PANDAN CURRY CHICKEN

This is the first time I cooked curry chicken using pandan juice instead of plain water with coconut milk.  I was quite skeptical about how it will taste and look.  Afraid the curry may look greenish but it wasn't.  Anyway, I was happy with the result after some slight modifications to the original recipe.
Using the Thermal Cooker pot for frying the ingredients is hassle free and quick.  I cooked this curry the same time I cooked the Thermal Cooker - Coca Cola Pork Trotter. 

The original recipe uses 150 ml pandan juice and 350 ml thick coconut milk but I did the reverse by using 300 ml pandan juice and 200 ml thick coconut milk cos' I prefer curries with less coconut milk but aromatic.

This is a lovely curry to cook with the thermal pot.  It is spicy, gravy is thick and has the fragrance/aroma of pandan.  If you notice, the recipe does not have spices like cloves, star anise or cinnamon.

Recipe adapted from my selected Cookbook for Cookbook Countdown Event#4 - Ricky Ng's book 'In Love with Pandan' [modified]

Ingredients
1 kg chicken whole leg - cut bite size pieces
3 large potatoes - peeled and cut wedges [about 350 gm]
2 blades pandan leaves - knotted
300 ml pandan juice [blend 6 blades pandan leaves with 300 ml water, strain for juice]
200 ml thick coconut milk
8-10 tbsp oil [about 120-150 ml]
1-2 tsp salt to taste
1-2 tsp sugar to taste
Spice Ingredients A [Blended]
120 gm shallots
5 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemongrass - sliced thinly 
5 red chillies
5 small red chillies
20 gm belacan
Spice Ingredients B
2-3 tbsp meat curry powder [use some to marinate chicken pieces]
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder

1. Marinate chicken pieces with some curry powder and salt.
2. Blend spice ingredients A into a paste.  Mix spice ingredients B into a paste with some water.
3. Heat inner pot of thermal cooker, add oil and spice ingredients A and pandan leaves, saute until aromatic and oil separates.  Add in spice paste B and continue to fry until fragrant.
4. Add in chicken pieces and potatoes.  Stir fry to mix well and add in some pandan juice if it is difficult to stir.  Stir until chicken pieces are firm, add in remaining pandan juice.  Bring to boil and add in salt and sugar to taste.  Taste to adjust seasoning.
5. Let it boil over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add in coconut milk, bring to boil. Off heat and cover the pot with the lid.  Transfer to outer pot, close the lid and leave it to cook for about 2 hours or until cooked through.
6. Dish up and serve with rice.
   
   
   
   

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Event#4 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

THERMAL COOKER - MIXED VEGETABLE CURRY

It is so easy to cook a lovely mixed vegetable curry using the Thermal Cooker.  The difference is only water, add less water compared to cooking in a normal wok.

The curry is thick, aromatic and tasty.  The vegetables are soft but not soggy.  It stays warm in the pot for several hours. Nice.  

Ingredients

Curry Paste [Blended and Mix with powdered ingredients]

4 red chillies

10 dried chillies - soaked

3 lemongrass

5 candlenuts [buah keras]

100 gm shallots [optional]

3 tbsp meat curry powder

2-3 tsp mixed halba

1 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tbsp tumeric powder

4-5 tbsp cooking oil

250 gm cabbage - washed and break into pieces

1 carrot - peeled and cut wedges

1 eggplant - washed and cut thick wedges

150 gm long beans - washed and cut 4 cm length

200 gm tofu pok [tofu puff]
some kaffir lime leaves - optional for garnishing

Seasoning

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp sugar

enough water to cover ingredients

150 ml thick coconut milk 

1. Heat up oil in the inner pot of the thermal cooker, saute aromatic, spices and curry paste until fragrant and oil separates.
2. Add vegetables, seasoning and stir fry to mix ingredients well.  Add in water just enough to cover the vegetables.
3. Bring to boil and cook until vegetables for about 15 minutes.  Add in tofu puffs and coconut milk.
4. Bring to boil and off heat.  Cover pot with lid.
5. Transfer to outer pot and leave to cook for another hour.
6. Dish out to serve with plain rice.
   

   

   

   

   

   

THERMAL COOKER - NYONYA CURRY CHICKEN

After using the Thermal Cooker to prepare several dishes [from porridge to soup and braised meat], I am now quite confident that cooking curry with it should be hassle free and fail proof.  This is true. 

I used the recipe from my earlier posting and cook this curry using the Thermal Cooker.  The result is awesome yet it is really hassle free.  The actual cooking time is about 15 minutes and the remaining cooking process is left to the cooker.  

The curry is aromatic, chicken and potatoes pieces are soft and the tenderness is just nice.  The curry is thick and tasty, full of flavours. 

If you happen to have this energy saver  appliance/utensil/gadget, whatever you call it, do make use of it and you may like it.

Ingredients
[adapted from Nyonya Flavours with some modifications]
Curry Paste [Ingredients blended in processor]
30 gm [15] dried chillies - soaked and drained
200 gm [20] shallots
15 gm [4 cloves] garlic
2 candlenuts [buah keras] -  optional
20 gm toasted belacan
2 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp cumin powder
20 gm [3 tbsp] coriander powder

1.2 kg meaty chicken [chicken thighs] - cut bite size pieces [I removed the skin]

300 gm [3] large potato - peeled and cut wedges
300 ml water or just enough to cover ingredients
100 ml thick coconut milk
3/4 - 1 tbsp salt to taste
2 tsp sugar to taste
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
5 tbsp oil or more

1. Blend dried chillies, shallots, garlic, candlenuts with belacan in a blender until fine.  Then mix with the powdered ingredients.  Set aside.
2. Heat oil in inner pot over medium low heat to saute pandan leaves, curry leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick and cloves until aromatic.  Add in prepared curry paste.  Stir fry until oil separates.
3. Add in chicken and then the potatoes.  Stir to coat well with the curry paste for 1-2 minutes.  Pour in just enough water to cover the ingredients.  Add in seasoning [salt and sugar] to taste.
4. Bring it to a boil and add in coconut milk.  Boil for a further 6 minutes.  Off heat. Cover pot.
5. Transfer to the outer pot, close the lid and leave it to cook for about 2 hours.  The pot is able to keep the curry warm for at least 8 hours.
6. Serve with plain white rice or Nasi Kunyit [Tumeric Rice].

DRIED ANCHOVY SAMBAL [SAMBAL KANG HU KIA]

This Nyonya style anchovy sambal is quite similar to the one serve with Nasi Lemak [Coconut Mlik Rice]. The anchovies are fried until crispy, then mix with the fragrant, cooled sambal paste which has been fried until oil separates.

Here, I oven baked the anchovies until crispy instead of deep frying. I believe this is a healthy way of preparing crispy anchovies and with this method, no oil is needed to make them crispy.   Click here on Oven Baked Crispy Anchovies

The sambal is quite spicy cos’ I had used the spicy type of dried chillies for the paste. Overall, it is a good recipe if you love this kind of dish.

Recipe Source for my selected Cookbook for February 2016 – Nyonya Flavours [modified]

Ingredients

Sambal Paste [Ground Ingredients]

20 gm [about 15] dried chillies – soaked

50 gm [about 10] shallots – peeled

10 gm [about 2] garlic – peeled

30 gm [1 stalk] lemongrass – thinly sliced

1 cm piece fresh turmeric [I used ½ tsp turmeric powder]

10 gm belacan [I used 1 tsp]

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tsp sugar to taste

some salt if anchovies are not salty

1 kaffir lime leave [I omit]

100 gm dried anchovies [ikan bilis] – washed several times under running water and drained

3-4 tbsp cooking oil

1 onion – peeled and sliced [optional]

1. How To Oven Baked Anchovies – spread anchovies on a baking tray. Baked in preheated oven [middle rack] at 180 degrees C for 10-15 minutes.
2. Increase temperature to 200 degrees C and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes or until crispy and slightly browned [toss and turn the anchovies several times for even roasting]. Remove and set aside to cool.
3. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, sauté ground ingredients until aromatic and oil separates. 
4. Add in sliced onions [if using] and sugar to taste. Continue to cook until onions are cooked. Off heat and stir in lime juice. Taste to adjust seasoning.
5. Leave to cool before stirring in the crispy anchovies.
6. Serve with plain rice or Nasi Lemak.
   
   
   
   
   

I'm submitting this post to Cookbook Countdown 2 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking [Makan2] Foray