My collection of favourite recipes..tried and tested!
Nasi lemak. Roti canai. Chicken rice. These have got to be the top three Malaysian national dishes! And all are favourites in our family and when we’re at home in Malaysia all we have to do when we feel an urge for any of these, …
We had this at Kim and Michael’s when we visited them in Sittard during our trip to the Netherlands in April 2011. They had prepared a Tex-Mex lunch with a fantastic beef fajita and one of the sides was this really nice rice that Kim …
INGREDIENTS (For 6 persons in large – 41cm – paellera)
4 cups Egyptian calrose rice (600 gms)
1 chicken about 1 kg, cut into pieces
200gms large squids, sliced to 1cm thickness
600 gms clams
600 gms tiger prawns (about 30 prawns)
1 medium sole (optional)
8 roasted pimientos (preserved pimientos del piquillo) or 2 large roasted pimientos
1 large onion
8 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes
200 gms French beans
200 gms baby peas
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 sachet Paella seasoning
1 cup oil
3 tsp salt
1.3 litres water
DIRECTIONS
As per our paella recipe here.
I honestly don’t know exactly when this dish came into being. I have a feeling it was created by the “now” generation. I don’t remember that it existed when I was young. What I do remember is a very spicy nasi goreng (fried rice) which …
We all love Paella – which everybody says is the national dish of Spain! Well, its one of the national dishes in my household! It was one of the first dishes hubby taught me to make when we first got married. I soon recipised it and I think hubby has never cooked a paella in the house ever since! LOL
Its a lot of work and sometimes I break the task into 2 – preparations on the day before and cooking on the next day.
INGREDIENTS
300 gms (2 “rice cooker” cups) calrose rice, washed and drained
1/2 cup olive oil for frying
500 gms chicken pieces (600 gm chicken skin removed and cleaned)
150 gms squid, sliced 1cm thick
300 gms clams
300 gms tiger prawns (10 – 15 prawns)
100 gms french beans, cut into 3cm lengths
100 gms baby peas
1 large red / bell pepper (pimiento), roasted or 1 small can roasted pimientos
1 fresh tomato, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
650 ml hot water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 sachet paella seasoning, if available or a pinch of saffron
DIRECTIONS
Heat 1/2 of the olive oil in a paellera or heavy based frying pan and begin by frying the chicken pieces. When brown, drain and remove them into a dish.
Microwave the squid for 1 minute on high to remove the liquid if desired, then fry them in the olive oil until they brown slightly. Drain and remove. Next fry the prawns until they are pink and similarly, drain and remove. Lastly fry the clams until all the shells open.
Note: if you buy the clams a few days before, saute them in hot olive oil, them freeze them with their liquid. Take them out the day you are cooking and they’ll be just as good.
Add the balance of the olive oil to the pan. When hot, saute the chopped onions, garlic and tomato. Cut the roasted pimientos into strips. Add half of the pimientos to the pan and continue frying. When fragrant, add the beans and continue cooking till all the liquid dries up – about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato puree, mix well and fry till all the liquid is gone.
Add the salt to the hot water and mix well. Toss in the paella seasoning or the saffron, the rice. Mix well to coat the rice with the oil if desired then add the hot water.
Add the peas and all the fried ingredients except the prawns. Level the contents of the paellera, arrange the prawns on top and cover. Lower the heat to low and if desired, place a diffuser between the fire and the pan to diffuse the heat. Cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is done. It should still be “wet” with a bit of crust underneath.
Before serving, arrange the balance of the pimiento strips between the prawns. Serve hot with lemon slices.
From time to time, you “discover” a favourite dish and this is one of them. Hubby had told me about this dish which he cooked one day after chatting with a fellow Spanish friend at work, Carolina. It was her grandmother’s recipe. I instantly took …
Arroz con Leche, literally “rice with milk” is a typical dessert from Spain. It is said that it has Arabic origins because this dessert is also common in Arabian restaurants and homes. There are many ways of making it but this is how we make …
This classic beef dish was invented by a chef working for a Russian general, Count Pavel Stroganov, in the 1890s. Apparently, Count Stroganoff, was also not just a diplomat but also a scion of a wealthy family that owned vast tracts of land and salt refineries in the Urals and later led the conquest of Siberia. It was Count Stroganoff who popularized the family dish in the rest of Europe. The dish is basically tender strips of beef and mushrooms cooked in a sour cream sauce and served over noodles, rice, or even French fries.
When we were in St Petersburg in 2005, we ate the dish in a restaurant right opposite the home of Count Stroganoff!
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2
“Wine substitute” :
DIRECTIONS
Slice beef into strips of 1.5 cm wide by 5 cm long. Its not necessary to wash the meat if you buy it packed from the supermarket but if you prefer to do so, wash then squeeze away the water and place in colander while preparing the other ingredients.
Peel onion and cut into 2 lengthwise then slice 1/2 cm thick across. Drain mushrooms, rinse and slice lengthwise. Prepare the “white wine” substitute by mixing everything in a small bowl and put aside.
In a shallow pan, melt 3/4 of the butter over medium heat – careful not to let the butter overheat and burn. Add the sliced onions and allow it to gently soften, turning it around until it turns a golden brown.
Remove from pan, turn the heat up a bit and add a few pieces of meat at a time to brown them.
When the last portion of meat is brown, return all the meat to the pan, add the onions, the “wine substitute” and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, lower the heat and let it simmer, stirring occasionally.
While that is cooking, heat a smaller pan and melt the rest of the butter. When hot, add the sliced mushrooms and fry them well on medium heat until all the water is gone. (Careful – the mushrooms will jump about if its too hot!)
Add the cooked mushrooms to the meat and let it simmer on medium heat until the meat is tender. Test by cutting a piece and trying it out.
When the meat is cooked, stir in the sour cream and nutmeg, let it just heat through and remove from heat.
Serve hot.
