Multi-Purpose Sandwich Maker

It been a long while since I purchase an electrical cooking appliance as most of appliance is restrict to singular function and I had limited space in the kitchen to store them. I happen to stumble upon a fantastic cooking appliance Kenwood Sandwich Maker SM360 during grocery shopping trip at Carrefour. Being price at $59 for a sandwich maker, it is consider steep as you can easily find cheaper brand sandwich maker at NTUC Fairprice retailling at $27.

The main selling point of this Kenwood sandwich maker is it ability to change the sandwich heating plate to other heating plates for grilling or waffle. This mean on top of making toasted sandwich, you have extra cooking options like grilling burger, chicken wings with the grill plate to making waffle with the waffle plate. In addition, the heating plate can easily detached by depressing the release catch in the sandwich maker for easy cleaning which traditional sandwich maker unable to match in versatility.

I absolutely adore this appliance and use it extensively in the food creations I blogged here - Grill Emperor Chicken, Tandoori Chicken.and many others. For those who want to acquire this appliance at a cheaper price can go to Mustafa Centre as it is retailing at $57 there.

Update: The downside of such a cheap kitchen appliance is the non-stick heating plate does not last. After 15 times of usage, the non-stick coating for heating plate start to fall out. For those who have more spare cash to spare can invest in Cusinart Griddler GR4 retail at $249 at Robinson Centrepoint that also have similar detachable heating plate for grill or griddle but better non-stick coating and 3 years warranty. But it doesn't come with the waffle & sandwich heating plate. I hope Kenwood 1 year warranty will cover the heating plate which I hope I can replace with new one. 

Food Blog Stolen!!!!

I'm happy if people enjoy the recipe I posted on the blog and I don't mind if they post my recipe on their blog with due credits. What I'm most piss off with is someone lay claim to the blog that isn't their and cook up some lame description just to get them listed in blogs search engine like Technorati.

Being new to blogosphere, I never expect my humble food blog being stolen by an individual who lay claims - "It is a food blog where im blogging all my cooking experiences eversince i transformed into a homamaker.." in Technorati. Cry out loud "homamaker", what is that? The description posted by this fraudster in Technorati is no where close to the reason why I setup this food blog.

The reason for this food blog conception is I'm sick of the usual fanfare foods serve in local Singapore restaurants, food courts and hawker centers and I would like to have something cheap, refreshing and easy cooking without any sweat. I hope this fraudster (priyadilip) whoever you're, please lay your hands off my blog and others, if you still have some sense of dignity and passion for food and cooking. ndw7qv8jfc

Amazing Must Have Egg Timer

I'm an avid ramen egg lover to the extent of paying $2.00 just to have it as a additional topping when I dine in ramen house or stall. The creamy semi-cooked yolk always leave a feeling of wholesomeness in my palate. However, I have no idea how to made such an egg and I google a bit on the net doesn't provide me much detail information on how to go about making it.

I thought of using an egg timer to cook ramen egg. However traditional egg timer doesn't really cater to different size egg nor the boiling water temperature need to ensure the egg white is fully cook but not the egg yolk. One day, I happen to stumble upon this Burton Egg Timer retailing at $12 that uses temperature of the water to indictate how cooked is the egg in few departmental stores CK Tang, Robinsons & Takashimaya.

I was skeptic at first on the efficacy of this gadget and decide to hold off my purchase ($12 not cheap leh if u compare to $2 egg timer at Daiso) and decide to do some research on this gadget. After going thru the positive & negative reviews given on the net, I decide give it a try. It works and for the first time I manage to make a 80% ramen egg that matches those ramen shop. For those who ramen egg lover, it is a must have cooking gadgets and I can vouch for this device with my soul.

French Garlic Bratwurst with Bacon Mash, Mesculin Salad & Butter Pepper Baby Carrot

With the recession ongoing, cost cutting is like decree that everyone have to adhere whether they like it or not. Despite the brave front everyone try to put up, it is evident this recession affect everyone. I also can't escape the effect of this recession but being a bargain hunter for food condiment I go to even bigger extreme to cook great tasting food at fraction of its actual price.

This dish is the cheapest and fastest western food I ever cooked. Why fastest? Cooking time only 15 mins is needed. Why cheapest? The total ingredients cost only $2.17. Enough talk on with the cooking procedure.

  
French Garlic Bratwurst with Bacon Mash, Mesculin Salad & Butter Pepper Baby Carrots

• 1 French Garlic Bratwurst (6 pcs pack at $6.95 at Carrefour Promotion)
• 3 Tablespoon Idaho Bacon Mash Potato Powder (1 pack at $1.75 at NTUC FairPrice Promotion)
• 1 Small Bowl of NTUC Mesculin Salad Pack (1 pack at $3.75)
• 1 Small Bowl of Emborg Baby Carrot ( 1 pack given free by NTUC FairPrice)
• 1 SCS Unsalted Butter Disposable Pack ( given free when purchase SCS cheese)
• Pinch of Ground Pepper
• Pinch of Salt
• Few Squeeze of Ajinomoto Mayonnaise

If you left the bratwurst pack in the freezer, you might have issue in separating it. Here is a tip you can separate each bratwurst easily without throwing all of them into the microwave to defrost. With the pack fully still seal, hold one side of the pack and hammer it on a solid bar counter or table. At impact, the bratwurst will separate into each piece.


Put 1 frozen bratwurst into the microwave set to defrost 1 minute. Heat the grill until ready to grill or until the ready to grill indicator light up, oil both side of the grill with sufficient oil so as to have nice grill mark on the bratwurst. Put the bratwurst on the grill and close the top grill cover to grill for 15 mins. Which it is grilling you can start preparing the rest of the sides.


In a microwaveable bowl put in half a cup of water and microwave it at high setting for 2 minutes. Scoop 3 tablespoon of Idaho Bacon Mash Potato powder into the bowl of heated water and stir until all the powder absorb all the water. The powder will expand and you have your Bach Mash Potato ready.


Next, pour baby carrot into a microwave bowl and sprinkle pinch of salt and ground pepper on the carrot and add in the butter. Use a microwave glade wrap and seal the bowl and microwave on high settings for 3 minutes. After that, give it a stir to ensure all the carrots even coated with melted butter and pepper.


You can start setting up the plate with the side. After 15mins, the grill bratwurst will be ready to serve with the side.

   

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is one of the most significant roast chicken dish in India. It is commonly mistaken tandoori chicken supposed to have a reddish or orangey appearance which is not true. Indian restaurant add food coloring to made the tandoori chicken appear orangey or reddish in color before roasting in tandor. Another downside with roasting the chicken in tandor the chicken meat will become too dry. Therefore, tandoori chicken sold outside commonly fall in this category. My rendition of the tandoori chicken will be grill rather than roast so as to keep the chicken meat succulent and still retain the wholesome flavour of the tandoori spices.

Tandoori Chicken

• 4 Chicken Thighs
• 2 Tablespoon Tandoori Spice Mix
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Puree
• 1 Teaspoon Ginger Puree
• 1 Tablespoon Plain Yogurt
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice

Remove the skin from the chicken thighs. Use a knife slice deep slits on chicken thigh and apply salt and lemon juice to it and leave it marinated for 15mins.

You can move on to prepare the tandoori paste while the chicken marinate. Add in all the ingredients into bowl and mix it until it form a paste form. Then apply to the chicken thighs and made sure all it is even applied and let it marinate for at least 1 hour or for best result overnight.

Heat up the grill until it hot enough and apply adequate oil to the grill. Once it start to smoke, put the chicken onto the grill and grill it for 10 mins on 1 side and 10 mins on the other side and you are ready to serve it over plain rice. 

Here is a tip, if you worry the grilling time is not enough to fully cook the chicken thighs. You can heat it up in the microwave under high settings for 2 minutes to fully cook it.  

Emperor Chicken Triple Play

Emperor Chicken is one of local soup delicacy that is commonly found in chinese soup stall in Singapore. It is similar to western chicken soup with the exception many chinese herbs are added to the soup. These herbs really help rejuvenate the tired soul and I can vouch for it. I always order it when I need a pick me up after a day of battle in the corporate jungle. The soup easily price from $4.50 to $5.50 or more depending on dining location. I decide to whip up my own version of Emperor Chicken (an excuse cook up to cut expenses during recession) and co-incidental create 2 spin-off dishes from it.

Emperor Chicken

• 400 - 500 gm of  Chicken Thigh (about 3 to 4 pieces)
• Emperor Chicken Herb Mix (get A1 Brand if available as their spices are blend finer)
• Chinese Cooking Wine or Mirin (Optional)
  
• Salt
• Baby Carrot or Enoki Mushroom
• Maggie Non- MSG Liquid Chicken Stock (Optional)
• Microwave Proof Glade Wrap (Can get it cheap at $2 at Daiso) 
  

Emperor Herb Mix can easily be found in all local supermarket like Giant, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage, Shop`N'Save and NTUC. Unlike those sold in soup stall, the Emperor Chicken herbs are blend into fine powder so that you can pre-marinate the chicken so that it can be imbue with the wholesome goodness of the chinese herbs. However, in powder form you cannot apply too much or it will be too overpowering. Enough of talk, let get on with it.


You can use half a chicken, or 8 pieces of wings or 4 to 5 pieces of chicken for this. First rinse the chicken under the running water and drain and excess left over water. If you have Chinese Cooking Wine or Mirin(if you have any), use a teaspoon of it together with a pinch of salt and rub the chicken pieces to remove the raw smell.

Add a teaspoon of the Emperor Chicken Herb mix together with a teaspoon of Maggie Liquid Chicken Stock into the chicken pieces. Ensure every pieces are evenly coated then leave it to marinate for at least an hour or overnight for best result. 

Line the bowl (that is deep enough to hold the chicken pieces with some allowance) with baby carrot before you place the marinated chicken pieces on top. Seal the bowl with a microwave glade wrap and place it in a steamer and steam it for 2 hours. After 2 hours of steam, you will notice whole chicken bouillon is collected below the bowl. The bouillon will have a faint sweetness of baby carrot in it which is superior than those sold in soup stall.

   
Grill Emperor Chicken

• 8 pieces of mid wings
• Emperor Chicken Herb Mix
• Salt
• Maggie Non-MSG Liquid Chicken Stock
• Electric Grill or Grill Pan 
  

Recently, I purchase a Kenwood multi-purpose sandwich maker that come with interchangeable grill plate. This spark off my creative culinary brain juice, we can have grill version of the Emperor Chicken instead of the common soup version.

The preparation is similar to the soup version which I will not repeat the preparation and marinate procedure here and move on to the grilling portion. If you have a Kenwood electric grill like me u can heating up the grill until the green indicator light up to indicate you can grill food items on it. Make sure you have coat ample cooking oil on grill plate. Line the wings onto the grill and close the cover of the grill and let it grill for 5 minutes. Open the grill and check on the wings brush oil on the wings then close the grill cover grill for another 5 mintues. Then it is ready to serve.

Fried Emperor Chicken 

• 8 pieces of mid wings
• Emperor Chicken Herb Mix
• Salt
• Maggie Non-MSG Liquid Chicken Stock
• Rice Flour
• Cooking Oil

The fried version of Emperor Chicken was conceptualize from Colonel Sander's Kentucky Fried Chicken whereby 11 spices were used. If the western got KFC why not asian have their own version.


The preparation procedure is same as before with the exception you might need to add additional 1 or 2 teaspoon of the Emperor Chicken Herb mix to the chicken as when it coat with rice flour the herb flavour will diminish. Next evenly coat the marinated wing pieces with layer of rice flour and set it aside for 30 minutes. 

Heat up the fryer and fried the wings till golden brown as shown. There you have Asia own version of Colonel Sander's 11 Spice Fried Chicken. Enjoy.