in my studio

Posts Tagged With 'rice'

Apr
02
2014

malay chicken curry

I love curries. Especially Malaysian curries. There are so many curry variations out there but the ones I love most is this malay curry and mamak curry. Mamak curry is basically Indian curry but the difference is that mamak’s version is darker and spicier whereas malay curry is a lot more creamier and sort of yellowish in colour.

Malay curry goes really well with pulut kunyit (yellow sticky rice) but I didn’t have time to make it, so we just had white rice instead, with some prawn cracker and steamed pumpkins on the side. This recipe was kind of put together instinctively, so hopefully I can do justice with measurements because it tastes absolutely delicious. Its great for those who dont like their curries too spicy and want a creamier texture.

RECIPE FOR MALAY CHICKEN CURRY

Servings: 2
Cook time: 45mins

Ingredients
1/2 small onion, diced
1 tbsp Babas curry powder
300grams thigh/maryland pieces (use boneless if you wish)
1 clove
1 star anise
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 potato, quartered
2 tsp chicken stock paste/cube ( I use homemade asian stock paste)
½ cup coconut cream
1/2 cup water (more or less)
Salt to taste (be careful with salt if you’re already using stock)

Method
1. Heat oil and saute onions in a small to medium size pot. Add the spices and fry until fragrant for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the curry powder and chicken and cook until chicken is just cooked.
3. Add water, stock and potatoes. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15-20 mins.
3. Pour in coconut milk and season with salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Finally, serve with rice or pratha (roti/bread).

No comments
Category: asian, chicken, halal, in my kitchen

Sep
11
2013

middle eastern rice + fish

I’m married to a Lebanese, but I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t really cook Lebanese food. Maybe because its not spicy enough for me? Though, this would have to be my favourite Lebanese dish. I tried it once at tayta’s (grandmother) and I absolutely loved it. I love fish, so this goes down really well. The Lebanese eat it with yogurt, but being the malay that I am, I have it with sambal! I think you can use any fish you want really, I made this with spanish mackerel and trevally, and both are nice.

RECIPE FOR LEBANESE SAYADIEH (FISH & RICE)
Adapted from Tayta and my Mother-in-Law
Serves: 4
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients for sayadieh

2.5 cups uncooked long grain rice (I use basmati)
500g fish
2 tsp cummin powder
1 medium onion (diced)
2 tbsp pine nuts
Salt to taste
Yogurt (to serve)

Method for Sayadieh

1. Marinate fish with a bit of salt and turmeric and deep fry. Then de-bone and tear into into small pieces-set aside.
2. In a medium pot, saute onions in some of the leftover oil from the fish. Saute until onions are crispy and brown then add cummin powder.
3. Meanwhile, wash the rice and then add it into the pot along with the fish pieces. Cook for about 45minutes until rice is done.
4. In a small saucepan, lightly fry the pine nuts in a bit of oil until golden brown and set aside.
5. Once the rice is cooked, topped with pine nuts and serve with yogurt.

2 lovely comments
Category: fish, halal, in my kitchen, rice, seafood

Jul
23
2013

{in my kitchen} beef black pepper

I love a quick and easy stir fry for a mid week dinner! Being at work-at-home-mum to a mother of 2 under 3, leaves me very little time for everything else. You might plan ahead what you had in mind for dinner, but things happen and now you’re left with under an hour to prepare dinner? Just put on a pot of rice and make this simply beef black pepper stir fry. All done in about 30 minutes!

RECIPE FOR CHINESE BEEF BLACK PEPPER

Adapted from Rasa Malaysia with slight modifications

Serves: 2
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients

250 g beef tenderloin or flank steak, cut into thin pieces
2 ½ tablespoons cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 carrot, sliced diagonally
½ small green capsicum, cut into pieces
½ small red capsicum, cut into pieces
1 small onion, cut into quarters
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste

Sauces to marinade

1 tsp vegetable stock powder
½ teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sugar (optional)

Method

1. Marinate the beef with all the sauce ingredients, about 15 minutes ( I didn’t let it sit to marinate because it was a last minute decision to make this & it still turned out tasty!)

2. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the beef until the beef has just turned brown, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry until aromatic.

3. Add the capsicums, carrots, onions and black pepper. Stir-fry for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften (but make sure it doesn’t go soggy)

4. Transfer the beef back into the wok or skillet. Stir-fry until the beef is cooked through and the center of the meat is no longer pink, about 1-2 minutes. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

5. Serve immediately with warm rice.

1 lovely comment
Category: asian, beef, halal, in my kitchen

Nov
15
2011

thai inspired pattaya (omelette) fried rice | nasi goreng pattaya

Nasi goreng pattaya, or simply nasi pattaya, is a Malaysian dish made by covering or wrapping fried rice, in fried egg (omelette). It is often served with chili sauce, cucumber, and/or keropok. The name comes from Pattaya, Thailand.

Source: Wikipedia

In Malaysia, nasi pattaya is just chicken fried rice wrapped in omelette. The flavours are basically the same as you would find in any nasi goreng. This dish was inspired by Secret Recipe (again! My last pasta dish was also inspired by SR) when they extended their menu and included a Thai Inspired Pattaya Fried Rice, it was so irrisistably good! This is a thumbs up from the hubby!

And because I am so in love with chilli, I made my own special batch (aside from my daughter and husband’s) for me to indulge in. If you love spicy food, it taste even better when its hot. You’ll be wiping your nose every second but its all worth it! Can you spot out those little nasty buggers in there? Don’t bite it of you can’t handle it. Hubby accidentally did and in his words ‘ I felt like a knife was slicing through my throat’. Oops!

RECIPE FOR THAI INSPIRED PATTAYA FRIED RICE/NASI GORENG PATTAYA
Inspired by Secret Recipe

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 25 mins

Ingredients

3 cups cooked basmati rice (you can also use leftover rice)
16 prawns, shelled and deveined
1 chicken breast, cut into small bite size chunks
1 bulb garlic, sliced
Handful of basil leaves
1 chilli, cut
1 large carrot, diced
1 cup baby peas
1 large red capsicum
4 eggs, beaten (to make omelette)
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for rice colouring)
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp basil infused olive oil (optional)
1 tsp chilli oil (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok and fry chicken pieces and prawns until cook. Remove and set aside.

2. Using the same oil, sautee the garlic until slightly brown then add the vegetables and chilli.

3. Add in the rice, dark soy sauce and basil infused olive oil and stir till evenly coated.

4. Season well with salt and pepper.

5. In a large pan, heat up a little oil and add the beaten egg (1 egg for 1 pan, covering the entire pan). Flip once and remove onto a plate. Do this for the remaining 3 eggs to make 4 serves of omelette.

6. Dish the rice from the wok into the middle of the omelette and cover the rice completely with egg. Drizzle with chilli oil and serve immediately.

2 lovely comments
Category: asian, chicken, halal, in my kitchen, rice, seafood

Oct
28
2011

claypot chicken rice

I remember when I was 11, mum used to take my sis and I to Bangsar food court because they had the yummiest claypot chicken rice. Seriously sizzling. Seriously yum. This is a popular chinese dish served commonly at hawker stalls around Malaysia. The original claypot chicken rice is cooked with chinese sausage and dried salted fish. The version I made did not have both of these, but it still tasted just as good.

The secret about a good claypot chicken rice is getting the right amount of ginger and soy sauce. Of course the hero of this dish is the smokeyness that comes from cooking it in the claypot itself that you won’t get with any ordinary cooking pot. Claypot gives you that extra flavoursome crust you find at the bottom. Kinda like a paella crust. In which you leave the best for last. My sis and I used to fight for this. Get a spoon and just go crazy scooping and digging in. That for me my friends, completes my eating experience from this small humble claypot.

So after all the fun comes the ugly part. Washing up. Who likes scrubbing out burnt rice?

RECIPE FOR CLAYPOT CHICKEN RICE
Adapted from Malaysian favourites(cookbook), with slight changes

Serves: 2
Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients

2 cups rice, soaked (I used basmati)
6 medium chinese mushrooms, sliced (or normal mushrooms)
1 boneless chicken thigh, cut into cubes
8 cloves garlic, finely diced
4 small shallots, finely diced
2inch old ginger, finely diced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
2.5 cups water (to cook rice)
1 cup chicken stock
handful of spring onions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp oil

Method

1. Marinate the chicken and mushrooms together with all the sauces.

2. In a rice cooker, cook rice with water. Remove rice when cooked halfway.

3. In a claypot, heat up oil and sautee shallots, garlic and ginger until aromatic.

4. Add in chicken and mushroom pieces and cook for 7 minutes.

5. Add in chicken stock and half cooked rice to the mixture and combine well. Cover with claypot lid on a low – medium heat for 20 minutes.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Garnish with spring onions and serve immediately.