Chicken Sambal Fried Rice (One Pot Meal)

Wow, I'm so excited because this is my first ever guest post and I'm glad that I'm doing it for sis Love. The moment she messaged me regarding the guest post I agreed immediately without even thinking whether I would be able to prepare a special dish for her. Sis Love is someone very dear and special to me, you know why? I got to know the blogging world after visiting her blog in 2010, before that I seriously didn't something called blog existed and hers was the first Indian blog I ever got to know. Thank you so much sis, you must be surprised to know this info because I think I have never told you this.

I always admire her photography skills from the day I got to know her not forgetting her wonderful recipes that she posts, all the clicks makes you crave for some. I was planning for so many days on what to cook for the guest post since she's someone special to, then I thought since both of us are chicken lovers, cooking a chicken dish would be apt for it. I have decided that I should make a one pot meal, so I made Chicken Sambal Fried Rice to celebrate our friendship/sisterhood. Do visit sis Love's Love2cook Malaysia for the recipe.

Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Fried Meehoon (Rice Noodle)

Ingredients:

A pack of meehoon (rice noodle, boiled and drained)
2 pcs of chicken breast (cubed)
1/2 cup of shredded cabbage
5 pcs of dried red chilli
1 tsp of dark soy sauce
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic
1 onion (chopped)
1/4 cup of dried shrimp
1/4 cup of water
2 bird eye chilli
2 eggs beaten
Oil

Blend dried red chilli, garlic, dried shrimp and water until smooth and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces until half cooked, drain and keep it aside, fry the beaten eggs and scramble it until you get small pieces.

Now in the same pan pour oil and simmer chilli paste until it changes in color to deep red and oil separates. Then add chicken, cabbage, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce mix well until everything is well incorporated then add in boiled noodles, toss well so that the chili paste and noodles are mixed perfectly. Adjust seasoning depending on your preference and Fried Meehoon is ready to be served. Garnish with scrambled egg and bird eye chilli that have been sliced.

Fried Meehoon is ready to be served, do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Quick Thengapaal Appam/ Indian Pancake

Ingredients:

750g rice flour
1 tsp of yeast
A pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of cooked white rice
1 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup of grated coconut

Blend cooked rice, sugar, yeast and grated coconut with a little water then add rice flour and for a couple of minutes. Now pour this mixture into an airtight container with a pinch of salt and let it ferment for at least 7 to 8 hours or overnight (the consistency of mixture should be thick something like idli mixtures)

After the mixture sits to ferment, mix 1 cup of coconut milk to dilute the fermented mixture, it should be watery not thick to make sure you get crispy edges with spongy middle. Mix the coconut milk only when you are ready to make the appam.

You need appam pan, heat appam pan on low flame and pour a ladle of mixture and rotate the pan to get thin and crispy edges and the balance mixture will form spongy middle. Cover and cook until the edges turn golden brown and crispy. Now remove it to a plate and serve with freshly squeezed coconut milk (added with sugar).

Now our Thengapaal Appam is ready to be eaten, do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Karuvadu Varuval/ Salted Fish Fry

Ingredients:
200g of salted fish (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes if salty)
2 tbsp of chilli paste
3 onions (sliced)
1 tsp of chilli sauce
2 cups of water
Oil to fry

Drain the salted fish and shallow fry until golden and keep aside. Blend chili paste and 2 sliced onions with 1 cup of water. Heat oil and fry balance of the sliced onions until translucent then pour the blended paste and balance 1 cup of water until, boil this until the raw smell is gone and sambal thickens, now add in the chilli sauce and mix well. Add the fried salted fish and pour slightly more oil so that the paste will be really cooked and color turns darker just like in the picture above. You can remove the excess oil after cooking, the sambal should completely cover the salted fish until then you have to let the gravy thicken. Now our Karuvadu Varuval is ready to be served.

I have used salted shark fish/sura

Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Drumstick Leaves Thanni Chaar

Ingredients:
2 cups of drumstick leaves
1/2 cup of masoor dal (soaked)
1 onion sliced thinly
1 green chilli (slit)
3 garlic pods (peeled)
1 tbsp of coconut cream
Salt to taste

Boil masoor dal until the dal is cooked and soft, add sliced onions, garlic and green chilli let it simmer further, now add in the leaves and boil for another 5 minutes. Finally add coconut cream and salt, add salt to your preference. 

Now our Drumstick Leaves Thanni Chaar is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how it turned for you!

Moong Dal Kozhukattai

Ingredients:
2 cups of raw rice (soaked and drained)
1/2 cup of whole moong dal
1/4 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup of sugar (reduce or add to your preference)
A pinch of salt

Dry blend the soaked raw rice and steam for 15 minutes, remove to a bowl and break all the lumps so that you will have lump free flour, let it cool down. Now dry roast whole moong dal until a nice aroma is released from the dal, let it cool down for a while then pulse it the blender once (we are looking for coarse grains not fine nor whole).

Boil the dal with salt and some water to soften it do not add so much of water as we will be using the water for the dough preparation later. Let the dal cool so that easier to work with it, slowly add the cooked dal to the rice flour we have prepared earlier, add sugar and coconut. Mix well and shape it into kozhukattai, steam for 10 minutes or until its completely cooked.

Let the kozhukattai cooled before serving, now our Mong Dal Kozhukattai is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how was it!

Brinjal & Potato Puli Kuzhmbu/ Curry

Ingredients:

1 brinjal (cut into wedges)
1 large potato (cut into wedges)
1 tomato (cut into wedges)
1 large onion (sliced)
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 tomato (chopped)
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp of fenugreek seeds
1 green chilli (slit)
1 cup of tamarind juice (not thick nor watery)
2 tsp of red chilli powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tbsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of jaggery
2 tbsp of oil
Salt to taste
Water (as needed)

In a pan, heat oil and fry fenugreek seed, green chilli, onion, garlic, curry leaves fry for a minute then add tomato, cook until it turns mushy. Then add potato, pour water, turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder, let the mixture boil until potato is cooked, then add the brinjal (let it cook for few minutes).

To the boiling gravy add tamarind juice, salt and jaggery, all this mixture should come together and thicken (should not be watery if its watery let it simmer for a few more minutes), finally before turning off the flame add in the tomato wedges.

Now our Brinjal & Potato Puli Kuzhambu is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Upperi/ Kerala Banana Chips

Upperi/ Banana Chips are very synonym to Keralites, this serves as snacks which are very popular among all especially during Kerala Sadhya (during festive feasts). In Malaysia, these chips are commercialized and sold by Malays and its widely available even in the shopping complexes. Now let us see how to make these chips my family's style;

Ingredients:
5 raw plantain (peeled and sliced thinly)
2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 cup of water
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

In a bowl mix water, salt and turmeric powder and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and maintain medium flame, fry sliced plantain until 3/4th cooked (do not over crowd the frying pan as these plantains will stick together), sprinkle the salt and turmeric water on the frying plantain. You do not have to sprinkle turmeric and salt water every time you fry the plantain as the oil will be salty, every third or fourth time will do. Once the chips perfectly fried, drain and let it cool down before transferring into an air-tight container.

This chips can be stored up to a month if handles properly. Our Upperi/Banana Chips are ready to be served. 

Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Cekodok/ Banana Balls/Fritters

Ingredients:

3 bananas (large and ripe)

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/4 tsp of baking soda

1/2 cup of coarse sugar

A pinch of salt

Oil to fry

Mash bananas with sugar, baking soda and salt, this preparation doesn't need any water for mixing as bananas with sugar, salt and baking soda will be watery. Finally, add all purpose flour and mix well with the banana mixture. This batter will be slightly watery but do not worry that is the right consistency needed, let the batter rise for about 10 minutes before frying.

Now heat enough oil for frying over medium flame, add in small portion of banana mixture and fry until it's brown. Do not stir the mixture immediately, let one side cook first before flipping to another side.

Prawn and Radish Kaara Kuzhambu/ Curry

I have been craving for my mom's cooking for the past few days, I have been cooking for many years now but still nothing beats my mom's cooking maybe because she mixes the spices with the right amount  and pour lots of love in what ever she cooks. Ma, I love you so much! Now coming back to today's recipe mom makes this curry so well and the taste lingers in our tongue even after so many hours having it. I have tried making this curry as similar to mom's, radish is a very nutritious and contains very low calorie, it also very useful in treating constipation and detox the body. Mom always says that radish also prevents and fights urinary tract infection and excellent kidney cleanser.

Now let us look at how to make this curry;

Ingredients:

5 small radish (sliced thinly)

1 cup of prawns (cleaned)

1 tomato (chopped)

1 onion (sliced)

1 tsp of ginger garlic paste

1 tsp of fenugreek seed

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tsp of chilli powder

1 tbsp of meat curry powder

1/2 cup of tamarind juice

1 sprig of curry leaves

2 green chili (slit)

2 tbsp of oil

Salt to taste

Water

In a pan, heat oil and fry fenugreek seed, curry leaves, onion, green chilli and ginger garlic paste. Then add the sliced radish until its almost soft and slightly browned, now add enough water and turmeric, chilli and meat curry powder and let it boil until the raw smell of the spices are gone. Boil the gravy further until it reduces a little and add salt and prawn.

Finally pour the tamarind juice and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Finally add in sliced tomatoes and turn off the flame and cover the pan. Now our Prawn and Radish Kaara Kuzhambu is ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how was it!

Brinjal and Carrot Sambar

Ingredients:

1 cup of masoor dal/red lentils

1 tbsp of meat curry powder

1 brinjal (chopped)

1/2 carrot (chopped)

5 garlic pods

1 tsp of gingely oil

1/2 tsp of hing

Salt to taste

Water

Tempering:

3 pcs red dried chilli

2 tsp of mixed tempering spices

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tomato (cut into wedges)

5 shallots (chopped)

2 tbsp of oil

Soak masoor dal in hot water for about 10 minutes and clean until the water runs clear, then pressure cook the dal with gingelly oil, hing, garlic, 3 cups of water and salt until the dal is completely cooked and mashed. It takes about 3 to 4 whistle in a pressure cooker.

Now add brinjal, carrot and curry powder to the dal and cook for 5 more minutes. Finally temper the sambar with the tempering agent and pour it to the sambar. Close the lid of the cooker to trap the aroma inside until ready to serve.

Now our Brinjal and Carrot Sambar is ready to be served, do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Leftover Idli Stir Fried

It is very difficult to throw away leftovers especially when you know the worth of food, so to avoid wasting f I usually prepare very small portion every time I cook. But when it comes to my favourite Idli, I don't mind storing it in fridge for up to two days. Now coming back to today's recipe, I have learnt this from my mom but made some changes by adding sausages to it, mom only add eggs during non-vege days. This is my husband's favourite especially if he wants to eat something simple and quick.

Now let us see how to prepare this quick and yummy dish;

Ingredients;

4 Idlis (cut into small pieces)

2 large eggs beaten

3 sausages (sliced)

1 large onion sliced

2 tbsp of dried shrimp

2 tsp od meat curry powder

3pcs bird eye chilli (sliced)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp of oil

In a pan, heat oil and fry onion then add dried shrimp and sausage fry. Pour the beaten eggs on one side and scramble it not fully cooked, now add chilli stir for a minute then add the idlis. Mix everything evenly then you can add meat curry powder and salt, mix thoroughly so that the salt can be absorbed into idli pieces. Now our Idli Stir Fry is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how was it!

Soy-made Chicken Sambal (Vegetarian)

Another week for Thaipusam celebration, I'm sure many of our Hindu friends have started fasting and being vegetarian for this much awaited festival. Cooking vegetarian dishes on these days can be boring if you don't try different varieties of dishes, in Malaysia soy made products are easily available especially in super markets and grocery shops. Last Sunday, I went to shop for these items and grabbed a few packs of soy chicken, fish and tofu to cook for the whole week.

The first dish for this week will be Soy-made Chicken Sambal, it may look spicy but actually it was more to a milder version of sambal compared to the usual ones I cook. now let's look at how I made this mouth-watering dish;

Ingredients:

250 g of soy-made chicken

1 large onion sliced (optional)

1/4 cup of canned green peas

2 tbsp of chilli powder (mix with water to make into paste)

1 tsp of chilli sauce

1 tsp of soft brown sugar

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

Water

In a pan, heat oil and fry the soy chicken and keep aside. In the same pan, reduce some oil and add in sliced onion fry until translucent then add chilli paste. Fry until the raw smell of the paste is gone then add some water and fried soy made chicken, let it boil. 

When its boiled and oil separates add in chilli sauce, soft brown sugar and salt to taste let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Now the gravy will thicken, adjust the seasoning and finally add the canned green peas and cook for 2 minutes. Our Soy-made Chicken Sambal is ready to be served. 

Do try and let me know how was it!

Spinach Curry/ Kirai Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of toor dal

14 cup of moong dal

A bunch of spinach (cleaned)

1/4 cup of coconut milk

1 brinjal (cut into small pieces)

1 tsp mustard seed

2 dried red chilli

5 bird eye chilli

1 onion (sliced)

3 garlic pods

Salt to taste

Oil for tempering

Wash and soak toor dal and moong dal for at least 30 minutes. Then pressure cook dal, garlic, bird eye chilli until soft.

Next add in spinach and let it soften, now add the sliced onion, brinjal, salt and mix well until cooked. Let all this boil until brinjal soften then add coconut milk let it simmer for a few minutes and turn off the flame.

Finally temper the curry with dried chilli and mustard seed and pour over the curry. Cover the pan and let the flavour trapped in the cooker until ready to eat.

Now our Spinach Curry is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how was it!

Less-sweet Dates Kesari

Ingredients:

1 cup of slightly roasted semolina
1/2 cup of coconut milk
2 tbsp of ghee
2 tbsp of chopped dates
2 tbsp of broken cashew nuts
1 tbsp of yellow raisins
2 drops of yellow coloring
1/2 cup of sugar
A pinch of salt
1 cup of water

Fry cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and keep aside.

In another pan, boil water once boiled add in coconut milk, yellow coloring, sugar, salt and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Do not boil once coconut milk is added, now slowly add in the roasted semolina mix well. 

Add in chopped dates, cashew nuts and raisins incorporate well with the semolina, add in 1 tbsp of ghee before serving the kesari to give a good shine.

Now our Less-sweet Dates Kesari is ready to be served, do try and let me know how was it!

Orange Butter Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup of castor sugar

1/4 cup of chocolate chips

1 cup of good quality butter

2 tbsp of orange zest

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1 large egg

In a mixing bowl whisk sugar and butter until fluffy then add egg and vanilla essence. Now add orange juice, orange zest, baking soda, baking flour and finally flour then mix everything well. Grease a baking tray and pour the cake batter and  add chocolate chips on top of it. Bake cake at 150-170 degree for 30- 45 minutes depending on your oven's requirement. Mine calls for 150 degree baked for 30 minutes.

Once cake baked let it cool for at least one hour then unmould and cut and serve the cake. Your whole house will smell fabulous with the cake baking in the oven.

Do try and let me know how it turned out!

Yogurt Chicken Curry

I usually need lots of curry or chutney for Idli and Dosa, so to match the Idli I cooked chicken curry but substituted yogurt for coconut milk. This was a delicious and healthy curry compared to the usual ones, if you try I'm sure you will love it.

Let's check how I made this;

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken (cut into small pieces)

1 onion sliced

1 tomato diced

1 cup of yogurt

2 tbsp of meat curry masala

1 sprig of curry leaves

4 potatoes (cut into wedges)

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp of chilli paste

1 tsp of fennel seed

1 tsp of cumin seed

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

4 cloves

1 tbsp of oil

3 cups of water

Salt to taste

In a pan, heat oil and add cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel seed, cumin seed, curry leaves, onion and ginger garlic paste, fry until fragrant. Now add tomato, potato and water and let it boil. Once it start boiling add curry masala, chilli paste and cover until the masala raw smell goes off.

Now add the cleaned chicken pieces and let it cook, add salt and let the gravy reduce to half its content then add yogurt. Let the curry simmer for about 5 minutes and Yogurt Chicken Curry is ready to be served.

Do try and let me know how it turned out!

Soft Idli

Idli have been my favorite dish I love since young, to be precise I used to have Idli as a substitute to rice. I can have idli for breakfast, lunch or dinner especially if I have spicy chutney or curry to go with it, chicken curry or mutton peratal which mom makes are the best combo for Idli. Now coming back to the recipe, nowadays people have the luxury of getting ready made Idli or Dosa powder in the grocery shop but nothing can beat home made stuffs.

Now let us check how I made this;

Ingredients:

4 cups of rice(soaked)

1 cup of white Urad dhall (soaked)

1 tbsp of fenugreek (soaked)

Salt to taste

Water to grind 

Clean and soak rice, white urad dhall and fenugreek for at least 6 hours,you can combine urad dhall and fenugreek together. After soaking blend rice, then urad dhall and fenugreek to a smooth batter, pour the batter into a big vessel or pot. Add enough water to get thick consistency of the batter not too watery. Then add salt and make sure you mix  the salt and batter using a clean hand. Cover the vessel or pot with a lid and let it ferment overnight.

The next day mix the batter well with a spoon, grease Idli pan and pour the batter to the whole and steam for 10-15 minutes or until its completely cooked. Now our Idlis are ready to be served.

My mom's recipe doesn't call for yeast or baking soda as some of my family member used to have stomach discomfort after having Idli with yeast or baking soda. So mom said to make sure the batter ferment perfectly, you have to let the batter to sit and ferment overnight at least for 10 hours.

Do try this easy peasy steps and let me know how it turned out!

Peppermint Chutney/ Pudina Chammanthi

This chammanthi is another favorite of mine, the taste of it I can't describe in words. I prefer to have this as a side for rice and dosa, the tangy, spicy and minty taste is just awesome. I learnt to make this from my mom and aunt, they usually grind this using ammi kallu (grinding stone). Now let's get to the recipe;

Ingredients:

2 cups of peppermint leaves

1 cup of grated coconut

A small piece of ginger

5 pcs of dried red chili

1 tbsp of tamarind paste

4 garlic pods
3 shallots
Salt to taste

Dry roast peppermint leaves, grated coconut, ginger, garlic, red chili and shallot until fragrant DO NOT BURN and let it cool for a while.

Then take all the above ingredients and grind using a ammi kallu or dry blend without adding any water, only if necessary just sprinkle some water while grinding. For step by step pictorial on chammanthi click here.

Now our Pudina Chammanthi is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how it turned out for you!

Spicy Crab Masala

Crab is so delicious if cooked in the right technique, for me my mom is the best cook who cooks the crabs so deliciously. Mom makes it spicy and the aroma of crab masala travels throughout the house, just the gravy is enough to be eaten with piping hot plain rice. Every time my husband and me go back to my parents house he will definitely request my mom to cook Spicy Crab Masala.

Come let's join me to check this recipe;

Ingredients:

2 kg of crab (cut into small pieces)

2 large onions (sliced)

2 large tomatoes (chopped)

1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste

2 tbsp of fish curry masala

1/2 cup of coconut milk

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tbsp of chilli paste

1 tbsp of tamarind paste

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

2 tbsp of oil

Salt to taste

Water as needed

Heat oil and fry cinnamon stick, star anise, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and onion. Stir all these ingredients until onion turns translucent, then add tomatoes and fry until tomato turns mushy. Now add in the cleaned crab, fish curry masala, chilli paste, water and salt, let everything boil make sure you cook this covered.

Crab cooks very fast so do not cook for too long as it will be rubbery, we need soft and fresh crab meat which gives a sweet taste. Now add coconut milk, let it simmer for 2 minutes then add tamarind paste, simmer again for another 2 minutes then turn off the flame.

Now our Spicy Crab Masala is ready to be served. Do try and let me know how it tasted!