Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

This is again another lazy man's dish.  Using the slow cooker can really help when you're busy with other household chores.  Just dump all the ingredients in the pot, give them a good stir, turn on the power and wait patiently.....I did mine at noon and it was smelling good after 4 hours on high heat.  I used some Korean bean paste in this stew and the chicken was so tender, even toothless senior citizens would be able to enjoy it :)

Recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

Ingredients


• 1/2  chicken, about 500 gm, cut into bite size
• 2 potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 carrot, cut into chunks
• 1 onion, quartered
• 9 Shitake mushrooms, soaked and stemmed
• 3 to 4 dried chillies, soaked till soft
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• Cornflour to thicken the sauce
Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Korean soya bean paste
• 1 Tbsp  Oyster sauce
• 3/4 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3/4 Tbsp honey
• 1/8 cup light soya sauce
• 1/4 tsp pepper
Method
1. Put all ingredients and sauces (except for the sesame oil and Shaoxing wine) into the slow cooker. Give it a good stir.
2. Turn to high heat and let cook for about 4 hours.
3. Taste for taste and thicken the sauce with the cornflour mixture.
4. Stir in the sesame oil and Shaoxing wine before serving.









I'm linking this post to the Little Thumbs Up event, theme for July is 'Potato'
jointly organised by
Zoe of  Bake for Happy Kids  and  Doreen of  My Little Favourite DIY
and  hosted by
Jasline of  Foodie Baker

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Salmon En Papillote

Salmon En Papillote simply means wrapping a piece of Salmon in parchment paper, folding up the paper like a little parcel and then baked, bag and all.  This one-dish meal is not only easy to preprare, it's nutritious too. The Salmon is moist and tasty with some baked potatoes, just what you need for a complete one-dish meal.  Most important of all ..... less cleaning up :))

Recipe for Salmon En Papillote  (adapted from an ASDA magazine with modifications)

Ingredients

• 300 gm Salmon fillet
• 300 gm potatoes
• 150 gm French beans
• Some mixed dried herbs
• Seasalt, Black pepper, lemon juice and zest

Method

1. Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper, 12 ft square.
2. Boil the potatoes util just tender.  Drain. peel off the skin and cut into quarters
3. Blanch the French beans , drain and set aside.
4. Divide the potatoes between  the two squares of parchment paper, add in some sprinkling of sea salt.
5. Put a piece of Salmon on top.  Add some lemon zest, a dash of pepper and some sea salt.
6. Wrap up the parchment paper leaving room inside for the air to move around.  Fold to seal the edges tightly.
7. Put the parcels on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven @ 200 deg.C. for about 18 mins. or until the packet is puffed up and the parchment is a bit brown in colour.
8. Serve the Salmon in the parcel, toss in some blanched French beans, drizzle on some Olive oil and lemon juice.  Serve immediately.

I'm linking this post to the Little Thumbs Up event and the theme for this month is 'Potatoes'

organised by 

Zoe of  Bake for Happy Kids  and  Doreen of  My little favourite DIY 

and hosted by

Jasline  of  Foodie Baker

and also to 

Cook Your Books # 14 at   Kitchen Flavours

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Chestnut Chiffon Cake

I made this Chestnut Chiffon Cake after reading the post from Honey Bee Sweets blog but mine is devoid of any 'make up' and is a plain Jane.  Nevertheless, the texture of this chiffon is soft, moist and fluffy and I can indulge more on this cake as it's so light and can hardly fill my tummy even after devouring 3 slices :)

Recipe for Chestnut Chiffon Cake (adapted from 'here')

Ingredients (A)

• 4 egg yolks
• 70 ml water
• 70ml vegetable oil
• 125 gm chestnut )  Puree
• 40 ml milk          )
• 100 gm superfine flour

(B)

• 4 egg whites
• 80 gm caster sugar

Method

1. In a blender puree the chestnuts with the milk, set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, add egg yolks, water, oil and mix well.  Add chestnut puree and mix well.
3. Sift in the flour, mix till free of lumps.
4. Beat egg whites, gradually add sugar and beat till soft peaks form but not dry.
5. Add egg whites into egg yolk mixture in 3 portions.  Mix well till free of lumps.
6. Pour batter into an ungreased 8 inch chiffon cake pan.  Use a toothpick or chopstick to run over the batter to expel air.
7. Bake in a preheated oven @ 160 deg.C for 40 to 45 mins.  till a skewer inserted comes out clean.
8. Invert the pan immediately on a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Run a sharp knife round the pan to unmould the cake.

I'm linking this post to 'Bake Along' and this week's theme is Chiffon Cakes

jointly hosted by

Joyce of  Kitchen Flavours, Zoe of  Bake for Happy Kids and  Lena of  Frozen Wings.

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Cheap Formal Dresses

I was enjoying our ladies meet-up for tea a week ago and when ladies got together topics for discussion will naturally be about our children, their careers and their love lives.  From the exchange of updates I know that there'll be some wedding invitations in the pipeline.

One of my friends lamented that she's got invited to two weddings in a 5 star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, one is for a lunch reception while the other is for dinner.  No dress code was stated on the invitation card for the lunch, so I suppose she can wear something not so formal.  The dress code for the wedding dinner was stated as formal - long gown.  She was having a headache and couldn't make up her mind as to what to wear to both functions and even though she may have quite a few formal dresses and gowns but then she couldn't be wearing the same dresses to those dinner receptions often.  It's alright to wear those dresses twice or thrice provided that the functions are different and with different groups of friends.

The question of what to wear to certain functions or events can be quite mind boggling.  Casual wear is different as we can always mix and match our attire but this is not so with formal wear.  Also formal wear can be quite expensive and as I've said before we cannot 'recycle' them too often.

But nowadays with the advent of the internet and shopping online, there are many websites that offer
cheap formal dresses  online which are  greatly affordable.  You will be spoilt for choice with what to wear to attend a wedding reception, anniversary dinner, formal with classic designs and not so formal as well. There are also special dresses to wear to a prom, cocktail, a night out, short mini ones, ankle length gowns and full length ball gowns.  Fret not if you’re on the plump side as some websites also cater for plus size formal dresses. For summer, there’s a wide range of floral dresses with light, pastel prints with straight or asymmetrical hemlines.  One can also carry a lightweight wrap to cover their shoulders due to variable weather like from the gardens to an air conditioned venue.

Free shipping and free returns are available for orders above a certain price while some websites offer attractive discounts to first time customers. In short, you can find all sorts of cheap formal dresses for all occasions and events with accompanying accessories, presale and discount to suit your budget.  

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Black Sesame Chiffon Cake

I've been wanting to bake a black sesame chiffon cake and when I chanced upon the recipe posted by
Christine of  Christine's Recipes and her lovely pictures, I wasted no time in trying it out.  True to her description, this chiffon cake is soft, moist and full of sesame aroma.   Just can't resist the temptation of a second or more helpings!

Recipe for Black Sesame Chiffon Cake  (adapted from 'here' with slight modification)

Ingredients (A)

• 6 egg whites
• 60 gm caster sugar
• 1 tsp cream of tartar

(B)

• 80 gm superfine flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 25 gm black sesame powder

(C)

• 5 egg yolks
• 30 gm caster sugar
• 50 gm canola oil/corn oil
• 80 ml milk

Method

1. Sift flour with the baking powder, salt and mix well.  Stir in the black sesame powder.  Mix thoroughly.
2. Using ball whisk, whisk the egg yolks with 30 gm sugar till sugar has dissolved.  Stir in the oil little by little till mixture is completely combined.  Add in milk and stir well to mix.
3. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites till bubbles form, add in cream of tartar.  After mixing well, add in the 60 gm of sugar in three batches and beat till soft peaks form but not dry.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture with the ball whisk till well combined.
5. Fold in 1/3 egg whites with a spatula.  Mix well, then pour the batter into the remaining egg whites, mix till egg whites are fully incorporated.
6. Pour batter into an ungreased  23 cm chiffon cake pan and bake in a preheated oven @ 170 deg.C for 35 to 40 mins.  After 15 mins and if the surface gets brown, reduce heat to  160 deg.C.  Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
7. Remove cake from the oven and invert immediately onto a wire rack till completely cooled.  Use a serrated knife to go round the pan and loosen the cake.

I'm linking this post to  Bake Along and this week's theme is Chiffon Cakes
jointly hosted by
Joyce of  Kitchen Flavours, Zoe of  Bake for Happy Kids and Lena of Frozen Wings

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Chicken Stew with hot and spicy Korean sauce

This stew is packed with tender chunks of chicken, potatoes, carrot and onions.  I added 2 teaspoons of chilli flakes to the hot and spicy Korean sauce to give it the extra 'kick'.  This stew did go down well with hot white rice but I preferred to have it with bread instead.

Recipe for Chicken Stew with hot and spicy Korean sauce

Ingredients


• 1/2 chicken, cut into bite size
• 2 potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 carrot
• 2 onions
• 5 garlic cloves
• Spring onions cut into 2 inch lengths
• 2 tsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
Sauce
• 2.1/2 Tbsp hot and spicy Korean sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• dash of pepper

Method


1. Marinate the chicken with the ingredients for the sauce for a few hours.
2. Place marinated chicken in a wok.  Add in 1 to 1.1/2 cups of water.
3. Bring it to the boil, reduce heat, cover, cook for 15 mins. stirring occasionally.
4. Add in the carrot, potatoes and garlic cloves.  Cook till chicken is tender and cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened.
5. Fine tune to taste, toss in the spring onions, drizzle on some sesame oil and Shaoxing wine.  Sprinkle on some sesame seeds.
6. Dish out and serve.










I'm linking this post to the Little Thumbs Up event, theme for July is  'Potatoes' organised by 
Zoe of  Bake for Happy Kids, Doreen of  My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by
Jasline of  Foodie Baker

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Smoked Chicken

I was so happy when I saw Elin of  Elinluv's Tidbits Corner posted the recipe for Smoked Chicken.  I quickly bookmarked it as  sometimes I'm at a loss at what to prepare for dinner and this recipe comes in handy as it's simple to prepare.  This is a tasty  dish and it's finger licking good, trust me!

Recipe for Smoked Chicken  (adapted from 'here')

Ingredients


• 1/2 free range chicken, with skin
• 1/2 Tbsp five spice powder
• 1/2 tsp  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp seasalt
• some tea leaves (I used Chinese tea leaves)
• sugar
Method
1. Marinate the chicken with the five spice powder, black pepper and seasalt for a few hours.  (I did it overnight and kept in the fridge).
2. Pan sear and cook the chicken in a non-stick pan till it's 3/4 cooked.
3. Line a wok with a piece of foil.
4. Sprinkle some tea leaves and sugar over the foil.
5. Place a steamer rack over the foil.
6. On medium heat, heat up the wok till smoke emits.
7. Place chicken on the rack, cover and smoke for 20 mins.
8. Turn off heat, cool chicken, cut it up and serve.

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