Exam Season

Sorry for the lack of posts!

It's my exam week, will be right back once its over on Monday.
On another note, the weather is finally starting to get sensible by next week, which is a good thing :)
Wish me luck!

In the name of Cod

This is one of my favorite type of fish, simply because it's so versatile, with white flesh that flakes easily. You can steam, grill, pan fry and even deep fry it (for fish and chips) as is common in the UK. Back home in Malaysia, this fish is relatively expensive given that it's not local. So it's best to eat it at the region where it's freshest :)

In the UK, Atlantic cod is one of the most common kind of fish to be found in fish and chips, along with haddock and plaice. This time, I got 2 pieces of cod since I'm starting to miss the home style cooking a bit, hence the first was to steam it Cantonese style, with spring onions and LOADS of shredded ginger, with a table spoon of soy sauce and sesame oil ...

Perhaps slightly over steamed (should be done in 5 minutes) but still amazing nevertheless, especially with cravings satisfied :) Do remember to add a bit of sesame oil as it prevents the fish from sticking at the bottom of the metal plate.

Next up is another home favorite of mine, it's originally deep fried cod with caramelized onions and garlic topping. Since I can't be bothered to deep fry it and finished my corn flour stock, I decided to steam it again, but in a separate pan, heat up some oil and fry the onions and chopped garlic till super fragrant and brown. After adding a dash of light and dark soy sauce, simply just put it on top of the fish as a beautiful accompaniment. Best with deep fried fishes (or at least pan fry!), don't forget to brush your teeth afterwards though, the garlic breath should kill anything from miles away! :P

By the way, exams start tomorrow, fingers crossed, and hence the title of the post ... LOL Freedom in a week's time, and hope I survive through that with all the lastminute.com work -_-

Chicken a la TGIF

Final installment of the Chicken series!

Let's try a new variant this time, on my (relatively) new grill pan. This is even faster but requires the chicken to be marinaded at least 3 hours before hand, better overnight. The marinade I put was rather spontaneous, with what I have really, so here goes.

Thinking of having something western a la TGIF, let's call this recipe that then, hehe. My attempt at the Jack Daniel sauce, LOL

Chicken a la TGIF

Marinade

2-3 tbsp of brown sauce
2 tbsp of Hoi Sin (chinese plum sauce, slightly sweet but salty)
1 tbsp of Mirin (sweet Japanese wine, any sweet wine would do)
1 tbsp of olive oil

Ingredients

1 Chicken breast, sliced sideways to increase surface area ('butterfly')
Mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen, portions as desired)

Steps

1. First, mix all the marinade in a bowl, and pour over the chicken and coat well, refrigerate (at least 3 hours )
2. Get the grill pan hot, and you can oil it a bit before hand to prevent the chicken sticking to it
3. Put the chicken breast on the grill and spread evenly, reserve excess marinade
4. Meanwhile, prepare/cook/boil/microwave the frozen/fresh vegetables

5. Turn the chicken breast over after about 3 minutes on one side to prevent sticking/burning, should cook in about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat
6. Meanwhile, add 1-2 tbsp to the reserved marinade, and microwave it to high heat till boiling
7. Pour the marinade on top of the chicken and serve with vege as side

Voila, there you go!

3 chicken breast, 4 different ways ... I've tried to vary it across cuisine and methods, using common ingredients in various ways. This is quite fun and perhaps might be of use to those who needs some ideas :)

I liked especially the charred looking lines the grill pan gave, but perhaps it might have been overdone :)

Chicken round 3! --- Chicken Curry

Craving for the spicy kick and outcome was this :) Chicken curry with onions, long beans, mushroom and carrots, simmered till soft and thick, best served with a half bitten toast! :D

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