Roti Canai (with Curry Sauce)

I am not a fan of indian nor malay cuisine, but for some reasons, this type of appetizer makes me drool each time. I actually prefer this (flat breads in general) than fluffy breads, perhaps coz it can be too tasty yet light on the tummy at the same time!

I wasn't craving though when I decided to make this -- I was just inspired by how a [community] sister raved about us having dinner at Banana Leaf. She just loves their "Roti Canai with curry sauce".

When our orders came, I told myself -- Really, this is basic stuff! I can make this in a snap! Here's my version:

ROTI CANAI WITH CURRY SAUCE



Dough Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup fat*

*most use "ghee" or "clarified butter" for the last item. I don't know what this is! So I used half butter and half olive oil instead. I'm not sure if that was a correct substitute ...it turned out good anyways. hehe!

Procedure
1. Combine dough ingredients, knead, form into a ball, then let it "rest".
2. Divide the dough into 8 parts. Flatten each part with a rolling pin.
3. Fold each sheet inwards, crosswise then lengthwise
4. Grease the pan, then heat each side of the sheet until brown or toasted.
NOTE: it's good when it's crispy outside and chewy inside!

1 2
3 4

Curry Sauce Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- crushed pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)

Procedure
1. Chop garlic into tidbits, sautee in olive oil.
2. Add chili, turmeric powder and curry powder, sautee until dissolved.
3. Add coconut milk, stir while simmering, until it thickens.
4. Remove from fire, add fish sauce and crushed pepper as desired.

Serve roti canai together with curry sauce, as appetizer! Makes 4-5 servings. OPTIONAL: Serve with fresh salsa! :)
 

Stuffed Tomatoes

This is one of the best things I've done in my kitchen - ingredients are cheap, it's fun and easy to make, it tastes healthy, and it's cute! haha! I do admit though that I wasn't satisfied with its presentation. If I'll have to serve this in a party, I'll probably choose the expensive red and plump tomatoes. :)

STUFFED TOMATOES



Ingredients
-4 medium/large tomatoes
-4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
-4 tbsp bread crumbs
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
-1 tsp chopped dried oregano
-1 tsp italian seasoning
-dash of salt and pepper
-slices of quick melt cheese

Procedure
1. cut tomatoes in halves, scoop the meat (set aside) and seeds.
2. chop the scooped meat then combine with the rest of the ingredients,
except for quick melt cheese.
3. stuff the mixture in the emptied tomatoes
4. top each half tomato with quick melt cheese,
stuff as plenty as desired as long as it fits! hehe!
5. toast/bake at 180 degrees for 7 minutes

Serve as side dish, with your steak maybe? Makes 2-4 servings.

I'm also thinking of adding sautéed ground beef next time, if I have to serve this as an appetizer. Hmmmm...
 

Kare Udon

...plus coconut milk. Yes, Kare Udon the southeast asian way!

KARE UDON



Ingredients
- 200g nama (raw) udon
- 1/4k chicken breast fillet, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups thin coconut milk *
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- small bundle, ruler-size onion sprouts, chopped in strips
- thumb-size ginger, chopped
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
- dash of salt and crushed pepper

Procedure
1. Boil chicken in broth, salt, pepper, ginger, onions in a pot until chicken is half cooked
2. Add the coconut milk and onion sprouts, simmer for 5 minutes
3. Add the curry powder and chili powder, stir until soup is smooth and even
4. Add the udon noodles, let it boil for 3 minutes.
5. Stir a bit to dissolve lumps and to separate the noodles from each other
6. Remove from fire, leave the pot for 3 minutes

Makes 2 servings. Serve while hot!

* Thin coconut milk - Quick way is the dissolve coconut milk powder or canned coconut milk in water, but because I always prefer natural ingredients, I did the classic way: I soaked grated coconut meat in coconut juice, and squeezed it by hand, then filtered/drained the rest of the coconut meat remnants. For this recipe, I used 1 coconut, 1 cup pure coconut juice, and 1/2 cup water, making 1 1/2 cup thin coconut milk.

FYI - you can buy coconut in supermarkets, have it grated and request for its juice for only P30/pc -- about the same price of canned coconut milk and coconut milk powder packs. :)
 

Yakiudon

I discovered New Hatchin a few days ago, an authentic japanese grocery store which is just 5 blocks away from my apartment. It's indeed a gem - I now have a source of udon and really smooth fried tofu! I decided to cook yakiudon for a start:

YAKIUDON



Ingredients
- 200g nama (raw) udon
- 3/4 cup assorted meat
(I prefer the combination of sliced kikiam, and fish cakes! they're cute!!!)
- 1 cup chopped leafy vegetable/s of your choice
(I prefer chinese pechay)
- 100-200g fried tofu, sliced in bite sizes
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp kikkoman/low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- dash of crushed pepper

Procedure
1. Boil udon noodles according to package directions. Drain water, then set aside.
2. Prepare the sauce: Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar. Set aside.
3. Sautee chopped garlic in vegetable oil until browned, preferably in a wok
4. Add the meat, onion, and crushed pepper. Stir-fry till meat is cooked
5. Add the sauce (in step 3) and vegetables, continue stir frying until veggies shrink a bit
6. Add the noodles and tofu, continue stir-frying until sauce is almost dry, and equally coated on the noodles and tofu. TIP: Stir-fry gently to avoid the chopping of udon and tofu, they're really soft!

Makes 2 servings. It was perfect! Lou and I loved it that we concluded, from now on, thursday night is UDON NIGHT. So, expect more udon dishes after this!
 

Chicken Teriyaki

I call this the Chicken Teriyaki not-so-japanese version, because it's not really cooked by yaki - the cooking method of grilling or broiling. But this has the sweet and salty taste, even just by smelling it, you'll definitely say, "this is teriyaki!". You can also call this the lazy version - The ingredients are very few and simple, and this can be cooked in 20-30 minutes.

CHICKEN TERIYAKI



Ingredients
- 2 pcs large chicken parts / 4 pcs small chicken parts
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (I prefer half local soy sauce and half kikkoman)
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 2 tsp brown sugar

Procedure
1. Mix water, soy sauce, ginger and sugar in a bowl
2. Fork some holes on the chicken then marinate it in the soy sauce mixture
(best to leave this overnight)
3. Put everything in a covered pan, simmer for 20 minutes
(10 minutes each side of the chicken)

Transfer the chicken to a plate, with some of its sauce, then serve with rice. Optional: Put a little of the remaining sauce on the rice as topping! Makes 1-2 servings. Enjoy!
 

Spicy Italian Meatballs

Whenever I dine in pasta places, I always rant about the meatballs being too small for their price. Some even put just ONE MEATBALL per serving. Seriously?! Thus I decided to learn how to make my own meatballs. That way, whenever I'm craving (and not really into splurging), I can put as many meatballs on my spaghetti, and even as large as I want!

SPICY ITALIAN MEATBALLS


humongous meatballs - served on Lou's birthday

>
tiny meatballs - served on my mom's birthday

Ingredients
- 1k ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 2 pcs hungarian sausage, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp italian seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp crushed black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder

Procedure (this will be very simple...)

1. Mix all ingredients


2. Mold into balls


3. Fry (I love them medium rare!)


Very simple huh? The good thing about this is that you can use this same recipe for your burger patty. Makes about 40 meatballs, or 10 burger patties.
 

Egg Salad

This is one of my favorite spreads, as we (my family) used to have this not only for sandwiches, but also for fried fish. I don't know if that's really a common combination, or if it's only in our home, but it's really good!

Lately though, I make this solely for my sandwich, when I feel like having breakfast at home, and when there's nothing left in my fridge but EGGS and ONIONS. They're usually the last items in my fridge hehe!

EGG SALAD



Ingredients
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 medium red onion
- 100 ml mayonnaise
- salt

Procedure
1. Boil the eggs, then chop into bits.
2. Chop the onion into bits as well.
3. Combine all eggs & onions with the mayonnaise then mix.
4. Add salt to taste.

Makes 4 servings. Perfect for Pandesal! Now, like my family, try this too with fried dishes!

SOME TIPS:
- Use white onion if you don't like the strong and spicy taste of red onions.
- Mash the eggs with a fork if you prefer a smoother egg salad spread.
- Boil eggs over 4 minutes to make sure they're not soft boiled! :)