Sunday Cookout Afterthought

I have been on a cooking frenzy for the past 2 days, showcasing my food creation in my blog as well as facebook. This is due to my new digital camera acquisition (Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1) kudos to Panasonic Viera 3D competition. The FP1 have serve me well this past 2 days in documenting my food creation. I'm slowly getting the hang in operating it.

It's time to pay my final respect to my trusty old PSP camera that had been assisting me in recording my trials and tribulations in cooking for the past few years. I also want to take the opportunity to thanks readers that enjoy my post despite my irregular updates.  

Cha Soba With Roasted Basil Chicken Karaage

I decided to have Soba for dinner to combat the sweltering heat. I prefer green tea soba in particular. However, eat cold soba alone any side dish seem too bland. After rummaging through the freezer, I found a pack of frozen basil chicken karaage that is ideal soba accompaniment. 


Cha Soba With Roasted Basil Chicken Karaage

• Cha Soba (available at Daiso for just $2)
• Bonito Sauce (available at Daiso for just $2)
• Basil Chicken Karaage (available at NTUC Fairprice)
• Wasabi

I decide to use the toaster oven bake the Basil Chicken Karaage to reduce oiliness. Baked the Chicken Karaage for 30mins, turning the chicken pieces after 15mins to achieve cripsy consistency. Heat pot with water till it boil. Add in the Cha Soba and reduce the fire as the Cha Soba from Daiso are quite thin and if the water is boiling will cause breakage. Cook the soba for 7 mins and drain in a colander and run thru cold running water to make the soba el dente. Next pour 2 tablespoon of bonito and water to prepare the soba dipping sauce. Add preferred amount of wasabi into the dipping sauce. Bon Appetit.

Iced Lemon Tea Grass Jelly Drink

Today weather is sweltering hot. Ideal for F1 drivers but not for the average joe who doesn't have air-conditioning install in their residence. Luckily, I bought some "仙草" Grass Jelly - a traditional chinese jelly-like desert consume to cool oneself in the sweltering summer. It's normally offer as plain sugared drink. I decide to give it a twist by adding grass jelly to popular summer drink - Iced Lemon Tea.


Iced Lemon Tea Grass Jelly Drink

• 2 Tablespoon of Nestea Ice Lemon Tea Mix
• 4 Tablespoon of Grass Jelly
• 700ml of Iced Water

This drink is best served in 1 litre mug big enough to quench any insatiable thirst. Mix everything in the mug and serve with lots of ice cube.

Roast Prawn Sauce Chicken

Prawn Sauce Chicken is one of the famous dish in "煮炒" literally translate to food stall that offer ala carte dishes that prepared upon order placement. Prawn Sauce Chicken is deep fried but the oil that used to fry the Prawn Sauce Chicken will not be reusable due to Prawn Sauce stench in the oil. In order to reduce such wastage, I decide to roast the Prawn Sauce Chicken instead of deep fry it. The result is uniquely tasteful as the fried version. It doesn't have the oily feeling while retaining the crispiness of the fried version.


Roast Prawn Sauce Chicken

• Prawn Sauce Chicken Powder (Available in all supermart)
• 4 Boneless Chicken Thighs
• Mirin

 Add in the mirin into the chicken thigh to remove the gamey smell. Add in the prawn sauce powder ensure the chicken thighs are evenly coated. Take care not to add to much as the powder contain significant amount of salt. Leave it to marinate overnight to allow the prawn sauce to infuse into the chicken thighs.

Before you roast the chicken thigh, heat up the frying pan with oil and sear the chicken thighs both side for about 3 mins. Place the chicken thigh in well oil oven tray and covered with foil to ensure that chicken remain succulent during the roasting the toaster oven.

Place it in the toaster oven and toast it for 30mins. After that, remove the foil and drain the sauce that accumulate on the oven tray. Put it back into the toaster oven without the foil and grill it 10mins till the skins turn brown and cripsy, Then you're ready to serve it with rice or noodle of choice. 

Sloppy Joe Cheese Wedges

I absolutely adore chips especially potato wedges. With the excess Sloppy Joe fillings leftover, I decide to made Sloppy Joe Cheese Wedges - a decadent version of Carl's Jr Chili Fries. 


Sloppy Joe Cheese Wedges

• Potato Wedges
• Sloppy Joe
• Mozarella Cheese

To control fat intake, I decide to oven cook the potato wedges with toaster oven. You need 30 mins to attain the crispiness of the deep fried version. If you're hard press for time, feel free to fry it in the deep fryer. As for making the Sloppy Joe, please refer to my earlier post on Sloppy Joe Pizza Naan. Line the wedges on baking dish and top it with Sloppy Joe and mozzarella and shove it into the toaster oven and toast for another 5 to 10mins till the cheese melts.

Saffron Chicken Rice

Chicken rice have establish itself as one of the staple cuisine for general singapore populace that you can practically find a Chicken Rice stall in every foodcourt or hawker centre. The default taste for chicken rice more or less is cast in stone. Being a foodie that challenge the norm, I decide to up the ante by adding to saffron (one of the most expensive spice in the world) to this defined cuisine and manage to bring out a whole new taste spectrum.


Saffron Chicken Rice

• Yamie Chicken Rice (available in leading supermarket)
• 5 Saffron strands
• Water

Old School Version

• 1 to 2 cups of Thai Fragrant Rice
• 1 to 2 cups of Chicken Stock
• 1 Pandan Leaf crush and tied to knot
• 5 slices of Ginger
• 5 clove of Garlic crushed
• 5 Saffron strands
• Oil
• Salt

If you want to have quick chicken rice, simply go to leading supermart and purchase the Yamie Chicken Rice as it is rice that is pre-flavored. You simple need to add water and powered up your cooker and you have your chicken rice ready. For this instance, you just need to add in the saffron before you flip on the power switch. To approximate the amount of water needed, you can use the plastic bag that house the rice grain as a gauge. Once it fully cook, you see naturally orange tint in your chicken to indicate that saffron had infused into the rice grain.


For old school who like to do all the nitty gritty steps, simply heat up fried pan with oil and pan fry the garlic and ginger for 2 mins till you smell the aroma release from the ginger and garlic. Add in the rice grain and fry for another 5 mins to let the garlic and ginger infused into the rice grain. Turn off the flame and empty everything into the rice cooker and add in chicken stock accordance to the amount of rice used. Add in the pandan leaf, saffron and pinch of salt and powered up the rice cooker. Once it is done, you have your lovely saffron chicken rice.

Sichuan Mala Noodles With Prawn Gyoza & Sliced Roasted Chicken

My visit to Kim Gary normally is solely restricted to their curry rice as their curry is uniquely different and I'm unable to emulate. But I'm amused that there are patrons order their noodles dishes as they are generally concocted from instant noodle. Today is cold rainy second day of F1 2010, I intend to cook up instant noodle dish - Sichuan Mala Noodles for dinner that is comparable to those serve in Kim Gary.


Sichuan Mala Noodles With Prawn Gyoza & sliced Roasted Chicken

• Sichuan Spicy Seaweed Instant Noodle (currently on offer at $3.15 in NTUC)
• 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon of Chongqing Mala Paste
• 2 Frozen Prawn/Pork Gyoza
• 5 slices of Roasted Chicken (available in major supermart)

Boil the sufficient water in a pot and add in the instant noodle seasonings and Chongqing Mala paste. Next add in the frozen gyoza and cook it for 10mins then remove it from the broth and place it in a bowl together with the roasted chicken slices. Add in the instant noodle into the boiling broth. The trick to having an el dente instant noodle is removed the noodles from the boiling broth before it fully soften and set it aside in the serving bowl. After that, let the broth boil until it bubbles and pour it into the serving bowl. The residual heat in the broth will cook the noodles further to the texture of your liking.