Showing posts with label fast cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fast cooking. Show all posts

Saturday 30 August 2008

Fool-proof cake - as easy a 1-2-3-4 !

Afraid of baking? Cake always sinking in the middle? This recipe from Rachel Ray's website is suppose to be FOOL-PROOF, a no brainer... Do try & let me know, ya?

1-2-3-4 Cake

You only need these --

1 cup margarine or butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
4 eggs
1 cup any clear soda
Additional butter and flour, for greasing the cake pan

http://www.rachaelray.com/heirloom.php?heirloom_id=55

Wednesday 13 August 2008

Ratatouille Spaghetti (my way.. :))


FOR VEGANS : You have a choice of veggie such as eggplant, lightly steamed pumpkin, boiled potatoes, corn kernels, peas.

1. Boil a large pot of water & cook a bunch of spaghetti until al dente (just cooked, still stiff to the bite), stirring occasionally. You can drain it out or turn off the fire & leave it to soak, if you prefer it softer. I find soaking is better for this recipe.

2. Cut one long purple eggplant (terung, aubergine) into 2cm rounds approx. with skin & put into a pot or wok. Drizzle with olive oil & let it coat & seep into the eggplant slices. Switch on the burner & lightly pan fry both sides until almost cooked. If you want spicy, add a few dried chillies & saute until dry or crispy.

FOR NON-VEGANS : Throw in some prawns or squid rounds at this point. Don't put too much seasoning or salt as seafood may will produce a salty gravy.

3. Add in 1 coarsely chopped red, large onion & fry till soft. Throw in 1 chopped tomato, 5 cm of thinly sliced celery and stir fry. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste/puree, if you have. If not, add more tomatoes! Sprinkle some sugar (whenever you have tomato - Chef Wan's tip).

If you want more flavour, sprinkle some mushroom seasoning powder (get it from vegetarian grocery shop). If you have an orange (especially the horribly sour ones), peel & chop into cubes and add in for a tangy flavour.

4. When cooked pour in the drained spaghetti and toss. For flavour, you can drizzle some light soya sauce (or Japanese shoyu - the citrus type is good) or sprinkle fine salt & lots of freshly ground pepper. Turn off the flame if it dries too quickly. Pour a little of the spaghetti water to make it moist & a bit sticky. Easier for the sauce/flavour to stick to the spaghetti (Tip from Jaimie Oliver, the Naked Chef) .

FOR NON-VEGANS : You can stir in a dollop of butter or dash of your favourite cheese.

5. Serve on a bed of yau mak (baby romaine or any salad leaves). Top with coarsely chopped coriander leaves.

Sunday 27 April 2008

Japanese Udon (on a budget)

JAPANESE HOME-COOKING - simple & healthier & artistic - a feast for the taste buds & eyes. As I always say, REAL eating should be an experience of all the senses (even if its just lunch in front of the TV!). --- Mindful eating (let's leave this for a latter post)

I am very much inspired by the book-Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat-Delicious slimming and anti-ageing secrets (Naomi Moriyama). It has easy to follow economical recipes, strategies, arguments for Japanese home cooking as opposed to Western-style eating.

Japanese cooking ingredients can be pricey. Just take a glance at the various soy-sauces for sushi, gyoza, soba, udon & shabu-shabu. It's usually above RM10. And what if you use it once only - the rest will be in your pantry until the expiry date! If you look at the ingredients that make up the sauce, they are almost the same, in varying amounts - salt, sugar, soya sauce, mirin & bonito. Noodles are also costly - buckwheat soba, cha soba (even more).. Luckily, demand for Japanese noodles in Malaysia is sustainable, so there is now a factory in JB that produces udon, tofu & fresh soba..etc.

I was at the Jaya Grocer @Jaya33 yesterday and picked up a small packet of fresh udon for RM1.90. So for today's lunch, I cooked up my version of :

UDON in SOUP
1 small pkt fresh udon
3 stalks baby choy sum/sawi (mustard leaves)
1 egg
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
a sprinkle of chilli flakes (from Domino's pizza)

For soup:
3 tablespoon light soy sauce (less salty, the better)
1 tablespoon mirin or Chinese cooking wine (ShaoXing)
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/2 pkt (3gm pkt) Bonito fish flakes (from Isetan, KLCC)

In a small pot, boil some water. Add udon & cook for a few minutes. Turn off the heat. Use a tong to transfer the noodles on to a soup plate. Turn on the heat again & blanch choy sum. Pour away the water(drain) and arrange vegetables beside the udon.

Use the same pot to simmer the soup ingredients. Adjust to taste. Pour onto the udon. Wash the pot & wipe it dry. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil (not too hot). Add some chopped garlic & fry till slightly brown. Break an egg over it. Keep low heat. Gently break the yolk. Turn over. Cook until egg is just done. Don't over cook. Spoon onto the udon. Sprinkle chilli flakes & remaining packet of bonito flakes.

Easy washing up: 1 pot, 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1 pair of tongs, 1 soup plate.

P.S. You would have noticed that the parts of a Japanese dish are cooked separately, then assembled decoratively in a bowl or plate. This, I believe is the philosophy of Japanese cooking (which may be applied to all forms of cooking). Every ingredient has its importance, has its role to play. By spending time to blanch, fry, boil each ingredient separately, one can reflect on LIFE with its various 'tastes' (happy, sweet, bitter, salty...). We all have to go through it but in the end it comes together to make a delicious 'meal' - a life well lived, well spent! Do not forget the spices, the condiments of life - just a dash of fun, a dash of adventure, a handful of experience, a bunch of optimism & enthutiasm; and a tinge of sadness, to remind us how precious life is!! Be MINDFUL of what you do in life, choose wisely each day, each action you take, each word you speak ... Do not be tempted to throw all the ingredients into the soup and hope for the best!

Sunday 17 February 2008

One-pot Lunch - Chinese Drunken Chicken (I did it my way...)

Looking through my piles of recipes for a chicken dish, I realised that all the recipes require tons of added oil, spices, sauces, marinades, etc... which got me thinking - "How then do we get to taste the real chicken?" Many people complain that the chickens nowadays have no taste. So they drench it with sauce, coat it, fry it,... I say STOP!!

Too much and your taste buds will be over-powered. So you need even more, to feel the taste. (Think, added calories, preservatives, cavities). That's probably why, some people automatically pour chillie sauce or soy sauce onto anything they eat. They say it tastes better. I say, "They may just as well eat just the sauce!


CONCEPT : Let's go back to the basics. This is inspired by watching Martha Stewart cook. She often just sprinkles a pinch of salt & pepper to bring out the natural flavour of her the ingredients in her dishes. So for lunch today, I took a quarter chicken (breast & wing part). Trimmed the fat, removed all skin from the neck area, leaving only some skin near the wings. I rubbed some salt & pepper into the chicken and left it while I prepare the ingredients - a few slices of ginger, 6 kei chee (gooseberres) and washed a bunch of baby spinach (don't cut it, leave it long - it's only about 6-8"). I like to add some canned mushroom (I used scallop mushrooms, this time) and some Chinese cooking wine (Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chiew).

SLOW COOKING : I placed the chicken, skin-side down, in the pot and added a quarter cup of boiled water, kei chee, mushrooms and a tablespoon of cooking wine. Placed the pot on an electric cooker (steamboat pot/ ricecooker / slow cooker) and closed the lid. Slowly cook (simmer) it until the chicken breast (thickest part) is cooked and it will be tender. By cooking slowly with just a little water and a closed lid, it will be more of a steaming process and the chicken will retain much of its flavour!

ADD CARBS : We've got protein from the chicken, sweetness from kei chee, subtle flavour from ginger & wine - so to balance it off, drop a bunch of baby spinach whole into the pot. Cover it and 'steam' it for a few minutes and your DONE! All in ONE POT!

ADD-ON #1 : No patience to wait for the SLOW-COOKING? (watched pot, never boils, they say!).... WELL, ME TOO - So, while waiting, I cut some purple brinjal (eggplant) lengthwise and scored it to better absorb the olive oil. Arrange it in one layer on a 'seasoned' non-stick pan, drizzle some olive oil on each piece and heat the pan on a slow fire. Turn over when one side is slightly grilled. It's done, once the pieces become soft. Be careful not to burn it!

ADD-ON #2 : I had some pineapple paste leftover (from making pineapple tarts) and some milk, so what can I do with them? First thought - pancake?? But that takes time .... (lazy Sunday, lah!) so I created my own "Pineapple Baked Sandwich" !

Make the batter : In to a large bowl, sift 1 cup plain flour with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (or just use 1 cup self-raising flour) + 1 cup wholemeal flour (for added fibre and texture) + 1 pinch of salt + 1 pinch of cinnamon powder (if you have). Pour bit by bit, 1 small packet of low fat milk into the centre and slowly stir from the inside out, to get a smooth paste or else it will be lumpy! Break 1 egg into the mixture and stir. Add 25g of butter (melted) and stir. Finally add 10 coarsely pounded/chopped almonds (or any nuts you like).

Prepare baking pan : I used to line pans with tracing paper but I learned an easier way (when I ran out of tracing paper, one day!). Take a paper napkin to wipe the leftover melted butter and use it to grease the baking pan (a 5"x 8" pan). Sprinkle some flour onto the pan and tap it on its sides to spread a thin layer all around. You can pour the excess flour into the batter.




Baking it : Pour half of the batter and bake for 10 mins (180 degrees). Take it out and spread a layer of pineapple paste. Then, pour the balance of the batter and continue to bake another 15-20 mins or until you can smell it! Insert a toothpick into the centre and it it comes out clean, it's done! Take it out and leave for 10 mins to cool and keep its shape. Then use a butter knife to loosen the sides. Place a wire rack over it and invert. Leave to cool completely.

Notes:
Seasoned Pan : After spoiling so many non-stick pans, I finally managed to 'season' a small frying pan which I use solely for omelettes and pan frying. It's been some time ago, so I've forgotten how I managed to 'season' the pan but generally, we should oil a new 'non-stick' pan and leave a layer of oil (don't wash it off!) for sometime. NOW, I remember!! - After cooking an egg omelette in a lot of oil, I covered the pan and forgot about it for a few days! When I poured away the oil, there was a nice smooth layer surrounding the pan. So I heated it and managed to fry another omelette, this time with considerably less oil. So, after that I washed the pan but with only a little diluted detergent, so that it is still slightly oiled. I always cover it when not used.
Pineapple paste: You can buy ready made pineapple paste from the Baking specialty store (or supermarket) or make your own - it's easy but time consuming (stirring)! Grate 3 ripe pineapples, add 2 sticks of cinnamon (kayu manis) and stir in a pot over a slow fire. When almost dry, stir in 2 tablespoons of honey (I like the Cameron Highland Wild Honey) and some golden syrup (if you have) and 1 tablespoon (or according to taste) of brown sugar. Makes two rice bowls. It can be frozen in small containers, for later use.

Sift or whisk? : Sifting flour can be extremely messy!! I tried many type of sieves and finally found one convenient to use. Now, according to Martha Stewart, we can use a whisk instead! Why do we need to sift the flour ?? For making cakes, it is necessary, so that the cake will be light. Sifting dry ingredients together also helps to evenly mix the ingredients. BTW, a whisk can also be used in place of an electric beater to cream butter & sugar together for butter cakes.

25gm of butter : Don't you hate it when the recipe say's XX gm and you have to lug out the weighing scale just to measure one ingredient? Well, some sticks of butter have markings on the back of its wrapper in 50gm sections. That'll help!

Melted butter : How do you melt butter or chocolate ? Traditional way would be to stir it over another pan of hot water - messy! I just put the butter (or choc) in a small metal bowl and put it on top of any heat source - eg. on top of the oven, inside the oven (only a few minutes - must take care) or JUST found this out today ! -> place the little bowl on the cover of the SLOW-COOKING chicken in the pot. This will heat up the metal bowl and the butter within.

Saturday 26 January 2008

Low carb (no-starch) meal : My weekend dinner

Menu : OVEN-ROASTED FISH & GREEN SALAD WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING


PREPARING THE FISH
In the rectagular oven pan, marinate the fish (two fish tails) with a little salt & kunyit (tumeric) powder & curry powder for at least an hour. You can grate some ginger into the marinate, too- making it less fishy. Grating is much easier than cutting & pounding it. (Learned that from Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef).

Roll the fish slices in a teaspoon of olive oil, if you like (olive oil is considered the 'good' oil). Makes the skin crispier when roasted.

Then arrange the slices top of a layer of sliced big onions & tomato. This is my way of preventing the fish from sticking to the roasting pan (easier to wash, la!) . Some people use aluminium foil but then again I think it is quite wasteful and some have health concerns about the aluminium in it. BTW, I once bought a pack of aluminium foil and opened it. It smelled funny and upon inspection, suffice to say that it was not clean. I suspect the pack left was opened for sometime & someone later re-sealed & sold it! Buyer beware..

Arrange some slices onions on top of the fish too. Then when roasted, it will be crispier and sweet! I roast the fish in my small oven for around 20-30 min on 180 degrees. How do you know if its done? My unconventional way is to use the 'Nose' test. If a delicious smell comes from the oven, then most probably it's cooked! However, if you smell something burning -- oh-oh!

Alternatively, you can also use an oven-toaster but for smaller fish slices. Small ovens, I believe are more energy efficient if you are roasting only 2 slices of fish!

PREPARING THE SALAD
I don't like to use the iceberg lettuce (a common salad veg.) as it practically has no taste. A better tasting veg. would be the baby Romaine (as in the photo), commonly known as 'Yau Mak'. After washing, you must remove as much water from the leaves as possible. There are many ways to do this, the conventional & the wacky!. The normal way would be to just flick each leaf to remove the water (make sure no one's standing beside you, though :)) or you can dab it with a clean kitchen towel (now, don't waste by using paper towels!). Or you can follow, Mr. Bean and put into a sock, hold one end and spin it. There's actually a gadget (which Martha Stewart uses) called the salad spinner.

I just put them in a plastic container, hold the lid over it with a slight gap, then turn the container upside-down and shake the leaves inside. The little gap will allow excess water to flow out! Close the lid tightly and it can keep fresh & crispy for many days.

Tear each leave into 2-3 parts and place in a bowl. For dressing, I just drizzle a little extra virgin oil and some balsamic vinegar and toss. Add a sprinkle of fine salt & black pepper. The black pepper should be freshly ground to have that nice peppery aroma but after having used & broken 2 pepper grinders, I resorted to pounding a bunch of black peppercorns in a mortar and storing it in a small container.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Once the fish is cooked, put it on one side of a large dinner plate, add the salad on the side and scoop the onions & tomatoes which should be a well-cooked and juicy & spicy, on to the salad. If it is hot, it will slightly blanch the salad leaves, which is fine if you don't really like raw veg.

Use a knife & fork, and you will have a quick, elegant dinner to enjoy which has protein (fish), carbohydrate & nutrients (veg., onion & tomato) and some fish oil & olive oil.

If you are having one of those 'dinner in front of the TV' nights, then break up the fish and put on top of a plate of salad, top with the onion/tomato gravy. Sprinkle a bit of black pepper to perk up the dish. Then you can eat with one hand while glueing your eyes to the TV!

Washing up : 1 oven tray, 1 bowl, 1 dinner plate, 1 grater, 1 fork & 1 knife.

P.S. Oops, just realised that my salad (on the plate) is made with 'Butterhead' salad leaves instead. Tastes great too and not too expensive.