Shixcooks : Chicken Biryani

By request, I made biryani for Mr R a few weeks back. 

Other than the saffron basmati first-timer biryani rice (HAHAHAHHAHA), I made a raw pineapple salad (paceri nanas), chicken in a spiced coconut sauce (rendang ayam) and prawn masala. If you're counting, there's an extra dish coz it was leftovers from the day before - nyonya chicken. Room for improvement but not bad I thought! 

Shix cooks: Turmeric Thai-style chicken

I'm trying to come up with something easy and interesting to fill up my leftover pitas so here it is:

Turmeric thai-styled chicken

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 min

500g chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 piece Tamarind slice 

4 pieces calamansi/lime leaves

Juice from 4 calamansi 

Finely ground paste:

2 cm ginger

10 cloves shallots

4 cloves garlic 

2 stalks lemongrass

8 birds eye chilli (add more or less depending on how much heat you want)

Oil to fry

Salt

Sugar

Optional: a handful of cherry tomatoes

In a wok, heat up about 2 tbsp of oil and fry the paste. About 3 mins in, add in the tamarind and leaves. Fry till fragrant. Then, add in chicken chunks and continue stirring till it looks cooked. Add in the tomatoes, juice then salt and sugar to taste.  Once you're happy with the product, turn off the heat and you're ready to eat! Serve with rice or pita/tortilla /flat bread

I need to tell you that I got some of the herbs and spices from a community garden! 

Check out my haul:

See you soon!

New recipes

Some recipes I've tried out over the week that could be prepared ahead of time and only took a few minutes to cook. Cleanup was also a breeze. 

1. Pan-fried Lemon chicken

2. Nyonya chicken

3. Orange chicken

Shix Cooks: Easy Peasy Chicken Porridge

Today, Mr R wasn't feeling too well so I decided to make the hearty and comforting Chicken Porridge. What's so awesome about it? I only took 30 mins MAX.

Ingredients:
2 cups rice rinsed
10 cups water
2 cubes chicken stock
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1 cm ginger thinly sliced
4 chicken wings
dash of thyme and nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
Use your imagination! Some ideas:
- fried shallot
- sliced spring onion
- sambal belacan
- fried anchovies

Steps:

- Pulverize the onion, garlic and shallots
- Place ALL the items into a pot, cover and cook at medium flame
- Once it boils (abt 20 min), reduce the flame and open the cover slightly to allow steam to escape and water to reduce (abt 10 min)
- While everything is cooking, prepare your garnishes. I used sliced chicken katsu and sambal mangga.
- Then, serve and MAKAN!

Shix Cooks: Lemongrassy Chicken Curry

Today's dish for tomorrow's tapau is a light chicken curry but it's just as tasty 

Ingredients:

 

Set A

1 onion

3 stalks of lemongrass (just the white part)

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 inch garlic

5 red chilli (add more if you want to)

1 tbsp meat curry powder

Set B

1/2 of a whole chicken

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 cup water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tomato quartered

Method:

1. Blend all the items in set A. Stir fry with some oil till it caramelizes. This will take a while. 

2. Marinate chicken with salt and pepper and leave aside in the meantime. 

3. Add in chicken. Mix and cover for 15min. 

4. Add in the other items from set B and cover. Leave to simmer for about 30mins. 

5. Uncover and let the sauce thicken and it's ready to eat!

Suggestion: serve with rice and a side of vegetables. 

Shix cooks: ayam kicap (chicken in spiced soy stew)

I need to learn to take better photos lol

Today, I made ayam kicap berempah

Ingredients:

Set A:

1kg chicken

1tsp turmeric powder 

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp salt

1tbsp cornflour

Set B:

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

2cm ginger

4 dried chillies soaked

1cm turmeric 

1tsp coriander seeds

Set C: 

3cm cinnamon seed

2 Star anise

4 cloves

Others:

4 tbsp sweet soy sauce

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1 cup water

2 potatoes, peeled and sliced to abt 1cm thickness

1 Carrot sliced

6 button Mushrooms quartered

1 tomato, wedged. 

1 tsp each Salt and sugar

Method:

Mix all the items in set A. Deep fry till cooked and set aside

Blend items in Set B. Heat a wok with about 3 tbsp oil and fry paste together with items in Set C till fragrant.

Add in both sauces and mix for about 2 minutes before adding water. Let the mixture come to a boil.

Add in potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. Cover and let simmer  for 15 mins. 

Add in chicken and simmer (do not cover) for another 10 mins. Add in salt and sugar to taste before adding tomatoes. 

Turn off flame and it's ready to eat!

Shix Cooks: Butter Chicken

A simple butter chicken recipe adapted from  http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/45957/chicken-makhani-indian-butter-chicken

Ingredients

Set A

3 tablespoons butter

• 1 tbsp blended shallots
•  1 tbsp blended onion

2cm ginger

• 1/2 tablespoon blended garlic
  Set B
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (I used tandoori powder)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
  Set C
• 2 cups milk

• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch black pepper

2 tbsp sugar 

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 500g chicken drumlets
  Set D
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (tandoori powder again)
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
  In a wok, place all items in set A. Fry till fragrant. Then add items in set B and fry for another 5min. Lastly, add in items in Set C and leave it to simmer with a low flame. 
  In another pan, pan fry the drumlets in the oil for another 10 mins. Mix all items in set D together before pouring it into the chicken. Then, add about a cupful of the gravy from the wok and leave the chicken to cook. Do cover. 
  Once chicken is cooked, add it to the gravy and stir before turning off the flame. 
  Optional: throwing in cherry tomatoes and Ming sprigs before turning off the flame. 
  
  It's REALLY good.