Roast Chicken with Creamy Parsley and Fondant Potatoes

I purchased Gary Mehigan's new book "Favourites" a couple of weeks ago during his book-signing at Costco. I love that he has put together his all-time favourite recipes in one book, because honestly, there are way too many recipes out there that I would love to try. I may be dreaming of cooking chilli crab one minute and baking kouign amann the next, and sometimes I just end up making more that I can fit leftovers in the fridge.

So far, I've attempted two recipes from the book. One is the XO sauce, which is utterly, utterly delicious. I was a little skeptical about making a big batch of it, but I'm so glad I did because it means I can eat more of it with more of everything! The other recipe that tempted my tastebuds was the Creamy Parsley and Nutmeg, which I found a little unusual yet intriguing with the combination of parsley and cream. A little like creamed spinach, but with a herby taste, I suppose? It turned out to be one of the most amazing things I've ever made with parsley. It's luxuriously rich and creamy, and the added sweetness from the shallots makes this so tasty that I couldn't stop eating it out of the pan (I was just checking for seasoning, really). In his book, Gary recommends serving it with a roast chook or rib of beef. I've been cooking a lot of red meat lately, specifically pork belly and pork shoulder (see my previous post on Korean Pulled Pork Burgers), so I settled on a recipe for roast chicken from Gary's other book (under Lantern Cookery Classics). The recipe is also available on the Penguin/Lantern website.

Creamy parsley and nutmeg

It's wonderful how the simplest recipe for roast chicken can yield the most satisfying results. A testament to how good it is, is when my 6-year old takes a bite and her face just lights up as she goes "Mmmmm..." before she reaches for another mouthful. It's really just chicken stuffed with thyme, garlic and lemon, but I guess it's the technique and method of cooking it that makes the difference. Also important is to make sure you use good quality, corn-fed, free-range chicken. I find that La Ionica (chemical and hormone free) chickens are really good too, which we always use when making our best ever Hainanese chicken rice.

Potato Korokke (Croquette)

At this point, some of you must be wondering why I am constantly cooking Japanese food. Well, Japanese recipes are often simple and span only half a page of a cookbook, which makes it less daunting especially when they usually come with a list of less than ten ingredients. Compare that to Malaysian cooking which may use spices and sauces from A-Z, with plenty of chopping, pounding, crushing, toasting, frying, simmering and keeping a constant watch while cooking. I hardly have half a day to spend doing all that especially now that I'm back at work, and it's impossible to keep the children out of mischief. Just today, while I was preparing pork chops for dinner, my little toddler managed to empty almost an entire bottle of shampoo all over the floor in the shower.

Chicken Wings and Potatoes Braised in Ginger and Soy

My kids are quite picky when it comes to food. If we eat out, they would choose to eat either KFC, McDonald's or fish and chips. If I asked them what they would like me to cook for dinner, Zach would always opt for rice with chicken and broccoli, which I would usually cook with some potatoes and hard-boiled eggs in a sweet and sticky soy-based sauce. I saw a recipe for something quite similar in a Japanese cookbook, the name of which is "Tebasaki To Sato-Imo", meaning Chicken Wings and Potatoes Braised in Ginger and Soy. Instead of using thick caramel often used in Chinese cooking, tamari is used to provide colour to the dish. Sake is also used in place of Chinese cooking wine

Potato Wedges with Singapore Chilli Crab Dip

One of Singapore's iconic dishes, apart from Hainanese chicken rice, is the famous Singapore Chilli Crab. Although there are many versions of it, the one that I'm most familiar with comes with a generous amount of sweet, spicy, slightly tomatoey and garlicky sauce, with fine threads of egg through it which makes it rich and thick. Back in my childhood days, we would sometimes get takeaway chilli crab from the local Chinese restaurant and eat it at home. And then, we would pop some bread in the toaster and use the crispy toast to mop up the delicious eggy sauce.

Patatas Bravas (Spicy Potatoes)

I love Spanish tapas, and one of my favourite tapas dishes is Patatas Bravas (wild potatoes), or spicy potatoes. It is apparently one of the most popular tapas dishes in Spain. The last time we had tapas was about two years ago, at El Bulli (the Sydney one, not the real one in Spain) where we ordered these tasty little potatoes. You can easily make some at home.

Chicken Sautéed with Cheese and Milk, and Crispy Potatoes with Rosemary and Seasalt

Every few weeks, we will make a trip to the local library with the family, where the kids will entertain themselves at the children's section, and I will head to the shelves where all the cookbooks are. The collection of cookbooks is pretty small, and I usually end up borrowing the same ones again if I happen to like the recipes. One of them is Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros, which has an adorable photograph of a pair of red leather Mary Janes on the front cover. I like it that it has recipes with interesting-sounding names, and most of the recipes are simple and easy to follow, using only a handful of ingredients. There was a recipe for chicken sauteed with cheese and milk which has caught my eye a number of times, and I guess partly because the book usually opens up to that page when I'm flipping through it.

Sweet and Sour Pork Rib Stew

I am sure most people would be able to name a few of their favourite homecooked meals, made by mum (or sometimes dad, too). Sometimes, I envy those who live close enough to their parents that they still get to enjoy these tasty meals. We don't have the luxury of being able to pop by at our folks' place for dinner as they live really far, far away, which is why sometimes, I have to turn to my mum for recipes in order to replicate dishes such as my favourite mee rebus. My FIL is also a whiz in the kitchen, with some of his "famous" dishes being pineapple-glazed ham, yam and pork rib noodles, and pumpkin prawn noodles. One of the dishes that G often crave for is this sweet and sour pork rib stew, which he calls "Sng Bak", meaning "sour pork" in Hokkien dialect. I have never had this stew before until I met G and was fortunate enough to be invited to his house for these sumptuous homecooked meals. It was the first time I ever had an Asian-style pork stew with sliced baguette, but I must say I enjoyed dipping the crusty buttered bread into the rich and tangy gravy, and eating it with the melt-in-your-mouth pork and creamy potatoes.

Crumbed Pork Schnitzel with Creamed Cabbage and Potato Rosti

Crumbed Pork Schnitzel with Creamed Cabbage and Potato Rosti

We have been watching a lot of "Take Home Chef" on TV recently, mainly because all our favourite dramas or TV series were on break in the US and we needed something to occupy us after we tuck the children into bed every night. If you don't already know, "Take Home Chef" is hosted by Curtis Stone and is filmed in the US, where he picks up the ladies at the supermarket and cooks a gourmet dinner for them and their partners (usually). There was this episode where he made creamed cabbage, and it just sounded so delicious I had to try making it. (By the way, I just watched the episode where he made the best (self-proclaimed) apple tart in the world, so I will be trying that out soon).

Gamja Jorim (Potato Side Dish)

I have to admit that the first time I ever ordered food at a Korean restaurant, I did not expect all these little "banchan" side dishes to arrive at the table. In my mind, I was thinking "Wow, what a good deal! Just order one dish from the menu and you get all these little extras!". But I really enjoy savouring these tasty little accompaniments, especially when hungry tummies just can't wait for the main meal to arrive. They usually vary from one restaurant to another, and sometimes from day to day as well, even at the same restaurant, and so, there's always something to look forward to.

Japanese Potato Salad

When it comes to cooking Japanese food, one of my favourite sources for recipes online is JustOneCookbook. Just think of a Japanese dish you feel like eating (or cooking) and chances are you'll find it there. The author, Nami, also makes the effort to post step-by-step pictures of how the food is prepared, which I'm grateful for especially since Japanese cooking sometimes involves specific food preparation techniques that are easier explained in pictures.

Mini Taro Nests with Cumin and Sesame

Crunchy taro fritters spiced with cumin, chilli and sesame

I bought a piece of taro last week and couldn't decide what to do with it. It was a toss up between yam rice and bubur cha cha. Then, I had a sudden thought about these "yam muruku" which my sister and I used to eat when we visited relatives in Ipoh, Malaysia. We called them that because they tasted like muruku, just that they were made with finely shredded yam. Everytime we went to Ipoh during Chinese New Year, we would always look forward to eating these crunchy spicy snacks. We would usually have a tin of it to bring home, which we would then ration carefully over a few days. They were really addictive, although not the healthiest of snacks.

Vegetable Medallions

Medallions of potato, broccoli and cheese

I was inspired to make some Vegetable Medallions after having tried some at Ikea yesterday, where they served it with stuffed salmon. At first, it looked a little dodgy, but after the first bite, I just couldn't stop eating those medallions that tasted so light and buttery, with bits of potato and broccoli in them.

Bubur Cha Cha

Here's one of my favourite Malaysian desserts called Bubur Cha Cha. It is a combination of yam/taro and sweet potatoes in a rich and milky pandan-infused coconut "soup". Sometimes it contains sago or tapioca balls/pearls. The one I've prepared is the basic version where I've used kumara (orange sweet potatoes) and purple yam (as I couldn't find the normal white/grey one).

Jjajangmyun (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)

Jjajangmyun is the Korean version of its Chinese counterpart, "Zha Jiang Mian". The thick black sauce is made from black bean paste, with diced pork, potatoes and radish, and is served with springy-textured wheat noodles. The Chinese version is usually a lighter brown colour, made with soy bean paste and contains ground pork, and does not have the starchy consistency of Jjajangmyun.

If I had to eat instant noodles, I would usually cook the instant Jjajangmyun as I enjoy the chewy noodles coated in the sweet and salty black bean sauce, with bits of potato and radish cubes. I hate to admit it, but little J loves it too, and he would happily slurp up the noodles and end up with black sauce smeared all around his mouth. Well, he is a very picky eater, so I'm relatively happy that at least he enjoys eating this.

I decided that it was about time I made these noodles from scratch if I was going to be feeding it to little J so often. So, I bought a jar of black bean paste from the Korean supermarket (with a picture of Jjajangmyun on it so I know I had the right stuff), and found a great recipe on Maangchi.com. It's really easy to make, and doesn't really use many ingredients. The only thing is that the diced pork needs to be slowly fried until browned and crisp, and most of the fat rendered out.

Well, these noodles are super delicious and has to be served hot, immediately! I still have leftovers from yesterday and will be sharing some with little J for lunch later! Yum yum!

Bacon, Mac and Crunchy Potato Bake

Going Greek with Moussaka

This is my first attempt at making Moussaka, which is like lasagna but uses lamb mince, potatoes and eggplant. I couldn't resist trying it out after seeing it on Masterchef, and it's really good! I'm salivating just thinking about it now. Click here for the recipe. You can substitute the keflagraviera cheese with parmesan instead.



Purple Sweet Potato Bread

Soft and spongy buns made with purple sweet potatoes

I've made pizza and naan before, but never plain bread or buns. I had bought a piece of purple sweet potato over the weekend (it's actually labelled as "white sweet potato" because the skin is white, but when you cut through it, it's purple inside), with the intention of making a chiffon cake with it. But then I came across a recipe for Japanese sweet potato bread in one of my cookbooks and was taken in by the picture of the lovely soft-looking buns. Moreover, I had an unused packet of bread flour that had been sitting on the top-most shelf of my larder for the past one year, which fortunately had not exceeded its shelf-life yet. So I thought why not try making bread this time, since my mum tells me all the time that making bread is easy!


Sprinkled the tops with black sesame seeds and rainbow sprinkles (for the kids)


The reason why I never got around to baking bread is because it seems like a long process of kneading, waiting for the dough to rise, kneading again, proving the dough.... I only have a tiny window of opportunity while little J is taking his nap to do any cooking or baking. Moreover, I find the process of making bread a little daunting when I watch TV chefs like Jamie Oliver casually slapping a kilo of dough on the counter, flour everywhere, kneading it with his big strong hands and arms - something I'm lacking terribly in. Of course, I could always use the electric mixer to do the work, which was what I did today. It wasn't as bad as I thought, and making bread is actually easier than baking cakes (okay, just based on this first experience) especially since everything just goes into one bowl, compared to cake-making which involves many steps of sifting flour, separating eggs, creaming butter, cutting out greaseproof paper to the exact size, etc. The only thing is that I baked enough bread to last the next few days, and I still have a pack of hot cross buns and white sandwich bread in the pantry. I might have to consider freezing some of these breads, otherwise I'll have bread coming out of my ears!

The purple sweet potatoes give the buns a natural lavender-like hue

I must say it is rather gratifying to watch the dough rise and double in size because you know that you're doing something right! The sweet potatoes that I used weren't exactly very sweet. They were mild in flavour, and I guess they were there more for colour and texture than anything else. I would have preferred the bread to be sweeter though, but it still tasted great with butter sandwiched in between. The recipe uses an overnight sponge dough (which I made last night), resulting in a soft and sponge-like texture. The kids enjoyed eating it (with lashings of butter), but of course, how can they pass up on anything with colourful sprinkles on it? :)

Here is the recipe, adapted from Alex Goh:

Japanese Sweet Potato Bread

INGREDIENTS A

300g bread flour

35g sugar  (or a little more if the potatoes are not very sweet)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

INGREDIENTS B

60g overnight sponge dough (see below for recipe)

INGREDIENTS C

145ml cold water

30g egg (roughly 3/4 of a large egg)

INGREDIENTS D

120g sweet potatoes, cubed, steamed and finely mashed with fork

30g butter, cubed

Eggwash

1 egg, beaten

Sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method

1. Mix ingredients A until well-blended. Add in ingredients B and ingredients C, knead to form a dough.

2. Add in ingredients D, continue to knead to form a smooth and elastic dough.

3. Mould the dough round, place it in a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling wrap. Place in a warm place to allow it to proof for 45 min.

4. Punch the dough down (to release excess carbon dioxide from the yeast) and knead briefly. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and mould it round by tucking it in at the bottom. Place 4 pieces into a greased loaf tin or round 20cm cake tin. Place the rest of the pieces in another tin. Space the pieces about 2 inches apart to allow room to rise.

5. Let it proof for 50-60 min or until its size doubles. Brush with eggwash and sprinkle over with sesame seeds.

6. Preheat oven to 180C and bake for 25 minutes. Remove and turn the loaves onto a wire rack to cool.

Overnight Sponge Dough

Ingredients
100g bread flour
60ml water at room temperature)
1/4 tsp instant yeast

Method

Mix the instant yeast with 20ml water until dissolved. Add in the rest of the ingredients and knead to form a dough. Let it proof for 30 minutes. Cover with clingwrap and keep in the fridge overnight or up to 48 hours.

These are actually called white sweet potatoes, white outside but purple on the inside

Grilled Lamb Steak with Honey Dijon Balsamic Glaze

Grilled rosemary lamb steaks with a sweet honey and dijon balsamic glaze,
served on a bed of sweet potato puree and a side of baby peas

It has been a while since I last cooked lamb. Although it is one of my favourite meats to eat, it's not one of my favourites to cook, particularly if I have to grill them in the pan.Whenever I decide to make lamb cutlets or steaks for dinner, I have to prepare myself for the intensive clean-up after that. Because the lamb has a substantial amount of fat (one of the reasons they taste so darn good however you cook it), when you sear or fry it in the pan/skillet, oil tends to spit and splatter in every direction. I usually take a good handful of old newspapers and spread them out over the floor and countertop. And then, I'd don my trusty apron (which would have been more effective if they came with long sleeves), stand about a metre away from the stove and extend my arms as far as I could, holding the longest pair of tongs I could find to turn those steaks. These steaks are really good, but the experience could have been better if my clothes and hair didn't smell like my dinner. Not only that, but for the next few hours up until the next morning, the kitchen and rest of the house would smell of grilled lamb.

That said, the lamb was delicious served with sweet potato puree and baby peas (which was all I had at the time). I used the reserved marinade and cooked it down with a little water and sugar to make a glaze to pour over the steaks. This was after weeks of watching My Kitchen Rules and one of the judges, Manu Feidel, kept harping on the need for some sort of sauce in the dishes to bring everything together. Well, I guess the French really love their sauces. But I must say the steaks do taste fantastic with the glaze. If not for the glaze, I would have had the lamb with some mint sauce instead.

Alright now, enough ranting, here is the recipe:


Grilled Lamb Steak with Honey Dijon Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

500g lamb cutlets or rump steaks

Marinade:
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp honey
Salt and black pepper

Method

Combine the lamb with the marinade and leave in fridge for 3-4 hours.
Heat a grill pan/skillet and fry the lamb on medium-high heat, turning once or twice after about 4 minutes on each side until caramelized and done to your liking. Remove and set the meat aside to rest for 8-10 minutes before serving.

To make the glaze, place the remainder marinade in the pan with 1/4 cup water and 1/2 tsp sugar (or to taste). Bring to a boil and reduce to a thick glaze. Taste for seasoning. Pour glaze over the lamb steaks and serve with your favourite sides.

To make the sweet potato mash, peel and cut potatoes into large chunks. Place in a pot of water with a little salt and bring to a boil, uncovered. When potatoes are tender and soft, trasnfer to a bowl and mash/puree finely. Add some butter and a little hot milk and mix through until soft and creamy. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Purple Yam Talam (Sweet Coconut Rice Cake)

Beautful purple tinge from the yam

I had some frozen purple yam in the freezer and I had already used one for making yam chiffon a few weeks ago. Not wanting to attempt that again so soon (still getting over it), I decided to make yam talam instead. I found a recipe by Amy Beh and gave it a go. At first, I was a little hesitant about the ingredients used for the top white layer as it called for tapioca starch, which is not used in the usual pandan kuih talam recipe. Good thing I decided to stick to the recipe, because although the top layer was slightly chewy as a result of the tapioca starch, it was a wonderful contrast against the texture of the bottom layer, which predominantly comprised of mashed yam, rice flour and coconut milk. And I love the saltiness of the top coconut layer which balances nicely against the mellow sweetness of the yam. Kuih talam is always so addictive, and I think it's the salty coconut layer that makes it so! Not good for the waistline and heart, but a little bit (or a little more once in a long while) wouldn't hurt! :)



The top coconut layer is chewy and springy, which contrasts well against the bottom layer
made from mashed yam, rice flour and coconut milk



All mashed up - Love the vibrant purple hue of the yam

Kuih Keria (Sweet Potato Donuts)

Deep-fried sweet potato rings encrusted with crystallized sugar

These doughnuts (or potato-nuts?) are a common breakfast or teatime snack in Malaysia. Made from sweet potatoes, they are slightly chewy with a crunchy sugary crust and are best eaten on the same day. Eating these brought back memories of how my mum used to buy them (along with epok-epok and other "kuih") for breakfast and I would slowly nibble around the doughnut, crunching on the flaky layers of crystalized sugar that coats the deep-fried sweet potato rings.

The recipe for making these is pretty standard, and it's super easy to make. Here's what I used:

Kuih Keria (Sweet Potato Donuts)

Ingredients:

600g yellow sweet potatoes
100g plain flour
Pinch of salt

Sugar coating:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Method:

1. Steam or boil potatoes until soft, then mash them finely with a fork. Combine with flour and salt and lightly knead until it comes together.
2. Wet hands and pinch off some dough, pat it to flatten slightly, then push a finger through to make a hole in the centre. Spin it around your finger to form a ring. Place on a floured surface and continue with the rest of the dough.
3. Heat up oil in a wok and deep-fry the rings until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
4. Sugar coating: Place sugar and water in a wok and bring to boil until it reduces to a thick clear syrup. Lower the heat and toss the doughnuts in the syrup, stirring until the sugar is dry and forms a white coating on the doughnuts. Transfer doughnuts to a plate and serve warm.

Piped these out using a star nozzle and dusted them with icing sugar



Here's one coated with sugar and black sesame





Deep-fried sweet potato balls filled with pineapple jam and rolled in black sesame