Posted by Bel.C
When we talk about the good food in Malaysia, you don’t want to miss the famous Claypot Chicken Rice (瓦煲雞飯). I remember when I lived in Malaysia with my family, we loved to go to the hawker stall near my house in Klang for the claypot chicken rice. Essentially, the claypot is filled with rice, topped with chicken and other ingredients such as chinese sausages, mushroom and especially salted fish pieces that gave an extra taste. Then the claypot chicken rice is cooked using the most traditional way on top of charcoal fire which makes it so fragrant and delicious.
To cook a perfect claypot chicken rice, the most important thing is to know how to control the charcoal fire. You practically have to stand there to fan the charcoal in order to control for high or low heat, and not to burn the rice. One of the best parts of the claypot chicken rice is the crispy rice bits (not burnt rice) that are stuck on the side and the bottom of the claypot that makes it so unique tasty.
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Posted by Patrick.C
It has been raining cats and dogs since Monday until today and it will be raining tomorrow as well. Thank God for bringing us the rains due to the water crisis in California but sadly, the rain is way too much than what we long for and it flooded some areas in SoCal.
The indolent weather caused me so lazy and inconvenient to drop by the grocery store to pick up some meats after work. Thus my only meat choice to cook for tonight dinner was a pack of shrimps in the fridge. When I thought of peeling and deveining the shrimp, I felt so headache! Anyway, I had no choice but just dealt with the process. I’ve prepared the shrimps with scallion and ginger this time. Easy and delicious!
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Posted by Bel.C
Hey guys! First of all, wishing everyone a Happy 2010 New Year! It’s been a while since my last post here as I had some fun times during the past holiday season with my mom. She flew all the way from Malaysia to visit me in LA for the first time. We had been traveling to places all these while, not far far away but just a couple of lovely places around California.
Since my mum was here, she did most of the cooking when we weren’t traveling. So those days when I reached home after work, the dinner was ready; hot and delicious. It was such a home sweet home feeling by having a comfy meal especially for those like me who are away from home all these years, struggling to manage study, work and life. I wish my mum could have stayed here longer. :P
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Posted by Patrick.C
I have been eating a lot since the holiday season and last week I just wanted to have something simple and light for the next few days. Making a soup would be a great idea since I love soup. Having one big bowl of soup would be satisfying and replacing as my regular meals. Thus, I was able to cut down my appetite.
As usual, slow-cooked soup (老火湯) was what in my mind and this time I’ve prepared the lotus root soup (莲藕湯). Lotus root is the root portion of the lotus plant and it is believed to be rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C. So far, I only know how to use it for soup making and stir-frying.
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Posted by Patrick.C
One of the dishes I love the most was the stir-fry chicken with onion when dining at Dennis’s place 2 weeks ago. I thought it’s really good. He made this dish by using the chicken breast and surprisingly the meats were tender, succulent, and delicious. As we know the chicken breast is always the toughest part of the chicken, yet it is the healthiest.
It is always fun to learn something new and I asked Dennis about his secret of tendering the chicken breast. He told me the trick is in the marination and the cooking technique. Egg white was what he added in the marinade to tenderize the chicken breast and of course he stressed the cooking technique is very important in order to prevent overcooking or undercooking the meat.
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