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Recipe Exchange Awright, you foodies and closet kitchen scientists, come on out of the woodwork. Practically everyone on ff knows how much I love to eat and how much I love to cook. And how WHF and I can lay waste to a buffet without even breaking a sweat. Now, since all I ever really talk about is either food or (looks around to see if them bots are here--eeek, there IS one right over there, near the fridge!), ahem, secks, and since the last post I had was about one of the latter's tawdry accoutrements, it's now food's turn to take center stage again. I've been thinking of doing this for quite some time now, putting up a Recipe Exchange post, but one thing or another would invariably draw my attention. So before another pewbeeque-cally inclined topic comes my way, I better launch this one. The idea is for the blog community to come over here and exchange recipes, and considering that we come from all over the globe, I bet we can learn something interesting about each other's culture through our food. My cooking reflects my Chinese, Filipino and Spanish ancestry, but I've been cooking a lot of Indian, Italian and Continental dishes as well. Please don't limit yourselves to just your country's cuisine--anything you've tried and tested that came out scrumptious is more than welcome. So, to get the ball rolling, here's one of my favorite recipes for Sweet and Sour Pork: 1 lb Pork tenderloin 2 Green bell peppers 1 White onion 1 small can Pineapple tidbits (omit this if you're WHF) To marinate pork: 1 tbsp Soy sauce 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp cold water 1 egg yolk Seasoning sauce: 3 tbsp vinegar 4 tbsp sugar 4 tbsp ketchup 5 tbsp cold water 3 tsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp sesame oil Extra 1/2 cup cornstarch Procedure: 1. Pound pork with the back of a cleaver to tenderize pork, then cut into 1 inch cubes. Marinate for at least 1/2 hour. 2. Cut green peppers and the white onion into 1 inch squares. 3. Coat the marinated pork with cornstarch one piece at a time and deep fry in small batches in hot oil over high heat until done, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pork, reheat the oil and deep fry again until crispy. Set pork aside to drain on paper towels or a wire rack. 4. Heat 2 tbsp oil to stir fry the green peppers, onions and pineapple. Add the seasoning sauce, bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the pork. Mix well and serve immediately. Goes great with steamed white rice. Bon Appetit! I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho instead of Oh God in the throes of passion. |
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4/4/2008 8:54 pm |
Cauliflower Risotto with Saffron, Pancetta and Manchego 1 head of cauliflower, cut into 2-inch-wide florets 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese salt and pepper 1/4 cup pancetta cubes 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped 1 pinch saffron threads 1 cup arborio rice 1/2 cup of white wine 4 cups chicken stock, simmering 1/2 cup manchego cheese, grated (you can also sub different cheeses – Parmesan, feta, gruyere, goat cheese, they all work just fine) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.. Toss cauliflower with oil, parmesan, some salt and pepper in a large bowl.. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast in upper the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.. an set aside heat up a pot and add the remaining olive oil and the pancetta cubes, onion and garlic.. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and add the rosemary and saffron.. Next the rice.. Add that to the pot and stir to coat in the oil and pancetta.. Add the wine and stir until it is mostly absorbed.. Then start adding the simmering broth (about 1/3 a cup at a time), stirring, adding more when the liquid in the risotto pot is almost absorbed.. When you’ve gone through about half the broth, add the cauliflower (do not forget the golden Parmesan bits) and continue to add more broth as it cooks.. On your last addition of broth, add the cheese.. Stir while it melts.. Taste and salt and pepper as needed.. Serve with rosemary, as a garnish and grilled shrimp on the side if desired. This I serve with Grilled Shrimp, Red or White go's very well with this dish.. I have a lovely - Apple Cider Jus recipe to go along with that Tenderloin.. Have a lovely weekend .. *Hugs* . ...to much drama and I'm gone
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Is the sage dried or fresh, btw? Hubby read this over my shoulder and wants it for tomorrow's Sunday lunch.  Does this freeze well? Am thinking it might, and if it does I'm going to make quite a bit and freeze it so I have something at hand when unexpected company pops by. Thanks so much, Don! I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Cauliflower Risotto with Saffron, Pancetta and Manchego 1 head of cauliflower, cut into 2-inch-wide florets 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese salt and pepper 1/4 cup pancetta cubes 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped 1 pinch saffron threads 1 cup arborio rice 1/2 cup of white wine 4 cups chicken stock, simmering 1/2 cup manchego cheese, grated (you can also sub different cheeses – Parmesan, feta, gruyere, goat cheese, they all work just fine) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.. Toss cauliflower with oil, parmesan, some salt and pepper in a large bowl.. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast in upper the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.. an set aside heat up a pot and add the remaining olive oil and the pancetta cubes, onion and garlic.. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and add the rosemary and saffron.. Next the rice.. Add that to the pot and stir to coat in the oil and pancetta.. Add the wine and stir until it is mostly absorbed.. Then start adding the simmering broth (about 1/3 a cup at a time), stirring, adding more when the liquid in the risotto pot is almost absorbed.. When you’ve gone through about half the broth, add the cauliflower (do not forget the golden Parmesan bits) and continue to add more broth as it cooks.. On your last addition of broth, add the cheese.. Stir while it melts.. Taste and salt and pepper as needed.. Serve with rosemary, as a garnish and grilled shrimp on the side if desired. This I serve with Grilled Shrimp, Red or White go's very well with this dish.. I have a lovely - Apple Cider Jus recipe to go along with that Tenderloin.. Have a lovely weekend .. *Hugs* Thanks, Cat! I've a feeling I am gonna loooooove this Recipe Exchange post. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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My eldest sister tried to poach an egg once when she was newly married. She put a pan on the stove, then, get this, SPRINKLED JUST A FEW DROPS OF WATER ON IT, and then cracked the egg open onto the pan. Egg, burnt and rubbery, to say the least.  I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Great appetites think alike too. Am thinking this might actually go well with the Scrapple Don posted up there. I'm gonna be trying so many new recipes next week, and the best thing about these is that these are all tried and tested, yay! I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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i will post here bellezia's recipe later lol happy weekend pretty mom  the most beautiful view is the one I share with you
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4/5/2008 1:47 am |
Here is a featured dish of Suzhou, though I've never tried it at home due to its complicated procedure. But foreigners seem to like the dish when they come to visit. The following recipe is copied from the net after some of my editting work. Sweet and Sour Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish(Songshu Guiyu) 1 mandarin fish or yellow croaker, about 750 grams 20 grams onions 20 grams dried mushrooms, soaked in water 20 grams diced bamboo shoots, soaked in water 15 grams carrots 15 grams green peas, boiled 100 grams tomato sauce 15 grams cooking wine 150 grams water 5 grams salt 20 grams sugar 20 grams vinegar 2 grams sesame oil 50 grams dry cornstarch 15 grams egg yolk 15 grams flour 1.Clean and scale the fish,and cut out gills and guts. 2.Cut off the fish head and halve. 3.Cut open the fish along the length of its backbone, leaving the tail on. 4.Cut out the backbone and ribs. Make diagonal cuts on the surface of the fish. 5.Marinate the fish flesh and head in cooking wine and salt. 6.Dice onions, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and carrots, and scald them. 7.Heat oil in wok. 8.Coat the fish head and meat in hour and egg yolk. Deep fry until golden. Remove to a plate. 9.Leave a little oil in the wok, and add tomato sauce. 10.Add diced onions, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrot and green peas and stir-fry. 11.Add cooking wine, water, salt and sugar. 12.When the sauce boils, add the cornstarch and water mixture to thicken. 13.Sprinkle some sesame oil and pour the sauce over fish and serve. If there were afterlife, just never let me be a fish 
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i will post here bellezia's recipe later lol happy weekend pretty mom I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Here is a featured dish of Suzhou, though I've never tried it at home due to its complicated procedure. But foreigners seem to like the dish when they come to visit. The following recipe is copied from the net after some of my editting work. Sweet and Sour Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish(Songshu Guiyu) 1 mandarin fish or yellow croaker, about 750 grams 20 grams onions 20 grams dried mushrooms, soaked in water 20 grams diced bamboo shoots, soaked in water 15 grams carrots 15 grams green peas, boiled 100 grams tomato sauce 15 grams cooking wine 150 grams water 5 grams salt 20 grams sugar 20 grams vinegar 2 grams sesame oil 50 grams dry cornstarch 15 grams egg yolk 15 grams flour 1.Clean and scale the fish,and cut out gills and guts. 2.Cut off the fish head and halve. 3.Cut open the fish along the length of its backbone, leaving the tail on. 4.Cut out the backbone and ribs. Make diagonal cuts on the surface of the fish. 5.Marinate the fish flesh and head in cooking wine and salt. 6.Dice onions, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and carrots, and scald them. 7.Heat oil in wok. 8.Coat the fish head and meat in hour and egg yolk. Deep fry until golden. Remove to a plate. 9.Leave a little oil in the wok, and add tomato sauce. 10.Add diced onions, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrot and green peas and stir-fry. 11.Add cooking wine, water, salt and sugar. 12.When the sauce boils, add the cornstarch and water mixture to thicken. 13.Sprinkle some sesame oil and pour the sauce over fish and serve. If there were afterlife, just never let me be a fish Thanks so much, Agnes! I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Here's a few of mine, my own adaptations of dishes I've had in restaurants or just inventions from scratch. I cook mostly on a wood stove (a Sweetheart, from Elmira Stoveworks), so any temperatures are usually approximate. First, a couple of sweet sauces that I eat with stir-fried meat and veggies, and rice (I like to use Thai sweet/sticky rice for this, but some people may find it overwhelmingly sweet...it's almost like a dessert). Ginger Sauce: This is a variation on a dish from a local Vietnamese restaurant; they serve it on deep-fried tofu (aburage). 3-4cm piece of ginger 2 1/4 cups water 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter 2 tbsp corn starch 1/4 tsp lemon juice or mirin (optional) Peel the ginger, and finely chop or slice it. Put the ginger in a pot with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the sugar and butter, and lemon juice or mirin if desired. Simmer for 20 minutes. Dissolve the corn starch in about 1/4 cup of water, add to the pot and stir until the sauce becomes thick. Optionally, strain the pieces of ginger out before adding the corn starch. Serve over a stir-fry with Thai sweet rice. Pineapple sauce: Similar to the ginger sauce, but instead of the ginger, use a can of pineapple rings, quartered (easiest to do this in the can, before pouring into the pot), and use only 1 cup water plus the juice from the pineapple. Shanghai Chow Mein: 2 packages fresh thick egg noodles (they're usually yellowish, easy to recognize) 1 cup stir-fry beef or BBQ pork, cut in small pieces 1-2 large nappa/sui choy (optional) bean sprouts, about 3 handfuls 2 tbsp oyster sauce 2-4 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp hoisin sauce 1 1/2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns 2 tbsp brown sugar 1/2 tbsp minced mild to medium pepper (such as Jalapeno) (optional) If using beef, stir fry with about 3 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, and about 1 tbsp soy sauce at medium high heat. Set aside. If using BBQ pork, ignore this step. Add noodles to the wok, and cook with an occasional dash of soy sauce until the noodles can be worked apart. If using nappa, slice from the tip, discarding the base. Add to the wok, and allow to cook down. Nappa cooks down a lot, so it shouldn't be difficult to fit 1 or 2 heads in; just add more as it cooks down, sprinkling with soy sauce from time to time and stirring. Once it's all cooked down, add the bean sprouts, peppers, peppercorns, and any other vegetables you want to use (I sometimes see mushrooms and green or red peppers). Add the oyster sauce, and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the meat, sugar and some hoisin sauce. Cook for 10 more minutes, adding hoisin sauce and/or soy sauce a couple more times (adjust to taste: hoisin sauce = sweeter, soy sauce = saltier). Most of the quantities are approximate; adjust to taste. I'll try to add some more later. I do a lot of cooking in bulk to freeze for my lunches (but haven't lately, because our microwave is uncooperative). Keep those recipes coming! Thanks for popping by and sharing with us. I'm planning on copy/pasting all these recipes into a file I can print out later. And you cook just like me, I bet--hardly using measuring spoons and such, just throwing stuff in and estimating everything by instinct. That Shanghai Chow Mein sounds so much like our local Pancit Canton, "pancit" meaning noodles. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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4/5/2008 12:42 pm |
hi my friend  I am just stopping by to wish you a wonderful weekend and lots of love always don't worry  I have got your back
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Beer Batter Cod with Brandied Tomato Sauce 2 cods 1 cup flour enough oil to deep fry 2 eggs, beaten salt pepper and spices you like Brandy Sauce 2 shots brandy, not fruit flavored 2 cups diced tomatos 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 of a small onion, diced 2 cloves minced garlic Cut the fish down the back bone, not all the way through, and leaving the bone in. But cutting the upper fin out, to get rid of those bones. The fish should be open like a butterfuly. The brandy sauce is pretty easy. In a heavy pan, add oil, heat, and add onions. Cook till white. Add garlic, and cook 3 minutes more. Add brandy. If you don't like brandy flavor, use less. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and reduce the liquids by half. Add the tomatos. I usually add a pound of shrimp and a dozen clams too. Bring to boil again, and reduce heat again. Simmer for a 10 to 15 minutes. The egg wash, I use salt, peeper, sage, cilantro and what ever catches my fancy that day. I suggest you use your favorite seasonings, and be generous. Wash the fish in the egg wash, and drag through the flour, making a good coating of batter. Drop in oil to fry. The oil should be very hot. I make it 400 f or hotter. It should sear the batter closed instantly. Fry for about 8-10 mins, turning halfway through, until completely cooked. Place fish on plate, and cover with sauce, shrimp and clams. Serve with yellow rice, or what ever your favorite sides are. I know what you mean about the oil being really hot enough---otherwise the fish will just soak up all the oil. Thanks for this one, Jimy! I can actually see myself serving this with my fave sesame noodles, recipe follows: 2 cups cooked chinese noodles, or egg noodles, preferably thin ones, spaghetti sized Now, here, for the dressing, I estimate everything, but feel free to add and subtract according to your own taste: 1/4 cup corn oil/vegetable oil or any oil that's bland and neutral 4 cloves garlic, minced fine soy sauce to taste, I usually start with 1 tbsp and work from there hoisin sauce to taste, same sesame oil to taste, start with a teaspoon and add more to taste hot pepper flakes, to taste Whisk all the ingredients together and toss with the noodles. Serve at room temperature. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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What? No codeine infested udders?? I feel cheated, come back here!!! I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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You know, I'm not familiar with Finnish dishes---what are the usual ones that Finns serve at home? I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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hi my friend I am just stopping by to wish you a wonderful weekend and lots of love always Me, I'll be cookin'. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Hiya SL---great to see you here--awww, wish you popped in with a Bulgarian recipe. I've always been intrigued by other country's cuisines, especially the ones locals eat at home. Hugs, have a great weekend! I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Now THAT is great news. Am gonna plan on trying the Scrapple recipe out next Sunday, then if I get the hang of it, am gonna make a large batch to freeze. Thanks for the tips, Don! I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Toss them craisins with almonds and walnuts. Makes a great trail mix. I've to stay away from my own mix of that--I can finish a whole 2 quart jar by myself if I didn't watch it. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Eeek, am allergic to alcohol, Don--sorry. But I am gonna pass this on to a good friend of mine who loves to mix margaritas. I wonder though, if prickly pears are the same as chayote? Because we have a lot of the latter in the Philippines. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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hello ana i want u to try this one... not a good cook actually but i can do this, will cook this one when dan arrives here CHICKEN ADOBO WITH COCONUT MILK 3 lb. chicken, cut up 1/2 cup vinegar 1 tbsp. salt 1/2 cup water 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 small bay leaf 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. grated ginger 3 tbsp. cooking oil 1/2 cup thick coconut oil 1 hot banana pepper (optional) 1. place first 8 ingredients in a pot and simmer, covered for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Drain and set sauce aside. 2. heat oil in a skillet, add chicken and saute until brown. pour off all fat from skillet. add sauce again, scrape browned bits clinging to skillet and simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. add coconut milk and cook stirring for 2-3 minutes more. then serve na for lafang....  This sounds good--so you only use kakang gata? Whenever I hear of coconut milk based dishes I miss my grandmother's kinunot, a Bicol dish of stingray meat stewed in coconut milk and spiced with a lot of hot banana peppers. Sarap!I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Drat, thought you wuz gonna spank me. But hugs are great, and always welcome.  Hey, GMTA ya know! Great minds think alike. Or Gutter, more likely, knowing how we are with fancy. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Ooooooo dwoooooooooooooooooool. Can't comment anymore, too busy dwooling. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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Now I'm thinking of Welsh Bloke BBQ since gow likes being slathered in marmite. I don't have a BBQ rotisserie though--can I use the one in the oven instead?? Hubby VERY interested in this one because, typical guy, he likes his meat. Hold it, that just didn't sound right. I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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I read about her Cactus Butt--OMG I'm imagining it still. Talk about a prickly kiwi ROFLMAO!!! I'm dyslexic. I scream Ho Dog instead of Oh God in the throes of passion.
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OK, since you two love Hainanese Chicken Rice so much, here's a fast way to make it. I reviewed this for a new magazine (it had a written recipe as well a photo essay card) as a tutorial for its readers a while ago so it has my notes in it but I am too lazy to edit so here goes: Rice Cooker Chicken Rice 1 large chicken (1.5 kg to 2 kg) ‒ I used a smaller chicken which was about 1.2kg 1 small bunch pandan leaves ‒ also called screwpine leaves 1 large piece ginger ‒ bit vague but I used a 3-inch sized knob of ginger 10 cloves of garlic ‒ the recipe did not ask for it but I lightly crushed them in order to get the juices out to do their mojo; the recipe is not clear but you are going to need about 12 large cloves actually because half of that goes to the chicken stuffing and the other half to the chilli sauce 1 large bunch spring onions ‒ I removed the roots and cut into 3-inch long pieces 1 tbsp sea salt or rough salt 10 large red chillies 2 cm piece young ginger ‒ I used a 2 inch sized normal old ginger because I wanted extra heat and pungency; this is for the chilli sauce Salt ‒ the ingredients in the recipe did not list this but you would need a little of this for the chilli sauce 2 cups of rice, washed ‒ this was not mentioned in the ingredients which I think is fecked up. I put this here so you are prepared 1 lime ‒ sliced into wedges so you can squeeze it into the chilli sauce. It’s not listed as part of the ingredients again but you'll need it Written recipe: 1. Knot pandan leaves into two bundles. Cut spring onions into 10cm lengths. Peel ginger and cut into large pieces. Skin garlic, leave cloves whole Photo essay card: 1. Clean and dry a nice, meaty chicken weighing at least 1.5kg. Massage a tbsp of seal salt (or rough salt) inside and outside the bird. Trim off the chicken claws. Notes: Eh? The instructions differ right off the bat … I decided to prepare the chicken first as per the photo essay so I can give the chicken more time to “season”. My chicken had head and all so I spent some time trimming not only the claws but all the other eeeuwwy parts, before seasoning the internal cavity and the skin with the salt. I removed the fat from just inside the cavity beforehand, reserving it for later ‒ you would not know this at this point unless you read the entire recipe and the photo essay but you’re gonna need the fat for your chilli sauce Written recipe: 2. Clean chicken and dry. Remove the two pieces of fat inside the abdomen cavity. Rub chicken inside and out with salt. Photo essay: 2. Skin a handful of garlic cloves, cut up some segments of spring onion tops and greens, cut a generous piece of ginger and knot up two pandan leaves Again, the written recipe and photo essay do not match … And what’s a handful? I have small hands but a huge appetite for spice. I crushed 6 garlic cloves slightly without losing their shape and structure and removed the skin. I topped the spring onions and cut into 3-inch lengths. I skinned the 2-inch knob of ginger and cut it into 3 pieces because I wanted it to seep into every nook and crevice of the chicken. I placed three stalks of pandan leaves together, knotted them in the middle and repeated with another three to make two knotted bundles. Written recipe: 3. Put spring onions, garlic and ginger inside the chicken. Stuff in one pandan knot Photo essay: 3. Place prepared garlic, spring onions, ginger and pandan leaves into the cavity of the chicken. Stuff pandan leaves last so they block the cavity to prevent the garlic cloves from falling out Finally, the two concur! I do not know about the garlic cloves falling out because honestly, just stick your whole hand in and stuff the garlic cloves, ginger and spring onions right up the chicken. Nothing will fall out if you do a good job of it. Layer them such that all the stuffing ingredients commingle harmoniously. I stuffed the pandan leaves last only because they were so bulky. Written recipe: 4. Place chicken in the rice cooker and add two bowls of water. Cover lid and cook Photo essay: 4. Tuck in chicken wings and drumsticks and place bird breast-side down into the rice cooker pot. Neaten it so that there is maximum contact with the sides of the pot Now why does the written recipe not have the useful tips of the photo essay? I tucked the chicken gently into itself and placed it breast-down. The “bowls of water” was a little vague. I went with the typical Chinese rice bowl and poured in two bowls of water into the pot. Covering the cooker, I set it to “Cook”. Written recipe: 5. When steam rises, set timer to 10 minutes. Switch off the cooker when time is up and leave to cook covered for 20 minutes. Photo essay: 5. Add two Chinese rice bowls of water to the pot and start rice cooker. When steam is seen rising up, continue cooking for 10 minutes, then switch off the cooker completely. Rest the chicken covered for 20 minutes Honestly, reading the recipe and photo essay is like watching those movies where the audio and visual do not sync! I was smug I figured out the Chinese rice bowl measurements before this ‒ talk about cryptic instructions! I watched the pot like a hawk, proving that a watched pot does boil … and steam. At the first languid plumes of sultry steam, I set an alarm clock for 10 mins and read a magazine (not yours, someone else's). When it went off, I switched the cooker off without uncovering it and reset the alarm for 20 mins. Written recipe: 6. Remove chicken, set aside. Add two cups of washed rice to stock left in rice cooker. Place another knot of pandan leaves on top. Cook as usual. Photo essay: 6. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the chilli sauce. Place chillies, garlic, ginger, salt and a pinch of sugar in blender and whiz. Set aside. Jaysus … Did two different people write the recipe and the photo essay without showing it to each other? Was the sub-editor drunk or sleeping on the job? Removing the chicken without tearing the skin was a challenge. I meant my skin as my knobbly wrists brushed the hot sides of the rice cooker while trying to remove the chicken. The chicken is dead ... it feels no pain. I’m not. A chicken. Or dead. I felt the pain I can assure you. I rapidly washed two cups of rice and added it to the stock. That’s a lot of rice for one girl. I also quickly knotted up another three stalks of pandan leaves together and cast that on top. I went old school with the chilli sauce and pounded the lot in the mortar & pestle. You can take the kitchen serf out of her grandmother’s fief but you can’t take the fear of Grandmother out of the serf ‒ I still look over my shoulder to see if she is breathing down my neck. Actually, pounding it allows you to control the texture of your sauce. I like it rustic. 2/3 of the chillies should be pounded to a smooth, fine puree with the garlic and ginger but the rest of the chillies should still be a little chunky so you get a nice bite and chew to your chilli sauce. You can’t really get that in a blender. Tip: Chop the garlic and ginger up before pounding to make your job easier and faster. Hint: there’s a major screw up here so go to my notes on Step 8 if you want to save your chicken rice! Written recipe: 7. There was no Step 7 in the recipe! What a mess! Someone wake up the sub-editor! Photo essay: 7. Render trimmed chicken fat in a pan and drizzle chicken fat over chilli sauce mixture. This cooks and flavours the sauce. Remember the chicken fat I asked you to save? Well, here’s why. Heat the fat in a pan on low to medium low heat till all the oil seeps out of the globules of wobbly fat. Keep on doing this till the fat shrivels, browns and wrinkles in defeat. Drizzle the fragrant chicken fat oil into the chilli sauce and watch it sizzle. Try not to salivate at the wonderful aroma. Written recipe: 8. When the rice is cooked, serve with cut chicken and chilli sauce. Photo essay: 8. Remove chicken from rice cooker and set aside. Shake out garlic and ginger from the cavity and leave it in the chicken stock in the rice cooker. Captain, the time shift continuance is nae working! *Putting my best Shatner voice and dramatic smirk into the camera* Aye Scottie, we ken that. Sweet Mother of … if I had not read the recipe in advance, I would be well fecked by now. Because if you had removed the chicken as per Step 6 of the written recipe, you would not have known to shake out the wonderful stuffing into the rice and would end up with a fairly anaemic rice by now. Luckily, I did and had done that at Step 6. The sub-editor should be barred from chicken rice for life. Here mate, they have this thingy called the 12 step programme … I intrepidly began chopping up my chicken with my trusty cleaver. I’m not the best carver in the world, being more a hack-and-dismember-in-wanton-abandon- descendent-of-Genghis type, but I think I did a fairly credible job. Written recipe: 9. The recipe moved to the Chilli Sauce stage whereby it states - Whizz 10 red chillies, 5 cloves of garlic and 2cm piece young ginger in a blender. Add hot chicken oil and salt to season. Serve with a squeeze of lime. Photo essay: 9. Add the two cups of washed rice to the chicken stock and drop in a fresh knot of pandan leaves. Start rice cooker to finish off rice. I decided to hell with the recipe. Notice how patient and low-suffering I am? I waited till Step 9! Always taste and adjust as you go. You can safely ignore most recipes if you do this and the results will still be fabulous because it is literally to your taste. Anyway, if you have been following the steps diligently, your rice should be about cooked now. Stir it up to get all the flavours well incorporated. Cover to keep warm. Written recipe: 10. Are you kidding me??? There is no Step 10 … just a note that a timer is useful so you do not keep looking at the clock. Mate, eyes are useful too so you can check your recipe! Wake up, sub! Photo essay: 10. Cut up the chicken to serve with steaming hot bowls of fragrant rice. Serve the chilli sauce with a squeeze of local limes. Well, it’s academic at this stage as I began ravaging the rice and chicken. I shredded a bunch of coriander and threw these on top of the chicken. It was delicious. Not as fragrant as the normal Hainanese chicken rice but a really good substitute nonetheless. There you go, MM. You can now have semi-Hainanese Chicken Rice back and home and not wait till we are in Singapore. I also reviewed a few other recipes for this clueless magazine and will try to hunt down a copy of the cookbook for you. It's somewhere in one of the warehouses. I miss cooking when I am on the road. Sigh. In the immortal words from 6th Sense ... I see stupid people.
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