Easy Chicken Rice (Cheat's Method)

My sincerest apologies for the long hiatus. Work has been crazy hectic, I do not even wish to start talking about it here now. Let's divert our attention instead, to the awesome recipe that I'm about to share with you.

Throughout my life, I have been blessed to have met many food critics (I meant like, the professional kind), mainly due to my previous job as a hotel PR. I am even luckier to be able to consider some of them as my friends. They are the ones who will bring me along for media tasting, feed me with the latest happening on the restaurant scene and of course, share wonderful recipes.

Today's recipe is one that was shared by one of them. The fact that she tries this out at home, I'm pretty sure it must be quite a gem. Lest the misconception that chicken rice are usually heavily loaded with fats and calories, this recipe is a much healthier version and even better, much much simpler as well. I've cooked it several times now and if the picky bf of mine is satisfied with this, then it must be a good to go!


Serves 2
Ingredients

3 - 4                               chicken thigh (I removed the skin and fats for a healthier version)
1 cup                              long grain rice, washed and drained
4 cloves                          garlic, minced
5 - 6                                shallots, sliced thinly
4 slices                           ginger
1 tablespoon                   cooking oil
2                                     pandan leaves, tied into a knot
                                       sea salt
                                       water
                                       sesame oil
                                       light soy sauce

Method:

Marinate the chicken thigh with a few pinches of salt and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil on medium high heat. Add in the minced garlic and sliced shallots and fry till they are both golden brown.

Add in the rice and stir evenly to coat the rice with the oil.

Dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt into 1 cup of water and pour into the frying pan.

Turn the heat to the lowest mode and top the rice with the marinated chicken thigh, ginger slices and knotted pandan leaves.

Cover and let it cook for 20 minutes. Feel free to add a little more water if it's too dry.

Drizzle the rice with a little sesame oil and light soy sauce and serve.

Salted Fish, Chicken & Lup Cheong Claypot Rice

 

I've recently managed to lay my hands on some good quality salted fish and decided that the best dish to bring out that savoury goodness is through a pot of good old traditional claypot rice. A warning though, to open all your windows and keep all your clothes if you don't want the house smelling of this distinct 'aroma'. I personally like my claypot rice full of the salted fish taste but do cut back according to your preference.

 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

 

1.5 cups                           long grain rice, washed and drained

2 tablespoons                  cooking oil

1 thumbsized                  old ginger, julienned

1                                      waxed sausage (lup cheong), sliced

2 thumbsized                   salted fish, washed lightly, diced

1                                      boneless chicken leg or 1/4 chicken, cut into smaller pieces

3 stalks                            green vegetables (siew pak choy or choy sum), washed

1 tablespoon                    dark soy sauce (2 tablespoons if you prefer it darker)

1 tablespoon                    light soy sauce

 

Marinade for chicken:

 

1 tablespoon                    oyster sauce

1 tablespoon                    light soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon                 sugar

1/2 teaspoon                    sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon                    ground white pepper

1 tablespoon                    Chinese wine

1 tablespoon                    corn starch

 

 

Method:

 

Marinate the chicken with marinade ingredients and set aside in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

 

Heat a claypot with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add in the diced salted fish and fry till fragrant. Remove the fried salted fish, leaving the oil behind in the claypot.

 

Add in the washed rice and stir to ensure that the rice is evenly mixed with the oil. Add in 1.5 cups of water and bring to boil, uncovered.

 

Add in the marinated chicken on one side of the claypot, making sure not to stack them so they will cook evenly. Top the chicken with some julienned ginger. Sprinkle the waxed sausage on the other side of the claypot. Cover and cook on low heat.

 

After 5 minutes, add the green vegeables on top of the meat and cover, cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes on high heat.

 

Remove the claypot from heat, sprinkle the fried salted fish on top. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce and mix evenly with a rice spatula.

Chinese Fried Rice

I've had some much leftover rice and barely enough ingredients in the refrigerator to cook a proper dish that a simple fried rice seems like the best way to get rid of those ingredients. I've used chinese sausages for today's recipe but this can easily be replaced by luncheon meat, hot dogs, ham, prawn or even leftover meats such as char siew or chicken. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups                        overnight rice, left in the refrigerator

3 cloves                      garlic, minced

2                                eggs, beaten

2                                chinese sausages, diced 

1 bunch                      long beans, diced (can be replaced with green peas)

1 medium                   carrot, diced 

2 stalk                        scallion, chopped

1 tablespoon               oyster sauce

1 tablespoon              light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon             ground white pepper

2 tablespoons            cooking oil 

Method:

Heat a wok with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil on high heat. Add in the minced garlic and fry till fragrant. 

Add in the chopped long beans, carrots and chinese sausages. Stir fry quickly for about a minute or two. 

Push the ingredients to the side of the wok. Pour the beaten egg into the middle of the wok and very quickly, add in the overnight rice, using the back of the spatula to break it, mixing it with the uncooked egg while doing do. Stir fry on high heat for another 4 minutes. 

Mix in 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and ground white pepper. Mix evenly. 

Turn off the heat and mix in the chopped scallion. 

Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi Fried Rice just sounds like the ideal way of getting rid of the two big boxes of kimchi that have been sitting in the refrigerator for the past couple of months. Just in case you wonder, these were handmade by yours truly during my trip to Korea back in September. I've read somewhere online that sour kimchi made for a better fried rice but sour or not, this still tasted pretty neat I must say.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups                       cooked rice, overnight and left in the refrigerator covered
1/2 cup                      kimchi, chopped
1/2                            onion, chopped
2 cloves                     garlic, minced
2 tablespoons            cooking oil
2                               fresh eggs
1 teaspoon                light soy sauce
2 stalk                       green onion, chopped
pinch                         sea salt

Method:

Heat the wok on medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Saute the onions with a pinch of salt till it turns translucent.

Add in the minced garlic and fry till fragrant.

Stir in the chopped kimchi and fry for about 3 minutes.

Add in the rice and 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce. Break the rice using the back of your spatula and fry on high heat for about 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and mix in the chopped green onions.

Serve with a sunny side up per person, mixing the runny yolk into the rice while eating.

Chicken and Cheese Porridge

 

I've grown sick and tired of the usual porridge with century egg, minced pork, scallop and all. Don't get me wrong, they are still very delicious to me. But I thought it would be good to try something new and novel. I've tried the popular Deonbokjuk (Abalone Porridge) in Korea, but the one that stays in my head was actually the creamy wholesome chicken and cheese porridge. Contrary to much belief that it will be pretty thick and heavy, a slight hint of cheese actually transformed a rather simple chicken porridge to something a little more...let's just say homely. As much as I would love the recipe from the shop owner, I had to improvise on my own from memory and some imagination. Somewhat different from the original that I've tasted, this is nonetheless good enough to tide me over a cold rainy day.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup                               short grain rice, rinsed and soaked for at least 30 minutes
1                                      chicken carcasse
1 piece                             chicken breast
1 small                             carrot, diced
1                                       broccoli stalk, diced
2 slices                             packet cheddar cheese

Method:

Bring the rice to boil with 2 cups of water. When the water is boiling, add in the chicken carcasse and chicken breast.

Remove the chicken breast after 5 - 10 minutes, leaving the carcasse behind in the pot. Allow the chicken breast to cool before shredding it by hand.

Allow the porridge to cook for another 30 minutes. Add in additional water if required.

Remove the carcasse and add in the diced carrot and broccoli. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Switch off heat and stir in the shredded chicken breast. Serve hot. Add in a slice of cheese to each bowl and stir thoroughly before serving.

Century Egg and Minced Meat Congee

A common but much-loved porridge, the Century Egg and Minced Meat Congee is not favoured by most for no obvious reason. It is easy to cook with little ingredients, comforting and of course, super yummy. Personally, I love that sharp combination of extra ginger with the century egg and minced meat. Enjoy this recipe.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 cup                                         rice, rinsed and soaked for an hour
2                                               century egg, roughly chopped
400g                                         minced meat
1 thumb sized                            old ginger, julienned
2 tablespoons                            light soy sauce
1 teaspoon                                sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon                             ground white pepper
1 stalk                                       spring onion, sliced (optional)

Method:

Season the minced meat with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil.

Bring the rice to boil with 3 cups of water and lower the heat to a simmer for an hour.

Add in the chopped century egg, sliced ginger and minced meat into the congee, breaking the meat up with a spatula. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Season with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and serve hot. Garnish with spring onion if desired.

Mixed Cabbage Rice with Pork Belly, Dried Oyster and Chinese Mushroom

A much-loved family favourite, my mum often served this rice dish together with a pot of bitterguord or radish soup. This, for many years, has been my family's favourite dinner combination. A one pot/wok meal, you don't really need much condiments to this as the ingredients used are super flavoursome. For those who are not confident of cooking rice on a stove top, you can transfer all the ingredients into the rice cooker after frying them, adding the cabbage only when the rice is fully cooked.

Serves 2 - 3
Ingredients:

1 cup                          rice, rinsed and drained
1/2 head                     cabbage, rinsed and tore into bite sizes
1 slab                         pork belly, sliced
6                                dried Chinese mushroom, soaked and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons             dried shrimp, soaked in 1 cup of water
5 large                        dried oyster, soaked and chopped
3 cloves                      garlic, minced
3                                shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon              cooking oil
1 tablespoon              dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon              ground white pepper

Method:

Heat a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil on high heat. Drain the dried shrimp and add into the wok, setting aside the water for usage later.

Fry the dried shrimp until fragrant and add in the minced garlic and sliced shallots. Fry for another 2 minutes.

Add in the sliced pork belly, sliced Chinese mushroom and chopped dried oyster. Stir them on high heat until the pork belly is almost fully cooked.

Mix in 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper and fry for another minute or until you can smell the caramelization of the soy sauce. Mix in the rice and fry for another minute.

Add in the water used for soaking the dried shrimp. Lower the heat to the lowest and cover the wok with a lid. Remove the lid after 5 minutes and place the cabbage on top of the rice.

Cover with lid for another 5 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked, adding more water if required.

Mix well and serve.

Chinese Peanut Congee

Have been feeling under the weather recently due to the lack of sleep and probably the lack of vitamins too. Nothing makes me feel better than a bowl of  comforting congee. I haven't been to the supermarket recently so the challenge is to cook up a bowl of flavoursome congee using only dried ingredients in the fridge.

Ingredients:

1 bowl                   rice
5 large                   dried oysters or 8 small/medium ones
5 large                   dried scallops or 8 small/medium ones
1/2 cup                  peanut
1 inch                    old ginger shredded

Method:

Rinse and soak the rice, dried oysters and dried scallops for 30minutes to 1 hour.

Rinse the peanuts and boil them in water while you soak the abovementioned ingredients.

Add all ingredients together with 1 litre of water and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for another 2 hours, adding more water when necessary. Season with salt before serving.

Spanish Paella

After posting my previous entry on the Spanish orange chicken and watching an episode of travel TV programme on Spain, I couldn't resist the strong urge to experiment with a classic Spanish Paella. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on some saffron threads given the short time frame but the dish in my opinion, still tasted unbelievably good. I've reduced the portions significantly, however it's definitely better if you have more mouths to feed when attempting this recipe.

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:
1                                  chicken leg, boneless, cut into small cubes
6                                  large shrimp or 10 small shrimp, peeled or unpeeled depending on your preference
4                                  scallops or 1 squid, cut into smaller pieces
1                                  chorizo sausage, sliced
1 cup                            short-grain rice, rinsed and drained
2 cloves                        garlic, minced
1/2                               medium onion, chopped
1                                  red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons               olive oil
1/2 tablespoon             paprika
1 teaspoon                   dried oregano
1 teaspoon                   parsley
1                                  bay leaf
1 cup                           chicken stock or water with bouillion cube
1                                  lemon, cut into wedges
                                    salt
                                    black pepper

Method:

Place the cut chicken pieces into a resealable bag and add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of oregano, salt, black pepper and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour.

Heat a big shallow pan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the sliced chorizo and fry until the oils from the sausage are released. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil behind in the pan.

Add the marinated chicken and fry for about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil and juices behind.

Add in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the chopped onion and saute for a minute or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add in 1 teaspoon of parsley, the chopped red bell pepper and saute for another minute.

Mix in the rice and fry for another 3 minutes or until the rice are fully coated with the oil. Add in 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil.

Lower heat to simmer. Place the prepared chicken and chorizo on top of the rice. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add in the prawns and scallop or squid and cover for another 8 minutes or until the rice is moist and fluffy.

Increase the heat to its highest for about a minute. Let the dish stand covered for 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. Enjoy.

Deonbokjuk (Abalone Porridge)

Commonly seen in Korean drama series, Deonbokjuk (abalone porridge) is a famous dish using freshly-shucked abalone from Jeju island. It is highly nourishing and is an ideal nutritional supplement for those recovering from sickness or simply when you are lacking in appetite. Short-grain rice is preferred but the usual Jasmine long-grain will do as well. This recipe calls for fresh abalone but since that's hardly available in Singapore, I've cooked mine using canned ones instead. I was being a little extravagant by using those gigantic Mexican canned abalone but you can easily replace it with half a can of mini abalone, you just got to ensure that you sliced them thinly as chunks of abalone flesh can be quite taxing on your jaw muscles.

Ingredients:

1 cup                  white rice
2 small                fresh abalone, chopped (or half can of abalone)
1 small                carrot, chopped finely
2 cloves              garlic, minced
2 tablespoons      sesame oil
1 stalk                 scallion, chopped
1 sheet                toasted seaweed, shredded
1/2 teaspoon       salt


Method:

Soak the rice in water for 3 hours or a minimum of 30 minutes. The longer you soak the rice, the finer the porridge. Strain and keep aside.

Heat a pot on medium heat with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add in the minced garlic and chopped carrot and stir-fry for a minute. Add in the abalone and stir-fry for another minute.

Mix in the pre-soaked rice and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in 5 cups of water and bring to boil.

Lower heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Season with salt and serve with the chopped scallion and seaweed.

Taiwan Braised Pork Rice 台式卤肉饭

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when in Taiwan, do remember to eat their fatty, cholesterol-packed but super delicious Braised Pork Rice. I had such a craving for it that I couldn't wait till my next trip to that land of fantabulous food. Some recipes I found include ingredients such as Chinese mushroom or dried shrimp but mine is just a basic, simple recipe that serves me pretty well.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

2 pieces                    pork belly, blanched and cut into small cubes
2 medium                  red onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves                    garlic, minced
1 thumbsized             ginger, minced
2                              eggs, boiled and peeled
2 tablespoons           rice wine
2 tablespoons           dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon             light soya sauce
1 tablespoon             rock sugar
1/2 teaspoon            ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon            five-spiced powder
2 tablespoons           cooking oil
2 cups                      water


Method:

Fry the sliced onion in cooking oil in a saucepan till they are golden brown. Strain the onion and set aside, keeping the oil in the pan.

Reheat the saucepan with oil and add in the minced garlic and ginger. Fry till fragrant.

Add in pork belly which has been blanched in boiling water and cubed. Fry until the pork is thoroughly cooked and its oil released.

Add in 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Fry for a minute and add in the rice wine. Stir in the ground white pepper, five-spiced powder and rock sugar. Mix well and add in 2 cups or more water, ensuring that the water is 2cm above the meat. Bring to boil.

Lower the heat, add in the pre-fried onions, boiled eggs and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

Serve with steamed rice and poached green vegetables.

5-minute Gyudon (Beef Bowl)

Another of my favourite 5-minute recipes. Time used for steamed rice excluded! I used Japanese rice for this recipe but if you don't have that ready in your pantry, the usual long grain ones will suffice. Most ingredients like mirin (sweet cooking wine) and dashi (kelp) stock are easily available in leading supermarkets but Mediya will definitely have a wider assortment to choose from.

Ingredients:

1 cup                     white rice, steamed

1/4 cup                  dashi stock

2 tablespoons         soy sauce

2 tablespoons         mirin

1/2 tablespoon       white sugar

200g                      thinly sliced beef

1/2                         yellow onion, sliced

                              Japanese chilli pepper powder (optional)

Method:

Pour the dashi stock into a pot and bring to boil. Add in the sliced onions, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of mirin and 1/2 tablespoon of white sugar.

Cook for 3 minutes until the onions have softened. Stir in the beef and switch off the heat. Pour the cooked ingredients over a bowl of steamed rice. Garnish with the Japaneses chilli pepper powder and serve.

Easy Bibimbap

My recent obsession with Korean dramas has spur me into a Korean cooking frenzy. It was no surprise that I will choose to experiment with Bibimbap, one of the most common Korean food known other than the ubiquitous Korean BBQ.

One of the key factor to this dish is getting a good tub of Gochujang (Korean red pepper sauce). Don't worry about this, most reputable supermarket will have a good stock of it. A gentle reminder though, that this should not be confused with Ssamjiang (a mixture of red pepper sauce and bean sauce) commonly used as a condiment for BBQ meat and lettuce.

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of short grain rice

1 tablespoon Gochujang

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small carrot, shredded

1 bunch spinach, rinsed and cut into 3 inch long

1 bunch mung bean sprouts, rinsed with ends removed

2 eggs, sunny side up

200g ground beef or thinly sliced beef

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

salt

Method:

Rinse rice with water and cook in a rice cooker.

Cook mung bean sprouts in a pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt for 10 minutes. Drain and mix with 1 clove of minced garlic, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Set aside.

Cook spinach in a pot of boiling hot water for 1 minute. Remove and soak in cold water. Drain and squeeze water out from spinach. Mix with 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Set aside.

Saute shredded carrot on hot pan with 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil for one minute. Set aside.

On a hot pan, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic and fry till fragrant. Add in the beef, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and fry till beef is thoroughly cooked.

To serve, top rice with all ingredients, 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds, 1/2 tablespoon of Gochujang per person and a sunny side up. Enjoy.