Fish Otak Otak (Spicy Fish Mousse)

HAPPY CHAP GOH MEH or Happy Chinese Valentine Day! Today is the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar Year and also the last day to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year

Hmmmm, Yum! Yum! I just love my grandma's homemade fish otak otak or some sort of spicy fish mousse. I have "inherited" the recipe from my mum and enjoy making it for the family. It taste great as compared to those commercial ones found in the frozen corners. The great difference between home cooked and commercial ones are the wonderful aroma of banana leaf and daun kaduk when it is cooked. It is a great appetizer.

Otak Otak is one of the Nyonya dishes served either wrapped in small package form with banana leaf or can be served in a tray with the banana leave underlining it. I am not good in wrapping, so I took the alternative choice of steaming in a tray.




Simple Ingredients :

1 big piece of fish cutlet - debone and cut into pieces
6 pieces red chilly
4 stalks lemon grass (serai)
10 shallots
2 thumbsize fresh tumeric
1 thumbsize belacan (shrimp paste)
3 eggs
1/2 cup coconut cream
10 pieces daun kaduk (wild pepper leaves)



Simple Process :

1. Line the steaming tray with a piece of banana leaf and on top of it lay the 10 pieces daun kaduk.

2. Spread the pieces of fish on top of the daun kaduk.

3. Next, blend the chilly, lemon grass, shallots, tumeric, shrimp paste with 1/2 cup water in a blender.

4. Use a big bowl to beat up the eggs, then add in the coconut cream and the blended chilly mixture. Mix well, add salt, a little sugar to taste.

5. Lastly pour the combined mixtures into the tray and cover it with a aluminium foil (to prevent dripping water when steaming). Just make sure the mixtures covers the fish.

6. Pre heat the steamer before steaming, steam the tray of otak otak for 25 minutes and it is ready to serve.

Yam Coin Ball Delight

I once had this Hakka dish called "yam abacus" many years back at a shop and I really enjoyed eating this "chewy ball". I was so delighted when I saw a stall in the night market selling the freshly made yam ball and as it is easily accessible, now I can have it home cooked and free of MSG.....Wow, that's wonderful!

This yam ball is made from mashed yam plus flour and shape into the form of "coin" and I guess that's where it got its name as yam abacus... :))
Simple Ingredients and Process

• Packet of yam coin ball
• 4 pcs of chinese mushroom - soaked in water and chopped into pieces
• handful of dried shrimps - soaked and chopped into pieces
• some minced meat
• 1 stalk of corriander - chopped
• 1 onion - chopped
• 3 pips garlic - chopped
  
• 1 Tbs dark soy sauce
• salt to taste

1. Heat the pan with a little oil and saute the chopped onion and garlic till aromatic
2. Add in the dried shrimps, stir fry for 2 mins, then add the minced meat and chinese mushrooms, sprinkle with some water to keep it moist
3. Put in the yam coin ball, dark soy sauce and lastly the chopped corriander
4. Stir to mix well and keep it well coated with the ingredients for another 3 mins
5. Salt to taste and serve hot

Fried Rice with Pineapple and Chicken Meatball

An easy to prepare hot meal for the family. Yes, this is Fried Rice with an extra "hot flavor".
Can you see the little green chilly....wow, these little green thing gives the fried rice a punch!

I have added on cubes of fresh pineapples or you may use canned ones (a little sweet as it has been soaked in syrup), chicken meatballs and some chopped french beans.

pineapples from the Can

I have used the following to flavor the fried rice for 4 person :

• 1 chopped onion
  
• 3 Tbs Oyster sauce
• 1 Tbs light soy sauce
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• dashes of chilly flakes
• 10 pcs of chilly padi (little green chilly) - optional

1. Heat the wok with some oil and saute the chopped onion and chilly padi till it is aromatic, add in the cut chicken meatball, french beans and give it a good stir
2. Add in the cooked rice, the sauces together and stir to mix well over medium heat
3. Stir well for next 10 minutes, then add in the pineapple cubes, dashes of chilly flakes
4. Ready to serve a yummy hot meal

Nasi Lemak Chicken Curry

A delicious one set meal that can be easily prepared and served at home. Eating at home means eating healthy as we can control the level of oil used to prepare those dishes and definitely NO MSG.. for sure.

Nasi Lemak is a typical Malaysian dish and Malaysians eat it all the time. It can be served as a set meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is rice cooked in coconut milk with screwpine leaves or pandan leaves - which produces a beautiful aroma.

I normally served Nasi Lemak with varieties of dishes like chicken curry, chilly prawns, rendang chicken, fried fish with sambal (pounded chilly with prawn paste and lime). The sidelines are fried peanuts, fried anchovis, fried egg, hard boiled egg or even pickled salad which consist of onion rings, cucumber and pineapple.

You may retrieve the chicken curry here posted March 3 2009 and way to cook Nasi Lemak or Coconut Milk Rice posted April 11 2009.

Have fun!

Thai Chicken Rice

Here is a simple and easy to cook dish for the family. It is Thai Chicken Rice, home cooked, clean and hygienic. The various spices used for this chicken rice produces a beautiful fragrance and it taste real good and healthy. Try it... The recipe below serves 4 - 5.

Spices used : 3 Tbs curry powder, 2 Tbs cummin powder, 1 Tbs cinnamon powder, 1 Tbs turmeric powder

Take 3 Tbs of the mixed spices and marinate 3 pieces of chopped chicken thigh together with 1 cup (140g) of natural yoghurt. Marinate for about 30 minutes or more. Keep the balance of the spices for used later.

• Leave the marinated chicken aside for 30 minutes or more
• Wash 2 cups of rice and set aside in the rice cooker
  
• Peel and slice thinly 6 shallots for frying
  
• Heat 2 Tbs of oil and saute the shallots and the balance mixed spices till aromatic
• Add in the marinated chicken and give it a good stir
• Add in the water - enough to cook the rice - and allow the chicken to simmer for 5 minutes, add salt to taste
  
• Arrange the chicken on top of the rice then pour the chicken stock into the rice pot
• Finally, let the chicken rice to be cooked in the rice cooker
• Serve with vinegar chilly... Enjoy a Good Meal!
  

Orange Sauce Chicken

A delicious chicken dish with real orange aroma and it whets the appetite. So next time if you have too many oranges in your refrigerator, try cooking this dish. I have added straw mushroom to enhance the look of this dish, it is optional. Simple to prepare and fast to cook.

All you need to do :

First marinate the 2 pieces chicken breast or 1/2 chicken with the following ingredients for 30mins:

• 3 Tbs orange juice
• 2 Tbs ginger juice
• 1 Tbs chinese cooking wine
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• dash of pepper and salt

Next, prepare 1/2 cup orange juice, add 2 tsp cornflour and set aside. Peel and cut 1 orange into cubes and set aside for use later.

Next, heat the wok with 2 Tbs oil, and saute the chopped garlic and add the chicken (drain out the marinated liquid and set aside), stir fry till slightly browned or medium cooked

Finally, add in the 1/2 cup orange juice mixture and the balance marinated liquid onto the chicken, lower the fire and allow it to simmer for 10 mins. Add in the straw mushrooms and the orange cubes.

Seasoned with salt and sugar to taste, ready to serve with hot steamed rice...

Spicy Sour Tasty Chicken

Easy and fast to cook....This chicken dish is yummy! I was browsing through some old recipe books recently and found this recipe card that read "Masala Chicken" and I find it appealing. Masala Chicken is an Indian cuisine. The most important factor for me is the dish must be easy to prepare and easy to obtain ingredients. This dish is spicy and has soft sour flavour and goes well with bread or rice, sounds appealing to you, try it then... :))

Simple Ingredients

Half chicken or 3 Chicken Thigh - chopped into small pieces

• 3 Tbs chilly powder
  
• 2 large red onion - cut it into 1/2 rings
• 2 cm young ginger - shredded
• 2 cloves garlic - cut into thin slices
• 4 dried chilly - cut into 3cm length
• 1 pc cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp cummin powder
• some curry leaves
• 1 Tbs rice vinegar
• salt and sugar - to taste

Simple Process :

1. Heat 2 Tbs oil in the pan and saute the onion rings, garlic, ginger, dried chilly, cinnamon stick and curry leaves till aromatic

2. Add in the chicken and sprinkle the chilly powder and cummin powder all over the chicken, stir mix well

3. Add 1/4 cup water, lower the heat and let the chicken simmer with the lid covered for the next 15 - 20mins or till meat is almost cook

4. Lastly, add in the rice vinegar, salt and sugar to taste, give it a good stir for 2 - 3 mins

5. It is ready to serve. You may eat with steamed rice or bread