Day 64/365: Ube Tikoy

I'm missing tikoy and its been years since I haven't eaten even a slice.  And its past CNY when I first made my homemade tikoy.  I just realized to search for the recipe few days after CNY this year but too lazy to prepare.  But you know, tikoy is a no brainer actually.  It is easy to make and ingredients are so basic.  Only three important ingredients needed - glutinous rice flour, warm water and sugar.  For tikoy recipe please refer to Panlasang Pinoy.

My version, I added a twist.  It's actually Ube Tikoy.  I followed his basic recipe.  Then I just changed the brown sugar to white sugar and added ube flavor / coloring to it.  That's it!! :)

Chicken & Pepper Noodles

Would like to present one of my personal lunch, meaning only me and myself ate this.  But this meal serves for 2 persons :))  The preparation and tastes are very simple.  I would have made this spicy for strong flavor but I don’t have anything during that time.

Ingredients:

• 200g  wheat noodles
• 200g chicken fillet, cut into small pieces or strips
• 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped
• 2 small calamansi
• cooking oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Heat pan and add the oil.  Once the oil has heated, add the garlic and stir-fry until golden brown.
2. Add the chicken and cook for few minutes until lightly browned.  Add and stir in ginger.  Remove the the chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. In same pan, add bell peppers and onion and stir-fry for a few minutes. 
4. Heat the noodles, as per packet instruction.
5. Return the chicken to the pan and stir with calamansi.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve over cooked noodles.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

First and foremost, I wanted to try a home-made roasted chicken with chicken rice cos my children like it too.  I was searching… instead I found Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe.  For curiosity, I checked on the recipes and thought it was not that complicated.  Why not try.  Well about the Roasted Chicken, can’t find anything good yet.  In fact, I was surprised how roasted chicken was prepared – the chicken was not roasted but deep fry.  Hmm, wonder how it is done? 
Anyways, comparing all the recipes I’ve read online.  Here’s what I came up…


For the chicken -

• 1 whole chicken
• salt and ground black pepper
• 2 medium onions, peeled cut in half
• 1 whole garlic, skin intact
• 3 1” ginger
• spring onions
• water, reserve for rice  (depends on how many cups of rice you are going to cook)
• chicken cube
• fish sauce

For the rice -

• rice, uncooked and wash the usual way
• reserved chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoon cooking oil

Directions:

1. Clean chicken the usual.  Rub generous amount of salt and pepper on the skin and cavity of the chicken.  Set aside.
2. In a a large cooking pot, place the onions, garlic, ginger and spring onions.  Add water just to enough to almost cover the chicken or depending on how many cups of water you will use for your rice later.  Bring to boil.
3. Once boiled, slide the chicken carefully.  Add fish sauce according to your desired taste and chicken cube.  Simmer for 20 minutes in low heat, covered.
4. Carefully turn the chicken and simmer for another 15 minutes, covered.
5. Remove from cooking pot by inserting a fork inside the cavity.  Be careful not to brake the chicken while dripping.  Serve on large plate.  Set aside.
6. In a separate pan, sauté the garlic and ginger in cooking oil.  Add the reserved chicken stock only.  Set aside.
7. Wash your rice the usual way.  Instead of plain water, add the chicken stock, measure according to  your rice and rice pot/rice cooker requirement.  Mix and cook the usual way. 
8. For the cooked whole chicken, I did not dipped in cold/iced water per other recipe’s *sorry.  Instead - in same plate, I cut the chicken with kitchen scissor.  Yay, it was a clean and nice cut :D

Serve with chicken rice and chicken rice sauce. Try and enjoy your meal :)

Dancing Chef: Yellow Curry Paste

If you want a curry that is not spicy, try this Yellow Curry Paste pack from Dancing Chef.  Per label at the back, it says “…Yellow Curry is a mild, yet full-flavored and intensely aromatic curry that can be enjoyed by the young and old alike.”  Sure enough, my whole family enjoyed the taste.  They more like the non-spicy compare to Thai Green Chicken Curry.  So I’m the only spicy person in our family :p  For the record, it was the first time that my kids tasted curry, glad they ate it.  And as a family, we never tried curry in resto/ outside, so when I see others eating I’m actually drooling.  I can’t order cos I can't eat it all by myself.  So I tried cooking it at home, our second curry meal.  The recipe for this is the same as the Thai Green Chicken Curry. 

Tau Kwa in Oyster Sauce

A very easy and healthy side dish.  Fried tau kwa or tofu with asparagus and oyster sauce.  You can change the other veggie of your choice, or tofu alone is fine.  I cut my tofu (2 large) in half then fry on both sides, then cut in cubes.  In separate pan, saute minced garlic and sliced onion in cooking oil or butter.  Add the asparagus, stir for a few minutes.  Season with pepper.  Add the fried tofu and about 1/4 cup of oyster sauce, mix.  No need to add salt as the oyster sauce is salty enough.  Serve with your other dish.  Enjoy!

Thai Green Chicken Curry

 This recipe is very spicy, you will end up eating more rice :D

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1 kilo chicken, sliced cloves of garlic, chopped yellow ginger, sliced medium onion, sliced 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 1/2 cups water 1x Knorr chicken cube (optional) 1 pack (3.5oz/100 g) green curry paste potato, sliced 400 ml coconut milk green long chili salt and pepper to taste

Saute garlic, ginger and onion in cooking oil.  Add tablespoon of fish sauce and chicken, stir.  Simmer for few minutes til chicken oil comes out.   Add water and knorr chicken cubes, bring to boil.  Simmer for a few minutes.  Add the curry paste, potato and green long chili.  When almost cooked, add the coconut milk.  Simmer.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.

The taste is almost like the one I ate with my friends from a Thai restaurant in Vivo City :)

Bak kut teh

I sometimes cook this for my family.  I buy the pack for bak kut teh with natural herbs and spices.  My version is, I still boil this with peppercorns, garlic and onion.  I removed the scums first then put the herbs and spices.  Boil til meat is tender.  When meat is tender, I add on the shiitake mushrooms.  Season to taste.  After a few minutes I add green leafy vegetables and simmer for few minutes.   Serve hot.

Banana Cake

My daughter baked her very first cake, yay!!  I placed everything on the table the things she  needs including the lists of ingredients and instructions.  This is easy for her cos no mixer needed.   I don't  have a loaf pan so I'm using a square cake pan that's why it's a banana cake hi hi. 

Her reference. . .

The cake was actually good.  I like the taste, not so sweet.  The recipe was inspired by Simply Recipes.  I changed some of the ingredients, like I used vegetable oil instead of butter and reduced the sugar.  And, I baked it for only 30mins :)

Broccoli and Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce

Broccoli and shiitake mushrooms are pack with many to mention nutrients, that's why I so love to serve these to my family. 

My favorite side dish is Broccoli and Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce.  I cook this especially when our main course is fried.

Saute garlic, onion and mushrooms.  When mushrooms almost done, add broccoli and oyster sauce.  Finally, add pepper to taste.