Indonesian Style Chicken Rendang

It didn't take me long to go back to posting Asian based recipes - bias much? But the heart does what the heart desires - or something like that! This is my take on Indonesia's Rendang curry - I have already expressed my undying love for Malaysian style Beef Rendang in a previous blog post, so this here is an extension of that pledge, that extends to the Indonesian version which is notably drier and has a few more spices.  Nevertheless, a truly spectacular dish in its own right, just bursting with flavour and spice that secures Rendang as my all time favourite curry, hands down. This version is extremely easy to cook up despite its long, scary list of ingredients, and it's practically a one pot, one blender type of dish - trust me it's all good!
Ingredients
10 x Chicken Drumsticks, equating to 1.5 kg of Chicken pieces if you wish
3 x Star Anise
1 x Onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves x Garlic
3cm piece x Ginger
3 x Dried Chillies, soaked in hot water (Add more if you like more spice)
2 stalks x Lemongrass, white part crushed
2 tbsp x Belachan, dry roasted
2 tbsp x Tamarind Concentrate
1 400ml can x Coconut Milk
2 tsp x Dark Soy Sauce
4 tbsp x Fish Sauce
1 tbsp x Coriander Powder
1 tbsp x Cumin Powder
1 tsp x Turmeric powder
2 tsp x Cinnamon powder
Large Pinch x Nutmeg powder
Pinch x Clove powder
1 tbsp x Sugar
1 cup x Dessicated Coconut, lightly dry roasted
4-5 x Lime leaves, cut finely for an optional garnish  
Directions
Place the chicken and star anise in a heavy pot 
Now place all other ingredients, except the dessicated coconut and lime leaves, into a blender and blitz to a smooth, even paste
Pour the paste over the chicken distributing it evenly in the pot
Allow to marinate for 2 hours so that the flavours develop
Place the pot on the stove and bring to the boil

Reduce heat and simmer covered for 45 mins
Remove lid and stir in the dessicated coconut, reserve a little for garnishing later

Increase heat and allow sauce to dry up gradually
Keep stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of pot to prevent catching
After 10 minutes remove the chicken to a serving dish and continue to dry up the sauce
Sauce is ready when it is a coarse, spreadable consistency
To serve, spread the sauce onto the chicken pieces and garnish with extra coconut
Finally garnish with the finely cut lime leaves if using

"It surprises me how delicious this dish is and even more surprising is how easy it is to prepare. It's biggest plus is the one pot cooking method - which is truly rare for me."

Portuguese Style Grilled Chicken...100th post

This post is a milestone for my blog as it is actually my 100th post. It has taken forever to get here as I have come to realize that food blogging is not an easy thing. It is soooooooo time consuming! And as if cooking didn't take long enough; taking top shot photos of the dish and then writing about it and actually publishing it means you really need to manage your time effectively.  Something that I have not been able to do too well considering I do have a life outside food!  Although this sounds like I'm talking about throwing in the towel on blogging - trust me, I ain't!  On the contrary, I take pride in my little piece of the web and after 100 posts and nearly 30,000 views, I can think of nothing better but to go on and fill cyberspace with more and more of the foodie gems of life that I have uncovered and wish to share with the world wide network.  So like or not I am here to stay!
To commemorate the 100th post I have chosen a real favourite dish of mine.  This is my version of Portuguese style chicken - yes the kind you get at that famous place that rhymes with "Dandos".   I have made this a number of times and it is a hit with all chilli lovers.  The secret is in the marinade - get your hands on a bottle of pickled peri peri chillies.  It's what seperates this dish from other regular grilled chicken dishes.  You can make it completely in the oven, but the second grilling is what imparts that sought after charred flavour.

To make the marinade. Blend the following in a Food Processor:

5 x Peri Peri Chillies (If you like it hot then add more and get ready to sweat)

Alternatively you can use 10 x Red Chillies (if you like it mild use the less hotter ones..and less chillies of course)

4 cloves x Garlic

1 Tbsp x Dried Oregano

Juice & Zest of 1 large Lemon

A good splash of Olive Oil (to get the marinade all creamy)

A pinch of Salt to taste   
1.5 kg Chicken pieces, 
Directions
Combine the marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl and leave in the fridge overnight for best results - if you're in a hurry then prick the chicken all over and marinate for a couple of hours - not as good but will suffice
Heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius
Remove as much marinade from the chicken and place the chicken pieces on a wire frame over a roasting tray, this will ensure that the chicken cooks evenly and the dripping juices are caught
Cook chicken in the oven for 1 hour turning over and basting with the drippings every 15 minutes
Put the leftover marinade into a saucepan and bring to a boil then reduce to a thick saucy consistency
Now the dish can be completed here if you choose, all you have to do is baste with the marinade reduction and cook in the oven for a further 10 minutes on each side then serve

The second grilling - do this if you want that grilled taste and charred flavour just like the shop's - I love it!
Heat a grill pan, heavy frypan or bbq hotplate
Baste the chicken pieces with the marinade and fry on each side for 3-5 minutes
Serve piping hot with a wedge of lemon and a napkin to wipe the sweat.

Warning: Chillies and high heat equal a lot of smoke - so unless you have an industrial strength rangehood or lungs of steel, I recommend this step be completed in a well ventilated area like the backyard so you can make the neighbours jealous!      

Delicious, marinated, charred and devilishly hot for the taking - definitely not "Blandos"

Here's is a serving suggestion - The two piece feed - Spiced Rice recipe in the Basics page

Black Risotto with Calamari

I figured it was high time to post a dish that wasn't Chinese or Indian, just to prove to myself that Asian food was not my only forte. The inspiration for this dish came from a lunch that I had at the Pumphouse gastropub in the city fringe area of Brunswick. I was game enough to try a black risotto with prawn and bugs - the seafood kind not creepy crawlies! This was whilst my lunch companions relied upon their faithful pub grub orders of fish n chips, steak sangers etc. etc. Well, my boldness paid off, as what resulted was the kitchen turning out a delicious dish that was perfectly seasoned and generously dotted with well-cooked fresh seafood. It was also the first time I had tasted black squid ink in a dish, and despite my previous misconceptions of morbidity, the black risotto, as opposed to the usual off-white renditions, received my highest approval. I enjoyed every bit of it, much to the somewhat horror of the non-conformist fish n chip eating aficionados at the table.

Most good continental delicatessens usually sell squid ink and I came across a pack some time back at Casa Iberica. I have been meaning to cook Black Risotto for some time now.

Any risotto of mine needs is own special home-made stock. Sure, a carton of the ready-made kind would do, but for me that just doesn't cut it. I had to make my own fish stock. (Check the Basics page for the recipe)

So while the fish frames simmered into stocky glory it was time to pour a glass of white and get the rest of the ingredients prepared.  Feel free to follow the exact method of prep - wine goes hand in hand with black risotto in my book - but I am no food critic.
Ingredients
2 tbsp x Olive Oil
1 x Onion, finely diced
2-3 cloves x Garlic, finely sliced, extra clove for the Calamari
2 stalks x Celery, finely diced
1 cup x White wine
1 Litre x Fish Stock, kept at a rolling boil on the stovetop
2 cups x Arborio rice
500g x Baby Calamari, cleaned, tentacles diced, hoods sliced into rings
2 sachets x Squid Ink
1 tbsp x Butter
Parsley, roughly chopped
1 x Red Chilli, deseeded and chopped finely
Parmesan cheese, shaved
Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy pan then add the onions, garlic and celery
Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions soften slightly, do not allow to burn
Bring the heat up to high, pour in the wine and reduce to a third
Add the chopped tentacles and half the sliced rings of calamari 
Follow with the arborio rice folding through the mixture to coat the grains
Pour in a ladle of stock and stir through the rice
Press out the squid ink from the sachets and combine well with the rice mixture

When the rice has absorbed the initial stock add another ladle and stir to combine
Repeat until almost all of the stock is used up then stir in the butter to give it a nice glossy sheen
Move the risotto to a serving dish and prepare the garnish
Heat a small frypan with a little olive oil add the extra clove of chopped garlic and fry for 30 seconds
Now add a small splash of white wine and reduce for a minute
Add the remaining baby calamari rings and fry until translucent and tender
Tip the rings neatly onto the waiting risotto and garnish finally with chopped parsley and chilli
Serve with shavings of Parmesan cheese and more white wine


Tips: A good risotto takes up about 20 minutes of absorption time
The rice grains should be almost completely soft but not entirely
After dispensing the final ladle of stock allow the risotto to stand for a couple of minutes
The mixture should be thick and clump well onto a wooden spoon

"I kept this recipe relatively simple with the calamari but for some added indulgence I highly recommend adding fresh prawns, scallops and/or baby bugs (if you can source them). These are not too overpowering in the fishy department and add a wonderful texture contrast to the dish"    

Ma Po Tofu...the Mother Chen way!

It has been a long time between blogs and is been due to a host of reasons, which I won't go into as they are certainly not foodie related. I am back however and while I haven't been cooking a whole lot, I do have some "pearlers" of dishes waiting to be blogged.
Since the last post was Sichuan, I thought I might just keep the flavor going with another entry from Fuchsia Dunlop's "Land of Plenty" - the infamous Ma Po Tofu. This is a palate tantalizing dish that hails from the Sichuanese province and it has many stories that lay claim to is origin. In the book it is called Pock-Marked Mother Chen's Bean Curd - and I feel this reads as the most logical explanation. Mother Chen was a town cook whose face still bore the scars of a past bout with small pox. Her chilli bean tofu was renowned throughout the area and so the translated name of the dish was christened - Ma po dou fu - Dou fu is apparently the correct way to say tofu by the way!
I have grown a real fondness, of late, to bean curd in its many forms - I can thank my tofu loving foodie friend Miss A, for that.  The Koreans use a delicious spongy form cut into strips as part of a Bimbimbap meal, that I love to indulge in. There is also the custard-like, soft tofu drizzled with brown sugar syrup that feels almost too healthy to be a dessert. And I absolutely love the plump squares of fried tofu that soak up the juices in a spicy laksa.  The versatility of bean curd makes it a favourite ingredient of mine to use in Asian cuisine and Ma po Tofu just hits the spot with the inclusion of firm tofu as one of the key ingredients.
Fuchsia Dunlop's rendition from the famous Mother Chen instructs you steep the tofu in hot salted water and this is to ensure it holds its shape in the heat of the dish.  I have tried skipping this step to save time and the result is a dish with melted bits of tofu blending into the meat sauce which is not pretty at all.
Ingredients

300g x Firm Tofu, cut into cubes and steeped in hot salted water
500g x Beef Mince
4 tbsp x Cooking oil

4 tbsp x Chilli Bean Paste 

2 tbsp x Fermented Black Bean

4-5 x Spring Onions, cut into 1 inch pieces, extra to garnish

1-2 tsp x Chilli powder

1 cup x Chicken stock

1 tsp x Sugar

2 tsp x Light Soy Sauce
Salt, to taste, if required
4 tbsp x Cornflour, mixed with 6 tbsp x Cold Water
1 tsp x Ground roasted Sichuan Pepper
Directions
Heat a large wok on high with the oil and crumble in the mince

Stir fry continuously until the meat is well browned and the liquid almost dry
Turn the heat to medium and add the chilli bean paste stirring through for 30 seconds
Now add the fermented black beans and chilli powder and stir fry for another 30 seconds
Pour in the stock and bring to the boil then add the spring onions
Drain the tofu and add to the dish taking care not to smash the cubed pieces
Add the sugar, soy sauce and salt, to taste, swirling the wok gently to combine
Allow to simmer for 5 minutes then add the cornstarch mixture in thirds until the sauce has thickened to a desired consistency.  "It should just cling glossily to the meat and bean curd - Fuchsia Dunlop"

Place into a serving bowl and sprinkle the Sichuan pepper powder over the dish and garnish with extra spring onions

"I truly enjoy cooking and eating this dish.  The mellow texture of the tofu saturated with the spicy chilli bean flavoured oil and the overall tang really gets the taste buds singing.  Definitely a favourite from the Land of Plenty"

Asian Greens in Oyster Sauce

Whenever I cook some Chinese up at home I tend to be very heavy on the meat section of the menu.  Most of the meals I get my wok to, tend to start with a generous portion of chicken or pork or beef and tend to lack in the vegie department.  I have found this dish to be a winner in the vegetable stakes however as it delivers a delicious fresh crunchy hit to the table - and above all it is "green" so it must be good for you.  The best part is that from start to finish, this dish takes less than 10 minutes - so put it on your menu - for all the good reasons.
Ingredients
An assortment of Asian greens goes well you want at least 3-4 bunches of either
Bok Choy
Choy Sum or
Chinese Brocolli - washed well and cut roughly into even pieces
If there are large stalks, cut them into long thin batons so they cook quickly.

1 tbsp x Cooking oil

2 tbsp x Oyster Sauce

1 tsp x Light Soy Sauce

1 tsp x Sesame oil

Toasted Sesame Seeds, to garnish

Directions

Heat a dry wok on a very high heat until it is smoking then carefully add the cooking oil

Gently place the greens into the wok and turn quickly to distribute evenly

Add the Oyster and Soy sauces and stir to fold through

Place a lid over the greens to allow a bit of steam to build up for up to 2 minutes

Remove the lid and stir well then splash in the sesame oil

Place directly into a serving dish and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds