Grilled or Baked Chicken

 

Ingredients: (serves 2)

2 chicken whole legs

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. tumeric powder

1/2 tsp. pepper powder

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. coriander leaves (chopped)

Methods:

1. Wash the chicken whole legs and make few deep slashes on it.
2. To a bowl, add olive oil, chili powder, tumeric powder, pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, salt and coriander.  Combine all the ingredients to make a marinade.
3. Marinade the chicken whole legs with the marinade.  Rub all over thoroughly through the slashes.  Place the marinated chicken pieces into a zip-lock bag, squish off air and lock the bag and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
4. Place marinated chicken whole legs, skin side up into a pan; bake in a preheated oven of 180 degree Clesius for 20 minutes; flip over and continue to bake for another 15 minutes; and flip over to bake for additional 5  minutes to get the charred.
5. Remove from oven at let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.  I serve this grilled/baked chicken with a side dish of German Potato Salad.  Drizzle over the chicken with leftover juices from the pan.

I adapted this recipe from 'nithlisclickncook.com' by Nithya Narasimhan with some adjustments to suit my cooking preference.

Orange Sweet Potato Wool Roll Bread

Sweet Potatoes are my favorite root vegetables, be it purple, orange, yellow/white in colors, I love them all!  They are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber; thus, who would not love them ~ SMILE ~

Ingredients:

360 g. plain flour (sifted)

2 tsp. instant yeast

50 g. granulated sugar

200 g. mashed orange sweet potato

50 g. unsalted butter, softened

Water or milk as needed (I use 6 tablespoons of milk)

Milk (to brush the bread)

Methods:

• Add flour, yeast, sugar, mashed sweet potatoes, and butter into a mixer bowl; holding the dough hook in your hands, give it a few stirs to slightly combine the ingredients.  Attach the dough hook on your stand mixer, knead on lowest speed for about 1 minute.  Then turn one level up and knead.  The amount of liquid needed depends on how moist the sweet potato is.  If the dough cannot come together because it's too dry, start adding water or milk by 2 tablespoons at a time, until you get a smooth dough.  Continue to knead until the dough is soft and not sticky.
• Turn the dough out on a lightly floured pastry mat.  Give it a few knead using hands and form it into a ball.  Put the dough ball into a large oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and place it in a warm place.  It may take 1 to 1 1/2 hours to proof the dough until they are about double in size.
• Line your bread pan with parchment paper, overlapping on all four sides and let the extra hang out to the side for easier lifting out from the pan later.
• To check the dough if it has done proofing,  when you press on the dough the indentation should stay.
• Turn the dough onto a pastry mat.  Punch the dough down to release all the air bubbles.  Give it a few knead, form it into a round ball, cover with a kitchen towel and it rest for 5 minutes.  It will be easier to roll out.
• Roll the dough out into about 1/2" thick.  The width should be about the length of your bread pan and about 13" long.  Use a scrapper to cut about 2/3 of the dough into long strips.

• Fold the 2 sides over, then gently roll up like a swiss roll over to the other end of the strips.

• Gently pick it up and place inside the prepared pan.  Cover with towel and let the dough proof again for the second time; it may take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

• 15 minutes before the end of the second proofing, preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.  Brush the top with milk and put the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the top.  
• Remove from oven; lift the bread up by grabbing the overhanging parchment paper and let the bread cools down completely on a wire rack before serving.

Note: 

Since I am interested to see the woolly texture of the bread inside, I just use hands to pull the bread into two (the picture on top); after which another picture at the bottom shows the cut using a serrated knife; smooth cut and the nice wool roll texture on the surface.

This recipe is adapted from 'what to cook today' with slight adjustments to suit my baking preference.

Chicken and Egg Donburi

 

Ingredients: (serves 2)

2 portions cooked rice

1/3 cup chicken stock

1 tbsp. mirin

1 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tbsp. oil

1/2 onion (sliced)

200 g. chicken thighs (thinly sliced)

3 eggs (lightly whisked)

1 tbsp. spring onion (finely sliced)

Chili flakes (to sprinkle over the top) - optional

Methods:

1. Divide warm rice into 2 serving bowls, set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine chicken stock, mirin and light soy sauce.
3. In a small frying pan (best with the same size of the bowl), heat half of the oil over medium-high heat.  Add half of the onions and stir-fry 2 minutes.  Add half of the chicken and stir-fry 3-4 minutes or until just cooked.  Pour half of the chicken stock stock mixture in (2), into the pan and simmer about a minute.  Drizzle half of the eggs over the contents of the pan.  Cook until the egg is just set.
4. Remove pan from heat and slide the contents onto a bowl of rice.  Repeat with the remaining portion.
5. Sprinkle with spring onions and chili flakes, if using.
6. Serve immediately...

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

Thai Mango Sticky Rice

 

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1/3 cup glutinous rice

1 mango (cut the cheek and sliced)

Rice Soak:

2 1/2 tbsp. coconut milk

1/3 tbsp. granulated sugar

Dash of salt

Salted Coconut Sauce:

1/3 cup coconut milk

1 1/3 tbsp. sugar

1/3 tsp. salt

2/3 tbsp. rice flour

Methods:

1. Soak glutinous rice overnight.
2. To steam the glutinous rice, fill a steamer with water and bring to a simmer.  Drain glutinous rice and spread them over a plate.  Cover the steamer and steam for 20 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, make the rice soak.  Whisk the coconut milk, sugar and salt.  Set aside.
4. Once the glutinous rice is cooked, place it immediately into the rice soak mixture (while the rice is still hot), and stir until well combined.  Cover and rest for at least 45 minutes.
5. For the salted coconut sauce, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan.  Place rice flour in a small bowl and add a little coconut milk mixture and stir to avoid lumps.  Then add it into the coconut milk mixture.  Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until thickened slightly.  Remove into a small bowl.
6. To serve, place a mound of sticky rice on 2 serving plates.  Top with mango slices and drizzle with the salted coconut sauce.
7. Serve!

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

DIY Spam

 

Ingredients:

600 g. minced pork (more fat)

8 g. salt

8 g. granulated sugar

1 g. garlic powder

1 g. onion powder

1 g. red rice powder

1 g. five spice powder

2 g. chicken stock granules

12 g. oyster sauce

12 g. rice wine

50 g. potato starch (sifted)

30 g. plain flour (sifted)

180 ml. water

20 g. corn oil

Methods:

1. Add minced pork and salt into the mixer bowl; use the beater of a stand mixer to mix using low speed until sticky.
2. Then add sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, red rice powder, five spice powder, chicken stock granules, oyster sauce and rice wine.  Continue to mix until combined.
3. In a bowl, combine water, potato starch and plain flour.  Add  half of the water flour mixture into the meat and continue to mix, and check on the texture of the meat mixture, scrape the sides with a spatula to ensure even mixing; add the rest of the water and flour mixture and continue to mix on low speed for 10 minutes.  Add in the corn oil and mix until well combined for another 5 minutes.  Remove and use spatula to scrape the sides down.
4. Apply thin layer of oil onto a baking tin.
5. Scoop the meat mixture into the tin and press tightly; add a little oil on the spatula to make the surface smoother as we continue to smooth the top of the meat mixture.
6. Place an aluminium paper over the top to cover.
7. Steam using medium heat for 40 minutes.
8. Remove from steamer and leave it to cool.
9. After cooling, remove the aluminium foil and put in the refrigerator for 3 hours before cutting.
10. Remove from pan, and the Spam is ready to be cut and fry.

I adapted this recipe from 'Karen Ling's Kitchen' with a slight adjustment to suit my cooking preference.

Spicy Sweet And Sour Eggplant

Ingredients: (serves 2)

2 eggplants 

Dashes of salt and 2 1/2 tbsp. cornflour (for marinating, 20 minutes)

3 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)

1/2 onion (peeled and roughly diced)

1/2" ginger (peeled and chopped)

2 bird's eye chilis (sliced)

Sauce:

1 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp. tomato ketchup

Salt and sugar (to taste)

Methods:

1. Wash and cut the eggplants into 1 1/2" pieces; marinate with salt and cornflour for 20 minutes.
2. In a heated pan with enough oil, deep-fry the marinated eggplant in batches until golden crisp; do not over crowd the pan.  Dish, drain and set aside.
3. Remove excess oil from the pan, leaving 2 tablespoon, saute garlic, ginger and chilis until fragrant.  Add onions and stir-fry until softens.  Add in the sauce ingredients, stir to combine.  Then add in the eggplants, mix until each pieces are coated with the sauce. Switch of the heat.
4. Dish onto a plate and serve with warm fluffy white rice.

This recipe is adapted from Youtube Dapur 2020.

Wool Roll Bread With Milky Coconut Filling

This unique bread captures my heart, the moment I saw it online.  True enough, I keep making them over and over; either with the same recipe or with other recipes.  It is real FUN, starting from preparing the dough, watching it rise, creating it into beautiful rolls and watching it comes out of the oven; beautifully baked and yummy to the taste buds.  Finally, I've decided that it is time for me to add into my Blog and share it with everyone who loves baking it and enjoys this healthy home-baked bread in the comfort of their sweet home.

Ingredients: (makes 1 round 8" pan)

(A)  Bread Dough

2 cups plain flour (sifted)

2 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. instant yeast

1 large egg

1/2 cup warm milk

2 tbsp. (28 g.) unsalted butter (room temperature)

(B)  Milky Coconut Filling

6 tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, very soft

2 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar (add another 1/2 tbsp. if you prefer sweeter)

3 tbsp. plain flour (sifted)

1/4 cup milk powder (sifted)

1/2 cup desiccated coconut 

Methods:

(A)  Bread Dough

• Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl.  Add egg and warm milk.  Using a dough hook with low speed, mix until it becomes a dough.
• Add butter and continue to mix using medium speed until fully incorporated.  It will be messy at first, continue to mix until the dough becomes smooth, elastic and not sticky.
• Remove dough onto a pastry mat.  Shape into a dough ball.  Drizzle a bit of corn oil into a large bowl, place the dough ball into it, roll and turn over to coat the dough with the corn oil; cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm area until the dough is doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

(B)  Milky Coconut Filling

• In a bowl, combine the softened butter, sugar, flour, milk powder and desiccated coconut.  Stir them well until a chunky paste is formed.  At first, this will be gritty and crumbly.  Continue to mix until the mixture is moist and can cling together when pressed with your fingers.

(C)  Assembly

• Grease pan with butter.  Line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Remove dough onto the pastry mat/work surface.  Punch down dough to release the air inside.  Divide dough into 8 pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball, cover with a kitchen towel, and set them aside for 15 minutes.  
• Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece into an elongated shape.  Press down the dough around the edges with your thumbs to keep it from stretching back.

• Cut out thin strips of dough along the top 2/5 part of the dough (lengthwise), and spread a layer of the milky coconut filling over the remaining part of the dough (see picture below).

• Fold 1/4" from 3 of the dough edges over the filling.  Then start rolling towards the dough strips from the opposite end to form a log.  Repeat with the other leftover dough to get a total of 8 logs.  Place dough logs into the prepared pan as per picture below. 

• Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm area for 1 hour.

• Gently brush the dough with milk.  Bake in a preheated oven of 170 degree Celsius for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

• Let the bread sit inside the pan over a wire rack until the pan is cool enough to remove the bread from the pan, remove the parchment paper, and let it cool completely over a wire rack.

This recipe is adapted from two sources: (1)  The bread dough recipe from 'spoonfulpassion.com' and (2) The milky coconut filling recipe from 'womanscribbles.net', both with slight adjustments to suit my baking preferences.