Malaysian turmeric and honey wings

Source: Rasa Malaysia

1. Marinate 500g chicken wings (mid joints) with ginger juice (from pounded 2" ginger), 1 tbs honey, 1 tbs light soy sauce, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp turmeric powder, 1/8 tsp chilli powder, for 1-2 hours.
2. Bake at 375 deg F for 20-25 minutes.

Tip: Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Hold wing with tong and grill over stove at medium heat. I did it over my glass-top stove and the wings were grilled beautifully.

Verdict: Everyone loved this. I didn't taste this but reckon it probably tastes like ayam percik, my favourite style of barbecued chicken. Gotta try cooking ayam percik one day.

Easy-peasy Kaya

Source: Various


Easiest kaya recipe ever. As long as you get the proportions equal, ie 1 cup sugar, 1 cup egg, 1 cup coconut cream, you're on your way to kaya success. My slow cooker was a small one, so I only used 2/3 cup of each.

1. Mix beaten egg with sugar (I used Demerara brown sugar).
2. Pour into slow cooker. Pour coconut cream in. Stir.
3. Start slow cooker on low, my slow cooker did not have any dial, so it was probably on medium all the way.
4. Stir constantly. Mixture will thicken in about 2 hours or so.
5. If you do not like your kaya curd-like, blend it (discard any sugar water left i the slow cooker). Kaya will be smooth like those sold in shops.

Yummy. Many recipes use lots more sugar, this one is pretty all right as far as kaya goes. If you have pandan leaves (screwpine leaves), you may cook with them. I did not have any, and the kaya turned out fine. Best way to eat this is to spread them on toast, add a slice of butter, ooooh, great way to start the day! I spread it with butter on bread (not toast) and the mummies in school (from Thailand, Japan and US) loved the kaya sandwich.

Next day update: The boys had kaya sandwich for tea and loved it. They said it was even better straight out from the fridge. Sean had 3 slices and wanted more.

Ayam Masak Merah (Red chilli chicken)

Inspired by CookingismyPassion

1. Season chicken with turmeric powder, salt and corn flour for at least 30 minutes.
2. Fry and set aside.
3. Use part of remaining oil to fry lemongrass, 3 cloves, half a cinnamon stick and 1 large tomato (or more if desired). Add oil if required as tomato turns to puree.
4. Add chilli paste (I used the chilli paste from this recipe). Stir.
5. Add fried chicken and simmer. Add water if required.
6. Add ketchup, salt and sugar to taste.

Verdict: Even though I didn't use the recipe given, cos I already had my own prepared chilli paste, this dish turned out great. A change from the usual chicken dishes I cook, which I'm really tired of now.

Chicken Teriyaki

Adapted from Wokking Mum

1. Marinate breast meat or drums (deboned) with 1 tbs sugar, 1 tbs mirin, 1 tbs cooking wine, 2 tbs light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil for at least half an hour.
2. Dust chicken with corn flour and saute till lightly burnt (Use little oil, or no oil if drums still have skin on them; I used some sesame oil).
3. Pour remaining marinade over chicken and cook till sauce thickens.
4. Cut into pieces (optional) and serve hot with steamed rice.

Kung Po Chicken

Adapted from Wokking Mum

1. Marinate diced chicken meat (breast or drums) with 1 tbs cooking wine (I use hua tiow chiew), 1 tbs light soy sauce and 2 tbs corn flour for an hour or more.
2. Stir fry chicken till golden brown. Set aside.
3. Fry 1 big onion (quartered) or some shallots, and garlic and ginger till fragrant. Add 20 dried chillies (soaked for a few hours and cut in halves) and fry for another minute or so.
4. Add 2 tbs black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar), 2 tbs sugar, 2 tbs water.
5. When mixture boils, stir in chicken and ensure it's well-coated. Then add, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and cooking wine, bit of salt, to taste.
6. Add corn flour mixture (from the marinade) if you like your sauce thick.
7. Boil, add water if you like more sauce and black vinegar if not sour enough.
8. Serve with steamed rice.

optional: Cashew nuts can be added.

Devil's Chocolate Cake & Ganache

Cake

1 and 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
11 tbs unsalted softened butter (2/3 cup = 10 and 2/3 tbs)
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups cocoa
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/3 cups warm water

1. Preheat oven 150 deg C for fan-assisted. I prefer to use non-fan-assisted at 170 deg C.
2. Grease and line two 9" cake pans.
3. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Mix well.
4. Beat butter @ medium till creamy.
5. Add sugar and beat high speed 3 min.
6. Add cocoa and beat 1 min, scrape.
7. Beat in eggs one at a time.
8. Beat in vanilla.
9. Fold in flour etc in 3 additions, alternating with warm water in 2 additions. Scrape.
10. Mix @ low 30 seconds. Pour into pans.
11. Bake 40-45 min. Cool 20 min. Transfer to wire.

When cake is cooled, spread cream between cakes and at the top if you like. Pour cooled ganache all over. Allow cake to set in fridge for an hour or so. Remove 10 minutes before serving. Cake can be stored for a few days in the fridge, just microwave it for tens of seconds and it will be moist and soft again. Enjoy!

Cream for between cakes (and on top of cake)

1 cup unsalted softened butter, 1 cup icing sugar, some double cream, 1 tsp vanilla, some salt if required. Beat.  (I prefer this cream to the next one)

OR

Beat 150 g unsalted softened butter and 250 g sugar. Add 1 tsp vanilla, beat till smooth and creamy.

Ganache

6 oz chocolate (I like a mix of dark and milk chocolate)
2/3 cup double/whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla.

1. Boil cream. Remove from stove.
2. Add chopped chocolate and vanilla.
3. Stand. Stir. Cover with wrap. Cool for 5 min.

Sambal Prawns & Sambal Ikan Bilis

1. Chilli Paste recipe. Soak 20 dried chillies in hot water for 30 min (or boil if you can't wait). Cut chillies in half and remove as much seeds as you want (the more seeds there are, the hotter your chilli paste will be). Drain and blend with 2 large fresh chillies and 1 cm thick or 1 level tbs of belacan (roast belacan in oven first).
2. Blend 14 shallots, 3 cloves garlic and a bit of ginger. Fry this paste in 100ml of heated oil. Stir constantly till this paste turns fragrant.
3. Add chilli paste from No1 and mix well. Reduce heat and slowly fry till the paste darkens to a deep-red brown and oil separates (20 min or so).
4. Add 3 tbs sugar, 1 tsp salt and water (amount of water depends on how thick you want your sambal to be).
5. Add sliced Bombay onion and boil.
6. Add prawns or Ikan Bilis (for ikan bilis, separately fry it first in hot oil till crispy).
7. Stir and add sugar, salt, and other seasoning (eg light soy sauce) to taste.

NOTE: The original recipe calls for assam (tamarind) pulp juice to be added instead of water. I only use water. Reduce the amount of sugar if it's too much for you. I love my sambals to be sweet, so I think I use even more sugar than this recipe calls for! Also, the amount of chilli paste in this recipe may not be enough if you want your sambal to be hot. So make your own estimation. Good luck!