Buttermilk Cereal Chicken

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Some of you might notice that I have being "working hard" on my experiments(more recipes HERE) with the Happy Call Pressure Pan(HCP). By the look of the photo above, could you believe those golden and crispy drumlets are NEITHER deep-fried or oven baked!

Yes, for your information these yummy Buttermilk Cereal Chicken is done using HCP without deep-frying or bake. With just minimum amount of oil to grease the pan, you would be able to prepare more healthy and delicious food for the family. In this post, I would be sharing the recipe for this Buttermilk Cereal Chicken using HCP and Oven.

Above shows the comparison of Buttermilk Cereal Chicken done using Happy Call Pressure Pan (HCP) via  Oven Toaster base on the recipes shown below.

BUTTERMILK CEREAL CHICKEN

(Using Happy Call Pan Method)

Look at these golden drumlets with yummy cornflakes coating, isn't it make you crave for some upon looking at it now? These super easy finger food would be something worth trying during weekend if you have some "stock-up" cornflakes in the pantry. And I assure you this definitely taste better than those deep-fried chicken from those fastfood restaurants.

(serves: 2-3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
6 Chicken Drumlets
1.5 Cups Cornflakes
1 Teaspoons Ground Paprika
1 Teaspoons Grated Lemon Rind
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Cup Plain Flour
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Some Salad Greens, to serve

Method:-

1. Using your hands gently crush cornflakes into crumbs, add in paprika, lemon rinds, pepper, salt and stir until well combined.

2. Place flour and buttermilk in separate shallow dishes. Coat chicken drumlets one at a time with flour, shaking off excess before dipping in buttermilk.

4. While the drumlets are still moist (this will enable the cornflake crumbs to cling), coat it one at time in cornflakes mixture, pressing on with fingertips to secure the crumbs.

5. Place drumlets on preheated HCP (light brush the pan with cooking oil and preheat on low heat for 30 seconds) with pan lock and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes before flipping the pan over for another 5 minutes.

6. Rotate the pan a few times (cook about 20 minutes) or until golden and cooked through (leave the pan unlock for the last 5 minutes to achieve crispy outer skin). Serve with some salad greens.

Tip:-

- If you have time, marinate the chicken with some extra Ground Paprika(1 teaspoon), lemon rind and 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice for about 30 minutes.

~ You can cut a slit on the drumlets to enable the meat to cook faster.

BUTTERMILK CEREAL CHICKEN

(Oven Baked Method)

For those who don't own a Happy Call Pressure Pan, you could also try out this recipe using either Oven Toaster or normal Oven and the end-result is equally good. Just for a note, the outer skin of the chicken will remain crispy for an hour or so if use Oven baked compare to HCP which need to be consume as soon as possible.

(serves: 2-3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
6 Chicken Mid-joint
1.5 Cups Cornflakes
1 Teaspoons Ground Paprika
1 Teaspoons Grated Lemon Rind
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Cup Plain Flour
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Some Salad Greens, to serve

Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

2. Using your hands gently crush cornflakes into crumbs, add in paprika, lemon rinds, pepper, salt and stir until well combined. Set aside.

3. Place flour and buttermilk in separate shallow dishes. Coat mid-joints one at a time with flour, shaking off excess before dipping in buttermilk.

4. While the mid-joints are still moist (this will enable the cornflake crumbs to cling), coat it one at time in cornflakes mixture, pressing on with fingertips to secure the crumbs.

5. Place mid-joint prepared tray and lightly spray/brush with cooking oil.

6. Roast for 30 minutes(turning twice) or until golden and cooked through. Serve with some salad greens.

My family loves this crispy buttermilk chicken which is so flavorsome with it's tasty, tender and juicy meat together with the crispy and hint of spiciness on the outer skin. This is sure a good finger food to be serve during parties which goes well with sparking wine or beer.

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Caramel Popcorn

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Popcorn or popping corn is corn (maize) which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. There are many techniques for popping corn from either normal kitchen pan/pot, microwave to large scale popcorn machines. Usually Popcorn is eaten in movie theatres that served in choices such as salted or sweetened. But now instead of having it only in the cinema, we could also easily make them at home or purchase in major supermarkets.

About a year ago "Garrett Popcorn" which is a chain of popcorn outlets open it's first outlet in Resort World Sentosa and now they have many other outlets located in Singapore too. (detail HERE). I love their Caramel Flavour with Macadamia Nuts where I could enjoy my favourite nuts and popcorn coated with delicious caramel.

CARAMEL POPCORN

My boy prefers popcorn which is sweeten like those sold in the "cinema" compared to those available in the commercial shops (either nuts, chocolate,  cheese, colouring and etc). And since it is pretty easier to make "popcorn" at home using minimum ingredients and a cooking pot (or home type popcorn machine), we always "pop" some whenever we crave for them.

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Corn Kernel

Caramel Sauce:
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Golden Syrup
3/4 Cup Caster Sugar
100g Butter Chopped

Method:-

1. Line a big baking tray with baking papers, allowing 2cm overhang at long ends.

2. Heat oil in HCP(or any cooking pan) over medium heat. Add 2 - 3 corn kernels to test the heat. (Oil is hot enough when corn turns slowly in a circle)

3. Add remaining corn, cover and lock the pan(if using HCP). Shake pan gently when corn starts popping.

4. Remove from heat when corn stops popping. Transfer to a bowl and discard un-popped corn.

5. To make Caramel Sauce:- Clean the pan using kitchen paper towel after removing the popcorn. Place honey, golden syrup, sugar and butter in the pan. Stir and cook over very low heat for about 6 minutes or until sugar dissolved.

6. Next bring the mixture to boil without stirring for another 5 minutes or until light golden.

7. Work quickly, pour mixture over popcorn and stir to combine. Rest caramel popcorn in prepared lined baking tray to cool completely.

8. Break into pieces and served or stored in air-tight containers.

Although this recipe is done using Happy Call Pan (HCP) but you still can apply the same method using any heavy duty pan/pot to achieve the similar results. Have a lovely weekend everyone!!! Cheers!

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Stir-fry Fu Gui Cai and Stuffed Mushrooms with Black Moss, Glutinous Rice Wine Chicken

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Time flies, today is the 3rd day of Chinese Lunar New Year and I am sure most of you have being busying with the house to house visiting plus feasting on the delicious New Year goodies and food. Even though nowadays we could easily ordered or enjoy a hassle free reunion dinner in restaurants but I believe there are still many housewives, mothers, grandparents and etc busying with the preparation of their signature dishes for reunion dinner.

I remember when I was a kid, I always look forward to Chinese New Year to feast on those "special" dishes that my dad would only cook during New Year. And although I am not a very good cook like my dad, every Chinese New Year I would still try to cook up one or two of my self concoct dishes for my family.

STIR-FRY FU GUI CAI AND STUFFED MUSHROOM WITH BLACK MOSS
富贵花开

For this year reunion dinner, I have prepared this quick and easy stuffed mushrooms with minced meat and black moss dish to serve together the auspicious greens known as Fu Gui Cai(富贵菜). To make it more colourful and appetising, I have also added gingko nuts and wolfberries to enhance the presentation.

I would be submitting this Stir-fry Fu Gui Cai and Stuffed Mushrooms with Black Moss dish to this month Aspiring Baker #15 - Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012) that is hosted by Wen of Wen's Delight.

(serves: 3-4 | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
6 - 8 Dried Medium Chinese Mushrooms, soaked in hot water till soften
150g Minced Meat
10g Black Moss(发菜), pre-soaked in water
10 Gingko Nuts
1 Floret of Fu Gui Cai(富贵菜)
Some Wolfberries
1 Red Chilli, sliced
3 Slices Ginger
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine
1 Teaspoon Cornflour + 1 Tablespoon Water, mixed well

Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 Teaspoon Cornflour
1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Cooking Wine
Dash of Pepper

Sauce:
100ml Water
3 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sugar

Method:-

1. Mix minced meat, black moss and seasonings together and set aside to marinate for at least 10 minutes if time permit.

2. Stuff about 1 tablespoon of the minced meat mixture into the pre-soaked mushrooms.

3. Preheat Happy Call pan with about 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the stuffed mushrooms for about 1 minutes each side or until cooked. (HCP close but don't lock) Remove and set aside.

4. Add in another 1 tablespoon of oil to saute ginger and garlic till fragrant before adding in the Fu Gui Cai (remove the leaves from the floret, reserved 1/4 of the last portion to act as flower), chilli and gingko nuts. Close the pan and let it cook for another 1 minute before giving it a quick stir and close the pan for another 30 seconds.

5. Next add in the cooked stuffed mushrooms together with the sauce mixture and give the mixture a quick sit-fry and simmer on low heat for another 30 seconds before removing the vegetables.(arrange the vegetables in the middle of the plate)

6. Lastly with the mushrooms and gingko nuts still remains in the pan, add in corn star mixture and cooking wine and wolfberries, mix well with all the ingredients.

7. Remove and arrange mushrooms on serving plate around the fu gui cai. You can also decorate the mushroom with the wolfberries shown above.

Note:-

~ If you prefer you could replaced the dried mushroom with fresh shiitake mushrooms.

~ Pick up other greens such as broccoli, xiao ba cai or etc according to your preference if fu gui cai is not available.

~ For more varieties you could also add in fish or prawn paste to the minced meat mixture.

GLUTINOUS RICE WINE CHICKEN
黄酒鸡

This Glutinous Rice Wine Chicken(黄酒鸡) is one of the traditional Hakka dish eaten during confinement or Chinese New Year. To cook this dish usually they would buy kampong chicken instead of the normal chicken and simmer it together with their homemade Glutinous Rice Wine. According to the Hakka this dish is good to replenish lack of blood due to fatigue, malnutrition, cold chills, irregular menstruation, anemia, postpartum weakness and etc.

(serves: 2-3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
1/2 Chicken(about 600g), cut into bite sizes
1 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil
6 Slices of Ginger, cut into thin strips
200ml - 250ml of Glutinous Rice Wine
6 Red Dates, cut into thick slices
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Marinade:
1 Teaspoon Cornflour
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Light Soy sauce
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine

Method:-

1. Marinate the chicken with cornflour, sesame oil, light soya sauce and cooking wine for at least 10 minutes.

2. Preheat Happy Call Pan on low heat with sesame oil and saute gingers till fragrance(close but don't lock).

3. Add in marinated chicken and cook on low heat for 1 minute (closed and locked), flip the pan over and cook for another 1 minute.

4. Next flip the pan back, add in rice wine and red dates, locked the pan and simmer over low heat for about 8 - 10 minutes till the chicken is tender and cooked through.

5. Lastly add in salt to taste and serve hot.

Emmm perhaps you could also share with us which is your favourite Chinese New Year dish too :)

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Sweet and Savoury Longevity Noodles ~ 长寿面

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3 More days to Chinese Lunar New Year and everyone is busying with some last minutes shopping on clothing or groceries. Here in order to usher in wealth and good luck for the year of the dragon, I have prepared two auspicious "Longevity" noodles recipes to share with you.

And with these two noodle dishes I wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year that comes with many folds of blessing, health and wealth.

SWEET LONGEVITY NOODLES

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Longevity Noodles(长寿面) is often eaten during Birthday or festive season such as Chinese New Year. And it is eaten to symbolise longevity together with a pair of hard-boiled eggs which representing fertility or life. There are many ways on preparing longevity noodles based on individual dialect groups and culture. Some might also use "Mee Suah/Mian Xian" ( 面线), Ee-Fu(伊面) noodles together with meat and etc to cook a sweet or savoury version.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients: 
Half Packet (150g) of Handmade Red Noodle
4 Eggs
1 Knot of Pandan Leave
3 Slices of Ginger
Red/Brown Sugar to Taste

Method:-

1. To make hard-boiled eggs, bring fresh eggs and water to boil then simmer over medium low heat for about 8 - 10 minutes depending on your preference.

2. Using another pot, bring 1.2 litres of water to boil, add in ginger slices and pandan leave then let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

3. Meantime spread out the handmade red noodles and put it in boiling water for 1 minutes, stir occasionally. When soften, remove, rinse with water and drained well and divide into serving bowls.

4 Next add in shelled hard-boiled eggs and sugar to sweeten the soup(you can add in slightly more sugar as the noodles would balance the taste when added).

5. Lastly ladle the soup and eggs over the noodles and served immediately.

This quick and simple "Sweet Longevity Noodles" is something that my dad would prepared for me and my brother's Birthday during our childhood time. We have not eaten this for so long ever since we grown up and my dad passed away.

But today, suddenly I have this urge to replicate this dish which bought back many of my childhood memories. I guess nowadays the younger generation would find it hard to appreciate this traditional dish which might one day become extinct.

BRAISED EE FU NOODLES
(Cantonese-style Longevity Noodles)

Ee-Fu/Yi Mein(伊面) is one of the flat Cantonese egg noodles that is made from wheat flour and I am sure most of you are familiar with this noodle dish as it is a very common noodle dish served in most Chinese restaurant during special occasions such as wedding or birthday dinners. So in a way, this Cantonese-style noodle is also known as "Longevity" noodles too.

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Packet Dried Hong Kong Ee-Fu Noodles, about 350g
250ml Chicken Stock
4 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
4 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
2 Teaspoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
100g Small Dried Chinese Mushrooms, soaked till soften
200g Bean Sprouts, root removed
1 Bundle Yellow Chives, cut into sections
Splash of Cooking Wine(Hua Tiao Wine)
Dash of Pepper

Method:-

1. Bring a big pot of water to the boil and cook the noodles for about 5 minutes or until softened. Drained and set aside.

2. In a wok/frying pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and saute the mushrooms(squeeze dry) over low heat for about 3 minutes till fragrance.

3. Next add in the mixture of chicken stock, oyster sauce, sugar and dark soy sauce into the mushrooms and bring the mixture to boil.

4. Tip in the noodles and toss to coat with the sauce before tossing in the bean sprouts and yellow chives.

5. Give the mixture a good stir and if it dries up, add in another 50ml of chicken stock/hot water and simmer over low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated (about 5 minutes).

6. Lastly adjust the seasoning to taste, add in splash of cooking wine and pepper, serve immediately.

Note:-

~ You can replace dried Chinese mushrooms with fresh shiitake mushrooms.

~ Replace Abalone/Scallop Sauce with Oyster Sauce for better taste.

Lastly I am submitting this Braised Ee Fu Noodles dish to this month Aspiring Baker #15 - Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012) that is hosted by Wen of Wen's Delight.

For more Chinese New Year recipes do hope over to my previous post HERE.

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Magic Of BOSCH MCM4100 Food Processor - Part I

I love to experiment with new Kitchen Gadget and this set of "lemon" pastry plus juice is whipped up using my new toy - BOSCH MCM4100 Food Processor(more detail of this product HERE). This food processor comes with multiple functions such as; juice blender, meat grinder, dough maker, making meringue, sorbet, mayonnaise and etc.

In this post I would be sharing 2 recipes using this food processor such as ABC Detox Juice and Lemon Berry Tarts. And as for part 2 post, I would be sharing a recipe on Baked Lemon Cheesecake.

ABC DETOX JUICE

This is an interesting and healthy juice that is introduce to me by my mum's friend. As you know it gets it name ABC from Apple, Beetroot and Carrot. From the email circulations and myths this juice can actually helps to prevent cancer cells to develop or restrain cancer cells to grow. Other than that it can also prevent liver, kidney, pancreas disease and it can cure ulcer, strengthen the immune system, good for eyesight, eliminate red and tired eyes and etc.

For you information this juice is best to consume first thing in the morning with empty stomach(best prefer an hour before breakfast) or in the evening before 5pm. And during the first 3 days when you consume this juice, you would also notice that the urine colour is slightly pinky(so do not be alarm) and there might be track of beetroot red colour in the bowel too.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 Green Apples, skin remove and cubes
2 Medium Beetroots, skin remove and cubes
1 Medium Carrot, skin remove and cubes
Splash of Lime/Lemon Juice, optional

Method:-

1. To blend the juice, place the apple cubes in the blender, fix it on the BOSCH machine, lid lock and blend on "1" for about 30 seconds till  done. (as you can see from the photo above, I have added all the cut fruits into the blender which might be difficult for it to blend due to the huge amount so I would suggest you add one type of fruits at a time for easy process)

2. Next remove the lid and add in half of the beetroots cubes and continue to blend for another minute or so, then add in the balance half of the beetroot.

3. Lastly add in the carrot and continue to blend till the mixture is smooth.

4. You can either sieve the juice mixture or you can drink it as it is.

Note:-

As the texture of beetroot and carrot are slightly harder compared to fruits like melon and papaya it tends to take longer time to blend in smaller batches.

LEMON BERRY TART

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I love Tarts that are either sweet(egg tarts) or savory(mushroom tarts), but most importantly it must have that tasty buttery crust.  But as you notice, I seldom made tarts because I am not good in handling pastry and I find it quite a hassle to make and rest the dough which is time consuming.

But things change when I have this BOSCH MCM4100 food processor. It is always my dream to own a food processor because it seems to be so handy when handle pastry or grinding meat for meatball or patty. Below shows one of the recipes that I tried using this multi function food processor to create some delicious Lemon Berry Tarts for afternoon tea.

(Make: 12 Medium Tarts/8" Tart | Preparation: 30 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
225g (1 1/2 cups) Plain Flour
90g (1/2 cup) Icing Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
125g Unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 Large Egg Yolk
Some Mixture of Blueberry and Raspberry

Method:-

1. To make the pastry, process the flour, icing sugar and butter in the BOSCH M4M 4100 food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Add the egg yolk thru the lid funnel(refill opening, refer to the photo above) and process until mixture just comes together.

3. Remove dough from bowl and gently knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Shape into a rectangle using 2 sheets of baking paper, place into plastic bag and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

LEMON FILLING:
3 Large Eggs, lightly whisked
150ml Pouring Cream
80g Caster Sugar
2 Teaspoons Finely Grated Lemon Rind
90ml Lemon Juice

4. To make individual tarts, divide dough into equal portions. Roll a portion on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm-thick disc.

5. Line tartlet tin with the pastry and trim edges to fix the tin. Repeat with remaining pastry and place prepared tins in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

6. Meanwhile, to make the lemon filling, whisk the eggs, cream, sugar, lemon rind and juice together in a large bowl till combined. Strain through the mixture and set aside while preparing the tartlet cases.

7. Preheat oven to 200°C and line the tartlet cases with baking paper and fill with dried rice/beans then place them on baking tray.

8. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, remove paper and weights then continue to bake for another 6 minutes or until pastry is light golden. Remove from oven. Reduce oven to 160°C.

9. Carefully fill each pastry cases with the lemon mixture till 3/4 full, drop in a some berries and bake for 15-20 minutes or until custard is almost set.

10. Remove from oven. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool to room temperature. To serve, dust with some icing sugar and extra berries.

These Lemon Berry Tart has a buttery crust and smooth lemon filling that are made with fresh lemon juice and zest together with some fresh berries that are in season too. When serve you could taste the nice crisp from the tart shell plus a hint of tangy taste from the lemon filling. Best this would be great with a cup of freshly brewed tea.

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Happy Call Pan Recipes - Baked Sweet Potato, Sizzling Tofu and Claypot Rice

It's Happy Call Pan(HCP) recipes again! As I have mentioned before this is an "IN" kitchen gadget which is it one of the hot discussion topic in forum and facebook. With it's quick and easy pressure cooking method, this pan has won the hearts of many people especially homemakers who aim to cook healthier dishes for the family.

In this post I would be sharing another 3 recipes using this HCP to Bake Sweet Potato, cook Sizzling Tofu and our favourite Claypot Rice(without using claypot).

BAKED SWEET POTATO

Who can resists these pipping hot yummy sweet potato especially in raining days. With the help of Happy Call pan you could easily baked a few of these for breakfast, snack or supper. And it taste just as good as those baked using charcoal whenever you had BBQ or those baked Taiwan golden sweet potato. So for a change, rather than steaming your favourite sweet potato, perhaps you could try using this easy HCP method.

(serves: 2 - 4 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 20 - 25 minutes)

Ingredients: 
4 - 6 Medium Japanese Sweet Potato

Method:-

1. Scrub and clean the dirt on the outer skin of  the sweet potato. Pat dry with kitchen paper towel and arrange it in the Happy Call Pan.

2. Cover, lock and cook over lower heat for about 20 minutes(depending on the size of the sweet potato, sometime you might need more than 20 minutes to cook it), flipping every 5 minutes to evenly cooked from both sides.

3. When times up, open the pan and test it with a skewer insert to check whether the sweet potato has cooked through(usually when cooked, the outer skin will be slightly char-grilled black in colour) and soften.

Some readers from Facebook do share with me that whenever they baked sweet potato using HCP it tends to have some black residue on the pan whereas I don't really encounter that. Perhaps that might due to the sugar content from the varies of sweet potato used which breaks out and stick to the pan when heated. In this case, one of my friend told me that we could actually line the pan with aluminum foil to facilitate the cleaning.

SIZZLING TOFU

This Sizzling Tofu is quite similar to the Hotplate Tofu(铁板豆腐) that we often ordered from those Cze Cha(煮炒摊) stalls. But my version was rather simple without the minced meat, prawns and sauce.

(serves: 2-3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Tube of Egg Tofu
2 - 3 Fresh Shittake Mushroom, cut into thick slices
1/2 Small Carrot, cut into slices
1 Pack Sweet Peas
2 Eggs, light beaten
2 Slices of Ginger
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon of Cornflour
Some chopped Spring Onion And Chilli

Seasoning:
1/2 Teaspoon Chicken Powder
Splash of Cooking Wine

Method:-

1. Cut the tofu into equal pieces(around 6 - 8 pieces), lightly coat them with cornflour and set aside.

2. Preheat HCP on low heat for 1 minute, drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil in the pan, arrange the prepared tofu on the pan, cover and lock.

3. Fry tofu for 2 minutes(flip after 1 minute) or till slight golden brown. Remove and set aside.

4. Next add in 1/2 tablespoon of oil, add in minced garlic, ginger, mushroom and carrot. Lock and cook on low heat for 1 minute, open and add in sweet peas together with 1/2 teaspoon of chicken powder and splash of cooking wine, give a quick stir and cook for another 1 minute.

5. Lastly, arrange the cooked tofu in the pan, slowly drizzle beaten egg around the ixture. Cover the pan and cook for 20 - 30 seconds depending on your preference. (the egg mixture will continue to cook due to the heat of the pan so do not overcook the egg)

6. Turn off the heat, remove the pan and serve hot with some extra spring onion, freshly ground black pepper and cut chilli scattered on top.

As you can see my sizzling tofu was rather simple as my boy don't prefer sauce and minced meat in his egg and tofu dish. But if you want something similar to those sold in the cze cha stall you could add in minced meat in Steps 4 above together with some oyster sauce and water(to create the sauce).

CLAYPOT RICE

This was a last minute dish using HCP as I meant to cook this using claypot until I realise it was gone from my kitchen cabinet(I must have thrown it away during spring cleaning). So with all the ingredients marinated and prepared, I have no choice but to find another method to prepare our lunch.

And thank God, I managed to replicate this dish using HCP(at first I still double whether could it be done) in less than 20 minutes. Below is the recipe for this claypot rice which is one of the Chinese New Year dish using Arrowhead(Cigu - 钱菇).

(serves: 2-3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients: 
2 De-boned Chicken Drumstick, cut into bite size
3 - 4 Arrowhead (Cigu), skin removed and cubed
4 Fresh Shittake Mushrooms,
2 Small Preserved Chinese Sausage, skin removed and cut into slices
Some Baby Bok Choy
2 Slices Ginger
3 Clove Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Chicken Powder
1 Cup Uncooked Rice, rinse
1 1/2 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Some Dark Soya Sauce

Method:-

1. Preheat HCP over low heat, add in 1 teaspoon of oil together with garlic and ginger and saute for 10 seconds before adding in the mushrooms. cover and cook for 1 minute.

2. Open the pan, add in baby bok choy together with chicken powder cover and cook for another 1 minute.

3. Open the pan give the vegetables a quick stir, and remove them onto a plate.

4. Add in the uncooked rice(which has been rinse a few times) together with water and arrowhead cubes, cover(lock) and simmer over low heat for about 3 - 5 minutes till the water almost adsorb.

5. Next arrange the marinated chicken, Chinese sausage and mushroom on top of the rice, cover(lock) and cook for another 5 minutes till the chicken is cooked through and done.

6. Lastly, turn off the heat, open the pan, arrange the bok choy on the side drizzle some sesame oil and dark soya sauce over the rice mixture. Cover and stands the rice for another 5 minutes before serving.

It amazing how HCP could actually produce a moist and yet a bit burnt effect texture(you could see from the photo above the button of the rice which is a bit on the burnt side) of rice just like those serve using Claypot. With this efficient pan, I could cook different kinds of claypot rice dishes in just minutes away before dinner.

Lastly I am submitting this Claypot Rice dish to this month Aspiring Baker #15 - Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012) that is hosted by Wen of Wen's Delight.

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