Cheesy Baked Rice With Prawns and Bacon

Cheese Baked Rice have been my children's favourite food.  I have been wanting to try a hand to cook and taste the home-cooked version of it, but as usual it's not fun to cook only a small portion and enjoying it all by myself.  It is only until recently when my daughter is back home that I get to cook it for the both of us.  There are many recipes of this dish in hand but I try out this prawn recipe adapted from Minty's Kitchen Blog. As usual a bit of adjustments have been made on the recipe to suit our needs.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup cooked rice
10 prawns, medium size (shelled and deveined)
2 pcs. bacon (cut into small pieces)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1  medium sized tomato (cubed)
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Enough grated cheddar cheese (for topping)
1 tbsp cooking oil

White Sauce:
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp butter

Methods:

1. In a heated wok add in cooking oil, saute onion and garlic till fragrant, then add in prawns and stir-fry till 3/4 cooked, dish and set aside for later use.
2. In the same pan add in bacon pieces and fry till browned, pour in the chicken stock, stir well, toss in the cubed tomato, cook for 2 minutes and turn off heat.
3. To prepare the white sauce, add butter in a low heated small pan, add in flour and cook stirring for a minute or until mixture bubbles and begins to come away from the side of the pan.  Gradually whisk in the cream until combined.  Continue cooking until the sauce boils and thickens and remove from heat. 
4. Pour the white sauce into (2), season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
5. Fluff up the cooked rice and place in a casserole dish, pour the prawns and bacon mixture over the rice and mix well.
6. Top the rice with a layer of grated cheese.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese turns golden brown.
8. Serve hot.

Note:  I prefer less cheesy, so I just topped a thin layer of cheese over the rice mixture. This is up to individual preference.  I enjoyed this simple yet yummylicious "Cheesy Baked Rice" with a glass of "icy kiwi and green apple smoothies."  

Fried fish in pineapple and chili sauce

Ingredients:
1 piece fish of your choice (can also use whole fish)
3 dried chilies (remove seeds, soaked and cut into 1" pieces)
1 fresh red chili (coarsely cut)
1 cup fresh pineapple flesh (cubed)
1 tsp ginger (chopped)
Water
Oil for deep-frying

Seasoning:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar (to taste)
1/2 tsp chicken stock granules
Dash of grounded white pepper

Methods:

1. Rinse fish, pat dry with kitchen paper and deep fry in medium heat till golden brown and dish out.
2. Discard oil and leave 2 tbsp oil in wok, using low heat saute ginger till fragrant, add in both chilies , pineapple and seasoning, stir-fry using medium heat till well combined. Taste for correct seasoning.
3. Add water (just enough) and bring to boil, then put in the fried fish and cook for 1 minute on one side, turning over once.
4. Once the sauce has reduce remove from heat and serve hot.

This savory sourish dish is one which I will continue to cook again and again as it's deliciously yummy.  The pineapple and chilies makes the dish so irresistible and not to mention "more rice please!"

Baked Tumeric Chicken served with duo-style fried rice

This simple baked chicken served with fried rice is easy and quick to prepare as the chicken is marinated a day before and baked in a conventional oven an hour before serving lunch.  I cooked the rice in the morning, let it cooled and fried as soon as the chicken is ready to serve.  This dish is made to serve for 2, myself and daughter, Karen.

What you need:

• 2 chicken thigh
• 1 tbsp greek plain yoghurt 
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 3 grated garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Steps of preparation:

1. Wash chicken thigh and trim off fat.  Cut two slits across the thigh and place them in a zip lock bag.
2. In a  bowl combine all the other ingredients and stir to mix.
3. Pour the marinating ingredients onto the chicken, mix well to coat and leave in the fridge overnight.
4. To bake, place chicken thigh on a lightly greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven of 190 degree Celsius until golden and cooked through.

Preparation and frying of duo-style fried rice

(1)  Parsely fried rice

• 1 cup cooked rice (cooled)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/4 onion (chopped)
• 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh parsely leaves (can put more depend on your liking)
• chicken stock granules (to taste)
• Dash of grounded white pepper

1. Add cooking oil into a medium heated wok and fry the chopped onion until fragrant.
2. Next, add in the parsely leaves, give it a quick stir, then add in the rice and chicken stock granules, stir till well mixed. Sprinkle dash of grounded white pepper and give it another mix.
3. Off the heat and dish onto a serving plate with a piece of the baked chicken thigh at the side and cucumber slices with sambal belacan.

(2)  Egg fried rice

• 1 cup cooked rice (cooled)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/4 onion (chopped)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 whole egg (lightly beaten)
• chicken stock granules (to taste)
• Dash of grounded white pepper

1. Mix the egg yolk into the cooked, cooled rice and leave aside for stir-frying.
2. In a medium heated wok add in cooking oil, fry the onion until fragrant then add in the rice, chicken stock granules and stir to mix.
3. Make a well in the center, add in the lightly beaten egg, give the egg a stir then mix over the rice and stir till well combined.
4. Sprinkle a dash of grounded white pepper and give it another mix.
5. Off the heat and scoop the fried rice into a bowl, press it with the spoon and turn over onto a serving plate.
6. Serve with  baked chicken thigh at the side and some blanched bak choy in oyster sauce.

Chinese leeks and bacon pie

I have been wanting to try out this simple and easy pie recipe for quite a while, finally, with my daughter Karen around we both decided to try a hand on it and here is the outcome.....

The recipe which I am sharing here, especially on the cream and egg mixture, the amount is just by rough estimate as I don't use exact measurements.  

What you need:

Store-bought Puff Pastry Square Dough (4 pieces, makes 2 pie)

3 slices Bacon (cut into 1" strips)

2 sticks Chinese Leeks (peeled, washed, sliced into thin slices)

1 tsp butter (for frying leek)

1 egg 

3 tbsp cream

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Salt (to taste)

Dash of grounded pepper

Few simple steps:

1. In a medium heated pan fry the bacon strips until brown and lightly crispy, dish into a bowl and put aside.
2. Pour off excess oil from the bacon, in the same pan melt butter and stir-fry leeks until fragrant, dish into the same bowl as the bacon and set aside to cool.
3. Assemble the  puff pastry by laying a piece at the bottom and cut 4 strips using another piece, brush sides of the square pastry with some water and place strips along edges to form a border.  Place the assembled puff pastry on a baking tray lightly greased to prevent the pastry from sticking onto the tray.  Repeat till both are done.
4. Crack the egg into a bowl, add in cream, ground nutmeg, pepper and salt.  Gently beat the ingredients until well combined, then add in the bacon and leek.  Mix well.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared pastry shells.
6. Bake in a preheated oven of 200 degree Celsius for 25 minutes, or until the pastry shells have risen well.
7. Remove from oven and serve immediately.