Pan fried tilapia fillet with balsamic reduction

From the previous dish that i did recently, steamed tilapia with sesame oil, well this is the other part of the fish that i fillet…hehe. So yeah, i’ve decided to not to do the same thing, instead i pan fried it. Pan fried tilapia with balsamic reduction. Sounds a bit posh ho..hehe..nothing much ba. What i did was simple. As i mentioned before this, the toughest part of this dish will be to fillet the fish rite?.. Now, how do i pan fried this..let’s see.

First of all, i coat the fillet with some flour. At first i wanted to do the same way that i did the fried calamari, but then again, i malas la..hehe..so i just did a single coating lo. But, it was good enough la. So after that, a little salt for seasoning and pan fried it, skin side down (i love to say this, sounds like a true chef ..heh )

Then, leave it as it is. At this point don’t touch the fish. Let it be, let the crust to be formed. Shake the pan a little to make sure it doesn’t stick (only after a 2-3mins). Slowly flip the fillet to the other side after you think its ready. It doesn’t take very long to cook actually, 5-6mins tops.

Kai-lan, also known as chinese broccoli, one of my favorite greens. And yes, its been a while since i makan this. I think the last time i makan this was like ages ago, and that time also my mum yang cook it..i think i really need to take the initiative to cook more of those vegie that i didn’t eat for ages, rather then wait and hope.

Anyway, there you go for now. I still got 2 more days of leave to cook. Still struggling to think what else i can cook. Wanted to do dessert, but ..but..hmm..Just wait and see la. If i didn’t post anything by 2mlo or day after, then that’s all from me la..for now..

It was really nice to cook again. Especially after so long never really hold a knife and spend longer than 30mins in kitchen sad man..but i must say, it was my pleasure to present to you all my cooking experience as well as taking those awesome kick-ass pictures. …

..

.

Wait..not over yet..still got 2 more days.. hehe

Steamed fillet Tilapia with asparagus

Fish..yes..this is my first time ever (swear to god) that i ever cooked a fish. And to even buy the fish myself really makes me feels like ..wa.big boy already.heheh.. Anyway, i choose this fish because of a few reasons. One of the reason is because i know how it taste like, i mean obviously all fish taste the same, but this one, just brings back some good old memories – Fishing. Yup, i used to go fishing with my dad when i was young. And this happen to be one of those famous fish to fish..hmm..so yeah.

Tilapia – One of the famous way to cook this would be deep fried it and serve with soy sauce. Well, as you already know by now that i’ve always try to change the cooking method, so i steamed it.

I guess the toughest part of this dish is to fillet the fish. At first i wanted to ask the fish monger to do it for me, but then again if i never try, i’ll never learn kan?.. And i also bet that the fish monger sure give me that look (apa la..fillet pun tak tau ka.masak apa?!!..LOL). Anyway i tried, and it turn out ok la. The only advise that i’ll give to you is – USE A VERY SHARP KNIFE..to debone the fish, that’s all i can say.

Right, the next step would be to steam the fish. Simple, i use a wok to do the work (hmm..rhymes also kan..lol) . But before that, to get rid of the fishy smell, what i did was just pound the ginger and to rub on the fish and let it marinade with its juice, for about 20-30mins.

It’ll only takes 4-6 mins to steam the fish, and to save time also, i steam the asparagus at the same time. Ha! Kill two birds with one stone. One thing about cooking fish is always and never over cook it. And especially its a fillet, i shouldn’t take long to cook lo.

Once its done, just drizzle some (not much) of sesame oil as well as the juice that was in the plate during the steaming session. Serve with finely chopped ginger and cherry tomatoes. This is simple, fresh and yet satisfying meal. Enjoy.

Deep fried calamari rings with stuffed japanese tofu and minced chicken

Yes..Chicken again ..but this time its not the main ingredients la…its the squid lo..or shall i say fried calamari rings with stuff japanese tofu with minced chicken meat. So the long kan the name..hehe.. Well, i remember eat this dish but was done in a different way (my mom’s way..) What she did was, she stuffed the squid itself with the minced meat (she use pork meat last time –  yes muah..porky pork..hehe) and then she sort of braised it for a short period of time for it to soften the squid and at the same time to cook the stuffed meat. With that cooking method, it releases the juice from the meat that really goes well with rice.

So, what i did was, about the same concept but i did it in different stages.

Stage 1: I cooked the minced chicken (yes, i didn’t use porky pork.. halal ma ho muah..hehe ).. Simple, just finely chopped some garlic and shallots, lightly saute them then add minced chicken meat. Seasoned with some oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee – My family’s all time fav oyster sauce brand..sejak turun kemurun ..LOL) .

Stage 2: Cut the cleaned squid (yes, my ah muah-ma cleaned it for me already) into about close to an inch thick. And here comes the fun part, deep frying it. Before that, i coated the squid with flour ( i used tepung gandum, why? cause its cheap ba..LOL) and just before i put into the oil to fry..i dip the coated squid into another batter that i mix with tepung gandum with cold water. Ha..u must be thinking, why cold batter?.. Now when cold batter hits the hot oil, you know what happens rite?..besides the oil percik to you, it’ll also make the squid crunchy even though after its cold. Cool huh..try it, but make sure you’re ready for the percik actions la..haha..

Last stage: Assemble the dish with the remaining ingredient – Japanese tofu. If you look at this dish, can you think of a typical chinese dish? That sounds like “Mapor-tofu”?. Its a dish itself that has only 2 main ingredients – Tofu (normal white squarish type) and minced meat (and yes, its usual cooks with porky pork) and to finish off with some chopped scallions. So, what i did was, for the japanese tofu but i didn’t cook with the minced tofu. Instead, i steamed it separately. Then cut it, and gently stuffed into the fried squid. And to serve this, instead of scallions, i use finely chopped cucumber. Something different in a way but same in still stick to main ingredients…. Squid with minced meat like mom’s way of cooking. Enjoy.

Salami – 3 ways

Salamis, i recently ate some from my ah muah, she made me her signature sandwich – Salami with cheddar cheese and some greens with some mayonnaise.. yummy. From there, i come out with above, Salami – 3 ways. Well, actually it can be more then 3 ways la, just that i like the 3 above la..hehehe..simple and yet stick to the point – pairing with salami with cheese and caramalized onions as well as roasted bell peppers.

Well, i won’t write much about this as its straight forward. Just buy the salami (in this case i bought both smoke beef and smoked chicken) and assemble it like above. Not much about the caramelized onions, as some of you might already know how to slowly cooked the onions till they’re caramelized (and i don’t mean by adding sugar to it).

You know what?, come to think of it, after all the “cooking”, i actually prefer the prep work to take pics. Though, cooking was my first passion la. I always find it challenging to get the right lighting, right angle and the right color combinations.

So without saying more, i leave you with the rest of the pics that i took. Enjoy.

Egg-net with stir fried chicken

Hi all food lovers, yes i’m back (for a week la..cz take leave ma..otherwise..hmm..duno la..when i can start cooking again..sigh..). Gosh, when was the last time i even log-in to this blog of mine..haha..well..yeah..started again la..hopefully will cook some nice and yet simple dish la. So yes, eggs again. A simple and yet satisfying ingredients that i can think of at the moment. Of course with some meat lo (i used chicken drumstick..tell u more later about drumstick..lol).

As you can see from the pic, there’s only 4 main ingredients. Eggs, chicken drumstick, cucumber and bell pepper. I called it egg-net is because it sort of wrap the entire side ingredients into one. Which is kinda hard to make at first, i tried a few times just to get it right.

Then, the drumstick. Well, i marinade with some finely chopped ginger, garlic, honey and soy sauce to taste. Oh yeah, i did promised to tell about the drumstick story rite?..haha..all i can say is that, i actually have a daily supply of drumstick in the fridge (mom bought and deboned it so that i can cook it anytime)..so yeah..don’t be surprised that my next menu here has got something to do with drumstick again..lol.

The last two ingredients are, cucumber and bell peppers. Here, i roasted the bell pepper then finely chopped them. Same goes with the cucumber (no i didn’t roast the cucumber la…just finely chopped only). Lastly, i top with black sesame seed to give that contrast to the dish. There you go, one of my first dish that i come out since..since..the last that i publish anything here la..enjoy.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

     Pesto, i’m into pesto for now.hehe..still got a bit left after this dish. 1 simple ingredient. Just pesto. For some that doesn’t know what its made of, well, here it goes. The basic pesto sauce normally consist of basil, pine nuts and olive oil. Yes, you can make this your own. Simply blend all that ingredients in a blender. For a change, you can substitute with other herbs such as rocket/arugula or even coriander. How you do it? Put the herbs and the pine nuts (to bring out the aroma of the pine nuts, simply toast it in an oven till it turn golden brown) in the blender and with the lit open, slowly pour in the olive to emulsify. Stop until you get a sauce consistency. Pesto goes well with meat. And for that,as you already know by now that i’ve been eating chicken for like..er..everyday?hehe..yeah..cause everytime my mom went to market, she normally buy like more than a dozen..hehe..so yeah.

 

I marinate the de-boned chicken thigh with pesto and some seasoning for overnight and boy that chicken taste delicious i tell you. And i also noticed one thing, that the chicken cooks faster too. Do you know why? Hmm..well its because after overnight marinating with the pesto, the marinate slowly penetrate into the chicken fibers therefore opening up the fibers more allowing heat to cook thoroughly. Take for example, satay (malay style of chicken skewers). Obviously they marinate the chicken overnight right? otherwise it won’t taste fantastic isn’t it? And how long does it takes to cook that satay? not long right? You see my theory? hehe..:) Anyway its just my theory and i think it make sense. hah!

So, to cook this, i simply pan fry it. You can use a grill-pan to get the grill marked on it, but i malas. hehe..so i didn’t.. But anyway, its good enough and since i’m hungry at that time, so yeah. Quick and simple. For the choice of pasta, i chose spaghetti. Why? cause almost habis already..hehe so yeah finish it lo..hehe.. There you go, simple and yet, delicious.

Chicken & Potatoes – 3 ways

Chicken and potatoes, the most common pairing when it comes to any types of cuisine. As for this one, hah! you must be thinking, aiyo, so banyak kerja, 3 different types of chicken and potatoes somemore. I did all these in less than 2 hours or so only hehe. The reason why i did this quick cause of 2 reason. 1 is that i want to catch the natural lighting to capture the best picture and 2nd is that i want to get this idea out of my head ASAP. Got this idea from one of my favorite chef, Guy Rubino, the italian chef with his well known fine dining restaurant in canada called Rain. If you google him or visit his website, you’ll find most of his presentation also like this one. All kecil portion that you makan a 100 times also tak kenyang one..hehe..that’s what i called Fine dining la..hehe..cause its fine ma..hehe..rite?

Right, the first one. Poached chicken strips with a herbal broth. The herbal broth, yes, thanks to my mom. She loves making soups. But sometimes, cant finish on time to cook for another one..hehe. So yeah, i poached the chicken strips that i marinated only for about 30mins with oyster sauce. Remember i said i want to make it quick?hehe so yeah. The chicken will absorb all the herbs from the broth. After about 15mins, depending on the thickness of the strips. Then let it rest, coat it with toasted almond flakes and serve with pesto sauce. 

Second, well. Its the same, just that i didn’t coat it with almond flakes but i drizzle with balsamic reduction. Yes, just basic balsamic vinegar that is reduced into half by heating under a middle high heat. Until it become a syrupy kind of consistency. And this, i serve with deep fried “shoe-string” like potatoes.

Last, caramelize chicken. Yup, i did this before, cooking the chicken strips with sugar under high heat. Till the sugar turns caramel and its high heat cook through the chicken. For this, i pair with pesto mashed potato and serve with mango sauce that i reduce it. Same way i did with the balsamic vinegar. I must say, i kinda like the presentation. hehe Enjoy looking

Rolled Seared Beef with Enoki Mushroom

Moooo….yes..its lembu time..hehe..super cow that is.  For this recipe, i use the strips of loin which is suitable for grilling and searing to wrap with enoki mushroom. No i didn’t create this recipe and yes i copy punya ba.hehe..cause i find it very interesting when i saw the pic from the website with that thingy (enoki mushroom) sticking out..hehe..Anyway, i love beef very muchie, though some chinese religion doesn’t eat beef…hmm..i wonder why..wasted kan..hehe..

To prepare, very simple (No, seriously..very simple..no joke )..For the enoki, you just have to cut the ends and rinse it. Then i sauté the enoki with some finely chopped garlic with butter and of course peanut oil to stop the butter from burning kan..hehe . Season with some oyster sauce, just a little, not too much and a touch of Mirin (yes, japanese rice wine but with a lower alcohol content) .For about 3mins or until its tender. Remove the enoki from the pan and let it cool before wrapping with the beef strips. 

As for the beef strips, i pound it with a pestle to make a thinner slice. Then, take a few enoki mushrooms and roll it. Now, the best part, remember earlier that i cook the enoki? With the same pan, i seared the beef together with the sauce from the enoki. The beef is seared and cook with the sauce. Seasoning here is definitely not required at all. The natural beef flavor and the combination of the sauce from the enoki is absolutely delicious i tell you. Can be eaten as an appetizer or meal itself. Simply delicious. Enjoy

    

Almond Crusted Roast Chicken with orange sauce reduction

Right..I know..i’ve been missing in action for a while..hehe..sorry ba..busy kan..hm..konon la..anyway..here’s another creation of mine. Nothing much, nothing that i’ve not done before. Some left over de-boned chicken thigh that i marinated almost 1 day back ..hehe ..didnt cook at that time cz came back late ba..hehe. Saw this recipe that is totally different from this, but was blown away by the color of the sauce, which is the orange sauce. You know me la, when i like the color and presentation, i sure wanna try to create the same ba..which i did. The recipe uses scallop actually..hmm.next time la..i belum cuba before ba..itu scallop.mahal kan?hmm.Orange sauce..how? Well, i reduce it. I heat the juice on a medium high heat( with some sugar to help the caramalization) until the liquid thickens and reduces into half.

As for the chicken, well, its easy since it already de-boned sudah kan, so i roast it for about 20mins on 200ºC. The marinade? For this dish, its just 3. Oyster sauce, sesame oil and crushed black pepper. I didn’t use garlic or ginger like i normally do. Why? cz i malas ba..hehe..no la..kidding..i want to keep it simple since i’m using toasted almond flakes also kan and also with the orange sauce..hmm..

The taste. Hmm..toasted almond with chicken..you get the crunchiness and the aroma from the almonds goes really well with the chicken. Now you know why some salads (i.e chicken salad) uses crushed almonds ba kan?..Good combination of two different texture and flavor. You can also substitute with other types of nuts like pistachios, walnut or even peanuts. And as for the orange sauce..well, what can i say, sweet acidic cuts the richness of the chicken. Enjoy!

Trio Marble Egg

Eggs, one of the cheapest ingredients and my favorite too. This time, i decided to use chicken eggs only, but comes in different form. No not the different shape..hehe..different taste and texture (ha? i thought all chicken eggs taste the same..got different one meh? indian chicken egg taste like cumin is it?heheh..kidding) .Lol, i’m talking about salted and century chicken eggs my friend. Century egg also known as preserved egg, hundred-year egg, thousand-year egg, and thousand-year-old egg, is a Chinese cuisine ingredient made by preserving duck, chicken or quail eggs in mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice straw for several weeks to several months, depending on the method of processing.

After the process is completed, the yolk becomes a dark green, cream-like substance with a strong odor of sulphur and ammonia, while the white becomes a dark brown, transparent jelly with little flavour or taste. The transforming agent in century egg is its alkaline material, which gradually raises the pH of egg from around 9 to 12 or more. Banyak kerja kan?lucky i don’t have to go through all that, just beli saja..heh :p. This goes the same with the salted egg also la, just that different mixture to preserved the egg lo. wink wink

Well, to start, i boiled all the eggs except the century egg which is already cooked through the preservation kan? The salted egg takes longer time to cook, i don’t know why. Trust me, if you were to try boiling/steaming it the same time as a normal chicken egg, chances are, you’ll get a runny yolk. You try la..heh :p. Anyway, very simple (like i always say.. ) once your done with the eggs, cut them in cubes and put them in an aluminium tray (dalam bentuk rectangular..heh).

I used egg white as the binding agent to hold them together. Fill it up all the way, this would take about 4 egg whites. And top with the remaining egg yolks. Steam for about 15-20mins then let it rest before removing it from the mould. Eat this with porridge or rice or just eat it on its own.