I'm Awake : Let's Make Loh Mak Ghai

I've been craving for food I once avoided or just go 'meh'  when I see them.

For example this dish- Loh Mak Ghai. It is a simple steamed dish. Soya sauce ginger and five spice flavoured sticky rice with chicken and mushroom...  We always see this dish on the top steamer of all you can eat dimsum buffet because it is so...  MEH!

I cannot sleep last night,  due to unforeseeable interruption, so I prepared the ingredients for this instead. This recipe makes 3 plastic tapau sized portions.

Loh Mak Ghai : Rice

Ingredient :

1 1/2 cup sticky rice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp thick soya sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce

Method :

Mix rice (washed,  soaked and drained) with everything.  Steam for 20 minutes.

Loh Mak Ghai : Chicken

2 chicken breast fillet
3 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp thick soya sauce
1 tbsp white soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon 5 spice powder

Method : mix everything and marinate for 30 mins.  Using the same pan and oil used to fry sausage,  cook until chicken changes color and remove from heat.

Loh Mak Ghai : other ingredients

2 sausages (thinly sliced + fried)
3 dried shitake mushrooms (soaked and drained)
3 scallions

Loh Mak Ghai : Putting Everything Together

In small container,  put sausage,  mushroom and chicken pieces in and fill/cover halfway with cooked sticky rice. Put in chopped scallion and some of the chicken gravy.  Cover with rice.

Steam for another 20 minutes.

I am awake: Let's Make Hainanese Chicken Rice

I still can't get over how someone said "how nice to be given such a long medical leave and stay at home"... 

Well bitch,  let's switch places!

Anyway,  today's meal is Hainanese Chicken Rice. One useful thing my mother taught me is that if something (be it an ingredient or method) is useful/contributes to the taste/texture of the dish,  then include it,  if not...  Xdak pun xpa... So let's make... Hainanese Chicken Rice!

The soup.
Ingredient

1 chicken chop (boneless chicken leg meat)
1 inch ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp soup powder
1/2 chicken cube

Method:
Put everything in a pot and let it simmer without coming to a hard boil for 15 mins.

The cold cut chicken
Method:
After simmering in soup,  take out the chicken and douse with ice cold water.

The Rice
Ingredient :
2 cups of rice (washed, soaked and drained)
1 tbsp margarine
1 cinnamon
1/2 inch ginger

Method :
On the stove,  melt margarine and put in cinnamon and ginger.  Fry till fragrant.

Add rice.  Fry until rice is transparent. Add 1 and a half cup of  chicken stock.  Stir until rice is opaque.  Transfer to the rice cooker.

The "special"  (read : cheat)  chili sauce
Ingredient :

2 tbsp Mae Phranom (Thai chili sauce)
2 tbsp chili sauce
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp white vinegar

Method
Mix everything.

Putting the Hainanese Chicken Rice together... 

Plate rice,  cut chicken and drizzle some thick soya sauce and sesame oil, garnish soup with chopped chives and the special chili sauce on the side. 

Serve with lettuce,  cucumber and tomato slices.

I Am Awake: Let's Make Nasi Putih, Ayam Goreng Bodo and Sambal Blender

Nasi putih,  Sambal Belacan,  Ayam Goreng...

This combination of simple food is what I crave with I am feeling a little bit off...

You see,  there used to be a restaurant next to my old office in Langkawi...  They serve the best Sambal belacan...  Ever!  There's still a restaurant there but with a different owner.

I always stop by to grab their Daging masak merah,  ayam/sotong goreng cili,  sup khailan udang/ayam,  kerabu sotong...  NPAGSB (That's Nasik putih,  Yamaha goreng,  sambai belacan!) Arghhhh....

Then the handsome cook (his name is Latip) got married to a rich lady in his Kampung and she didn't want him to work so he stayed in Thailand,  happily ever after.

Anyway,  enough pok pek...  Let's make...

Sambal Blender
Ingredients :
3 red chilies
8 cabai melaka (cili padi)
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp roasted shrimp paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lime juice

Method : blend everything together except for the red chillies.  Blend cabai merah secara berperingkat sebab xnak blend halus sgt...

Serve with steaming white rice,  fried chicken and sliced cucumber...

I Am Awake: Let's Make "Claypot" Chicken Rice in Rice Cooker

It's hard.

Went to work for a full week only to be advised by the Doctor to stay at home and rest (you don't argue with your Doctor especially when he is foreign and handsome).

I've been craving for this dish for so oooo long .  It's just that I have been served crap in a claypot before,  so might as well make this easy 1 pot dish at home... 

Anyway...  Enough of my superficial life ranting...  Let's cook: CLAYPOT CHICKEN RICE.

Ingredients:

Rice.
2 cups rice (washed,  soaked and drained)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp fish sauce/salted fish
1/2 cube chicken stock cube

Chicken + marinade.
4 chicken wings (separated,  drummets cut into 2)

2 cloves of garlic

1" ginger

3 dried shitake mushroom (soaked and sliced)

Marinade sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp thick soya sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 teaspoon white pepper powder

Marinate chicken with marinade sauce and mushroom for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Method. 

Heat rice cooker inner pot and melt butter.  Add rice.  Fry until rice turns opaque. Add chicken stock cube.

Sprinkle fish sauce to get that "ikan masin goreng"  smell.  Add 1 cup hot water and stir to dissolve chicken cube.  Stir.

Add another cup of hot water and transfer the pot into rice cooker. Cook till rice is halfway done.

Add chicken pieces (hold the marinade juice). When chicken is fully cooked, you can:

A.  Just pour the rest of the marinade sauce into the pot for a "no kerak" option

Or

B.  Transfer the inner pot onto the stove and pour the marinade sauce into to rice pot (buat kerak,  which is the best part of the dish). 

The kerak (burnt rice layer at the bottom)  will give the "pirated"  Claypot rice it's authentic flavor... 

Serve with chopped scallion and cabai melaka hijau...  Nyum!

I'm Awake : Let's Make Khao Mok Ghai -

I am craving for Southern Thai Food!  Specifically,  Langkawi food!

Food I miss :

the traditional sour beef sausage in Pasar Malam Ayer Hangat

Green Curry Laksa with those small dried potent chili fried whole (making this soon) 

Fried Chicken gizzard (pasaq malam ayaq hangat)

Mee Bandung Aziz

Mee hoon sup Hujung Penarak

LAKSA KAMDAR

Satay Daging Tasik Dataran

KARI HIJAU RAFII'S

Otak-otak Kelapa Muda Wan Thai

Nasi Goreng Naga Mas

Coq Peneram Makam Mahsuri

Bihun Goreng Mak Su Dah

Nasik Air dengan ayam goreng Bella Vista

Pan fried chicken chop Auntie Zai/DE Baron

Gulai Kosong + pedai ayam goreng + sambai Gulai Panas Teriang

Khao Mok Ghai + sambal tumis Kedai Mat Awie/Kak Pah

Apam Balik Kecik Mat Mie

Tau fu fuah pasaq malam kuah 

Donut besaq pasaq malam kuah 

And everything DAN LAGI!

So...  Living one day at a time... As well as clearing my fridge...  Let's make Khao Mok Ghai... Again...

KHAO MOK GHAI
(resepi rice cooker hat kecik)

Ayam - ramuan:

Ayam (I suka guna thigh/drumstick/wings) 
1 ulas bawang merah
1 ulas bawang putih
1 hiris halia
3 pokok daun ketumbar (sekali akar)
1 sudu fresh yogurt
1/2 sudu teh serbuk kari
1/2 sudu teh biji ketumbar
1/2 sudu teh jintan manis
Garam, gula merah secukup rasa

Cara: perap ayam semalaman (or for a few hours,  but the overnight marinate will taste 400% nicer,  I kid you not)

Sos: ramuan
1 ulas bawang putih
1 hiris halia
1 hiris lengkuas
3 biji cili padi (ijau)
Cuka makan,
Gula merah, sos ikan, garam... Agak2...

Cara: Blend semua kasi hancur, letak dalam peti ais... Lagi simpan, lagi sedap, prepare waktu prepare ayam...

Bawang goreng: Jiew... (kalau x reti goreng bawang, sila berhenti memasak sekarang)

Nasi: Ramuan
1 pot beras siam (basuh, tos)

Bahan tumis :
1 btg kulit kayu manis
3 biji Cardamom
1 bunga lawang

Cara:
Lepas goreng ayam, angkat ayam, masukkan bahan tumis. Masak sampai wangi.

Masuk beras, masak sampai jernih. Masuk baki perapan ayam dan kacau.

Masukkan stok/air, kacau sehingga beras serap. Masuk ayam. Kacau.

Masak seperti masak Beriyani. Bila masak, kacau kasi peroi dan biaq 10 minit...

Hidang dengan bawang goreng, hirisan timun, sos hijau dan sos cili thai mai Phra nong...

I'm Awake: Khao Mok Ghai Reloaded.

I am craving for Southern Thai Food!  Specifically,  Langkawi food!

Food I miss :

the traditional sour beef sausage in Pasar Malam Ayer Hangat

Green Curry Laksa with those small dried potent chili fried whole

Fried Chicken gizzard (pasaq malam ayaq hangat)

Mee Bandung Aziz

Mee hoon sup Hujung Penarak

LAKSA KAMDAR

Satay Daging Tasik Dataran

KARI HIJAU RAFII'S

Otak-otak Kelapa Muda Wan Thai

Nasi Goreng Naga Mas

Coq Peneram Makam Mahsuri

Bihun Goreng Mak Su Dah

Nasik Air dengan ayam goreng Bella Vista

Pan fried chicken chop Auntie Zai/DE Baron

Gulai Kosong + pedai ayam goreng + sambai Gulai Panas Teriang

Khao Mok Ghai + sambal tumis Kedai Mat Awie/Kak Pah

And everything DAN LAGI!

So...  Living one day at a time... As well as clearing my fridge...  Let's make Khao Mok Ghai... Again...

I'm Awake: Let's Make Some Sandwich!

It is the age old dilemma... 

To toast or not to toast?

Basically sliced white bread (Britney Spears)  is still going to be Britney Spears with out without her tan (toasting). She will be slightly dehydrated but she is still Britney.

I usually have a container (at least)  of sandwich filling in my fridge.  It is very convenient to have something so versatile handy just in case of emergency.

My favourite sandwich filling : egg mayo,  devilled egg,  egg potato,  tuna  chili,  Tuna mayo,  tuna tomyam,  Chicken mayo and many more...

I prefer mine cold on untoasted white bread,  but I have been known to toss my sandwich filling in salad as well as pasta sauce.

I am awake/Let's Cook Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken)

Back in early 2000, when I first moved to Langkawi, I remember this one shop around Pantai Tengah /Chenang junction called Boom Boom Corner,  selling various types of roti and curry.

I remember only trying the butter chicken (rm6 for a small plate)  with 4 roti boom (rm1 per piece) and I was hooked...

This dish gets better the more you reheat it...  I usually make more than I can eat so I can have some on my toast or pasta...

So let's make : Butter Chicken (serves 3-4)

Chicken:

1 small grilled chicken/tandoori left over (I use slow-cooked shredded chicken meat that I brown in a wok before adding to the sauce)

Tomato sauce:

1 cinnamon
3 cardamom
1kg chopped Tomatoes (big ones,  small ones,  doesn't matter but make sure they're ripe)

Method:
Heat oil.  Saute cinnamon and cardamom till fragrant.  Add tomatoes.  Cook till soft. Set to cool.  Blend everything and strain.

Additional ingredients :

1/4 stick butter
3 tbsp chopped almond
1 tbsp paprika powder
2 tbsp cream/fresh yogurt
Coriander leaf

Putting them together :
Melt butter.  Add in prepared tomato sauce,  cook until oil separates. Add paprika powder.

Add chopped almond and chicken. Bring to boil.  Add yogurt/cream and serve with rice,  with bread,  with roti boom... Topped with chopped fresh coriander leaves...

Note : No additional seasoning needed if using salted butter.