Chicken Biryani

"This is a delicious Pakistani/Indian rice dish which is often reserved for very special occasions such as weddings, parties, or holidays such as Ramadan. For biryani, always use long grain rice. Basmati rice with its thin, fine grains is the ideal variety to use. Ghee is butter that has been slowly melted so that the milk solids and golden liquid have been separated and can be used in place of vegetable oil to yield a more authentic taste."

Recipe:

1 chicken breast
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cardamon pods
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp ground cumin
50g/2oz butter
200g/7oz rice
1 chicken stock cube
chives to garnish

Method :

1. Remove the skin from the chicken breast.
2. Slice the chicken into pieces about 1.5cm/¼in thick.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook until it softens.
4. Add the chicken slices to the pan along with the garlic and cook gently for 3 minutes.
5. Into the pan add the turmeric, cardamon pods, coriander seeds and ground cumin.
6. Add the butter, let it melt then add the rice.
7. Coat the rice in the butter and spices then cover with boiling water.
8. Add the stock cube, bring to the boil and simmer for 12 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
9. Garnish with chives.

Indonesian Rendang

This delicious cuisine is originated from Indonesia by the Minangkabau people and it is one of their cultural characteristic foods, which is usually served to honor guest at ceremonial occasions. Rendang is also very popular in Malaysia and is usually prepared by the Malay community especially during the festive occasions. Rendang does not contain any curry powder even though it is sometimes described as a curry.

The main ingredient is beef, but sometime it is substituted with chicken or mutton and slowly cooking in the coconut milk and various spices until all the liquid is reduced, leaving only the meat coated with the thick spice condiments. Like most curries, this one also benefits from being made ahead of time to allow the flavors to mature. Prepare 2 to 3 days in advance and store, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat over low heat. The curry can also be completely cooled in the refrigerator and then frozen for up to 1 month.

Ingredients: (Serves 6)

1.5 kg (3 lb) chuck steak
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
4 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 2/3 cups (410 ml) coconut milk
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 red chilies, chopped
1 stem lemon grass (white part only)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated palm sugar or soft brown sugar

Method:

Trim the meat of any fat and sinew, and cut it evenly into small (about 3 cm/1.25 in) cubes. Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth, adding water if necessary. Place the coconut milk in a large pan and bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has reduced by half and the oil has separately out. Do not allow the milk to brown.

Add the coriander, fennel, cumin and cloves, and stir for 1 minute. Add the meat and cook for 2 minutes until it changes color. Add the onion mixture, chili, lemon grass, lemon juice and sugar. Cook, over moderate heat for about 2 hours, or until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is quite thick. Stir frequently to prevent catching on the bottom of the pan.

Continue cooking until the oil from the coconut milk begins to emerge again, letting the curry develop color and flavor. The dish needs constant attention at this stage to prevent it from burning. The curry is cooked when it is brown and dry.

Mixed Vegetables with Lemon Grass Recipe

Lemon grass is used widely in Asian countries as a herb as well as in cooking. It possesses a citrus flavor and is used either fresh or can also be in dried and powdered form. Usually the soft inner part is eaten as the stalk itself is too hard to eat. However, the stalk could be used for cooking after finely sliced or bruised to be added whole to release the aromatic oils from the juice sacs in the stalk. Citral is the main component of lemon grass.

Lemon grass is commonly found in the ingredients of curries and is suitable for poultry, fish, seafood and even mixed vegetables as below.

Recipe: (serves 4)

125 g solid tofu, cut into 1 cm cubes
3 lemon grass stalks, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
250 g Chinese leaves, thinly sliced
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced
60 g oyster mushrooms, torn
125 g mangetour
1 bunch of watercress
6 fresh baby corn
1 long mild red chili, thinly sliced
100 ml vegetables stock
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon golden granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat about 1 cm of oil in a wok and add the tofu cubes. Cook until golden on all sides, then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the wok and reheat it.

Add the lemon grass, garlic and leek and stir-fry for about 1 minute, then add the remaining vegetables, a few at a time, stirring constantly. Add the stock, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, stir and cover. Cook over a moderate heat for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the fried tofu, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Kung Pao Diced Chicken

This is a Sichuan classic cuisine and originated from the Sichuan province of central-western China. The name came from a late Qing Dynasty official by the name of Ding Baozhen. Born in Guizhou, Ding served as the head of Shandong province and later as a governor of Sichuan province. Gong Bao or palatial guardian was his official title. Thus the name "Kung Pao" was derived from this title. There are 2 different versions of this dish in existence today. The westernized and the traditional Sichuan version below.

Recipe:

1 chicken breast meat
200 g pea shoots
8 dried chilies
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn
1/2 cup cooked peanuts

Seasoning A

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Salt to taste
A little MSG if you prefer (optional)

Seasoning B

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Method:

Remove the skin and bone of the chicken breast meat, dice and mix with seasoning A. Rinse the pea shoots and blanch in boiling water, arrange them flatly on a plate. Cut the dried chilies into sections.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and stir-fry the Sichuan peppercorn over low heat, then remove the peppercorn. Stir-fry the dried chilies, followed by the diced chicken. Lastly, add seasoning B and the peanuts and stir for a while. Serve on the plate with the pea shoots.

Chicken Satay with Black Shrimp Paste Sauce

Satay is an Indonesian dish of pieces of marinated meat grilled on wooden skewers and sometimes served with a spicy peanut sauce. Traditionally, the meat used in satay is not cubed but minced and molded around the satay sticks. However, delicious satay can also be made with tender cubes of meat: skinless breast or upper thigh of chicken or best end of lamb or lamb chops.

Marinating the meat before cooking will tenderize as well as flavor it. Use bamboo satay sticks, which should be soaked in water for a few hours before using so they will not burn. They should be about 20 cm long to allow the meat to be skewered along half the length, leaving a 'handle' to grasp during grilling.

Recipe:

500 g chicken meat, cut into 1 x 2 cm pieces
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1 tablespoon margarine, melted

Black Shrimp Paste Sauce:

10 red chilies, boiled and ground
5 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 teaspoon black shrimp paste
5 cloves garlic, ground
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Mix and combine all the ingredients to prepare the black shrimp paste sauce.

Thread 4-5 pieces chicken onto the satay skewers. Combine the sweet soy sauce and margarine with 5 tablespoons of the black shrimp paste sauce. Dip each skewer into this sauce until the meat is completed covered. Let it stand for 30 minutes. Grill the chicken over hot charcoal, turning skewers over from time to time. Serve with sweet soy sauce and the remaining black shrimp paste sauce.

Diced Chicken with Cashew Nuts Recipe

Like all nuts, cashew nuts are no exception when it comes as an excellent source of protein and fiber. They are good for the heart as cashew nuts are rich in mono-unsaturated fat as well as a good source of potassium, B vitamins and folate.

Phosphorous, copper, magnesium and selenium are also found in them. Just like peanuts, cashew nuts are usually salted and may contribute to increase blood pressure due to the added sodium. So always buy unsalted plain roasted cashew nuts.

This is a great and healthy Chinese dish and the cashew nuts must only be added at the last stage of cooking to ensure that the nuts stay crunchy. A few quick stirs will do. Before cooking, roast the nuts in the oven to remove excess moisture.



Recipe:

2 chilies
2 stalks spring onions (scallions)
1/2 green pepper (capsicum)
200 g Chicken breast meat
3 slices ginger
100 g Roasted cashew nuts (unsalted)

Seasoning A

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

Seasoning B

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 teaspoon sugar

Method:

Slice the chilies. Rinse the spring onions (scallions), chop half and cut the other into sections. Slice the green pepper. Rinse and dice the chicken breast meat. Mix with seasoning A and marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and stir-fry the ginger slices, chopped spring onion and chilies. Add the chicken and seasoning B, and cook until half-done. Then add the green pepper and toss well, add the cashew nuts and stir evenly. Serve while hot.