Month: February 2016

Malaysia Boleh – Singapore

On my recent trip to Singapore, I was craving for some Cendol, and someone suggested this Malaysian restaurant, located on the 2nd floor of the Jurong Point shopping center. I thought it would be a sit-down order kind of place, but much to my surprise, one had to queue up and order from “hawker stalls”, like you would if you were in Malaysia – creative concept.

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I was overwhelmed by choices. Prawn noodle is one of my favorite dishes, so I decided to order one. It was decent, but hailing from Malaysia, there are better ones back home.

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Ahh … nothing like a bowl of cendol on a hot day. In terms of flavor, it wasn’t up to my standard.However, it did satisfy the cendol craving I had. What I did like about it was the shaved ice. It wasn’t coarse but felt like eating fluffy snowflakes.

Chinese glutinous rice dumplings (Tang yuan)

tang-yuan

The glutinous rice dumplings, also known as Tang Yuan, can be eaten at any time of the year. It is, however, more prominent during the Lantern Festival, which falls on the last day of Chinese New Year. It is basically glutinous rice balls (either with or without filling) served in sweet syrup. I like the ones without fillings. There are many variations to the syrup. In Malaysia, the syrup generally consists of water, palm sugar, and pandan leaf (screwpine leaves).

 

tang-yuan-cookedI have not made these dumplings before, so this was my first try. I found the recipe on rasamalaysia.

I currently work in China. Therefore, pandan leaves and palm sugar are not available here. So I made my syrup with ginger, brown sugar, and water.

 

 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Ginger Syrup

1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2-3 pandan leaves or screwpine leaves, tie into a knot
One 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and slightly pounded with a cleaver

Glutinous Rice Dumplings

2 cups glutinous rice (sticky rice) flour
7 oz water
Red and Yellow food coloring

Method:

To prepare syrup, boil the water in a pot. Add the screwpine leaves and ginger and bring it to boil on medium heat until you smell and ginger and pandan leaves aroma. Add sugar and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. Add more or reduce the sugar, to taste. Set aside.

In a big bowl, mix glutinous flour with water and knead with hands to form a dough. The dough is done when it doesn’t stick to your hands anymore.

Divide the dough into 3 portions, with the plain dough the biggest portion. Add 2-3 drops of each food coloring to make the pink and yellow dough.

Pinch the dough into small balls and roll them in between your palms into round balls. Set aside on a flat surface lined with paper or a slightly damp cloth.

Boil another pot of water, drop the dumplings into the boiling water. As soon as they float, transfer them into the syrup water. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Note:

Adjust the water level to the flour. Add more water if the dough is too dry. Add more flour if it’s too wet.

 

Original site: http://rasamalaysia.com/dongzhi-tang-yuan/2/

The Banana Leaf Apolo – Little India, Singapore

 

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I visited Little India when I was in Singapore 2 weeks ago. I didn’t explore the place, I was just there for Indian food. 🙂 . The restaurant I found through google search, which had relatively good reviews, was The Banana Leaf Apolo. I was skeptical at first to go in, but when I saw two foreigners enter, I followed along. I think this restaurant has two entrances. The entrance I found is in an alleyway.

I am a big fan of banana leaf. I ordered the banana leaf biryani rice set lunch. It came with 2 vegetables, chicken masala, chicken curry sauce, and papadum – It cost about 10 SGD. The food was decent, the restaurant was really clean, but the service was a little slow.I wouldn’t exactly recommend this place, as it is little India, I am sure there are better options.

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Breadcrumb chicken cutlets

 

PictureThere is nothing like bread crumb chicken cutlets – delicious and simple to make.

I found this recipe on the food network, and it is so good! The recipe asks to bake the chicken cutlets in the oven; I just kept mine on the skillet till it’s cooked – still amazing!
I also added an extra ingredient to the bread crumbs – grated Parmigiano, which gives it a slightly cheesy flavor.

 

Ingredients

10 slices white bread or 1 1/4 cups bread crumbs*
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
About 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
2 large eggs, beaten
4 boneless skinless chicken breast, each about 6 ounces
1/3 to 1/2 cup oil for shallow frying
Serving suggestion: Lemon wedges, thyme sprigs for garnish
*(Use a bread with low or no sugar content-otherwise, like sourdough or the coating will brown too quickly)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make breadcrumbs: Trim the crust off the bread and discard, tear bread into pieces. Spread the bread out on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute to dry out the bread. (Alternately, spread the bread out on a baking sheet and dry in a preheated 300 degree F oven for 22 to 25 minutes.) Pulse the dried bread or crumbs in a food processor with the thyme, lemon zest, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

Pound each breast to equal thickness with the flat side of a cook’s knife or the smooth side of a meat pounder. Put the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs each separately in 3 shallow dishes. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Dip each breast into the flour, then shake off the excess. Next, run the breast through the egg to coat it lightly and hold the chicken over the liquid to let any excess fall back into the bowl. Finally, lay the chicken in the breadcrumbs, turn it over and press it into the breading to coat. Lay on a piece of waxed paper.

Heat a large skillet (12 inches in diameter) over medium heat. Add the oil. Lay 2 chicken breasts smooth side down in the pan. Cook the chicken without turning until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook until equally brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining 2 breasts. Transfer chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Place all 4 breasts on a rack over a baking pan and bake until firm to the touch, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Link:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/breaded-chicken-cutlets-recipe.html?oc=linkback