Salads with Balsamic Dressing

With great pleasure, I have here to share with all my readers, my two Salads drizzled with Balsamic Dressing....

• (A)  Green oak leaves, papaya, grapefruit and croutons

• (B)  Lettuce, apple, chicken breast, orange sweet potatoes and barley grains

Notes:

1. For information, the barley I used is our local barley.  I boil this refreshing barley soup for consumption on hot days.  I love to have barley grains in my salad.  For my barley soup recipe, click here
2. For the chicken breast, I bake one whole chicken 'Thai Roast Chicken,' for dinner and reserve the chicken breast for my salad dishes.

Balsamic Salad Dressing

I am trying out another salad dressing for my salads dishes, 'Balsamic Dressing.'  This dressing is slightly more acidic than the Honey Yellow Mustard Dressing; but it is good to have more choices of salad dressings in our pantry.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

Methods:

1. Add all ingredients in a mason jar and place the lid on.  Shake jar well to mix up the dressing.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 months.
2. To use, just shake the jar again to mix.

Tip:  

Dressings with dried herbs will last up to 2 months in the fridge, whereas fresh herbs will last about 1 week to 10 days.

This recipe is adapted from 'The Girl on Bloor' with slight amendment to suit my cooking preference.

Thai Cashews Chicken

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

250g. chicken breast (cut into bite-size pieces)

1/4 cup cornflour

Dash of salt

2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)

1/2 onion (peeled and sliced, slightly thicker)

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/2 capsicum (cut into bite-size)

3 dried chilis (cut into small-bite pieces)

2 sprigs spring onion (cut into 1" length)

Cooking oil for frying + 1 tbsp. extra

Stir-fry sauce: (mix in a bowl)

1 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tbsp. vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. dark sweet soy sauce

1/4 tsp. cornflour

Methods:

1. Season chicken with salt and toss with cornflour.
2. In a heated wok, add enough cooking oil for frying the chicken.
3. Shake off excess flour and carefully add part of the chicken into the wok.  Cook and flip the pieces often, for 3-4 minutes or until the exterior is just 'sealed' but before the pieces turn golden.  Transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain excess oil.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.
4. In a clean wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and onion and stir-fry for half a minute.  Add the cashews and dried chilies and continue to stir-fry until the cashews just start to turn golden.  Add the capsicums and fry for another minute.  Then add the chicken and the stir-fry sauce and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thick and glossy.  Toss through spring onions, dish onto a serving plate and serve.

This recipe is adapted from 'Marion's Kitchen' with slight amendment to suit my cooking preference.

Thai Tumeric Chicken Rice 'Khao Mok Gai'

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

4 bone-in chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)

1/2 onion (peeled and finely diced)

1 ripe tomato (roughly chopped)

1 cup rice (washed and drained)

1 tbsp. crispy fried shallots 

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 tsp. chicken stock granules (to taste)

3 cardamon pods

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

a pinch of salt

2 tbsp. cooking oil 

Marinade: (for chicken)

2 garlic cloves (peeled)

1 1/2 coriander roots (washed and roughly chopped)

1/2 tbsp. ginger (peeled and finely chopped)

a pinch of salt

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 tsp. ground tumeric

1/2 tbsp. curry powder

1 tbsp. fish sauce

Methods:

1. Using a mortar and pestle, pound garlic, coriander roots, ginger and a pinch of salt to a paste.  Transfer to a large bowl and stir through yogurt, ground tumeric, curry powder and fish sauce.  Add chicken pieces and turn to coat.  Cover and place in the fridge to marinate overnight.
2. In a medium heated wok, add cooking oil.  Use hand to remove most of the marinade from each chicken pieces before placing them into the hot oil.  Cook 3-4 minutes each side until golden.  Transfer chicken to a plate.  Reserve 2 tablespoon of the chicken fat from the bottom of the wok, and clean the wok.
3. Add the 2 tablespoon of oil back into the medium heated wok, add onion and pinch of salt, cook until soft.  Then add tomato, and cook until soft.  Next, add rice and fried shallots, stir to coat.  Then add the reserved marinade, water, chicken stock granules, cardamon, cinnamon and bay leaf.  Bring to simmer, stirring, then off the heat.  Transfer into the bowl of the rice cooker.  Place chicken pieces on top of the rice.  Switch on the rice cooker and let it cook until done.  Leave it for about 15-20 minutes at 'keep warm.'  
4. Fluff rice with a rice spatula, remove spices and serve the rice in individual plate, with chicken pieces over the rice.  I serve this yummylicious tumeric chicken rice with my homemade 'Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.'  To obtain the recipe click here

This recipe is adapted from 'Marion's Kitchen' with slight amendments to suit my cooking preference.

Sticky Chinese Five Spice Chicken

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

2 chicken whole legs (skinless and boneless)

1 1/2 tbsp. hoisin sauce

1 tbsp. honey

1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce 

2 garlic cloves (finely grated)

1 tsp. five spice

Basting Sauce: (mix together in a small bowl)

3/4 tbsp. honey

1/4 tbsp. dark soy sauce

Methods:

1. In a large bowl, combine hoisin sauce, honey, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, garlic and five spice, and stir until well mixed.
2. Place the chicken into a zip lock bag, pour the sauce over, zip and squish the bag to mix the marinade into the chicken.  Let it marinate in the fridge for few hours or overnight.
3. To bake, place chicken on a baking rack skin side up. Bake using temperature of 180 degree Celsius for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, brush the top of the chicken with basting sauce.  Continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Remove chicken from oven.  Cut into thicker slices and serve!

I adapted this recipe from 'Marion's Kitchen' with slight amendment.

Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

300g. chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)

1/2 tbsp. onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (peeled)

1/2 egg white

1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

Dash of ground black pepper

3 tbsp. mirin

1 tbsp. light soy sauce

1/4 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. water

White sesame seeds (toasted)

Some spring onion (chopped)

Cooking oil (for frying)

Methods:

1. Blend chicken, onion, garlic, egg white, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor until well combined.  Scrap the ground chicken into a bowl.
2. Wet both hands with some water and shape the ground chicken into meatballs and lay them on a plate lined with parchment paper.
3. Heat up a pan with oil, shallow fry the meatballs, turning them in between, until lightly browned or cooked through.  If your pan is not big enough, fry them in batches.  Dish the meatballs into a plate.  Continue frying until all is done.
4. Remove excess oil from the pan, leaving about a tablespoon.  Add the meatballs back into the pan.  Lower the heat to medium-low and add mirin, light soy sauce, 1 tbsp. water and sugar.  Stir well to combine the sauce and the meatballs.  Simmer and cook until the sauce slightly thickened, for few minutes.  Off the heat.
5. Dish the meatballs into a serving plate.
6. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onion.
7. Serve immediately.

I adapted this recipe from 'rasamalaysia.com' with some amendments to suit my cooking preference.

Pumpkin Cake

As I've mentioned many times in my blog, this golden pumpkin is my favorite fruit.  I will happily bring back a whole pumpkin, after which, will recreate it into different kinds of delicious and scrumptious dishes: snacks, cakes, soup, muffins, etc...  This time round I am baking a delightful pumpkin cake which I came across in Youtube quite a while ago.  

Ingredients:

150g. fresh pumpkin (peeled, remove seeds, sliced, steamed and mashed)

200g. unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup caster sugar

4 large eggs

250g. plain flour (sifted)

1 tsp. baking powder (sifted)

1/4 tsp. salt (sifted)

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (toasted) - leave 1 tbsp. for topping

80g. raw pumpkin (cubed) - for topping

Methods:

1. In a stand mixer beat butter for about 2 minutes, then add in sugar and continue to mix until light and fluffy.
2. Add in eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition.
3. Add in 2 tablespoon of flour into egg mixture and mix using a rubber spatula.  Next, add in all the flour and mashed pumpkin and mix until well combined.
4. Add in the toasted pumpkin seeds and stir well to combine.
5. Pour the batter into a lined 8" round cake tin and level the top with spatula.
6. Arrange the raw pumpkin cubes over the top and sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds.  
7. Bake in a preheated oven of 170 degree Celsius for 60 to 70 minutes, and/or when a wooden skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
8. Place the cake on a wire rack to let it cool.  Serve!

I adapted this recipe from Youtube Video by Kathrine Kwa Baking Tutorial with amendments to suit my baking preferences.