Bubur Lambuk or Spiced Porridge/Congee (using Toshiba Rice Cooker)

This year the fasting month for Muslims began on 10 July.  As such, a month-long  Ramadan Bazaar can be seen in most of the places offering a variety of delicacies to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Those days, I really enjoyed going to Pasar Ramadan as we were be spoilt with a variety of mouth-watering delicacies, be it savoury dishes or sweet desserts.    Yesterday I went to Ramadan Bazaar near my place to pack some food for dinner.  I also bought a tub of bubur lambuk (spiced porridge/congee).  It's so expensive. Imagine a very small tub of this porridge was sold at RM5.  Instead of beef, they had shredded chicken in it and what I got was a miserable one or two shredded chicken!  Luckily the taste is quite good.   So what, I decided to cook my own bubur lambuk when I saw Wendy's Bubur Lambuk which she posted for KL Selangor Food Fest.  My recipe is basically based on Wendy's recipe with some minor changes.  Wendy, thanks for sharing your recipe!

This porridge is really superb and great!  I adjust the measurement accordingly and the flavour of the spices is just amazing!  I added extra coconut milk (santan) as I love santan.  It's very creamy and smooth.  However, my hubby doesn't like too much santan.  I'm sure there will be many more rounds of  Bubur Lambuk from me but will reduce the santan or omit it, just to please the man of the house!! hehehehehe...

Do give this a try.  It's packed with sweet aroma of spices.

Ingredients :
- 1.5 cups rice
- 1 bowl finely sliced chicken fillet (marinated with soy sauce and pepper)
- 1 medium red onion (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 4 lemongrass (slit and crushed)
- some pandan leaves (cut)
- 1 tbsp dried shrimp (rinsed and finely chopped)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp ghee or butter (I used ghee)
- 1 Tbsp oil

Spices :
- 2 inches cinnamon stick (kulit kayu manis)
- 1 tsp fenugreek (halba)
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (jintan manis)

- 1/2 tsp fennel powder (serbuk jintan manis)
- 1 star anise (bunga lawang)
- 5 cardamoms (buah pelaga)
- 4 cloves (bunga cengkih)
-1 tsp kurma spice (rempah kurma)

Garnish :
Sliced chinese celery
Sliced spring onions
Crispy shallots and garlic

Method :

1)  Wash rice and add water accordingly.  Tear pandan leaves into the rice cooker.
2)  Close and press the  'Congee' button.

3)  Meanwhile, heat oil and ghee in a wok.  Saute onions and garlic until fragrant.

4)  Then, add in spices and chicken meat.
5)  Stir fry until the chicken meat is blended with the spices and almost dry.
6)  Add in chopped dried shrimps.  Stir and mix well.
7)  Dish out and set aside.

8)  When there is a beep sound from the rice cooker, transfer the spiced chicken  into the rice cooker.
9)  Close and press 'Quick Cook/Steam' button.
10) When there is a beep sound, open the lid and remove the pandan leaves.

11)  Add in hot water as required.
12)  Season with salt.  Stir and close.
13)  Press the 'Quick Cook/Steam' button.
14)  Continue cooking and add in hot water if necessary.  Wait for the beep sound.

15)  Add santan.  Stir and mix well.  Close.
16)  Press 'Quick Cook/Steam' button .
17)  Let it keep 'Warm' for about 1 hour before serving.
18)  Serve hot.
19)  Garnish with Chinese celery, spring onions and crispy shallots & garlic.

Note :  The whole process takes about 2.5 to 3 hours depending on your method of cooking (either using slow cooker, rice cooker, pressure cooker or gas stove).  I am using brown rice.  So, if you are using white rice, the cooking time is faster than brown rice.

I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest Kuala Lumpur Selangor Month hosted by Shannon of Just As Delish.

To receive new updates, do LIKE me on FACEBOOK. Thanks! http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/6015563 Follow this blog with bloglovin Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me comments.. I really appreciate all your visits and comments! Have a nice day :)

Fragrant Mixed Spices Salmon

This is another one of my salmon recipes.  This time, I tried to mix spices to this pan-fried salmon.  Different from my usual Sweet Fragrant Rosemary Salmon, Pan-Fried Salmon with Fennel and Coriander Powder or Simple Pan-Fried Salmon with Dried Basil.  As usual, I used Happy Call Pan too.

Ingredients :

- 2 pcs of salmon fillet (marinated)

- 2 tbsp ginger juice (juiced it from the grated ginger)

- some curry leaves

- some finely chopped lemongrass

- a dash of curry powder

- 3 cardamon pods (buah pelaga)

- soy sauce

- butter (enough for pan fry)

Marinate : (to taste)

- 1 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass

- 1 tbsp grated ginger

- a dash of ground cumin (jintan putih)

- salt

Method :

1)  Marinate the fish for at least 1/2 hour. 

2)  Melt butter in a pan.  Saute some lemongrass, curry leaves and cardamon pods until fragrant.

3)  Add salmon fillets and close the lid (I used Happy Call Pan).  Pan fry until both sides are slightly brown.

4)  Sprinkle some curry powder on both sides.

5)  Turn off the heat.  Season with ginger juice and soy sauce on both sides

6)  Serve hot.

The aroma of ginger and lemongrass is really great!

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Alvin of Chef and Sommelier.

I'm also linking this post to September 2013 Cooking With Herbs Blog Challenge hosted by Lavender and Lovage.

To receive new updates, please LIKE SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY LIVING ON FACEBOOK. Thanks!!!
Follow this blog with bloglovin Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me comments.. I really appreciate all your visits and comments! Have a nice day :)

Ginger Lemongrass Tea

Haven't been feeling well for the past 2 weeks and at the same time I felt bloated on and off.  It's quite uncomfortable.  Then it crossed my mind that I should make Ginger Lemongrass Tea as this is a very popular natural home remedy for bloating and indigestion.  It is very easy to prepare and delicious too!

Ingredients : (adjust to your taste)
- 16 stalks of lemongrass (take the white stems, washed, slit and crushed)

- 3 thumbsized unpeeled old ginger (washed and crushed)

- some pandan leaves/screwpines (washed and knotted)

- some honeycomb sugar (to taste)

- some lemon juice

- enough water

Method :

1)  Boil all the ingredients (except the pandan leaves and lemon juice) in a pot of water for about 10 minutes.

2)  Then, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

3)  Add pandan leaves and continue simmer for another 10 minutes.

4)  Serve it with lemon juice.

Note :  For bloating or indigestion, it is advisable to drink it hot.

You can also chill it for a refreshing drink.  

This slice of lemon doesn't look nice because I only realized I need a slice of it for photography after I had squeezed the juice! And it was also the last lemon I had on that day, hehehe...

Do enjoy :)

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Alvin of Chef and Sommelier

I'm also linking this post to September 2013 Cooking With Herbs Blog Challenge hosted by Lavender and Lovage.

To receive new updates, please LIKE SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY LIVING ON FACEBOOK. Thanks!!!
Follow this blog with bloglovin
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me comments.. I really appreciate all your visits and comments! Have a nice day :)

Hot and Spicy Chicken

This is not the first time I cooked this dish.  However, this time instead of using dried chilies, I used  homemade chili paste.  Guess what?  My children like it and in fact it's better than using dried chilies.  Well, I am going to use chili paste whenever I cook this hot and spicy chicken again.  Besides, using homemade chili paste is also suitable for kids learning or can't take too spicy food.  This recipe is actually adapted from YumYum No. 55, page 15 with minor changes.  I added extra lemongrass as I love lemongrass and I used chili paste instead of dried chilies.

Ingredients :

- 1/2 chicken (cut into bite sized)

- 6 lemongrass (crushed)

- 2 tbsp homemade chili paste (click the link for the recipe)

- 1 big onion (cut)

- 1 tomato (cut)

- 6 cherry tomatoes (halved)

 - water 

Seasonings : (to taste)

- soy sauce

- salt

- sugar

Method :

1)  Heat up oil.  Saute onions, lemongrass and chili paste until fragrant.  Then, add tomatoes and chicken. Stir and mix well.

2)  Add seasonings and water.

3)  Cover and continue to cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is soft and the gravy is reduced to half.  The gravy is great.  So, if you like gravy, add more water.

4)  Dish up and serve.

You can adjust the spiciness according to your taste.

I am linking this to Cook Your Books #1 organised by Kitchen Flavours.

Follow this blog with bloglovin Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me comments.. I really appreciate all your visits and comments! Have a nice day :)

Easy Kapitan Chicken Curry

This is a very easy curry dish using instant paste.  To me, the curry paste is not too spicy and suitable for kids who are learning to take spicy food.  As I like my curry to be spicier, so this time I added some homemade chili paste to it and the spiciness is just right for my children too.  If you don't have time to pound all the spices yourself,  then try using instant curry paste.  This time, I used Seri Murni.  You can use any of your preferred brand.

Ingredients :

- 1/2 free range chicken (washed and cut into bite sized)

- 1 packet of instant Kapitan Curry Paste (any brand)

- 2 stalks lemongrass (washed and cut into your preferred length)

- 1 cup coconut milk (I used Ayam brand coconut milk)

- 3 tbsp Homemade Chili Paste (optional)

Seasonings : (to taste)

- salt

Method :

 1)  Heat up some cooking oil in a wok or pan.  Add kapitan curry paste, lemongrass and chili paste.  Stir fry over medium heat until aromatic.

2)  Then add chicken and continue stirring for about 10 minutes.

3)  Add water.  Stir and mix well.

4)  Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked over low heat.

5)  Lastly, add coconut milk, stir and mix well.

5)  Add salt to taste.  Serve hot with steamed rice or bread.

I am submitting this dish to the Little Thumbs Up event hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders,(http://everybodyeatswell.blogspot.be/2013/06/little-thumbs-up-its-curry-time.html) organized by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of my little favourite D.I.Y. 

I am also submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest, Penang Month hosted by Alan of Travelling Foodies

Follow this blog with bloglovin Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me comments.. I really appreciate all your visits and comments! Have a nice day :)