in the Apple Cocoon.

Kungpao Chicken

Chicken fillet with a combi of blackpepper and oyster sauce,with its spicyness from the sauteed dried chillies and the sweetness from the cashew nuts..mmm..

Ingredients

1/2kg of chicken breasts or fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces
a few shiitake mushrooms, sliced thickly (optional)
The Sauce
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
3 tbsp of blackpepper sauce
1 tbsp of dark soya sauce
1 tbsp of chilli sauce
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt

The Aromatics
1 onion, wedged
4 cloves of garlic
a few slices of ginger
5 dried chillies,washed

Garnish
a handful of roasted cashew nuts
chopped spring onions

Method

Heat abt 2 tbsp of oil plus a few dashes of sesame oil. Saute the aromatics till fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and stirfry till chicken is cooked but not dry. Add the sauce and a little water,if it's too thick. Season with salt and sugar. If u added too much water, thicken it with a few spoonfuls of cornstarch solution. Mix thoroughly and remove from heat. B4 serving, sprinkle over with the cashew nuts and spring onions.

Chicken Curry

Cooked in a humble old pot. A winner to be dipped with baguette or french loaf.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken - skinned, cut into 12 pcs, make slashes on thick parts
2 cups of water

*to be grounded*

4 spanish onions
8 cloves of garlic
2 inches of ginger

5 tbsp of meat curry powder(my fave is Malabar Masala)
1 cinnamon stick/bark
2 star anise
few cloves of cumin

4 potatoes, skinned, quartered
3 carrots, wedged
2 tomatoes, wedged
salt to taste
1 cup of fried shallots

Method

Heat abt 1 cup of oil in wok. Mix the curry powder with the ground ingredients together. Throw in the cinnamon,star anise and cumin into the wok. Let it sizzle a bit,avoid burning it altogether. Add in the curry mixture and fry till fragrant and cooked, stirring continuously to prevent it from sticking to yr wok/pot. When oil has surfaced up, add chicken pieces and mix well. Add water, followed by potatoes.Add carrots. Salt to taste. When cooked, remove from heat and throw in tomato wedges.Sprinkle with fried shallots.Serve.

Ayam Sambal Serai

Chicken in Lemongrass Chilli. Similar to the sambal tumis, only with a hint of lemongrass spicyness.


Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into 12 pcs, marinated with a little salt and tumeric and water. Fry till 3/4 cooked.

Blend together :
15(or more) dried chilles - seeded,soaked to soften or microwave for 10mins in a bowl of water
a really huge pinch of belachan(shrimp paste)
5-6 cloves of garlic
2-3 big onions
2 inches of ginger
1 tbsp of ikan bilis(anchovies) granules
2 stalks of lemongrass

1 heaped tbsp of tamarind-add some water and knead to produce some juice
3 tbsp sugar or to taste (add more if chilli is too hot for u)
1 big tomato, thickly sliced
salt to taste

Heat sufficient oil in wok(it's ok if u add too much-u can always scoop it out after cooking)and saute blended ingredients.Make sure it's cooked (tumis sampai betul2 pecah minyak),stirring continuously.Add tamarind juice,sugar and salt.Add some water if u like some gravy but the consistency shudn't be too dry nor too dilute.Taste to suit yr liking.Add chicken. Coat gravy over chicken pieces, add the sliced tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes bf turning off the heat.Serve.

Ayam Lemak Cili Padi

Chicken in Coconut Cream with Birds Eye Chilli...mm.. the translation is quite a mouthful..Anyway..adjust the chilli to your personal 'endurance' but this one is definetely a turn on for those rainy days..Heat it up!

Ingredients

1 fat whole chicken, skinned, cut into 12 pcs, marinated in 2tbsp of tumeric and 2 tsp of salt and a little water. Fry till 1/2 cooked.

*to be grounded*
2 big spanish onions
6 cloves of garlic
an inch of ginger
2 inches of fresh tumeric(if not available,1 tbsp of tumeric powder will do)
1 tbsp of dried shrimps, soaked to soften
2 tbsp of belacan
16-17 bird's eye chilli

2 cups of water
1 piece of dried tamarind
1 piece of tumeric leaf, cut into 3
6 pieces of kaffir lime leaves, tear up a little
salt to taste
a tsp of sugar
200ml of thick coconut milk (the packet one will do)

Method

Heat abt 3 tbsp of oil. Saute the ground ingredients till fragrant and cooked. Add water. When it's rapidly boiling,add the chicken, dried tamarind,salt,sugar,the leaves and coconut milk and stir till cooked. At this stage, keep it to a simmer, stirring always to avoid 'splitting' the coconut cream. Adjust taste and remove from heat.Serve.