One pot wonder: chicken and mushroom rice
12 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Cooking Tags: chinese cooking, one pot meal, rice
This is a dish my grandmother used to make for us. She called it ” kiam bui” which means “savoury rice” in Hainanese. I don’t have the recipe so my version is based on how I remember the dish and consulting my sister who used to putter around the kitchen when my grandmother cooked. Again, don’t ask me how much of the seasoning/ ingredients to use, add more of what you like and less of what you don’t. Taste testing is compulsory.
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Waiting time: 45 min
You will need:
1. Chicken fillet- cut into small pieces
2. Dried shitake mushroom- soaked in water to soften and then slice. Do not soak if using fresh mushrooms
3. Chinese sausages( lup cheong)- slice abt 1/4 cm thick.
4. Rice
5. A clove of garlic- minced
7. Dried shrimps (Hay bee)- soaked in water
Optional:
8.Coriander
9. Canned braised peanut
10. Fried shallots
Seasoning:
Pepper
Light soya sauce
Dark soya sauce
Sesame oil
Oyster sauce
How:
Season chicken fillet with sesame oil, light soya sauce and pepper. Meanwhile start cooking rice in rice cooker. Add a little oil to the wok and fry the smelly garlic and dried shrimp until fragrant. Then dump the sausage, mushroom and chicken into the wok. Add more sesame oil, oyster sauce and a little bit of dark soya sauce and stir fry until chicken is cooked. It HAS TO BE salty otherwise the final result will be blah blah. This will take not more than 15 min. Now pour everything into the rice cooker. Ya, I know the rice is not cooked, that’s the idea. The rice will absorb the flavours of the seasoning and ingredients as it cook. No fire to watch, no nothing. Go and do your laundry or scrub your toilet bowl and let the rice cooker do its job. When it’s cooked, just give it a good mix so that you get the chicken, mushroom and sausage all in one mouthful. Top it with the braised peanut, fried shallot and coriander . Done deal! I wish I have nicer photo to show but unfortunately I only remember about taking photos after dinner. This is what’s left in the fridge after dinner. It’s gone now too.
One pot wonder: Canned soup pasta
11 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Cooking Tags: one pot meal, pasta
Cooking leisurely is one of the few things I can’t enjoy nowadays. I try to leave the cooking to my helper. Unfortunately, her menu has very limited selection so I have to step in sometimes. I don’t dare to claim that I’m good at cooking but the Tan family blood runs in me. I should have inherited some cooking genes from my grandmother and my mother. Don’t ask me about the amount of seasoning and portion though. Cooking is Art, not rocket science. I go by my gut feeling and taste-test as I cook. Sometimes different brands of the same condiment yields different results so don’t trust the cook book, trust only your taste buds.
Oh ya, back to the topic, I was lamenting about the lack of time to cook leisurely, so one pot meals are your best bet. Beats eating instant noodles. Pasta is one of the easiest things to cook. For this dish, you will need:
* Pasta of your choice ( fusilli catches the sauce well )
* Canned soup ( I use cream of mushroom and cream of chicken for a cabonara-esque sauce but really anything goes)
* Parmesan cheese
* dried oregano ( fresh if you want, who cares?!
Cook the pasta until al dente , that’ll take about 7-10 minutes. While doing so pour the content of the can into a pot and using the can, add one can of milk to the pot. Add some Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until it’s all well mixed. The pasta should be cooked by now. Drain the pasta and pour the pasta into the pot. Add oregano and Taa-daa!!! Done.
To make things a little more interesting, buy a roasted drumstick from the super market and shred it. Add it to your pasta. You can add anything you want that makes you happy. Peas, mushroom. Cooking is so oomph! Even if it’s just for half an hour.
