It was extremely cold for the past few days and it was forecasted for snow yesterday. Yes, the snow did arrive. In fact, it started to snow yesterday evening and throughout the night. A flurry of snow was falling down from the sky as I was looking through the window. I had a sense of excitement for a while. I was at home – it has always been very well insulated that we didn’t even have to switch on the heating, feeling rather comfortable most of the time.

Snowy weather like what we have just experienced makes me crave for comfort food. I love to cook one pot & one pan food. Not because it is easy to prepare, but it is tasty and great flavour is always guaranteed. The best is always to cook a big pot and have more than enough to feed for a few days. The taste always gets better the next day!

Just a few days ago, a reader of my blog asked me to share some simple pork recipes. I then knew I wanted to make a slow-cooked dish using pork. Using fragrant herbs like bay, thyme and tarragon make this slow-cooked pork dish really irresistible. I personally love to use pork shoulder, not only because it is inexpensive, it gives almost melt-in-the mouth texture when slowly braised. The meat fall apart after about 1 – 1.5 hours of slow cooking in the liquid along with other ingredients, which give this slow-cooked dish a great explosion of flavours!

slow-cooked pork shoulder with white wine, bay, thyme, tarragon and vegetables

Yield: 4-6 persons

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
800g pork shoulder, cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
5-6 garlic, peeled and keep whole
150ml white wine
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into cubes
a small handful of thyme
2 bay leaves
450ml chicken stock or water
300g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
a big handful of tarragon, chopped
150ml double cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put the olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook for 5-6 minutes until brown. Add the garlic and onion, cook for about 2 minutes until they are fragrant and soft. Add the white wine and let the alcohol evaporates. Stir well.

2. Add the potatoes, carrots, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock. Bring it to the boil for a few seconds. Lower the heat, put the lid on and cook for 1 - 1.5 hours or until the meat start to fall apart. Skim off any scums from time to time.

3. 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the chestnut mushrooms, tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Add the double cream, stir and continue to cook until the end of the cooking time. Serve warm with some crusty bread, rice or pasta.

Oh yes, January has gone so quickly that we are entering the 2nd month of 2012 very soon! Time really flies. After celebrating Christmas, New Year, then Chinese New Year, I believe a lot of us have had lots of food for these occasions. Now that February is approaching, it’s time to think of Valentine’s Day gifts.

Once again, I have something really nice to giveaway for Valentine’s Day!  There are so many Valentine gifts but one really stands out! Thanks to Hotel Chocolat for sponsoring a lovely box of chocolate named “Sealed With A Kiss”! This box of chocolate comes in a lovely white heart shape packaging, tied with with pink and red ribbons. It is specially selected for those hopelessly and deliciously head over heels – with irresistible liquid caramels, melting pralines and ravishing truffles in beautiful hearts, passionate lips and more.

I particularly love Orange Mousse – light and airy milk chocolate mousse with refreshing zest of Valencia orange. Blackcurrant Bombe – a creamy truffle just bursting with natural blackcurrant fruitiness. What’s more, Strawberry & Black Pepper - light strawberry truffle and a pinch of black pepper to bring out the sweetness and add subtle spiciness and not forgetting Sweet Lips – pretty pink lips cast in smoochy 40% milk chocolate and filled with smoochier milk chocolate truffle!

My favourites have to be Raspberry Rapture – creamy white chocolate truffle with lot of tangy, tough tingling raspberry and Chocolate Brownie – the classic brownie experience captured in smooth praline and milk chocolate!

So, one box of “Seal With a Kiss” will be given giveaway!

TO WIN, please read the following instructions:

• This giveaway is opened to all readers in EUROPE, US & CANADA. The winner will be randomly chosen using random.org.
• For a chance to win, just leave a comment.

Penang is a heaven for foodies. With each race offering their own traditional fare, foodies will be spoilt for choice. One of the dishes that I never miss eating while in Penang has to be Penang Hokkien Mee (Prawn Noodle Soup). It is also known as Har Mee in the central/southern of Malaysia.

This dish is what I used to eat as my brunch during weekends when I was living in Malaysia. My mom would ask the stall vendor to separately pack the soup so that the noodles would not go soggy by the time I woke up. And all I needed to do was to mix in the noodles, accompanied ingredients and the soup in a bowl. Then, put it in the microwave to heat up before I started to slurp noisily from my bowl.

The broth is flavoursome, which is the result of using pork stock and the prawn heads and shells that deepen the flavour even further. Apart from its broth, what really makes this a great bowl of noodle soup is the combinations of ingredients – hard boiled eggs, water spinach (Ong Choi), slices of pork, juicy prawns, bean sprouts and of course the hot & spicy chilli paste!

It may take some time to save up some prawn heads and shells. If you usually buy shelled prawns and do not have prawns heads and shells to spare, you can try without. However, the taste of the stock will not be as rich. If you could, try to buy 1kg of prawns with with shells on, save the shells and heads for the stock. You can use half of the prawns and save the rest for other dishes.

Having tried to make this yummy bowl of Penang Hokkien Mee, it brought me right back to Malaysia though physically I am in London. It’s the smell and taste that bring the sense of satisfaction and comfort! I promise you, if you love spicy food, mix in a spoonful of the chilli paste that will even add more dimensions to this dish!

penang hokkien mee (penang prawn noodle soup)

Yield: 4-6 persons

Ingredients:

Stock:
300g chicken wings and drumsticks, skinned and fat removed
500g pork ribs or pork bones
5cm piece root ginger, peeled and crushed
5 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ tsp whole white peppercorns

Chilli paste:
15g dried chillies, deseeded, soaked and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1kg prawn heads and shells
500g raw shelled king prawns, deveined
200g lean pork loin
1 tbsp sugar
300g fresh hokkien noodles (egg noodles)
150g fresh rice vermicelli or 200g dried rice vermicelli
200g water spinach, rinsed and cut into 5cm length
150g bean sprouts, trimmed
2 hard-boiled eggs
some fried shallots
salt

Spice paste:
12 dried chillies, deseeded, soaked and roughly chopped
50g dried shrimps, soaked
10 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

Directions:

1. To make the stock, put the chicken pieces and pork ribs in a large pot, add enough boiling water to cover and boil for about 4-5 minutes to take out any impurities. Remove the solid pieces to a plate and discard the water. Rinse the pot and put the solid pieces back. Add the ginger, garlic and white peppercorns. Pour 2 litres of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for at least 2 hours, skimming off any scum from the surface as and when required. Remove the stock from the heat, take out all the solid ingredients and discard.

2. To make the chilli paste, blend the chillies and garlic until it becomes a smooth paste. Put the sunflower oil in a pan over medium heat, cook for the paste for about 10-15 minutes until fragrant or until the paste changes to a darker shade. Set aside

3. Bring the stock to a slight boil. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil in a pan over medium-high, put the shells and heads of the prawns, fry for about 5 minutes or until they change colour. Transfer them into the stock, bring to the boil for a few seconds and simmer for 45 minutes. In the same pan, put the peeled prawns and cook until they change colour. Set aside.

4. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the prawn shells and heads from the stock. Skim off excess scum if necessary. Bring the stock to the boil and put in the pork loin and cook for 20 – 25 minutes. Use the tip of a paring knife to cut into the thickest part of the meat and the juices should be clear and not pink. Take it out and set aside to cool for 5 – 10 minutes, cut across the grain into thin slices, cover with cling film and set to one side.

5. Meanwhile, put all the ingredients of the spice paste in a mortar and pestle or a food processor and grind into a smooth paste. Heat the remaining of the sunflower oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the spice paste and cook for about 10 -15 minutes or until fragrant. Then, add the spice paste in the stock and simmer for another 15 minutes. Add the sugar and season with salt.

6. Bring plenty of water to the boil in a big saucepan, blanch the fresh hokkien noodles and rice vermicelli for a few minutes to warm through. If using dried egg noodles, add them into the boiling water and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Repeat the same for dried vermicelli, excepting cooking for only 2 – 3 minutes. Using the same pot of boiling water, blanch the water spinach and bean sprouts, divide into the bowls.

7. Heat through the prawns and sliced pork in the stock, take them out using a slotted spoon and divide enough portion into individual bowls and top with a quartered hard-boiled egg. Bring the stock to the vigorous boil, ladle the soup into the bowls and serve immediately. If you like, you can add the chilli paste in your noodle soup and sprinkle some fried shallots on top before serving.

Time really flies! Thought we celebrated Christmas and New Year not too long ago and we are now halfway through January and Chinese New Year is just around the corner. This year is the year of dragon and I hope it will be a better year for everyone!

I had wanted to make some sweets for Chinese New Year but finding time was always an excuse. So, for this year, I really wanted to make some pineapple tarts as a way to welcome the year of dragon. Last year I tried making the pineapple tarts that LK from Food 4 Tots posted on her blog. They were amazingly delicious! So, I made again this year just in time for Chinese New Year.

I advise to make the pineapple jam a night before as it took more than 1 hour to cook and cool. Once the jam is done, you can easily make the pastry from scratch. LK did use a pastry roll press that she told me she bought from a baking supply shop in KL. So, it was quite impossible for me to get one as I am sure I will not find one in the UK. Luckily I asked my mom to find one. She found and bought one for me, it does the same job (pretty much) but it’s made in plastic. I don’t know where exactly she bought it but I took a photo to show what the packaging looks like if you may be interested to find one in Malaysia.

Seriously, these pineapple tarts are really addictive. I baked them on Sunday and there are only a few left! So, I may have to make some more! I hope you will find some time this weekend, perhaps, to try this recipe even if you don’t celebrate Chinese New Year. I think it’s a treat!

pineapple tarts

Yield: 75 rolls

Ingredients:

pineapple jam:
2 half-ripe pineapples, grated
200g granulated sugar (adjust according to your preference)
4 cloves
1 x 5cm cinnamon stick
1 tbsp lemon juice

pastry:
250g unsalted butter, softened
50g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
360g plain flour mixed with 2 tbsp corn flour (sifted)
¼ tsp salt
pineapple filing (take 6g or ½ tsp heapful of filling and shape into a small elongated roll).
egg wash – 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Skin the pineapple and remove the “eyes”. Cut each pineapple into quarters lengthwise. Grate the pineapple using a grater until it reaches the core. Discard the core.

2. Drain the grated pineapples using a large sieve. Use a ladle to press the juice out until it is 90% dried up. Retain the pineapple juice for cooking later. Use a wooden spoon, cook the grated and drained pineapples, putting in half portion of the sugar, cloves, cinnamon sticks and lemon juice in a large pot under moderate heat until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the pineapple juice little bit by little bit when the juice in the mixture is almost evaporated. Repeat this step until all the juice is completely used up for the cooking. Add the remaining sugar bit by bit until the desired sweetness is achieved. This step can be done close to the end of the cooking.

4. When all the juices are used up and the mixture has started to look dry and caramelized, reduce the heat to low. Keep stirring until the mixture is almost dry and sticky with a golden-hue. This will take about 1-1½ hours. Remove cloves and cinnamon stick. Set aside to cool and store in an air-tight container.

5. Preheat the oven at 160°C. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper. Meanwhile, cream the butter and the icing sugar until light. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Add in salt and beat until fluffy.

6. Fold in sifted ingredients (divided into 2-3 times) and mix into a firm dough. Leave aside for 30 minutes. Put the dough into a pineapple roll pastry press or mould, and then press out into a strip of 5cm length.

7. Place the pineapple filing at one end and roll up the pastry, as in a Swiss roll, enough to enclose the jam. Do not overlap the pastry. Cut off the excess pastry. Put the rolls on the baking tray. Brush with egg wash.

8. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes and turn the baking tray 180 ° and continue to bake for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool before storing.

Today there is no recipe but I have something to share. Last year when my family came to visit in London, we went to Paris and also spent a few days in Provence and Côte d’Azur. I love South of France, it looks just so different from the North and it feels more laid back and relaxed. I thought I would share some of the shots that I took during my trip there and things that we did when we were there.

I have always wanted to visit perfumery. We went to one of the famous perfumery in Grasse - Fragonard. Fragonard perfume factory is located in the heart of the old town of Grasse. It has been in operation since 1782. On a daily basis, they produce perfumes, domestics and soaps. There is free guided tour that allows you to discover how Fragonard products are produced.

We then stopped by Saint Paul de Vence, one of the oldest medieval towns which is well known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries. Built on its rocky outcrop and surrounded by its ramparts built on the orders of François I°, St Paul is certainly one of the most beautiful villages in Provence. The beauty of the surrounding area, quality of life and exceptional light has inspired numerous famous artists, painters, writers and poets, some of whom took up residence in the village. I have to say that it is one of my favourite towns that I have visited by far! We strolled around the town with breathtaking views.

VilleFranche Sur Mer is another of my favourite place near to Nice. The bay of Villefranche is one of the deepest natural harbours of any port in the Mediterranean Sea and provides safe anchorage for large ships. The views never fail to make me dream to live there!

As my family left for Rome, we remained in Nice. We visited Antibes. It is located between Nice and Cannes. There was a market when we visited on Saturday. I always love to visit markets whenever I visit France. Looking at fresh produces just make me happy.

We had our lunch at Les Vieux Murs, a restaurant overlooking the sea with stunning view of the bay of Nice and Cap d’Antibes. They offer fresh and seasonal Mediterranean cuisine with Provencal influence. I highly recommend this restaurant as the food was absolutely delicious. Service was great too!

We started with 2 glasses of chilled rosé from the region. I had a squid salad for starter and it was amazingly delicious. Different fresh herbs were used in the salad and dressed with citrusy dressings. It was light and refreshing. As for the main, I had fish in white sauce (it was really light and not too creamy) served with a round courgette farci. The best lunch I had in Antibes!

Before we left Nice, we had a very inexpensive meal in the Vieux Nice. This tiny restaurant offers an inimitable taste of Niçois home cooking. A 3-course dinner or lunch costs just €15 per person. The wine was good and inexpensive too. They change their menu every week and they have only a few table sittings. So, advance booking (up to one week) is advisable.

This restaurant has a rustic deco that I really like. A lot of the deco items are those that you could find at flea markets. It’s just the rusticity, simple honest food with generous portion, uncomplicated menu, friendly and quick service that I love about this family run restaurant that has been around since 1925, passed down from one generation to the other.

During our last visit, we had homemade pâté, salmon & avocado salad, tuna served on ratatouille, beef on mash potato, crème caramel and pear cooked in red wine.

Finally! I am so excited to say that my photo and recipe of prawn, mushroom & vegetable wraps are featured in Delicious magazine – one of the most read food magazine in the UK. I shared one of my family favourite dishes which is a great dish for Chinese New Year. As we are not far away from celebrating Chinese New Year, which falls on the 23 January this year, this is definitely an easy and yummy recipe to make.

Update: below is the PDF version of the article and recipe.

I would like to thank Susan Low, the deputy editor at Delicious magazine for giving me this fantastic opportunity to contribute an article and a recipe to the magazine. Also, thanks to Jocelyn Bowerman, the art director for featuring my  food photo  too!

So, what are you waiting for, please go to your nearest newsagents and grab yourself a copy delicious magazine, check out my recipe and also many other yummy recipes too!

I can’t stress enough how wonderful blogging is to get me connected to a lot of foodie friends around the world. Ira, who writes Cooking Tackle, is one of them that I am truly glad to have stumbled upon her blog. Ira lives in Bali, Indonesia – one of the most amazing places that I have visited.

She started blogging since 2008 and has been sharing a lot of scrumptious recipes and very beautiful food photography. I have been following her since and I am always thirst for her new posts and recipes.

Today, I am very happy to have Ira with us, sharing one of the most tasty dishes from Bali. Let’s welcome Ira!

First of all, I would like to thank Leemei for the invitation and a wonderful opportunity to be a guest on My Cooking Hut. It is great to be here and I feel truly honoured to be able to share a traditional Balinese food with all of you.

My name is Ira, a lucky woman who lives on a beautiful island of Indonesia—Bali. Bali is the island with gentle ocean and majestic towering cliffs. It’s a perfect place to cast off worries and enjoy life to the fullest! Bali does not only has its own breathtaking natural beauty but it also has one of the most enchanted cuisines that will surely make you falling in love with.

I am going to share one traditional Balinese dish – an authentic Balinese Chicken Sate (Sate Lilit Ayam) –  skewers of minced chicken with freshly grated coconut and aromatic Balinese spices. Sate is an important dish to the Balinese people. Sate is always included as a ceremonial dish to be offered to the Gods. Sate is a symbol of a mace also known as “Gada”  - a powerful weapon of God Brahmana – one of the Hindu Balinese Gods (Dewa Brahmana).

There are 13 different Balinese Sate. Learning Balinese cooking is like learning its culture – full of diversity and very colourful, which is fascinating! The basis that I like about Balinese food is the use of the most freshest spices that are abundantly available on the island – such fresh turmeric, fresh galangal, fresh ginger, fresh lemongrass and many more! That is the secret of Balinese food, which tends to taste rather spicy, exotic but authentic in overall flavour.

I feel completely overwhelmed as I can finally deliver and present Sate Lilit Ayam using typical handmade Balinese bamboo skewer. Don’t worry if you can’t find these bamboo skewer, you can always use ordinary bamboo skewers or even fresh lemongrass.

I hope that you will not be put off by the list of the spices. Perhaps, after analysing all the spice ingredients, all you need is your full patience. Frankly, I’ll be your most perfect guide to make you skilled to make authentic Balinese food!  And I guarantee that my authentic Balinese Chicken Sate recipe would be the best sate you will ever tasted!

balinese chicken sate (sate lilit ayam)

Yield: 17-18 sate

Ingredients:

200 chicken mince
1/3 cup cup fresh grated coconut
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
17 bamboo skewers or 17 stalks lemongrass
salt to taste

Spices to grind:
6 shallots
5 garlic cloves
5 red chillies
2 bird eye chillies
2 candle nuts, crushed and toasted
20g fresh kaempferia galanga (kencur), chopped
30gr fresh turmeric, chopped
40gr fresh galangal, chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
2 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam)
1 lemongrass, bruised
½ tsp shrimp paste (terasi/belachan)
2 tbsp shaved coconut sugar, substitute palm sugar or brown sugar
Coconut oil or vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

To make the spice paste:

1. Using mortar and pestle or food processor, combine all ingredients except lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and salam leaves and grind to smooth paste. Add a bit of water of cooking oil if needed to help blending.

2. Heat the oil in a wok, add the spice paste, lemongrass, salam leaves, and kaffir lime leaves. Cook over medium heat, cook until the spice paste becomes fragrant or has changed colour to almost golden brown. Set aside

To make the sate:
1. Place the chicken mince in a big bowl, add fresh grated coconut and finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, mix well to combine. Add 2 tablespoons of spice paste, season with salt. Mix until the chicken has evenly coated with the spice paste.

2. Take a heaped tablespoon of the mixture, place it on your palm and spread gently using the spoon. Take a bamboo skewer and place it onto the mixture, mould the mixture and press lightly onto the skewer. You can use fresh lemongrass as a skewer if you want.

3. Heat a non stick grilling pan, brush with oil, place and arrange the sate in the grilling pan. Grill each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown on both sides. You can always use the traditional way of grilling method - by using charcoal grill or coconut husk grill and grill about 4 minutes on both sides until golden brown.

You can keep the remaining base spice paste into sterilize jar for future use, refrigerated up to 3 weeks

How time flies! Christmas is just around the corner! I can’t believe that we are actually in the end of December and not long from now, we will be in year 2012.

Like any other year, I will be spending Christmas in France. Last year, it snowed in London a few days before Christmas. I remember I had lots of fun playing in the snow. It was just an amazing sensation seeing the white flakes falling from the sky, it still and will remain an amazing sight, well, at least for me who hails from a country that never snows.

I baked Breton biscuits last year. This year, I decided to make something Italian. Panettone. Yes, the sweet bread loaf originally from Milan, that can be seen at the supermarkets and Italian Delicatessens during this time of the year. Panettone is usually prepared and eaten for Christmas and New Year in Italy.

I really love Panettone. It is light and full of fruity flavour. There are many sizes of Panetonne available, but the shape is always round. These days, mini Panettone can easily be spotted too. I absolutely love the packaging of Panettone – it always looks so festive!

I thought I would give it a go to make this yummy bread that I can eat it night and day! It’s not difficult to make at all, but, you need a few hours for proofing. The wait is so well worth it. I have added dried cranberries to give extra taste and texture. I hope you will like this panettone recipe!

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays and I will catch up with you guys when I am back from my Christmas break!

panettone

Yield: 10

Ingredients:

1 tbsp dried active baking yeast
225ml water
90g caster sugar
2 eggs
450g strong white bread flour
1 tbsp rum
50g raisins
50g candied citrus peels, chopped
50g dried cranberries
some melted butter
icing sugar, enough for dusting

Directions:

1. Combine yeast, water and caster sugar in a bowl. Cover and leave to stand for ten minutes or until foamy.

2. Add the eggs to the flour, mix to combine. Slowly add the liquid mixture until a manageable dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding a bit of flour if necessary, until the dough is soft and pliable but not sticky.

3. Place dough in a large and lightly floured bowl. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 - 1.5 hours. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the dried fruits with rum.

4. Once the dough has risen, tip onto a floured surface. Knead for a minute or so, then start to knead in the dried fruits until evenly distributed. Form the dough into a smooth ball, then divide into equal size of 10. Place each small dough into a 7cm diameter (6cm height) panettone casing. Cover loosely with cling film. Leave to rise for 2 hours in a warm place until the dough has tripled in size or until the dough rise above the casing. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C.

5. Wrap a double layer of baking paper around the outside of the casing to extend 10cm above the sides of the casing. Secure with string. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for 30-35 minutes more. It’s ready when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. You may need to cover the top with foil after 20 minutes’ cooking to prevent it browning too much.

6. Brush melted butter when after removing the panettone from the oven. Then, cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar.

I have one brand new TASSIMO T20 coffee machine to giveaway as we are approaching holiday season! This Tassimo T20 is retailed at £99.90. There are many Tassimo T Discs to choose from! It is such a great and sleek looking machine that is so easy to use, just a press of a button!

Boasting a fresh, contemporary design, the Tassimo T20 machine is guaranteed to look the part in any kitchen. With its stylish and compact curves, it hardly takes up any worktop space. It’s fun and easy to use. The following are Tassimo T20 features:

• The barcode printed on every T DISC contains information about the amount of water, brewing time and the precise temperature of each drink. Every TASSIMO machine features intelligent barcode recognition system which scans the T DISC barcode to prepare every cup just right, every time.
• Boast a fully automatic one button operation system for ultimate convenience and performance. The one button operation with integrated illuminated symbols make it very easy to use.
• Many drinks can be brewed one after the other thanks to the XL water tank.
• It is simple to clean and will ensure your drinks are brewed to the highest quality, time after time.
• The innovative flow-heater technology heats water only on demand and switches off immediately after each brewing cycle.
• You can brew your drink right away; just pop in one of your T DISC pods, push a button and away you go.
•  Incorporate a noise reduction system which minimises noise and vibrations while brewing.
• Accessory colour kits are available in: strawberry red, mint blue, lime green and hazelnut brown.

A few years back, I stumbled upon a food blog of a fellow Malaysian, what’s more, who hails from the same hometown as me – Kedah. Lisa, is the cook, writer and photographer of the fabulous food blog - From My Lemony Kitchen that I pay my frequent visit. Her blog is packed with many Asian recipes which include Chinese, Malay and also lots of Western recipes!

If you could remember, quite a while ago, Lisa has written a wonderful piece of article and recipe: Bihun Sup (Rice Vermicelli in Beef Broth) on my blog. So, this time, I am doing the same for her. I was really excited when Lisa asked me to write a guest post for her! To be honest, it should have been done quite a while ago. But due to several delays, we have finally made it! Thank you, Lisa, for this great opportunity to appear as a guest on your blog! Please drop by From My Lemony Kitchen to check out my guest post!

malaysian-thai chicken curry

Yield: serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sunflower oil
200ml coconut cream
450g chicken thighs, skinned, deboned and chunkily cut
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
2 tbsp toasted grated coconut
4 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin strips
salt and pepper

Spice paste:
12 shallots, roughly chopped
3 red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 lemongrass, roughly chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped
a small handful of coriander leaves with stems

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients of the spice paste into a food processor and blend until they become a smooth paste. Set aside.

2. In a deep pan over medium-high heat, add the sunflower oil and the spice paste. Gently cook, stir occasionally, for about 4-5 minutes until the paste becomes fragrant. Add half of the coconut cream, mix with the spice paste and cook for further 3-4 minutes until fragrant and the oil starts to rise to the surface.

3. Add the chicken, mix thoroughly to coat all the chicken pieces with the spice paste. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the chicken turns opaque and cooked through. Add the rest of the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chilli powder, if used. Stir and bring to the boil for a few seconds, lower the heat to medium and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.

4. Add the toasted grated coconut and mix well. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle over the kaffir lime leaves strips. Serve warm.