THERMAL COOKER - GINGKO NUT CHICKEN PORRIDGE

Some facts about Gingko Tree - regarded as the symbol of longevity, love, bearer or hope and the immeasurable past.  A sacred tree of the east, commonly planted in temple gardens, near shrines and worshipped like God in Japan and China.

Some facts about Gingko Nut - has many health attributes such as: improves brain function by increasing brain cell ability to make use of glucose, thereby improving brain nerve cell transmission, - a tonic to increase sexual energy and when cooked is said to stabilise sperm production, - used as an astringent for heart and lungs, asthma and for regulating urinary frequency, diarrhoea, skin disease, fever and many ailments [information obtained from my selected cookbook for this month Cookbook Countdown Event#6 - Home Cooking June 2001 issue].

Here is a therapeutic and flavoursome savoury porridge using Gingko nut from the cookbook.  A nutritious porridge for light meal.

Recipe slightly modified.

Ingredients

[serves 3]

150 gm fragrant rice - washed and drained

1/4 tsp oil + 1/2 tsp salt

1-2 sticks dried beancurd [foo chook]

30 gingko nuts - shelled and skinned

1/2 dried squids - washed or 50 gm small scallops [soaked 1 hour before use]

1 chicken whole leg - cut bite size pieces

1.5 - 1.8 litres water

salt, msg and pepper to taste

1. Marinate rice with salt and oil for 20 minutes or more.
2. Soak foo chook until soft and break into smaller pieces.
3. Bring water to boil with rice in the inner pot for 10 minutes or until rice grains are soft.  Add in the remaining ingredients, bring to boil.
4. Add seasoning to taste, cover pot with lid and transfer to outer pot of Thermal cooker, close cover and leave it to cook for 1 hour or so.
5. Serve hot in individual bowls with some chopped spring onions.
6. If using normal pot, combine rice and other ingredients with water.  Bring to boil, then lower heat and let it simmer for 1-2 hours or until rice grains swell with the ends blossomed out.  Texture should be smooth.  Serve hot.

I am sharing this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

EZCR#56 - BRAISED PORK, EGGS AND MUSHROOM

Prepared this One Dish Meal, too eager to eat it and didn't bother much with taking more photos. As I like to savour it hot with the rice, I didn't dish up onto a serving plate for some photo shots. This can be served as a dish, not necessary as a One Dish Meal over a plate of rice.

It is homey, Mama flavour dish.

This is the kind of 'non-elaborate' meal which I cooked when my hubby isn't home or on busy days. 

The combination of ingredients can be according to own preference. It is the seasoning that is more important to the overall taste of this dish.

Ingredients

[serves 2]

150 gm lean pork - sliced

1 packet Ernygii mushrooms - cut wedges

several stalks of siew pak choy - halved

2 eggs

1 tbsp chopped ginger

some sliced chillies - optional

200 ml water

1 stalk spring onions - cut

Seasoning

2 tbsp each of light soy sauce and cooking wine

1 tbsp oyster sauce

dash of pepper and msg to taste

1. Marinate sliced pork with 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp cornflour.  Set aside.
2. Heat up 1-2 tbsp oil in non-stick wok, fry eggs [sunny up] until cooked and edges are crispy.  Dish up.
3. Add in marinated pork, stir fry until 50% cooked.  dish up.
4. Add in ginger and mushrooms, fry until aromatic and mushrooms are slightly brown.  Return meat and eggs to the wok, add seasoning and water.  Bring to boil.
5. Top with vegetables, cover to cook for a minute.  Remove lid and cook till gravy is reduced.  Lastly add in spring onions.
6. Dish up over a plate of rice.
7. Serve hot with cut chillies.

FRIED RICE ALA YANG CHOW

After all the Chinese New Year goodies for many, many meals, it is time for something simple yet as appetising. This is a Chinese style fried rice using fried rice mix. It is an easy fried rice recipe like the others and as tasty and delicious as usual.

It is very versatile fried rice where you can substitute most of the ingredients like lap cheong with char siew, mixed frozen vegetables with carrots, canned green peas and green peas or French beans, button mushrooms with dried mushrooms etc.

Ingredients

[serves 2]

3 cups cooked cooled rice [from about 1 cup uncooked rice]

2 eggs – mix with dash of pepper

2-3 tbsp oil

50 gm prawns – diced

1 Chinese sausage [Lap Cheong] - diced

4 tbsp frozen peas

½ carrot – peeled and diced

1 piece 5 spice flavoured firm beancurd – cubed

2 dried mushrooms – soaked and diced

Seasoning 

1 tbsp each light soy sauce and oyster sauce

Dash of pepper

½ sachet Seri Aji Ala Yang Chow [Chinese Fried Rice Mix]

1 tsp sesame oil

Garnishing – some chopped spring onions and sambal belacan

1. Heat wok with oil, fry beancurd until lightly brown, add sausage, dried mushrooms, prawns and carrots. Fry until cooked.  Push aside, pour in the eggs and scramble lightly.
2. Add in rice and stir constantly until fragrant to combine well.
3. Add in seasoning, sesame seed oil and frozen peas, toss over high heat until well combined and rice is light.
4. Dish up to serve with sambal belacan and garnish with spring onions.
   
   
   
   
   

Tips – for best results in frying rice, use cooked rice that is cooled or preferably kept overnight and always stir ingredients well after each addition over medium to high heat.

Click here for other Fried Rice Recipe

This post is linked to Cook and Celebrate: Chinese New Year 2016 hosted by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe

and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids

 

CNY 2016 - STEAMED RICE WITH CHINESE WAXED SAUSAGE

With this post, I am wishing all my Chinese visitors, blogger friends, acquaintances, relatives and friends 

"A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY, SAFE AND PROSPEROUS CHINESE NEW YEAR"

There are numerous versions of Chinese Waxed Meat/Sausage Steamed Rice commonly cooked during Chinese New Year when waxed meat [lap cheong, lap bak, liver sausages, waxed duck meat etc] are in abundance.  I, for one will cook this kind of steamed rice during this time of the year.

This is a delicious One Dish Meal which my family never says "NO" to it.  As it is a very meaty meal, I served it with a vegetable soup.

Recipe Source - My Kuali.com by Amy Beh

2 cups rice - washed

3 cups water

1 Chinese waxed sausage [lap cheong] - remove the wrapping and slice slantwise

2 dried mushrooms - soaked and sliced

100 gm shelled prawns - I omit

1 tsp each of sesame oil and oil

1 chicken thigh - sliced

Marinade - 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Seasoning

2 tsp each of salt, sugar, light soy sauce and oyster sauce

some chopped spring onion

1. Put rice and water in an electric rice cooker and cook accordingly [I steamed rice in an electric steamer for 30 minutes and rest for 10 minutes].
2. Marinate chicken with marinade ingredients for at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat wok with oil and sesame oil.  Fry mushrooms and seasoning for 1 minutes.  Add seasoning then stir in prawns [if using]. I skipped this step, instead I heat up the seasoning with the oil for several minutes.  Set aside.
4. Fluff up the cooked rice.  Spread mushrooms, marinated chicken and lap cheong over rice.  Steam for 10-15 minutes.  If cooking in rice cooker [half time through cooking], spread mushrooms, chicken and lap cheong over rice.  Continue to cook until rice is done.  Drizzle seasoning sauce over rice.  Stand rice for 10 minutes before serving.
5. Drizzle over seasoning sauce.  Sprinkle with some chopped spring onions.  Serve hot.

This post is linked to Cook and Celebrate: Chinese New Year 2016 hosted by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe

and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids

 

FRIED RICE ALA KAMPUNG

This is another easy fried rice recipe which I prepared which is tasty and delicious as usual. Fried rice is popular and easily accepted by many especially young children or teenagers cos’ it is always that aromatic which way it is fried so long as there are eggs in it.

Here, I used the Seri Aji Kampong Style Fried Rice Mix [from Ajinomoto] as seasoning for the rice. The seasoning tasted sweet so do not omit the other seasoning ingredients. Simply easy. 

Ingredients

[serves 2]

3 cups cooked cooled rice [from about 1 cup uncooked rice]

2 eggs – mix with dash of pepper

2-3 tbsp oil

50 gm prawns – diced

50 gm chicken fillet - diced

4 tbsp frozen mixed vegetables or more

1 piece 5 spice flavoured firm beancurd - cubed

Seasoning 

1 tbsp each light soy sauce and oyster sauce

Dash of pepper

½ sachet Seri Aji Ala Kampung Fried Rice Mix]

1 tsp sesame oil

Garnishing – some chopped spring onions and red chilli

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick wok, pour in egg and scramble until almost cooked. Dish up.
2. Reheat wok with 1-2 tbsp oil, fry beancurd until lightly brown,add prawns and chicken. Fry until cooked.
3. Add in rice and stir constantly until fragrant to combine well.
4. Add in seasoning, scrambled eggs and mixed vegetables, toss over high heat until well combined and rice is light.
5. Dish up to serve, garnish with spring onions and chilli.
   
   
   
   

Tips – for best results in frying rice, use cooked rice that is cooled or preferably kept overnight and always stir ingredients well after each addition over medium to high heat.

Click here for other Fried Rice Recipes

OVEN ROASTED BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN

After trying baked chicken in so many different flavours, I started looking for a  recipe on baked black pepper chicken.  Most of the recipes I looked through used ready made black pepper sauce.  I wanted to use freshly ground black pepper in the marinade and was happy I came across this recipe here at Picture the Recipe website.

I followed the marinade ingredients with some modifications and the baked black pepper chicken was awesome serve with blanched French beans and carrots and boiled potatoes.  The chicken meat is succulent and sauce tasty.

My hubby gave a thumbs up and enjoyed it very much.  This is a hassle free birthday dinner for my hubby,lol.  Very economical during time when costs of living is on the rise, hahaha!

Ingredients 

[serves 3]

3 chicken whole legs [bone-in with skin] 

some chopped coriander leaves for garnish

boiled potatoes enough for 3 servings

blanched French beans and carrots enough for 3 servings

Marinade

1 tbsp each of grated ginger and garlic paste

3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce 
1 tsp salt or according to taste
1 tbsp fresh ground pepper [I used 1 1/2 tablespoon]
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp honey [optional]

1. Rinse and trim any excess fats off the chicken pieces, then make a few slits in the meat to the bone [this helps the marinade flavor not just the skin of the chicken but the inner meat too].
2. Mix together marinade ingredients.
3. Add in the chicken pieces and massage it to coat both sides well. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to overnight.  I marinate it overnight.
4. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C and arrange the chicken on a baking tray lined with foil.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, turn oven function to grill [top heat] and continue to bake for another 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, bring marinade sauce to boil with some water until thick and aromatic.
7. Remove from oven, garnish with some freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with fresh veggies, rice or mashed potatoes and marinade sauce.
   
   

Notes: You can adjust the quantities according to your taste...but don't skimp the black pepper as it is called "Black Pepper" Roasted Chicken.

Click here to see more Roast Meat Recipes