Yoghurt with Fruits

Nothing fancy nothing challenging. It's not really a recipe but more like an idea of putting common ingredients together and presenting (or attempting to present) it in an artful way. But this yoghurt pot, or yoghurt "flute" since I used a champagne flute, is healthy & delicious. This makes a lovely dessert or an easy breakfast. The idea is versatile and almost any type of fruit can be incorporated. Next time I may probably try bananas, plums and maybe kiwi to make a truly colourful pot.

My Ingredients:

• 1 ripe fig, chopped in 16 small pieces
• 8 blueberries
• 6 strawberries, each chopped into 4 quarters
• 8 raspberries, each chopped into 2 halves
• 6 heaped tsp of vanilla fat-free yoghurt (I used Onken)
• 1 heaped tsp of manuka honey

My Method: In a champagne flute, sprinkle the bottom with yoghurt & different fruits in the following order:

1. strawberries
2. 2 heaped tsp of yoghurt
3. blueberries
4. 2  heaped tsp of yoghurt
5. raspberries
6. 2  heaped tsp of yoghurt
7. fig
8. 1 heaped tsp of honey 

Sesame Oil Chicken with rice

Do you keep any "emergency meat" in the freezer? My favourite "emergency meat" is chicken, either wings or thighs. As you may or will notice, chicken is a very popular ingredient in my home, as a combined result of several factors:

1. I tend to cook a bit more so the leftovers can be frozen up for lunches on the following day or later. Beef or fish usually becomes too chewy but chicken just tastes as good after re-heat.
2. Hubby is not a big fan of pork. He eats it, sometimes, but only when it's exceptionally well cooked.
3. Chicken is cheaper and more affordable here in UK than pork and beef, especially those parts with bones such as wings or thighs.

I always try to keep a kilo or two of chicken in freezer. So when I am too busy to do grocery shopping or simply too lazy to do so (usually the latter case...), I can quickly de-froze some chicken, chuck it into a saucepan, or even better, a pressure cooker. It doesn't take much time nor effort -- probably just 20% of what I did for Coq au vin -- but it can make a easy peasey cozy homey dinner.

Recipe:

I read from about 6 or 7 recipes from Taiwanese blogs using traditional cooking method (slow cooking in a crock pot). Then I modified and tested to come up with this version using my pressure cooker.

My Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1kg of chicken (about 12-13 wings)
• A bit of gingers, sliced
• 3 clovers of garlic, diced
• 2 tbsp of sesame oil
• 600g or 4 cups of rice, uncooked
• 4 cups of water
• 1tbsp of Shaoxing wine (紹興酒) (optional)
• salt and soy sauce sauce
• Shiitake mushrooms or dried Chinese mushrooms (optional)

My Method: 

1. Marinate chicken with Shaoxing wine and a pinch of salt for 3 hours, or at least half an hour.
2. Mix rice in water in a small bowl. Put aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a large frying pan and sauté garlic and ginger until brown. Stir in half of the chicken wings over a medium-high heat for 4 minutes.
4. Stir-fry another half of the chicken for 4 minutes.
5. Put all ingredients into the pressure cooker, water and rice first, followed by chicken wings.
6. Cover and lock the pressure cooker. Make sure the pressure setting has been set to "2" (which has a higher cooking temperature at 116C). Cook over high heat until the green mark which indicates the right pressure has been reached.
7. Turn to medium heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait until the cooker de-pressurizes itself naturally. Season with soy sauce and sesame oil when served.

One-line Verdict:

For a very lazy night.

Verdict:

• This is a modified version of Sesame oil chicken with rice (麻油雞飯) which is a popular homey dish in Taiwan. To me, it tastes, especially when mushrooms are added, very much like "steamed chicken rice with mushrooms (北菇蒸雞飯)" served in Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong.
• I don't know it has any scientific grounds, but sesame oil chickens are believed to have an ability to nourish the body and keep people warm in cold winter. New mothers in Asia (e.g. Taiwan & Malaysia) are advised to have sesame oil chicken in their diet during the confinement month after childbirth (坐月子). Maybe the high energy content of oil and chickens help speed up blood circulation?
• 600g of rice is actually quite a lot -- usually a small bowl of rice served at home is just about 100-150g.
• This dish is a little bit too oily though. For a healthier version, sometimes I use chicken breast and reduce sesame oil to 1 tbsp.
• Approximate cost of the main ingredients: £3 (isn't it a real bargain? £3 for 4 servings!)

Hong Kong Style Borscht

Recipe:

My personal "Just wing it" recipes... (it's in fact my own version of HK-style Borscht adapted from about 8 different Borscht recipes)

My Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1kg of beef brisket
• 1 small or half large cabbage
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 celery stalks
• 3 small onions
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 2 heaped tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 dried bay leaf
• water, cooking oil, salt & white pepper

My Method: 

1. Wash and then chop vegetables into large chunks.
2. Parboil beef by placing it in pressure cooker and cover with cold water. Bring to boil over high heat. Continue to boil vigorously for 2 minutes to allow impurities to be released.
3. Dump water and rinse the beef with hot water in sink. Scrub the pressure cooker to remove any residue.
4. Add 1 tbsp of oil into the pressure cooker. Stir fry onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until browned. Add all other vegetables and the beef in.
5. Add 1.2 litre of water or until the water level reaches the Max1 (lower maximum) mark inside the pressure cooker. Add bay leaf and tomato paste.
6. Cover and lock the pressure cooker. Make sure the pressure setting has been set to "2" (which has a higher cooking temperature at 116C). Cook over high heat until the green mark which indicates the right pressure has been reached. (about 10 minutes).
7. Turn to medium heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait until the cooker de-pressurizes itself naturally (about 10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper before serving.

One-line Verdict:

A super quick and easy way to make a tasty soup in less than 45 minutes.

Verdict:

• Hong Kong style Borscht (港式羅宋湯) is my hubby's favourite so I make it almost every week. I am not an avid fan of soup nor tomato but I think this soup tastes pretty good. It makes a very healthy and refreshing supper when we are carbohydrate-overloaded on that day.
• I use a Fissler Vitavit Comfort Pressure Cooker (6L/22cm). From washing ingredients to serving, it takes about 45 minutes while the actual "over the heat" time is only about 20 minutes. Without a pressure cooker, the soup shall take about 2 hours to make.
• Brisket, with stronger and meatier flavour, indeed tastes better than ordinary casserole beef. However I don't think the difference can justify an extra £4!
• For extra carbohydrates, 2 medium potatoes,1 medium parsnip or 1 small swede can be added but they would make the soup a bit muddy.
• Approximate cost of the main ingredients: £9 (brisket) or £5 (casserole beef)

Hoisin sauce Chicken Drumsticks

Recipe:

My personal "Just wing it" recipes... (blush blush)

My Ingredients:

• 1kg, about 12 pieces of Chicken drumsticks
• 6 heaped tbsp of Hoisin Sauce (Lee Kum Kee, 李錦記)
• 2 tbsp of water
• Salt & Pepper

My Method: 

1. Marinate the chicken drumsticks with Hoisin sauce, water, salt and pepper. Leave them in fridge for at least 2.5 hours.
2. Pre-heat oven at 180C. Bake for 30 minutes. Rotating midway through baking.

One-line Verdict:

Good for a lazy evening.

Verdict:

• Another variation is: Bake for 15 minutes at 200C. Take the tray out and cover with foil. Return to oven to bake for another 15 minutes. It will result in a crispier exterior.
• Approximate cost of the main ingredients: £5 (serves 4)