Happy Chinese New Year! ^_^ [Peanuts Cookies & Chinese-styled Roast Chicken]

 Gong Hei, Gong Hei!!! Gong Hei Fatt Choy!!!

May the Year of Rabbit brings prosperity and good health to everyone!

We are going to have a little reunion dinner among good friends tonight and to lessen my work load today; I started making some preparations since yesterday. ;-) It's exam period for us right now [still left with Pharmacology exam!!!], so this is just gonna be a simple dinner affair.

In my plans:

1. Yee Sang
2. Butter Prawns
3. Chinese-styled Roast Chicken
4. Tang Yuan with Black Sesame Seed Paste
5. Cornflakes Cookies
6. Peanut Cookies
7. Stir-fry Vegetables with Mushrooms
8. Chicken Rice

For the first time, I actually bought fresh salmon to be used for the Yee Sang. Previously, I have only used smoked salmon cos I was too chicken about fresh salmon. I mean, I absolutely love eating salmon sashimi...but that's at a proper restaurant. Managing it myself, I wasn't too confident. But I did gathered up my courage to try it this year! ;-)

To check if the salmon's alright, I had a few pieces to myself. XD. I have a really sensitive GIT. :-P Anyway, although the salmon's not sashimi grade, it's still pretty alright to be used for Yee Sang.

My Yee Sang will always only include ingredients that I actually eat :-P So I kinda cut out a lot of items. But! this year I am gonna include daikon and carrots as well!

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Peanut Cookies

Yesterday, I managed to bake a batch of peanut cookies. My FIRST time ever baking something more complicated than cornflakes cookies. I don't know why I even wanted to bake peanut cookies...when I actually don't really like peanuts. or cookies. :-P But you know, it's Chinese New Year! Gotta have some home-made cookies....no matter how bad they look.

Anyway, they look pretty bad cos my dough was a bit 'wet' and I forgot the tips that I could add flour [I had that thought in my head...but I still didn't do it. Weird] if my dough was too 'wet....so I couldn't shape them properly. Plus, I don't have a proper brush to brush on the egg wash ---> used my clean fingers instead. Taste was surprisingly alright. I need my friends to judge for me cos I don't exactly like eating these kinda stuffs so I am biased. Anyway, this batch is actually alright....cos I didn't burn them. XD. The burned ones have a slight smoky taste to them...haha. Highly recommended. not.

Got my recipe from here. See how pretty hers are? I might endeavour to make these again......if I am so inclined to feel stressed and feel like crushing peanuts using a hammer. XD. Yeah, I don't have a grinder.

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Chinese-Styled Roast Chicken

I got convinced by Sie Ong to get a whole chicken instead of small parts. LOL. It was....an interesting experience as I have never bought a whole chicken which still reminds me of a chicken. Yeah I eat meat but I get queasy at the thought of the animal itself...being slaughtered and all --> hypocrite ME. >.< Holding up the chicken felt like holding Koko up; especially by its wings. Koko is my housemate's dog, btw. Anyway, I thanked the chicken for its sacrifice and promised that I will honor its existence by making it taste real good. :-)

I read up on how to handle the chicken including instructions on how to butterfly it here. The recipe.....I kinda pull every part of its recipe from random food blogs and based on what I feel right. lol.

I marinated the chicken overnight in a zip-loc bag.

The marination:
1. 1.5 tbsp Light soy sauce
2. 1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
3. 1 tbsp 5-spice powder
4. 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
5. 1 teaspoon of  Sugar
6. 1 teaspoon of Salt
7. Ginger juice
8. 3 cloves of Garlic
[This is roughly the amount I used...]

Mix all this into a paste in a bowl . Then give your chicken a good massage it deserved for being your meal. :-) Remember to rub some under its skin.

I don't know how this will taste yet. But the marination smells so goooood. XD.

Hainanese Chicken Chop

Yes yes I know....it's been a long while since I posted up anything...I actually have so many food pics from my summer break in Malaysia, China and Singapore to share but my stupid internet will lag with all the GBs. =_=

Anyway, the new study year has started for me [Hello, sweet life of a 4th year!]. Seems like 4th years will have it easy but this is like the calm before the storm...5th year is reportedly hell-ish. But hopefully, this year will mean I have more time to experiment. Hee...

I have not transferred the picture for this post yet  but thought I'll just write down the recipe lest I forget it. Cos I really like it. :-P [Ta-da! Finally got my lazy ass up to reach for the transfer cord...^_^]

Hainanese chicken chop is another dish I grew up with. My family frequently go to Yut Kee at Jalan Dang Wangi, KL and I always order the same dish. We order other dishes like fried noodles etc but for me, this is the tops. I will literally lick the plate clean; including the sauce. :-D

The dish calls for a deboned chicken thigh. I have absolutely no idea how to. Of course, I searched it up. :-)
Turns out to be really easy! [Click to learn] And my dissecting skills comes in handy too. LOL....maybe I even have the makings of an orthopedic surgeon! Hehe...for chickens.

 Although I have a rough idea of how to cook it, I needed some guides to follow. There's not that many Hainanese chicken chop recipes around so I am really thankful to have found it at Rose's Kitchen. I had to modify it as I don't have certain ingredients and I had some extra ideas.

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Ingredients:
Chicken thigh, deboned. Do not remove the skin!
Salt
Pepper
Maggi seasoning sauce
Plain flour
Corn starch
1 egg, beaten
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
2. Coat chicken with egg and dredge in corn starch. 
3. Coat chicken again with egg and this time dredge in plain flour.
4. Deep fry chicken until golden brown.  Dish out onto a serving plate.

 **I must have heard somewhere that double coating makes the chicken taste better and can maintain its crispiness and lock in moisture etc etc.....:-P

 

Ingredients for Gravy:
Potato wedges
~50g butter [I know it's ~50g cos its the same amount I cut up for my cornflake cookies ^_^]
Garlic, minced [Ooooh, I love my new garlic crusher from IKEA!]
Chicken granules [They have some thickening element so I didn't need to add cornstarch to thicken the sauce]
Onion wedges
Tomato wedges
Green peas [**]
Sweet corn [**]
Diced carrots [**]
 Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Maggi seasoning sauce
Lemon juice; adjust to taste [gives a slight tangy sour taste!]
[**I don't have these but it's good to have them...taste good and looks good]

Method:

1. Deep fry the potato wedges to half cook them.  Dish out and drain on paper towels.
2. Melt up the butter in another pan and saute the garlic.  Add the half-cooked potato wedges and the chicken granules. Add water to pan.  Cook over a low fire.
3. Add the onion and tomato wedges, green peas, sweet corn and dice carrots to gravy
4. Add seasoning to taste. 
5. Pour gravy over chicken chop and enjoy!

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Verdict:
It's surprisingly good! :-P The fried chicken has a really good and slight crispy texture to it despite being drenced in the gravy. The gravy tastes good but I am gonna experiment more with it to perfect it more...:-)

p/s: I made this again and then I realised I didn't write down lemon juice as part of the ingredients for the gravy! This is really important  for me cos I remember Yut Kee's gravy had this slight tangy-sourish taste that I couldn't place. Somehow, I managed to get that taste with lemon juice. ^_^

KFC Binging

Every now and then, I crave for some crispy, juicy KFC....! [about every week, actually] But on Thursday, I had such an intense craving for it...I almost skipped my Czech class for it. Luckily, that night together with my neighbour; Yumi, after painting eggs for Easter, we went for it....and thankfully, we were in a serious KFC rage!

From what I've experienced, it seems that McD in every place I've been to have more similarities than KFC does. And McD tastes the same. The weird thing is KFC is not....but aren't they all prepared using the same Colonel's secret recipe??

Anyway, here's what the KFC in the Czech Republic looks like. Taste-wise, I think Malaysia's one is spicier and we have more creative new menus...:-P There's only 2 branch of KFC in HK...this one and the one in FUTURUM; the local mall. Compare this to Malaysia; which practically has it everywhere....wonder what that say's about Malaysian's eating habits! :-P

 Hot Wings Menu [99 CZK]

I almost always had this. In my opinion, it's the best deal if you don't like burgers. 

 Yumi's Wrapstar Menu [119 CZK]

Like I  said, we were in the mood for some serious binging...

After eating up our first order, we still felt hungry...

We think and contemplate getting some other thing to eat. At last, we decided to share a bucket of Hot Wings...muahahahaha

30 pieces of Hot Wings [269 CZK]

 Happiness "r" us!

Our handwork: 20 pieces of wings. :-D

We brought the remaining 15 home. 

I think I won't be eating KFC for a while now. And I know Yumi feels the same! Hahaha...let's see how long this time's satisfaction can last us....!!!

Plus, after that, we head over to McD; just a few steps from it to get a sundae cone for me and Yumi got a blueberry muffin. *Blissful life*

KFC

Pilnáčkova 485/3a,
50003 Hradec Králové
Opening Hours:
Mo-Fri 7:30 - 22:30
Sat-Sun 8:00 - 23:00

** Near Kaufland and behind the Faculty of Medicine**

Fried Chicken Wings, Eggplant Curry & Sara's Random Mix

One of my housemate; Sara was feeling particularly productive today unlike me; who was going back and forth the room; on and off-ing at intervals, my fan and heater. It's good that her productiveness manifested in the form of cooking. Lucky me!

She promised me 2 or 3 days ago, to make me her finger-lickin' good chicken wings. The last time she made them was probably back in 1st Year itself! She haven't made it for so long that I've almost forgotten about it. These wings are reallyyyyy good. I remember texting her during summer break of 1st Year, telling her that her chicken wings were better than what I was eating at that time.

She spend almost half a day in the kitchen whipping up 2 other dishes as well; Eggplant Curry and something that is so mixed we don't know what to call it! :-D

Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• 12 Chicken Wings
• Chilli Powder; poured randomly from the packet [:ROFL:]
• Curry Powder; also poured randomly from the packet but less than the chilli powder
• Turmeric Powder; 3/4 teaspoon
• Ginger; pureed
• Garlic; pureed
• Salt; added as you like <--the all-important ingredient in Sara's cooking! 

Method:

1. Blend the ginger and garlic
2. Marinate the chicken with the ginger and garlic puree, salt, turmeric powder, curry powder and chilli powder for at least 1 hour
3. Fry them till chicken is cooked and browned!

Eggplant Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 Eggplants; cut lengthwise
• A sprig of Curry Leaves
• A pack of Delichef Fish Curry Paste
• Garlic; grated
• Onions; grated
• Asam Keping [dried slices of tamarind fruit]
• Salt
• Water

Method:

1. Fry the cumin and mustard seeds till aromatic
2. Fry the grated garlic, onions,and curry leaves
3. Fry the eggplant till cooked
4. Add in the fish curry paste and mix with some water
5. Stir it constantly until oil separates
6. Add salt to taste.

Sara's Random Mix 

Ingredients:

• 1 Box of  Mori-Nu Silken Firm Tofu; diced
• Chicken; diced
• Baby Prawns
• Tom Yam Paste
• Chilli Powder
• Oyster Sauce; poured randomly from the bottle
• Fish Sauce; 1 teaspoon
• Sesame oil; poured randomly from the bottle
• Kaffir Lime Leaf
• Egg
• Salt

 Method:

1. Fry the kaffir lime leaf till aromatic
2. Fry the chicken till cooked
3. Fry the tofu til browned
4. Add in the prawns and fry for a bit
5. Break egg and mix in a bowl. Add to pan and fry it while breaking it up. 
6. Add in the tom yam paste
7. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and chilli powder
8. Add salt; according to taste

** She really, really thought this up on her own; that's why it's named after her!**

 Verdicts:
I swore I don't feel that sick right after eating the chicken wings. I chomp down 5 at my first go after she finished frying them. The wings are miracle....fine, I might be guilty of exaggerating a little! :-P
The eggplant curry is so good with rice. The eggplant is so soft, just the way I like it.
Hmmm....the mix...it's an interesting mix; strongly flavoured with tom yam. Can really taste it very well even after drenching my rice with the curry and chomping on more wings!


I will be dreaming of chicken wings tonight *Paradise* That's how it feels like when there's someone to cook for you when you are sick. :-D Thank you, Sara...and Mom, I appreciate you more again!

When I am sick....Dakjuk is it!

 It seems like my body has its own weather sensor. With the change of weather, it's really easy for me to get sick. :-( But at least, this means Spring is here, finally!

Whenever anyone is sick back home, my mom will be cooking porridge and everyone has to join in. It's no wonder that I am used to associating eating porridge to being sick. When I am here and I am sick, I especially appreciate my mom! Here, I have to cook porridge myself. Previously, I cook porridge using my trusty rice cooker; like how my mom does it. Then a week or two ago, I saw this recipe on Maangchi's website and it seems so easy even without using a rice cooker! I have tried this recipe twice already...both times when I was actually not sick.

A word about Maangchi: I have been reading her website for about a year now...she's like my teacher of Korean food. Plus, she just comes off as such a positive, cheerful people person who loves sharing and encouraging her fans' cooking. I have so far tried her recipe for dakjuk, yachaejeon, and kimchi. Her instructions are clear and really easy to understand. Whenever I feel a craving for Korean food, I'll head over to her site and look for inspiration. :-)


Some modifications I made:
Instead of using a whole chicken, I used chicken pieces.
Didn't bother with soaking the rice for 1 hour...cut the time by maybe half.:-P
Didn't buy spring onion, so I skipped that.
I especially enjoy eating this with my homemade chilli sauce.

Ingredients:  modified from Wokking Mum's Hainanese Chicken Rice Chilli Sauce

• 3 Chillies [didn't bother removing the seeds :-P]
• 1 slice of Ginger
• 4 clove  of Garlic, skin removed
• 1 clove of Shallot
• A few squeeze of Lemon Juice [comes in a bottle]
• A cup of Chicken Broth [added to the consistency I want my chilli sauce to be]

Method: Put everything in a blender and blend away! *Be careful when taking a whiff of the newly made chilli sauce. I took too big of a whiff the first time and I think some of my olfactory cells died!

Results: AMAZING! ^_^ I was initially quite doubtful of all the garlic I put in...but by the end of cooking, it has all melted in the pot! The taste of the chicken is so comforting as well. And the chilli sauce accentuate the chicken taste of the porridge. Because my chicken were frozen, its blood kinda ooze out...scooped most of it out from the pot

Actually this dish reminds me of the porridge and steamed white chicken that I loved in a small town off Rawang....I think it's Sg. Buloh. It's a small stall by the roadside. The chicken is just so smooth and succulent! *dreaming*