Chicken Rendang (Chicken in Coconut Milk)

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Ingredients

1 kg Chicken (clean and cut into 12 pieces)
2-3 cups Coconut Milk (extracted from 1/2 grated coconut. The easy way to extract coconut milk is to use a blender, mix a bit of hot water for better result)

To grind in a paste:
10-15 dried Chillies (soaked till plump)
6 large Bombay Onions
10 cloves Garlic, peeled
2 cm Galangal (lengkuas)
2 cm Turmeric root (optional)
2 cm Ginger
4 Lemon Grass
1/2 cup Oil
Salt to taste

Method


Heat oil in a large wok and add in the grounded ingredients.
Cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat until fragrant and oil starts to surface.
Add the chicken and mix throughly.
Cook for 2 minutes. Add in the coconut milk, salt and sugar and leave to simmer until oil starts to surface for at least 30-40 minutes over low flame.
Serve hot

Chinese Hot and Sour Onions

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Ingredients:
2 large white onions
3 fresh red hot chillies
2 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. brown vinegar
3-4 pinches pepper powder
1/4 tsp. sugar
salt to taste

Method:


Peel and halve onions, chop into eight chunks each half.
Slice chillies thin and diagonally.
Heat oil, add chillies and onions, stirfry for 3-4 minutes.
Add all other ingredients, saute further 2 minutes.
Serve hot, with rice or bread.
Making time: 15 minutes
Makes: 2-3 servings
Shelflife: Best fresh

Vegetable Spring Rolls

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For cover:
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
2 tbsp. hot oil
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk
Method

Mix all ingredients and form batter.
Make thin round pancakes on a hot griddle.
Do not over roast.
Cool
For filling:
1/2 cup mixed vegetables julienned (carrots, beans, cabbage)
1 tsp. capsicum thinly sliced
1 bunch spring onion cut 1pieces
1/4 cup bean sprouts
1 onion finely chopped
1/4 cup boiled noodles
salt to taste
chilli cauce
1 green chilli finely chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 tbsp oil


Method


Heat oil in a wok, add all vegetables.
Stir fry, add noodles.
Season with salt, chilli sauce and green chilli.
Cool
How to Fry
Put oil in a kadai to deep fry.
Place some filling on a pancake end to end.
Fold ends and hold, then roll in a tight roll
Seal edge with water. (or a paste of cornflour and water)
Deep fry till golden brown.
Cut into convenient sized pieces and serve hot with tomato or chilli garlic sauce.

Making time: 45 minutes
Makes: 5 servings
Shelflife: Best fresh only.

Potato Chinese

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Ingredients:
3 potatoes boiled but firm
1 bunch spring onion chopped into 1" pieces
1 tsp. ginger finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/2 tsp. red chilli finely chopped (fresh or dried)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. soya sauce
1 tsp. tomato sauce
1 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. oil
salt to taste

Method:

Mix the cornflour and water. Keep aside.
Peel and chop the potatoes into long thick chunks.
Heat oil in a wok or pan, add some potatoes at a time.
Fry till light golden brown. Finish all potatoes similarly.
Keep aside. Remove half the oil.
In the remaining oil, add the chillies, ginger and garlic.
Fry for a minute. Add the potatoes.
Add sauces, salt and sugar.
Stir well and add the cornflour solution.
Cook till the wateriness is gone.
Add spring onions and stir. Serve hot.

Making time: 10 minutes (excluding potato boiling time)
Makes: 3 servings
Shelflife: Best fresh ( potatoes may be boiled in advance)

Crunchy Fritters

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Ingredients:
1 capsicum
1 banana
4-5 baby corns
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp. soya sauce
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. green chilli sauce
1" piece ginger grated
2-3 pods garlic grated
salt to taste
oil to deep fry
1 green chilli finely chopped (optional)

Method:

Deseed and slit capsicum in thick vertical strips. Slice baby corn in vertical halves.
Peel and stil the banana vertically in quarters. Keep aside.
Mix the flours, vinegar sauces, ginger, garlic, chilli and salt and make a batter.
The batter should not be too thick, it should coat the vegetables slices thinly.
Heat oil in a frying pan, dip the vegetables, in the batter, piece by piece.
Gently put into the hot oil. Allow to become crisp on medium heat.
Drain and place on a kitchen paper to absorb extra oil.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup or red chilli garlic sauce.

Making time: 15 minutes
Makes: 18-20 assorted fritters
Shelflife: Best served immediately

Variation: Use any other vegetables (eg. cauliflower) or fruit (eg. cooking apples) of your choice.

Chinese Fried Rice

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Ingredients:
1 cup medium grain rice
1 bunch spring onions finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
2-3 cabbage leaves finely chopped
6-7 french beans finely chopped
1 tbsp. oil
11/2 tsp. soya sauce
1 tsp. chilli sauce

Method:

Boil rice till each grain is separate and almost done.
Drain. Cool in a plate.
Heat oil in a wok or pan, add vegetables, except spring onions.
Stir fry till crisp, add spring onions, salt and sauces.
Mix well and pour over the rice.
Mix the rice and vegatables gently, till evenly coated.
Adjust sauces and salt as per taste.
Just before serving heat very well. Either heat in oven or microwave.
Serve hot with manchurian vegetable or sweet sour.

Note: Refer Gravy Vegetables for Gobi Manchurian

Making time: 25 minutes
Makes: 3 servings

Chow Mien Soup

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Ingredients:
1/2 capsicum
1 leaf cabbage
1/4 tomato seeded finely chopped
1 small onion
1" piece carrot peeled
1 leaf spinach stem finely chopped
1 floret cauliflower
1 french bean

3-4 leaves mint finely chopped
3-4 leaves coriander finely chopped
1/4" ginger peeled
1 pod garlic
1/2 dried red chilli deseeded and crushed well
1/2 tsp. soya sauce
salt to taste
1 tsp. oil
1 tbsp. cornflour
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp. sugar


Method:

Very finely chop (either manually or in the electric chopper), the capsicum., cabbage, onion, carrot, cauliflower, bean, ginger, garlic, all together.
Heat oil in a wok or pan, add all vegetables and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, mix cornflour in the remaining water and add to the boiling soup.
Stir continuously, till boil is resumed. Cook till the clarity returns.
Add the soyasauce, salt, sugar and crushed chilli.
Stir well. Serve piping hot with green chilli in vinegar and soyasauce.

Making time: 15 minutes
Makes: 3 servings
Shelflife: Best fresh only

Hakka Noodles

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Ingredients:
2 cups boiled flat noodles (marketed also as hakka noodles)
3 dried red chillies
1 small bunch spring onion
1 small capsicum thinly sliced
2 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/2 tsp. vinegar
salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsp. oil
tandoori colour

Method:

Chop the spring onions into 1/4" pieces cut slanting.
Pound red chillies and garlic coarsely.
Heat 1 tbsp. oil, add chilli and garlic and fry for a minute.
Add the capsicum and fry till tender.
Add the spring onion and fry again for 2-3 minutes.
Add noodles and salt and mix well.
Add tandoori colour and vinegar to taste.
Heat very well in oven or microwave before serving.
Serve with schezwan sauce or manchurian in gravy.

Making time: 45 minutes (excluding noodle cooking time)
Makes: 3 servings
Shelflife: Fresh

Bean Sprouts (Bland)

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Ingredients:
1 cup bean sprouts
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. cornflour
1 tsp. grated ginger
1/2 tsp. soya sauce
1 tbsp. spring onion finely chopped
1/2 tbsp. oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Boil the sprouts so that they are done but not soggy.
Drain and spread on a plate.
Mix the cornflour in 1/2 cup water.
Heat oil in a pan, add ginger and fry for a minute.
Add the remaining water (1 cup). Bring to a boil.
Add the cornflour mixture, and stir till it comes back to a boil.
Add the soya sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour thick gravy onto the bean sprouts.
Sprinkle the chopped spring onion on top.
Serve hot with steamed rice or fried rice

Making time: 25 minutes
Makes: 2 servings
Shelflife: fresh

Tofu Delicacy

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Ingredients:
400 gms. block of firm drained tofu.
1 red chilli fienly chopped
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds ground
1/4 tsp. cardamom seeds ground
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 stalk curry leaves finely chopped
1" piece kenchur, peeled, chopped finely
salt to taste
1/2 cup rice flour
oil for deep frying
2 cups steamed rice
1 tsp. sambal ulek
banana leaves for wrapping

Method:


Cut tofu into 1-1/2" long fingers
Make a batter of all ingredients and water, except rice, sambal ulek.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
Dip pieces of tofu in batter, let into hot oil.
Deep fry a few at a time, till golden, and crisp.
Repeat for all pieces.
To proceed:


Mix cooked rice with sambal ulek, check for salt taste.
Pile rice on a large banana leaf in centre in a mound.
Arrange fried tofu over rice.
Wrap and secure leaf over rice, with toothpicks.
Steam for 5 minutes just before serving.
Serve hot in wrapping, with a stew if desired.
Making time: 45 minutes.
Makes: 4 servings
Shelflife: Best fresh after steaming