Crispy Lemon Chicken

Happy Sunday!  What have you planned for dinner today?  As for me I am craving for something that I had missed for quite sometime - Lemon Chicken.

I am sure when you do a Google search, you will find there are lots of varieties of Lemon Chicken recipes.  But for the common Chinese style, it usually make up of pieces of deep-fried chicken meat that coated with batter and served with a thick and sweet lemon flavor sauce.  

My lemon chicken I have discarded the traditional way of using batter but just corn starch instead.  Reason is to avoid the texture to turn soggy when it coat with the sauce.  I like it to be crispy. 

As for the sauce, I love a greater lemon taste, so I have used not only the juice but also the zest.  I even used the zest for marinating the meat.  So, can you imagine the strong lemon taste in my chicken?  Well, if you are not really into that kind strong taste, you may always adjust to your own taste of flavor.

This recipe is not only can be served as a dish to go with plain white rice but it also a good choice to serve as one of the appetizer or finger food.

Claypot Braised Tofu #SundaySupper

Happy Sunday everyone!  Glad I am able to join the #SundaySupper again!  This week theme is One Pot Recipe and this event is host by Amy Kim from Kimci Mom.  

Even though I am not living in a country with four seasons but I know the weather is going cooler towards the end of the year at most of the countries especially to most of our #SundaySupper members.  The kitchen chief at home of course will start cracking their head what kind of comfort food to ward their family members.  So, you must not miss this week #SundaySupper event that will give you a long list of easy-to-make-recipe - One Pot.  What's more convenient cooking ways that just need to put everything in a pot?

I have chosen a claypot as my main cooking stool for this theme.  For us Chinese, we believe a claypot dish will able to maintain the food warm temperature and best during the cold weather.  Here is my new toy in my kitchen - the claypot!

Braised Tofu is always my favorite but I have not tried it in a claypot and I am confident that it will turn-out good. And, it really does not disappointed us!  From the first bite on the tofu, it was marvelous - you still feel the hotness and juice in it. I am quite certain the tenderness of the tofu because I had deep fried them before hand.  It's really make lots of different.  Beside tofu, I have added some chicken breast meat to enrich the taste of the gravy.  Other ingredients are button mushrooms and vegetables.  

Well, let see whether this One Pot dish will get your attention!

Unbaked Healthy Oatmeal Sesame Bars #SundaySupper

It's been more than six months since my last participation in #SundaySupper.  My sincere apologies to all my #SundaySupper members for my long absence.  This was due to my havoc working life and is getting better now.

I have planned this recipe ready to go live this weekend and I kind of excited to find out that it's suits this week #SundaySupper theme - Crunch Goodness!  So, how can I resist? 

This is my first trial on unbaked recipe and am quite satisfied with it.  I have used honey instead of cooking chocolate or peanut butter on my recipe.  These oatmeal bars is a perfect choice for those who are on healthy diet as there are ample of vital nutrients in it and of course is easy to make!  After this experience, I will try to come out with more varieties of snack healthy bars for sure.

Steamed Ginger Chicken with Mushroom

Every time when I came back from a short holiday to my hometown, I have to take some time to settle down with my emotion, but this time is so much better as I have Simon with me.  At least I don't feel lonely during on board.  As usual my two sisters will prepare some food to bring back with me.  This time I have got some dumplings......my favorite, which I have missed out for almost two years.    One thing that we enjoy the most during the trip were the fabulous food.  No matter is home cooked food that prepared my eldest sister or outside local food.  My sister is also great cook, could be inherited from my late mom.  

Talking about my mom's recipes I have this recipe for so long and had inspired me to try this out and share with all of you, that is Steamed Ginger Chicken with Mushroom.  Steaming is always a wonderful way of enhancing the taste, texture, color and nutritional value of the food, so do this recipe. 

I have modified a little on the marinade from the original ingredients.  I have added in with some ginger juice to enhance the ginger taste in the chicken. I also have used some Chinese wine when I steam the chicken.  There are few important steps that need your attention and there are the timing of steaming, it should not over cooked.  This gives you the smoothness of meat. Of course you also need to use a real quality fresh chicken as this will give you a perfect taste of the chicken essence.  This definitely a healthy and yet easy to prepare dish that suitable to everyone at home.

Chinese Scallion Pancake

This post was supposed to be up on the 26 May 2013 for #SundaySupper for the  "Picnic"  theme, but it was interrupted by the major issue of internet at my area.......and you won't believe it, it was dragged till now.......what a shame on me (long sigh.....)!  Nothing to be blamed but my tight working schedule that had mess-up all.

Let's not waste time now, let me share some stories on this recipe.  I am grown in a family that dealing with food business.  Fried Chinese pancake is one of it and they were all filled with fillings of few choices - grind peanuts, red bean or shredded coconut.  But today, I would like to try the savory recipe - with scallions

I have modified a little on this recipe, instead using the normal cooking oil to roll on the dough, I have used the melt butter.  I always believes butter will able to enhance a better taste and aroma especially when it put into pan-fried.  You can imagine this crispy and tasty pancake now?  It will an ideal for tea-break or picnic.  Is time to prepare some Chinese tea to enjoy my Chinese Scallion Pancake.

Oriental Chicken and Celery Salad served with Sesame Ginger Oil

Another month has passed from my last post.  It took me more than a week to get this post up.   This is due my new role and additional responsibilities in my working life.  This month is the second month for this new challenge of my career.......hope everything will be getting smoother soon, and I should able to get back to my normal blogging momentum.  

Time flies.......and I just noticed I had been in blogging world for more than 365 days.   Is time to celebrate my 1st Anniversary of this blog - My Trials in the Kitchen.  I feel so bad that I unable to cook something special for this special occasion, instead, I wish to share an Oriental style of salad recipe.  The special of this salad is the dressing.  Instead, the common mayonnaise dressing, I have used the sesame ginger oil.  These has enhance this salad with the natural nutty flavor from the sesame oil.  And of course this is also an easy to make recipe.  Let's find out how easy it is...

Simple Dry Potatoes Curry with Long Beans

Its been for more than a month since my last post, as for the past whole month all of us who live in Sabah, Malaysia are in the stage of "alert" and  "fear" that caused by a group of armed militants that had intruded into Sabah since February 9.   This incident has been worrying both me and Simon since then, of course it also have affected our blogging momentum.   On top of that, my new "add-on" responsibilities in my working life also has play a role in this slow down too.  My thousand apologies again to all the readers of this blog.

Today I wish to share with all of you (especially to those curry lovers) a simple and easy to make dry curry - Dry Potatoes Curry with Long Beans.  This dry curry recipe is delicious with the combination of the hearty potatoes and fresh fine long beans that makes a perfect vegetarian main dish (perfectly match with plain rice), it could also can be treated as a tasty starter or an excellent side dish too.  To make the potatoes and long beans smoother and absorbed in the dry curry, I deep fried the potatoes cubes and boiled the long beans to half cooked, as I love the beans softer.  Oh ya, I forgot to tell you one of my important ingredients in the dry curry is coconut milk, so you can imagine how tasty of curry.  Let's find out the steps to make it!

Chinese Fish Maw Soup #SundaySupper

Happy Sunday and Happy Yuanxiao Festival!  The traditional Chinese Yuanxioa Festival is celebrated on the 15^th day of the first lunar month.  Because the first lunar month is also called "yuan" month; the night of the 15th day of “yuan” month is the first night that the moon gets full; xiao means "night, "so the festival is named Yuanxiao Festival or Shangyuan Festival, Yuanxi Festival or Lantern Festival. 

In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking for a love partner, a different version of Valentine’s Day. Normally, single women would write their contact number on mandarin oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.  This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities. 

This Sunday our #SundaySupper theme is “Souper Sunday Supper”.  We are required to cook and share a soup recipe to warm up with during a chilly day or any time of the year.  Our hostess for this week is Pam from The Meltaways. 

I took this opportunity share one of the popular soup recipes among the Chinese during this Chinese New Year – The Fish Maw Soup.  There are few types of fish maw in the market – the processed and the unprocessed.  I choose the processed type which means is already fried and ready, that you just need to soak in the water and ready to cook immediately.  I have use chicken broth for the base of this soup and I add in with some Chinese Shao-Hsing wine.  The other ingredients are mushrooms and I have used two types of mushrooms – the shitake mushrooms and straw mushrooms (in can form) which are perfect for this soup.  For those who love it to be thicker you may add in some cornstarch diluted in some water and lastly a beaten egg to make the soup even smoother, delicious and of course is ideal to warm you up during the cold seasons. 

Shrimp in Szechuan Sauce #Chinese New Year Recipe

Chinese New Year is round the corner, I was busy with this festive preparation.   Shopping, spring cleaning, etc,  but I don't want to miss out to share this recipe to with all of you, as it is perfect for your culinary during this festival.

What have you plan to cook for the coming reunion dinner on the eve?  I am sure shrimp is one of the dishes that you will bring to the reunion dinner's table as its symbolized the "Happiness".   

Today, I wish like to share with you a simple shrimp  recipe - Shrimp in Szechuan Sauce.  I am sure for those who love to add on some spicy taste on the seafood, this recipe will be perfect for you as the sauce is not too spicy and some sweetness in it.  That for the sauce.  What about the shrimps?  I pan-fried it to almost 80% cooked before I add it into to sauce.  This is to prevent the shrimps not over-cooked, so that you could still taste the freshness of the shrimps.  Of course, the crunchiness of the shrimps is important too and let's find out how it goes......

Wish all of you with a Prosperous & Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Old Fashioned Pork Chops #SundaySupper

This weekend #SundaySupper theme is all about "Retro Recipes", to bring back food memories that you had enjoyed during those days.......  It can be from your family members or any others.  I have chosen Old Fashioned Pork Chops.  It wasn't from my home's kitchen but it from a restaurant with classic or retro design that I visited with a bunch of my high school leavers class-mates during the 80's in the city of Kuala Lumpur.  I remembered they serves wonderful Pork Chop.  As we are staying about 40 km away from the city, we spent about an hour plus in a public transport (those days bus) to reach the city for our farewell gathering.

The taste of the pork chop is still fresh in my memory.  The pork chop is pan-fried style instead of deep-frying which was the popular at that time.  Even though the presentation is not that pretty, but when I first bite on the pork chop, I thought I have fallen in love with it, especially the mushrooms gravy on top, it just marvelous.  All of us enjoyed the food and the day very much.  

So, when I see Isabel posted this week event, I thought it was time to go back to old-fashioned cooking method - pan frying pork chop.  I season and coated the pork chops with a thin all purpose flour for about 3 hours, fully covered in the fridge before I fry.  As both me and hubby like half moist chop, its turned out just perfect for us.  My hubby even don't need the gravy and eat them up together with some mix veggies and peas.  As for the preparation - this no-fuss, easy method and you will get a beautifully browned old-fashioned pork chop for weekend or weekday supper.  Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup #SundaySupper 1st Birthday Celebration

Happy New Year to everyone!  I am super excited with this post as its celebrate so many "FIRST":

• The 1st post of the year of 2013
• The 1st post using my brand new kitchen
• The 1st post of #SundaySupper for 2013 and the
• To celebrate the 1st #SundaySupper Birthday

Thank you very much to #SundaySupper for this wonderful event this weekend that have motivated me to on track into my kitchen after a long break since my last post on last 19 December.    The new house was still in the mess when we moved in on the 31 December but we were glad that we managed to celebrate the New Year in our new house.  Now that is almost eight percent settled down.......hmmmm.....is time for me to get back into the kitchen and need some time to get use to it!

This week is #SundaySupper celebrating its 1st Birthday Bash!  It was eight months ago since I joined this big family.  I learned and gained a lot knowledge from this wonderful group of people.  A big thank you to Isabel Foodie of Family Foodie, the founder of this group.  I fully agreed of what she said - "Food Brings People Together"!  I also wish to take this opportunity to a mentor that assigned by Isabel to take care of me when I am still new in the group - Paula Montenegro of  Vintage Kitchen and also the rest of you too.  Thank you for all the supports and great memories for all this while and I love all of you AND Happy Birthday to #SundaySupper!

In conjunction with the 1st Birthday celebration this week by choosing one of the recipes from contributors of #SundaySupper.  I have chosen Coconut Curry Chicken Soup inspired by Chung-Ah of Damn Delicious.  

I always have a thought that making Curry Soup will take so many steps to prepare but Chung-Ah's recipe has proven me wrong and has stimulated me to try it on.  

I have made the curry soup extracted with more Malaysian style, which we called as "Curry Laksa".  I am not even have used the Thai Curry Paste but I have also added in with  chili paste and cayenne pepper (chili powder) to make the taste curry taste stronger.  I have also substitute the tofu with the popular ingredient in Malaysia - Fried Tofu Puff, which turn out great as its fully absorbed in the curry soup.  Once ready, serve with some cooked chili paste with fresh lime juice, love it!

There are so many different recipes of curry soup but I love this one as it is not so complicated and easy to prepare.  And, this recipe is absolutely perfect for those in the cold and chill weather!