One of the best meals I ate that my Filipino cooked recently was a chicken dish that he cooked. He used chicken legs and thighs to make this dish which had a really tender and juicy outcome compare if you would use chicken breast.
He started with cooking white button mushrooms with a chili oil that he made with cumin seeds, coriander seeds, sichuan peppercorns, black peppercorns, garlic, and ginger. He added 2 cinnamon sticks and salt to taste and the dish was done.
He also cooked a fire roasted cherry tomato dish with the same oil and it was the best tomatoes I've eaten in my life, not even joking.
It tasted sweet, and so packed full of flavor because of the chili oil and cooked it in a cast iron pan on super high heat flaring up the pan and fire roasting the tomatoes. Man it was soooo delicious!
Both the chicken and the tomatoes were absolutely phenomenal. A dish that I'll definitely be keeping in my list of recipes to cook. We are these 2 dishes with rice and it was just amazing! YUMS! ~
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Being in a R&D phase of creating a new menu from scratch at the cafe, I've been tasked with creating a beef cheeseburger. I used to run a few burger restaurant and a catering business so I guess that's why my head chef assigned me this burger task.
I made 3 different types of Burgers to test and taste:
1. Classic Cheeseburger
All the burgers are using an 80:20 ratio lean ground beef to fat ratio. I sear them over a flat top and topped with a slice of aged cheddar cheese.
The burger buns are Brioche burger buns with sesame seeds on top. It's laced with a spicy garlic aioli sauce and the patty is topped with some poached white onions.
2. Pastrami Cheeseburger
Similar to the classic one, I melted the cheese on half of the patty so that it gets a nice crispy half for difference of texture. For the sauce I used Dijon mustard and a spread of mushroom duxelle on both burger buns.
I then cook some beef pastrami and it's topped on the patty.
3. Sweet Relish & Cream Cheese Burger
This one turned out really unique but a little too unique for the menu at this point of time.
I used sweet chili Relish which is sweet and spicy and had the burger buns spread with cream cheese. For some reason the burger tasted like it had coconut from the combination of flavors which was weird and at the same time what a discovery.
Overall my favorite is still the classic cheeseburger. The head chef is also choosing that one with caramelised onions instead of the poached onions. Gonna be a good menu. Now it's all up to whether customers like them.
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Our cafe is in the midst of revamping the menu or more accurately, crafting a new menu from scratch. Me and the other kitchen crew members have been doing R&D and crafting out this entirely new menu for the past few weeks.
Here's one of the new items on our menu that we'll be serving called - Spaghetti Putanesca.
Spaghetti puttanesca is a traditional Italian pasta dish that is known for its rich and robust flavors. The name "puttanesca" is believed to have originated from the Italian word "puttana," which means "prostitute." The dish is said to have been created by Italian prostitutes who used readily available ingredients to make a quick and flavorful meal.
For the sauce, it's an oil base sort of sauce but does have tomatoes in it. Other ingredients in the sauce is garlic, anchovies, olives, capers, Sun-dried tomatoes, and olive oil.
We start by sautéing garlic and anchovies in olive oil until the anchovies dissolve. Then, tomatoes, olives, capers, and Sun-dried tomatoes are added to the pan and simmered to create a flavorful sauce. The pasta is cooked separately until al dente and then tossed with the sauce to finish.
For plating, it's topped with freshly grated parmegiano regiano chopped parsley or chives.
A tangy, slightly sweet, and umami packed pasta dish that I really enjoy making and eating.
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This place called 'Murni' that's a well known eatery in PJ SS2 recently opened a branch outlet at Palette Danau Kota. I haven't been to Murni in over a decade so I went to their new outlet the other day with some friends.
I ordered their signature 'Mee Raja' which translates to King's Noodles. It's stir fried noodles with some vegetables like cabbage and although it looks light and plain in color, the flavors are really nice.
I got mine with a side of chicken Maryland which comes with some crinkle cut fries, chili sauce and brown sauce for dipping.
Its a nice air-conditioned place that they have here and spacious too. Overall a nice and simple dining experience and the food is as good as I remembered. Unfortunately they don't have their special 'rotis' but lots of variety of western food.
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It's been awhile since I have had supper. I used to go for supper a lot during my teenage and early 20s but haven't since I've become a dad. So this was a nice time spent with one my friends who is still single. Went for supper on Saturday after music practice at church to a place nearby that serves local late night food.
I ordered 'Maggi goreng' which is a instant noodles dish that's stir fried with various vegetables like onions, garlic, carrots and eggs. You can also opt to add chicken or other curries but I didn't want to have too heavy a meal before bed so I got their regular one with just the noodles.
A friend of mine recommended this place which I haven't tried before this. Their noodles are cooked well and it was well seasoned and flavorful.
Was also a good time catching up and having supper together over some good local a Malaysian night meals.
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It's been awhile since me and my wife went out on a date just the two of us. Having two kids, all dates have included them in one way or another, so it was a rare and nice time spent together with my wife.
We went out for dinner at a nearby mall and tried out some food that we don't normally get to eat coz we're always thinking of the kids and what food they like to eat.
Anyway, we went to 2 different places. Our first stop was a middle eastern cuisine stall. We had lamb with hummus and a slice of cheese kunafa. The hummus was smooth, nutty, and delicious just like how hummus should be. The lamb however was under taste but was tender and was sliced nicely. It was a very presentable and yummy dish.
We then went to our 2nd stop for food which was a newly opened place that served hand pulled noodles. We ordered a cumin chili lamb noodle dish that's very popular in mainland China. We also ordered some beef dumpling which were really delicious paired with their homemade chili oil. The chili oil was definitely the highlight of the meal as it elavated the dumpling and the noodles to such an umami and flavor packed meal.
We're were stuffed and headed home after a lovely time chatting and hanging out with each other. What a nice ending to a busy day for the both of us.
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The other day we had lots of leftover of white button mushrooms and needed to use them before they spoil. My colleague cooked bangers and mash for our staff meal and it was delicious!
He bought some footlong chicken sausages and made a mash from those instant mash potatoes that the likes of fast food places use. It also came with a premix brown sauce but we added the button mushrooms into it that give it a more earthy flavor.
For the bangers, he simply grilled it on the flat top and it's done. He made some roasted broccoli with some salt, pepper, and oil.
For the plating, I did it myself by having the mash at the bottom then the bangers go on top with the broccoli scared around rusticly. I then spooned over the brown sauce with the slices of button mushrooms here and there making it look a little more artsy.
A super simple meal that requires very little prep time and comfort food for many especially on a cold and rainy day. My kind of hot food to have. Yums! ~~
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It was my Dad's birthday the other day and my Mum cooked us one of her specialties called - Popiah.
It's a wrap that has jacima as it's filling and are either raw or it's cooked. My Mum's version however is stewed and supposed to be cooked for at least an hour or more. Most places don't cook it that long which does makes a difference. My Mum's version is so good, I never order 'Popiah' from stalls outside.
This dish is after all a recipe that goes as far back as my great-grand-mother of which I'm not sure whether it goes even further back down the generational line but that's as far as I know, so you know it's gotta be really really good!
Here's how to make the dish:
Jacima is julianned and then cooked in a pot with slices of pork belly, french beans, fried firm tofu, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. The tofu goes in for the final 5-10 minutes of the hour so that it doesn't break up and turn into mush.
Separately, an egg and prawn omelet is fried and pork belly is boiled with some salt and cut into slices.
It's also served with black sauce that I don't know what the name of it is in English but it's a savory and sweet sauce. Do not replace it with hoisin, it changes the taste of what this dish is suppose to be. Haha
There's also toppings of chili 'sambal', fried shallots, coriander, and blanched bean sprouts, that you can opt to add into your Popiah wrap.
We don't have often and probably once a year or once in 2 years as it takes a lot of time and effort to prep and cook this meal so it was a real treat and what a delicious meal to celebrate my Dad's 71st birthday.
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The other day for our staff meal, my Filipino colleague cooked something so delicious I can't even think of what went into the dish. He made a chili oil or at least that's what we're calling it because it was so much better than any chili oil I've ever had in my life. It had so much flavor and umami that could've made anything it was cooked with super delicious.
He made 2 dishes using that oil. Chicken wings and eggplant. For the wings he simple sauteed them in the oil and it was so delicious. It was sweet, slightly spicy, and PACKED full of umami flavor.
It didn't really have any fragrance but when you bit into that chicken wing, it was so so good. Writing this now, I can remember how great it was but I can't remember how it tasted. I'm only left craving to have it again and we'll do it soon enough as we have ample amount of that chili oil and it's recipe now.
I'm looking forward to when I'll have dishes cooked with this chili oil again and can't rave enough about how delicious it was. Super awesome!
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McDonald's here in Malaysia is discontinuing the Quarter Pounder after decades of it being on the menu. They haven't announced when is the final day so I guess it's until they run out of it and they aren't gonna restock the ingredients that has to do with the item.
I normally don't go for the Quarter Pounder as I prefer the double cheeseburger. Reason is because the Quarter Pounder has raw onions in it and I don't like the taste of raw onions on the a burger. I think it's too overpowering and takes away from the flavors of every other component in a burger.
Anyways, had it for the last time and even if they decide to bring it back in the future, I likely won't have it. Haha. I guess it's a popular opinion too since they are discontinuing the burger.
I also ordered their McNuggets which is pretty much consistent apart of the price going up every single year and the nuggets shrinking ever so slightly as time passes by.
I do love their fried chicken which I had as an add-on together with my Quarter Pounder meal. Chicken has wonderful seasoning and crust and the inside juicy and tender.
Overall, decent fast food and thank God for money to buy them and enjoy the meal.
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It was my turn to cook the staff meal so I made a creamy pasta dish for everyone. It's often called 'carbonara' here in Malaysia but it's definitely not carbonara although everyone in Malaysia is more familiar to this as carbonara than actual carbonara sauce.
So anyway, here's how I made it. The sauce is made with a roux of butter, flour, and milk. I normally go with 1 liter of milk and 1:10 of that in butter and 1:10 of that in flour. Season in it salt, chicken stock, black pepper, and worchestershire sauce with some rosemary and dried oregano and that's the base of the sauce.
I start by sauteeing onions until they get fragrant and translucent, then I add in white button mushrooms that I've simply cut into slices. I then add in mince chicken, you can use beef or pork for this and it'll turn out brilliant as well.
I used Fettuccine as my pasta of choice for this dish as the sauce pairs well with it. A simple and delicious dish that anyone can make. The "Malaysian Carbonara" sauce that'll definitely make Italian and pasta purist raise an eyebrow and then some.
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The other day I wanted to cook something that I recently discovered that was quite simple yet full of flavor and absolutely delicious.
I made roast chicken thighs all in one pan including the vegetables. This makes not only prep easy but clean-up super easy as well with minimal cleaning to do.
For the marinade of the chicken, it's super easy. It only has 4 ingredients which is white pepper, garlic, mayonnaise. and salt. Mix them all together with the chicken thighs and let it marinade for 15 minutes or even up to a day if you have the time.
For the vegetables, I used whatever I had in the pantry and fridge which were cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Roughly chop up the vegetables whichever way you like and lay the on a sheet tray. Season with salt and pepper and lay the chicken on top of the vegetables.
Put it into a 180 degree Celsius oven for 30 minutes and baste the chickens with it's own drippings from time to time and you're done. for the final 5 minutes, crank the heat up to the highest setting your oven can go, around 250 degrees will do, for a brown and wonderful color to the roasted chicken.
You can use a whole chicken to do this as well.
Super delicious meal with minimal effort. The chicken was juicy and cooked through on the inside and crispy on the outside with a wonderful aroma and fragrance filling the kitchen.
The vegetables were done perfectly. The potatoes however took about another 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees to soften further. Very delicious meal which we had with rice as usual.
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It was my colleagues turn to cook and he cooked 'Beef Bulgogi'. I recently cooked it was well but my version has a gravy and is more saucy which is great over rice. His version is dryer and has a more fried flavor but equally delicious as well.
He first marinated the beef with soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, apples, pear, pineapples, garlic, onions, and sesame oil. He used a premix that contained all of this and left it to marinate overnight.
The beef is then cooked in a pot with water covering it and left to simmer for at least an hour. For another final 5 minutes, add in the bell peppers and then let the water evaporate further. If the dish still has a lot of water, just move it to another pot.
Add in oil into the pot and begin to fry the beef until it gets crispy on the outside.
This is such a delicious dish. The outside of the beef is caramelized and crispy and at the same time tender and so fragrant and yummy. We ate this with rice and it was such a delicious meal at work.
He also cooked a cabbage stir fry with salt an pepper. Simple and yummy as well.
Went out with my parents and brother's family for dinner after work the other day at a mamak restaurant nearby where we live. It's specialty is serving curry fish head but there's a stall there that serves 'satay' that is really delicious which we were going there for.
We ordered some chicken satay and beef satay. The skewers were evenly prepared with meat and fat and grilled over an open charcoal grill. The meat was smokey and aromatic and served with the usual fresh cucumber, onions, and a bowl of peanut sauce for dipping.
The sauce was well prepared and generous with the peanuts and paired really well with the charcoal grilled meat. I personally enjoyed the beef more than the chicken but both were equally well cooked.
My son loves fried chicken so I ordered him a Malay dish called 'Ayam Goreng Kunyit' which is fried chicken cubes with turmeric and some long beans, carrots, and onions. It's his first time trying this dish and he really liked it. The chicken was fried well and still tender on the inside. It was a well prepared 'Ayam Goreng kunyit' which a lot places that serve this often don't make it too well. This one was really good.
A good time together over a good meal.
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A few Sundays ago, me and my friends went to one of my favorite places for lunch again. It's a place called 'Lunch Bear' and serves Northern Malaysian Malay food. They prepare and serve a bunch of curries, Malay spicy stews, stir fried vegetables, spiced fried chicken, along with white rice.
This time I picked the spicy fried chicken and 'daging hitam' which translates to 'black beef' and it's cooked with loads of spices, chilies, and dark soy sauce. It has caramel notes to it but spicy and full of aromatic spices. It goes perfectly with white rice and was a really delicious dish.
The fried chicken is one of my go-to dishes here at 'Lunch Bear'. The chicken skin is crispy and the meat so juicy and tender. It's also very aromatic and fragrant from all the herbs and spices it's coated and marinated with. Such a superb piece of fried chicken that I admire the cooking techniques involved and enjoy the flavors of it.
I douced my white rice with my favorite curry which is fish curry. A super delicious lunch that really hits the comfort food spot.
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We had the carcass of the roast chicken my colleague made yesterday so I decided to think of a dish to utilise it instead of letting it go to waste.
I made a chicken Paella in a pan together with celery and red bell peppers that I simply sliced and cherry tomatoes that I halved.
I also had some chicken tenders which I pan fried then baisted them with butter and rosemary. Look at how beautifully they turned out.
After removing the chicken tenders, I added in the rice to the same pan that had the flavors of the chicken, butter and rosemary and proceeded to toast the rice. I then added water to the rice and the chicken carcass to start cooking the rice down. I also added in the celery and tomatoes then seasoned the dish with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
I added more water every 4-5 minutes for around 4 times of a total of 20 minutes cook time. For the final 5 minutes, I added in the bell peppers and some butter to finish off the dish.
Finally, serve up and garnish with freshly chopped parsley and the dish is done.
The dish was so aromatic and flavorful. Every grain of rice had so much flavor and every spoonful tasted to good. One thing I would do differently is to cook this in a non stick pan so that you get a superb crusty bottom which would've given the dish an extra crispy dimension of texture to the dish.
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It was colleagues turn to cook and he made a simple spaghetti dish paired with roasted organic chicken. He bought 1 and a half organic chicken that was on discount and roasted it with black pepper sauce.
The chicken is marinated in black pepper sauce and roasted in a 180 degree Celsius oven for about 20 minutes. The chicken breast is cooked for half the time but the chicken thighs at least 20 to 25 minutes.
For the spaghetti sauce, he cooked some marinara sauce with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
We served this up in a bowl and freshly grated some parmegiano regiano cheese on top of the pasta and enjoyed everything with the wonderful and aromatic roasted chicken.
The chicken was bursting with black pepper flavor and the chicken breast was tender and juicy. It paired wonderfully with the pasta and mild marinara mushroom sauce. The cheese was the perfect salty seasoning for the pasta and tied the whole dish together.
We had leftovers which I brought home and stir fried everything in a pan. It tasted even better fried up like that together as the flavors of everything got to mingle and blend in the hot pan. Super delicious and definitely a dish to cook again.
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I've been wanting to cook this Cantonese-style dish that pairs chicken with cashew nuts. I finally had some cashew nuts in the kitchen and decided to make this dish.
The dish is preferred to use boneless chicken thighs but the supermarket didn't have any so I used chicken tenders that I cut into cubes instead.
I seasoned the chicken with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and dark soy sauce. I stir in oil some fried dried chilies and onions that a roughly chopped.
Next, the chicken goes in and stir fried with the chilies for another 5 minutes and then the cashew nuts go in last for about another minute and the dish is done!
The chicken dish was nice but I think I can still improve on this dish. For my first time, I guess it was decent but definitely there's room for improvement.
I also cooked another dish which I really like which is ladies fingers with spices. I simply stir fried ladies fingers that I chopped up with mustard seeds and curry leaves. I seasoned everything with salt and the dish is done.
We had these 2 dishes with rice and it was a wonderful meal. There was leftovers which I packed back for my family and my brother's family. An inexpensive dish that can feed 10 people easily.
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My Filipino colleague cooked 2 dishes for put staff meal the other day. He made a delicious fried chicken dish and a vegetable dish with quail eggs.
For the chicken he simple marinated some chicken drummets with fish sauce, soy sauce, chopped up fresh coriander, and pandan leaves. It was a shortcut style and take on the Thai pandan fried chicken. It turned out really flavorful and had the familiar tastes of the Thai pandan fried chicken. Definitely a technique and recipe I'll be adding to my cooking.
He then shallow fried them in oil until they were golden brown and cooked through.
For the vegetables he simply stir fried cabbage that were shredded with red bell peppers, broccoli, and corn. He also added in some evaporated milk and cooked it with the vegetables that made it creamy and slightly sweet. It then was topped with quail eggs that he simply hard boiled and added them to the dish.
The dishes were lovely and we had them with rice. A fairly simple lunch but full of flavor.
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I had an off day and went to a nearby frozen food store to get some grocery for our staff lunches at the cafe. I bought some buffalo tongue and beef tendon to cook.
Buffalo tongue is similar to beef tongue but a little more gamey. Since I knew it was gonna be gamey, I cooked it with very strong herbs and spices to remove as much of that gamey sm3ell and taste.
I cooked the tongue and tendons with garlic, soy sauce, black peppercorns, star anise, cloves, and ginger. I boiled and stewed it for over 2 hours to make them really tender.
After it cooled down, I sliced them and then prepared a spicy sichuan peppercorn stock and noodles to pair with the beef. The stock was so spicy and really paired perfectly with the meat and tendon that was super tender and soft. The noodles were egg noodles that were really fine and had a springy texture. It soaked up the spicy broth perfectly.
I garnished the bowl of noodles with freshly sliced spring onions that gave it a nice pop in color and added a nice freshness to the dish. A superb dish that took lots of time to cook and prepare with a delicious end result.
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My brother bought me and family some wagyu beef patties that were going on sale. It was a buy 1 free 1 deal and was a good money for value especially since we rarely ever eat wagyu beef.
I pan fried the wagyu beef patty in a pan. It didn't need any oil as the wagyu patties had lots of fat and the fat rendered down producing lots of oil to fry the patties. It got a nice sear and gave an amazing aroma.
I cooked both sides for about 4 minutes on each side on medium heat. The patties were already seasoned so I didn't add any salt or seasoning to it.
After cooking the patties, there were lots of rendered wagyu fat and I used the fat to cooked some fried eggs to have with the patties.
It was a delicious meal and the eggs with the runny yolks paired with the wagyu patties wonderfully making it even more unctuous and luxurious.
We had the eggs and beef patties with some bread to soak up all the juices of the wagyu patty and the wonderful eggs. Such a delicious meal and treat from my brother.
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Went to one of my favorite places for curry 3 Sundays ago and man was it a satisfying meal. I haven't eaten there in awhile now being so occupied with work and family so it was such a treat to be able to go there after church.
This place called 'Lunch Bear' serves northern Malaysian cuisine that includes spiced fried chicken, varieties of curries and Malay dishes.
I ordered a plate of rice topped with their 'Ayam Rempah' (spiced fried chicken) and fish curry which I picked the fish head together with some ladies fingers and the curry. Both the chicken and fish were such generous portions and the flavors and taste was even more phenomenal.
I picked the chicken breast and wing and the chicken was perfectly cooked through. Crispy, fragrant, and aromatic on the outside, and juicy and tender on the inside.
The fish curry was so delicious paired with the rice. Always craving the food from this place and probably will never get bored of the food. Can't wait to go back there to have some delicious curry and rice.
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One of the Saturdays this month after work and music practice at church, I was hungry and went to a new kebab shop that opened nearby where I live. I've heard from my wife that she's tried it and she really likes their shawarmas so I thought I'd give it a try.
Its a place called 'Kebab Joy'. One thing I noticed before stepping into the shop is the bright signboard that's very inviting especially in the night.
I ordered their beef shawarma which had onions and I think mayo in it along with the sliced beef. The portion was fairly generous and the taste was alright. It wasn't like packed full of flavor but did taste decent.
They have some bundle package deals where you can get 2 or more portions for a cheaper price which the cashier lady explained it to me. She was friendly and gave very informative details on their special deals.
I'll try out their chicken the next time I visit this place and some of their rice dishes as well.
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The other day for lunch my Filipino colleague cooked a Filipino dish called 'Tortang Talong'. It's an omelet using eggs and cooked with brinjal that's roasted whole and the skin removed.
It starts with the brinjal that's roasted over fire until the skin blackens and blisters. It's then covered in a bowl with cling wrap so that the steam will help the process of removing it's skin.
In a bowl, some eggs are beaten and chilies, onions, and garlic that have been finely diced are added in together with some seasonings of salt and pepper. The brinjal is then dipped into the egg mixture then set on a flat top (or pan) to pan fry. Brown it on both sides and the brinjal omelet is done!
A simple dish but packed full of flavor and a prominent smokey aroma from the roasting of the brinjal. Super delicious and best eaten with rice.
We also bought some meat dishes from a nearby stall for our lunch and had it with the brinjal omelet and rice. Yums! ~~
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Often for breakfast we get to eat whatever we have that is extra from the cafe. Like not so pretty looking smoked salmon where it'll become scrap, we use them and repurpose them for our breakfast.
Sometimes I buy myself some food for my breakfast which I normally go for something on the cheaper side and that's budget friendly.
Here are some of the breakfasts I had the past week:
1. Fried Noodles (Mee Goreng)
This one is from a small roadside stall near the train station where I take the train to work. It's going for only RM2 (<50 cents USD) and it even comes with a sweet and spicy 'sambal' to go along with the noodles.
One of my comfort meals that I've been eating since I was in primary school and it's still one of my favorites. I don't eat this too often but whenever I do, it sure does satisfy.
2. Burgers
Budget burger patties made in a factory that are apparently chicken meat of which I'm not too sure. It does taste good though and this are one of the meals that we have for breakfast sometimes at the cafe to start the day.
3. Smoked Salmon Croissant
Every now and then we have leftover unsold croissants where we'll not be selling. We take these unsold croissants and repurpose them into our breakfast.
Here I used some scrap smoked salmon and sandwiched it in between the croissant with some tartar sauce for my breakfast. Super delicious and most of all saving food from going to waste.
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've been planning to cook beef bulgogi, a Korean beef stew dish that I absolutely love and there was a week that I had the time to make it for the staff meal.
I used beef tenderloin that I sliced thinly and marinated it in a marinade I made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and sesame oil. Originally there is blended puree of pear but I forgot to get some pear which is also fine as the end result turned out super delicious as well.
Some recipes replace the pear with apples or pineapples which you could use if you can't get your hands on pears.
After 18 hours or marinating, I dumped everything into a pot and bring it up to a boil then lower the fire for the beef to cook for at least an hour.
In the meantime, I prepped my vegetables which I'll be adding to the beef stew. I sliced up some onions and bell peppers that I added in for the final 10 minutes of cooking. At this point I turn off the fire and then add in the vegetables then covering the lid of the pot, let it cook with the residual heat.
This is so the vegetables don't over cook and it's the perfect texture where its not under cooked nor over cooked.
Sprinkle some sesame seeds and spring onions for garnish and enjoy it with rice. A super delicious meal with loads of leftovers. I even manage to takeaway for my sister in law @imjadeline where she brought her own containers to get some at my car after work 😄
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Another day another staff meal to cook. This time I made chicken and vegetable curry. I used chicken wings cause I had them in the freezer and needed to use them, and for my vegetables I used long beans, brinjal, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and carrots. You could use your favorite vegetables for this if you don't like any of the vegetables I used.
I also used some aromatics like ginger and garlic and Sautéed them with the premix curry paste that I bought.
For the chicken I marinated it a day earlier with some curry powder, salt, and black pepper. I start of the dish by stir frying the curry paste then added in the chicken to brown. Once they are browned, add in water and coconut milk and let it simmer.
After about 5 minutes, add in the vegetables and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes on low heat, season to taste and the curry is done.
Oh I also used some taufu 'pok' that I had leftover from the chicken dish I cooked the previous day. It paired perfectly with the curry and soaked up all the delicious broth nicely.
We ate the curry with simple steamed white rice and it was such a delicious meal with loads of leftovers to go around.
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For our staff meals I often take inspiration from food my Mum cooks as well as places I've been to and loved their food.
I made a chicken dish with tomatoes and taufu 'pok' which my Mum made when she was still staying with me. It's a very simple dish with just a handful of ingredients like - tomatoes, onions, garlic, soy sauce, taufu 'pok', and chicken.
For the marinade of the chicken I used soy sauce and oyster sauce but you could pick either one if that's all you have in your pantry.
Taufu 'pok' are like fluffy pillows that when you cook them with a sauce or curry, it absorbs the gravy like a sponge and makes it bursting with the gravy when you eat them.
Another dish I made for lunch was a brinjal dish that I recently had at a restaurant called 'Serai'. It's cut into discs and then battered with some corn flour and all purpose flour that I seasoned with onion powder and garlic powder.
Once everything is coated, it's deep-fried in a 170 degree for about 5 minutes and once it's our of fryer, sprinkle some salt and a little sugar and it's done. Super flavorful, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
A delicious lunch inspired by my Mum and a dish from a restaurant.
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Recently I've been really into noodles. I really love eating noodles nowadays which I didn't use to. Perhaps I've always loved noodles since its part of the Chinese culture and my heritage.
I've recently tried some ready made 'wantan' noodles which are egg noodles made for the 'wantan' noodle dish. I've been thinking that this noodles will be good in a other dishes and have been pondering on making different dishes with it.
So for one of the staff meals at the cafe, I made a ramen inspired dish with a mushroom brother that I added in king oyster mushrooms, chicken tenders, fishballs, and seafood tofu.
For the stock I used some chicken stock powder as well as a premix mushroom-base stock from 'Hai Di Lao' brand. Cook them for 10 minutes and they are done. Super flavorful broth cooked in 10 minutes.
I topped the bowl of ramen with garlic oil, a 63-degree egg and freshly sliced spring onions which are my favorite thing to add to a bowl of ramen.
A super delicious bowl of comforting ramen dish made with 'wantan' noodles. I will definitely be making more noodle dishes and blogging about them. Stay tune for yummy bowls of ramen!
#food #foodie
Recently there's a new shop that opened next to the cafe I work at called 'Bungkus Kaw Kaw'.
I've been wanting to try the food there as I've seen lines everyday since they opened but never get to as I myself am occupied serving people food at the cafe.
I managed to try their food the other day at another shopping mall where I met up with someone. We ordered a pack of 'mihun Siam' which is rice vermicelli noodles that's cooked with some Thai ingredients. It's just noodles and half a hard-boiled egg so nothing fancy but it's tasted really good.
Another item we got is their 'kuih tai tai' which is glutinous rice mixed with blue pea flower that gives it a blueish hue and topped with 'kaya' which is a sugar and eggs cooked until it becomes a spread, sort of like how you'd have jam made from fruits.
If you're on the go or want to eat something light, this is a good place to have your meal with some simple food and sweet 'kuih muih'.
#food #foodie
@HelyanweOnNoiseApp
