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Clay Pot Chicken with Mushroom (冬菇滑鸡煲)

25 December, 2011 (08:33) | Chinese Food Culture | By: admin

Recently, my friend told me that I should be sharing more everyday recipes on Rasa Malaysia—meaning homey recipes that can be served on a constant basis. Truth be told, I cook and eat mostly everyday dishes at home. I mean, blog aside, most of the recipes I make are humble, everyday dishes that you will want to eat over and over again, without ever getting bored. Clay pot chicken with mushroom is one of them. I don’t know why it has taken me this long to share this wonderful Recipe; I guess the notion that it is not that visually appealing is the main reason.

Anyway, during winter months, I use my clay pot almost once a week. I have so many recipes that can be easily prepared in a clay pot, for examples: Taiwanese 3-Cup Chicken, Sesame Oil Chicken, Cantonese Beef Stew, Malaysian Yong Tow Foo, Curry Fish Head, Bak Kut Teh, pork belly in soy sauce, and braised pork ribs with daikon. Clay pot is without a doubt one of my favorite kitchen utensils. The thought of something stewing, braising, and simmering in this kitchenware is enough to stir up my appetite.

Clay pot chicken with mushroom is a very versatile dish. You can throw in extra ingredients to dress up this humble dish—carrot, daikon, onion, or even Cantonese lap cheong (sausage).  Either way, the taste is remarkable and the sauce is great with a bowl of soft, fluffy steamed rice.

(Click Page 2 for the Clay Pot Chicken with Mushroom Recipe)

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Mushroom Tikka Masala

27 June, 2011 (03:23) | Chinese Food Culture | By: admin

The Japanese Grill Giveaway (Signed)

June 26th, 2011 | Indian Recipes | 3 Comments

I have many readers who are vegans or vegetarians, and they would always request me to post more vegetarian dishes. So, today, we have Sala of Veggie Belly sharing this mushroom tikka masala recipe with us. Mushroom tikka masala is one of my favorite dishes when I have Indian buffet. The combination of fresh mushrooms and the treasure trove of exotic spices plus heavy cream is simply delicious. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, go check out Veggie Belly, a wonderful food blog packed with gorgeous food photography (click on the image above to view all the beautiful pictures) and tons of recipes. You will love it.

I’ve been reading Rasa Malaysia for several years, and I am so thrilled to be guest posting here! This spicy restaurant style mushroom tikka masala is something I make when my husband and I want a tasty, special meal. Think of this as a vegetarian version of chicken tikka masala. You can smoke this curry using this method, for an extra special touch…

Mushroom Tikka Masala Recipe
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

For the sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 large onion, minced
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
3 medium sized ripe tomatoes, pureed
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder or according to taste
2 tablespoons dry kasoori methi
2 tablespoons heavy cream, optional
Salt

For the vegetables
9oz fresh white button mushrooms (about 15 mushrooms)
1 large green or red bell pepper, cubed
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
1/4 cup whole Greek yogurt or strained yogurt
1 tablespoon oil

Method:

Heat oil in a wok, and add the cumin seeds. When they begin to sizzle add the onion. Cook on medium heat till onion is brown. Then add the ginger garlic paste and stir for about 45 seconds. Pour in the tomato puree and sprinkle the coriander, cumin, turmeric and chili powders.

Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer, and let the gravy cook for about 12 minutes or till it thickens and oil floats on top. (Canned tomato puree will cook in lesser time). If the sauce gets too thick add ½ cup water whenever needed.

While the sauce is cooking, work on the mushrooms. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a paper towel. If the mushrooms are large, cut them in half, if not leave them whole. Mix together the mushrooms, pepper, turmeric, chili powder, and yogurt and set side.

Heat a large skillet and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and peppers. Make sure you don’t crowd the pan; do this in batches if needed. Cook the mushroom and peppers on medium heat, till they start to brown a little. Dont move the mushrooms around too much, they wont brown.

When the tomato sauce is done, add the sautéed mushrooms and bell peppers to it. Also add kasoori methi and sat. Cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes or till the peppers are cooked. Turn off heat and stir in heavy cream if using. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Cook™s Notes:

  1. For a smoky restaurant style flavor, you can smoke the mushroom tikka masala using this easy method.
  2. Serve with a side of naan or rice, my grand mother’s multi colored raita, and lemon or lime wedges.

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The mushroom selection at Harrod’s Food Halls

1 April, 2011 (22:02) | Cookbook | By: admin

Some cool food images:

The mushroom selection at Harrod’s Food Halls
food

Image by randomduck
This shows most – but not all – of the fresh mushrooms available at Harrod’s Food Halls. Note the prices, all in Pounds Sterling per kilogram.

Lunch Take-out from Whole Foods
food

Image by Sifu Renka
I like to get a similar combination to the above whenever I step into Whole Foods Market.

Today I decided to go for the Asiago Black Pepper Bread , a tasty treat that has a nice crust, a chewy crumb, a lovely cheesy taste, a kick of mild heat and topped with a layer of cheese. I usually stop by the prepared foods section and pick up my fave chili lime basil tofu and the quinoa & sweet potato salad with fresh spinach. The former is coated with aromatic spices blended with maple syrup and zesty lime juice, and contains firm toothsome cubes of firm tofu and refreshing crisp broccoli spears. The latter is a sweet blend of nutty quinoa, sweet starchy sweet potato, slightly tannic spinach and slivers of almonds tossed in a ginger-orange vinaigrette. Yum!

To round out things, I also noticed a new product (I’m always on the alert for new snack products to test out) to munch on; pita chips in pesto and cinnamon sugar flavours.

If only the weather were nicer, I’d have eaten this all out on a nice park bench instead of in the comforts of my own home.

Also seen in: www.oventalk.com/2008/03/04/healthy-and-quick-snack-ideas/

We Need More Food
food

Image by alasam
The Raccoon Mom and her 2 little ones are waiting for more dog kibble–their nightly fare.

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Braised Mushroom with Dashi

16 March, 2011 (17:10) | Chinese Food Culture | By: admin

March 12th, 2011 | , | No Comments

I love mushrooms for as long as I can remember, even when I was a little kid. I love mushrooms of all sorts, shiitake, button, enoki, straw mushrooms—canned or fresh. One of the great things about the United States is that I can get fresh mushrooms easily. They are readily available at the market…

Whenever I get some fresh shiitake mushrooms at the market, I always make this Japanese-style braised mushrooms with dashi and mirin. The end result is a very simple side dish that is absolutely umamilicious. You will know what I mean if you attempt this braised mushroom recipe at home.

Braised Mushrooms with Dashi Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup dashi
1 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed

Method:

Add all the ingredients (except the mushroom) into a saucepan with a low to medium heat. As soon as it bubbles, add the mushrooms into the saucepan.

Cook until the dashi reduces to about half the original quantity, by then, the dashi stock would become slightly sticky because of the mushrooms. Turn off the heat, let cool. Cut the mushrooms to thin slices. This dish is best when served cold or at room temperature.

Cook’s Note:

You can get my dashi recipe in the Nabe (Yosenabe) post.

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