Of Claypot and Mushrooms

I have always been fascinated by the burning charcoal stoves and the skills of the person manning them at claypot rice restaurants that continue making them the old fashion way.  Love the sight of  the glowing embers and the occasional outburst of sparks that sets them flying into the air.   The skills of those manning these stoves is just amazing.  They easily watch over 10-20 of these stoves.  Like a hawk, they keep a close eye on the rice making sure they are cooked just right while controlling the flames by fanning and adding/removing embers.

It is these stoves and the use of claypots that gives the rice a nice smokey flavor and a slightly charred crusty layer of rice at the bottom of the pot.   

Fascinations aside, I can't imagine myself sweating over a charcoal stove :)  I have always cooked a modernised version of claypot rice using the rice cooker although I do own a claypot.  I have no idea what struck me the other day and there was this nudge to try doing it with the claypot  (over a gas stove i mean, that's the furthest I can go).   It was like, come on, give it a try, why not?  Worst case scenario would be burning the entire pot of rice.  If the man at the restaurant can watch over so many pots, i should be able to cope with just one and that's over a stove that can be controlled by just a flick of  the knob.  Phew, glad my pot of rice made it and the cooking process was enjoyable.  It was happiness when I reached the little milestones along the way.  The finale had to be the moment I caught a whiff of the nice, smoky aroma, yeay :))

I had so much fun with my maiden attempt that I made another two variations after trying out the classic chicken one!  Since it is the Mushroom Galore month on Little Thumbs Up and today is the last day for me to catch this train, it will be this mushroom and beef variation for tonight :)

I spotted the recipe on Terri's of Hunger Hunger. She concocted the recipe based on what she saw on a  tv program on food of Southern China.   I thought it was interesting that mushroom was the star ingredient when most of time it played a side role in claypot dishes.  One can even make it vegan if preferred.

And the rice at the bottom...

And after everything is mixed up, not so pretty anymore (and too impatient to eat than to make it look prettier for pictures) but it was satisfactorily delicious especially if you are a mushroom lover.

Recipe

Source : Hunger Hunger

Ingredients

• A handful of 3 kinds of mushrooms (I used Bunashimeji, Bunapi and Eryngii)
• 300g beef
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cups water with 1/2 cube chicken stock added into it
• Sesame oil
• Spring onions

Marinade

• 1 tbsp Shao Xing wine
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fine sugar
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp water
• A few twist of freshly grounded black pepper

Steps

1. Trim and give mushrooms a quick wash.  Tear bigger mushrooms into strips.  
2. Cut meat into strips and season with marinade. Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Put 1 1/2 tbsp oil into heated wok.  Put in beef and stir fry until half cooked. Remove and set aside.
4. Heat the remaining oil in wok.  Add in garlic, stir fry for 2 seconds then add a pinch of salt.  Add in mushroom and stir fry until mushrooms are just about to wilt.  Add in beef and toss for a few seconds.  Remove and set aside.  Don't overcook it as it will cook again in the claypot.
5. Put washed rice into claypot.  Add in water.  Let water come to a boil then set flame to low to allow it to simmer until rice is 90% cook.  Water would have been absorbed by rice.
6. Quickly add in the mushroom and beef on top of rice in one layer.  Cover and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Leave rice to sit in pot with lid covered for another 5 minutes.
8. Fluff rice with wooden paddle to mix everything up.  Serve hot, garnished with spring onions and a drizzle of sesame oil.

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up event, hosted by Joyce, kitchen flavours, organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen for my little favourite D.I.Y.

Read More

From the Land Below the Wind

I love this other name that the state of Sabah has.  Land Below the Wind, a  name given by seafarers in the past simply because it's located south of the typhoon belt, thus setting it free from climate disturbance. Sabah is well known for its beautiful beaches and it is also home to the tallest peak in South East Asia.  

It's the month of Land Below the Wind on the Malaysian Food Fest blogging event.  Do hop over to A Pepper's Love for a better introduction on Sabah.

I first caught sight of this Burnt Bottom Rice Vermicelli, an All in One Meal at  Wendy's blog, Table for 2 or More.  To me this is one of the easier among many Sabah specialities that she has shared :)  I was also intrigued by the name.   After reading the post, I came to a conclusion that it sounded fairly similar to the Cantonese Style Fried Rice Vermicelli which we on the west side is more familiar with.  The difference is for this one the egg is fried like an omelette while for the other egg is added into the gravy.  I also did a quick search to find more reference on it, and found some on this blog called Foodiot KK by a Sabahan.  He mentioned that the gravy can be cooked either with meat or seafood.       From the clicks, it's obvious i went for the latter.   Oh, and I couldn't resist throwing in some greens to make it a balanced meal.  Now I am not sure if this is still the authentic Sabah Style Burnt Bottom Rice Vermicelli :)

I tried this on a day when I needed a quickie.  It was done pretty fast, around 30 minutes.  In a rush, 

the photos were taken with my Iphone.  

Verdict? We quite like it.  It's actually heavier than Cantonese style as there quite a bit of egg in it.  I find the portion quite big for one but my 14 year old son polished it clean.

Recipe
Reference : Table for 2 or More

Ingredients

• 50g rice vermicelli 
• 2 eggs
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• A handful of mixed seafood (shrimps, baby octopus, clams, mussels etc), season with some salt and pepper
• Some green mustards

Gravy

• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp corn starch
• Salt, soy sauce and pepper to taste

Steps

1. Soak rice vermicelli in water until soften.  Drain and drip dry.
2. Mix all ingredients for gravy.  
3. Heat up a wok and add in 2 tbsp of oil.  Meanwhile, beat the eggs.
4. Pour eggs into wok.
5. Spread rice vermicelli over egg.
6. Once the base is brown golden, flip it.
7. Allow rice vermicelli to have some crisp and golden patches (i.e. to lift up to its name :)).  Dish up.
8. Add some oil into wok.  Fry shallot and garlic until fragrant.
9. Add in seafood and fry briefly.
10. Add in gravy and seasonings.  Let it come to a boil and is slightly thicken.
11. Throw in mustard greens.
12. Pour onto rice vermicelli and enjoy!

I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest Sabah Month hosted by Mary Of a Pepper's Love

Read More

Slowly but Surely

Again, I have been playing the disappearing act for quite some time, can't help it magic seems to be one hot topic being talked about on home ground now.   For those who have been following stories on the 13th Malaysian General Election, you would know what i meant :)  Jokes aside,  my apologies for the absence.  Although personally I am disappointed with the results but judging from the voice of the people who are standing in unity for a better nation in a way I would never have imagined, I believe  there is hope still, we will get there, slowly but surely just like this post of mine :)

This story has been in the baking for quite sometime now...

I stumbled upon this recipe when I was looking for something simple to bake one evening.   Something that would be fast and easy and preferably a small recipe so that I don't need to do any downsizing.   Then i recalled Aspiring Bakers had a Cupcakes theme some time back.  These 2 words, One Bowl and Ultimate spoke to me while i was scrolling through all the lovely cupcakes.   The roundup for these events as really helpful when in need of inspirations, it's like a treasure chest out there waiting to be discovered. 

Thanks to Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink (now known as Un Pastiche) who shared this recipe for the event.  Janine rated this as one of the top three out of the many chocolate cupcake recipes that she has tried.  Do check out Janine's blog for a detail review of the recipe.  From there I also got to know that this recipe by Angela Nilsen was published on BBC Good Food way back in 2007.  It has a 5 star rating and to date there has been over 800 reviews for it.  Now, since the recipe is quite old, I am not sure if many have tried it out.  But for me, the raving reviews and simple steps, was convincing enough to make me give it a try.

It was close to dinner time when they were ready.  I told myself i will just have a tiny weeny bite to taste it.  But holy, i couldn't stop at one! Then came another and the other, I ended up almost finishing the entire thing!  Need I say more???

I didn't have any chocolate bakings bars at home at that time so I used Lindt Creation La Turf chocolate bar instead.  Close to half of a bar went into these cupcakes.    Apart from the excellent recipe, I really believe the chocolate made a difference.  Simply divine, it was so so moist, soft, fragrant, chocolaty creamy!

It really does lift up to its name, ultimate indeed!  Thanks Janine! 

Up close, topped with some chocolate shavings...

Recipe
Source : Spotted on Un Pastiche who  very loosely adapted from BBC Good Food's Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 50g dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa solids)
• 50g unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/4 tsp instant coffee granules, dissolved in 25ml water
• 45g all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 35g soft brown sugar
• 40g fine granulated sugar (reduced to 30g)
• 7g cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 20ml buttermilk (substituted with 18ml milk, 5ml lemon juice)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 160C (I used 170C).
2. Place coffee granules in a large metal bowl over pot of simmering water.  Add in cold water to dissolve coffee granules.  Add in chocolate pieces and butter.   Add in cocoa powder.  Stir gently until everything is melted and well combined.   Allow mixture to cool.
3. Meanwhile combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.
4. Stir in buttermilk  into melted chocolate mixture and mix well.  When mixture is still slightly warm, crack in egg and mix well (Make sure it's not hot otherwise egg will cook).
5. Once egg is fully incorporated, add in dry ingredients and mix well.
6. Spoon batter into prepared liners and baked for 20 minutes.

Read More

To Paste or not to Paste?

We are spoilt when it comes to instants pastes on this side of the world.  There are instant pastes for every other local dish that one can think of, even for some that you never know exist.  Like how we laughed over one very interesting one that Mum got as a CNY gift, Concubine Chicken what?? (Psst, still no idea what Concubine Chicken taste like)

So, to paste or not to paste?  It's really hard to decide, since the temptations are really strong.  It's hard to resist convenience at a price ranging from RM4-RM7 especially if time is not on your side.   I know, I know there's the ugly side to consider too.

Ok, confession time.  I do buy them occasionally.   Can't help it , they called out to me when I passed the aisle :))  Usually those for spicy dishes which involves pounding and grinding chillies (especially dried ones).  One hard task, boy those things are pungent, making one tear and cough plus leaving you with burning sensations on your finger tips for the rest of the day!

So, this is one half cheat curry, well you might say a cheat is still a cheat :)

There's instant curry paste but only like 5 tablespoons of it, i never give complete trust to any one of them out there.  So, paste gets half the credit only.   Some extras which basically are ingredients  for a curry paste from scratch goes in there too.  Yes, I still put myself through the painful steps but it's quickly done with when the amount is a lot lesser.  

This half cheat version tasted good though.  Not an endorsement of the particular paste, just one that meets the family's liking.  I was grinning ear to ear when MIL said it was better than hers!    

Curry goes well with rice, noodles, bread or on its own.   I had wanted to eat it with some string hoppers (it was Friday and I wanted to have a variation that meets my Noodle Friday theme :)) but unfortunately it rained real heavy that evening and the Indian man who comes by on a motorbike to sell them didn't turn up that day :(   Otherwise, it would have been nice eating with hands, soaking up curry with the string hoppers, drool!  Ended up rice with curry and vege for everyone. 

Thought I would borrow this photo to show those who are not familiar with string hoppers.   They taste really good with curries, like the one below :)

Photo courtesy of Bharat Moms

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1kg pork ribs
• 5 tbsp instant curry paste (I used A1 Meat Curry Sauce)
• 4 medium size potatoes (quartered)
• 3 tbsp kerisik (toasted and ground grated coconut)
• 200 ml coconut milk

Addition to paste

• 4 dried chillies
• 3 shallots
• 1 thumbsize piece of ginger
• 1 stalk lemongrass 
• 1 small piece of belachan (around 2 cm square, toasted)
• 2 candle nuts

Spices

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 3 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods (use seeds only)
• 1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
• Handful curry leaves
• 2 kaffir lime leaves

Seasoning

• Light soy sauce
• Salt
• Sugar

Steps

1. Marinate pork ribs with 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar.
2. Combine and grind ingredients for additional paste.  A little water can be added to ease grinding.  After grinding, mix with instant paste.
3. Shallow fry potatoes and set aside.
4. Fry paste until fragrant and oil rises.  Add in spices (except kaffir lime leaves) and continue frying until fragrant.
5. Add in pork ribs and mix well.  Make sure ribs are well coated with paste.
6. Fry until pork ribs no longer reddish in color then add in thin coconut milk (Add water to 150ml coconut milk to around 600ml).  Throw in kaffir lime leaves.
7. Add in potatoes half way through (so that potatoes will not be overcooked).
8. Continue to simmer until ribs are tender and gravy has reduced.
9. Add in kerisik if using followed by thick coconut milk.
10. Season with salt according to preference.
11. Turned off flame once it starts to boil.

Read More

#Pray for Boston

My heart is so heavy today, the news about the bombing in Boston is just devastating.  It is awful waking up to news like this...

Why in the world inflict such pain on innocent ones??  No one should die in such a senseless manner.  3 are now dead not to mention scores who are seriously injured.  Among the dead is a 8 year old boy, I can't imagine the pains his family is going through, especially his parents.   

Boston, please know that the people around the world are with you in these difficult times.  We are grieving with you.

Please pray for Boston.  Let's all keep them in our prayers.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Father in Heaven, 

I pray for the people in Boston
I pray that you be with them as they suffer and grieve
I pray that you soothe and calm their troubled hearts 
I pray that you bring healing and hope to them
I pray that you give them courage and strength to go through this difficult times..    
Through Jesus Christ our Saviour I pray

Amen!

Read More

And we know where the beef is...

May 5 is the day, the day when Malaysians will go to the polls.   I am sure many of us are already feeling the excitement, I definitely am!  As they say it's going to be mother of all elections, like it or not the winds of change is blowing really strong this time!  I believe in this age, many of us will be making wise choices, we know where the beef is, there is no need to tempt or blind us with some sweets although we will accept them politely.  Oh, and i don't think we need reminders or advertisements on how promises have been fulfilled.

  

Now, let's talk about a real beef dish :)

Like a kid discovering new toys at a toy store, that's how i felt when I saw Wagyu beef being sold at Mid-Valley, Jusco supermarket.  Now, I don't normally shop for groceries there, I am not sure when they started carrying it (so this might be stale info for some of you) but I am pretty sure they don't sell it at the branch that I frequent, hence the excitement.  They come in small packs of 300-500g (if i am not wrong) and at a reasonably affordable price (read can buy some to play with).  When i got home and the excitement kinda settled down, i recalled reading one of my blogger friends mentioning about Wagyu available in Mid-Valley, Junco.  After some googling, it lead me to Yen of Eat Your Heart Out, who did a fabulous looking steak with it.

There's not that much that I know about Wagyu except for the few occasions that I have tried them in Japanese restaurants, indulgence for me at the price that it comes with.  But I pretty well know they are very tender and juicy.    The higher the degree of marbling the more tender and juicy it is.  I am not sure of the marbling degree of the ones that i bought, i dont think it's written on the pack, too low to state probably :)

So, i bought a small pack for stir-frying to lay my hands on.  They were already sliced into small pieces,  a little bigger than bite size though.    I stir-fried more than half the portion with black pepper for dinner and I was pretty glad that it turned out well (Phew, thank god no unexpected disaster that would make the meat come to waste!).   This was what I did with the remaining portion since it was not enough to make it a dish of its own.

Taking a cue from how the beef tasted pretty good stir-fried in black pepper and since we didn't mind an encore, I played along to come up with this black pepper spaghetti.  More like a twist off the Aglio Oglio, some portebellos, romaine and cherry tomatoes thrown in to make it a balanced meal.  It tasted quite good and I love how it turned out looking colourful.

Recipe 

Ingredients

• 150-200g beef
• Spaghetti for 2 pax
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 portebello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 head of romaine lettuce, cut in smaller pieces
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

Seasoning

• Black pepper
• Salt
• Parmesan cheese

1. Slice beef into bite size and marinade with some salt, freshly grounded black pepper and a dash of worchester sauce for 30 minutes.  
2. Cook spaghetti in boiling water with some salt added in until al dente.  Drain spaghetti and mix with a teaspoon of olive oil so that spaghetti will not stick to each other.
3. Heat up olive oil in a pan then saute garlic until almost golden.  Add in the portebellos followed by beef.  Stir fry until beef changes color.
4. Add in spaghetti and toss to mix.   Add in more freshly grounded black pepper and salt.
5. Add in around 1 cup of spaghetti water and grated cheese.
6. Mix in shredded lettuce and tomatoes then toss.

Note : If you notice a pale yellow patch somewhat in the centre, it's shredded mozzarella added to make it a little more cheesy but mostly just for the fun of it and to add colours :)

Read More

The Heat is On...

The heat is on! Besides it being unbearably hot these days, if you are a fellow Malaysian you will know what i mean. Finally, the parliament has been dissolved yesterday after months and months of anticipation.   The election mood is on!  So,  this is the time fellow Malaysians,  let's all go out there and make wise choices!      Let's do this for all of us, this is our chance to right the wrongs!

In such heat, how about a cool, refreshing dessert?  

This is a twist of the red dragon fruit jelly recipe that I used for making mooncake jelly.  I doubled the recipe for the fillings, added a squeeze of lemon juice and some lychees to fit them in a 8 inch square pan.  

Recipe

Source :Adapted from Mooncake Selections by Khoo See Yew 


Steps

Milk Layer

• 50 gm. caster sugar
• 3 tsp agar-agar powder
• 250 ml water
• 250 ml fresh milk

1. Boil sugar, agar-agar powder and water in a pot until agar agar and sugar dissolves. 
2. Lower flame and mix in milk.
3. Pour in prepared pan.
4. Wait for jelly to be half set  (i.e. soft but with a film developed on surface).  Use a fork to make light scratches on surface.  This is to make sure the layers will stick to one another. 

Dragon Fruit Layer

• 100 gm. sugar
• 4 tsp. agar-agar powder
• 600 ml water
• 150 gm red dragon fruit (just use a fork to mash it)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 pieces pandan leaves 
• Half  a can of lychees

1. Boil sugar, agar-agar powder and water with pandan leaves in a pot until agar-agar and sugar dissolves.
2. Lower flame and mix in blended dragon fruit and lemon juice. Let it simmer for awhile.
3. Pour into pan with milk layer after milk layer is half set following instructions for milk layer. 
4. Top with lychees after red dragon fruit layer slightly set or else it will sink to the bottom.

Read More