Balinese Spiced Chicken Red Sauce

Sometimes my husband wants to eat spicy food, accompanied with steamed rice (and a glass of red wine), but not too crazily spicy. So then I cook food from my beloved island: Bali. The recipe is called: Balinese spiced chicken with red sauce.

Here we are:

Ingredients:

2 big chicken breasts, cut it into 12 pieces (us Asians, we like if the bone is still in the meat; more tasty)

1 cm lengkuas (galangal or laos), smashed

1 bay leaf

2 kaffir lime leaves

2 tomatoes, each cut into 8 pieces

2 tbsp of sweet soy sauce

1/4 cup of home made chicken stock (or you can use canned chicken stock or water)

Ingredients for the red sauce:

7 big red chillies

2 small red chillies (you can add more if you like spicy food)

5 pieces of shallot

4 cloves of garlic

2cm ginger

4 pieces of candle nuts

1/2 tsp shrimp paste (tastes better if you fry this without oil in the pan)

Method:

1. Season the chicken with salt (1 teaspoon), let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. In the food processor bowl, combine all the ingredients of the red sauce, and blend it until smooth.

3. In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Fry the chicken until half done, take it out. Set aside.

4. In the same pan, take all the oil out except for around 2 table spoons, stir the red sauce until fragrant, add the galangal, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, stock, and the chicken. Stir all together and cover it and leave it to simmer for around 5 minutes on a medium heat.

5. After 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and sweet soy sauce, stir it occasionally and leave it to simmer for another 10 minutes on a medium heat, or until the chicken is tender.

Selamat makan!

Eet smakelijk!

Chicken Kebab with Couscous Salad.

I like to serve this kebab for my husband. The chicken is so juicy and tender. In Asia this dish is called satay with sauce by its side. You can add the capsicum, cherry tomato, shallot in the skewer together with the chicken to make the dish more healthy.

Ingredients for The Chicken Kebabs:

1 tbsp of lemon juice

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp of chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tbsp lemon zest

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.

Method

1. In a medium nonreactive bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, thyme, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

2. Using a fork, pierce each chicken breast all over several times to help the marinade penetrate. Cut each chicken breast into the size that you like and also depending on how long and big the skewer is (equally sized). Put the chicken to the marinade mixture and covered with the plastic. Put the chicken mixture in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

3. Pre-heat the grill. Meanwhile, thread the chicken chunks onto skewers including the vegetables that I mentioned above.

4. Grill the kebabs until the chicken is nicely brown and cooked through for around 6-7 minutes.

Ingredients for the Couscous Salad:

1 cup home made chicken broth

5 ounces dry instant couscous

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground cinnamon

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 small red onion, chopped

1 small Japanese cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dices

1/2 red bell pepper or capsicum, seeded, stemmed and cut into small dices

1/4 chopped cilantro leaves

some green onions, trimmed and finely chopped.

In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil.

Put the couscous in the bowl and stir in the salt and cinnamon. Pour the boiling broth into the couscous, stir briefly, cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature for 5 minutes. Uncover the bowl and, with a table fork, fluff the couscous to separate its grains. Leave it to cool completely to room temperature.

In another large bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, red onion, cucumber, bell pepper, and green onion. Add the cooled couscous and toss until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the cilantro leaves. Adjust the seasoning to taste with more salt and pepper.

Notes:

1. You can put all kind nuts and vegetables in the couscous.

2. If you use bamboo or wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading on the food, so the skewers will be less likely to burn on the grill.

Enjoy your cooking!

Geniet van het koken!

Crusted Chicken Breast with Sundried Tomato Pasta.

I tried a new recipe from another chef and changed some ingredients because sometimes we don't have the ingredients available in our store or in our fridge and one can be lazy to go out, so I just used what I have and matched it as close as I could. Here we are: Crusted Chicken Breast with Sun-dried Tomato Pasta.

Crusted Chicken Breast:

2 chicken breasts

50 gram of flour (enough to use for dusting the chicken)

1 egg (put 1 tbsp of water and mix it)

20 gr of pine nuts (you can replace it with sunflower seeds)

20 gr of almonds

20 gr of cashew nuts ( I replaced it with hazeluts)

1 tbs of oregano

Salt

Pepper

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta:

50 gr linguini

1 mid-sized onion (chopped)

4 cloves of garlic (sliced)

50 gr of sun-dried tomato (blended)

5 pieces of cherry tomato (cut in halves lengthwise)

4 tbsp of olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Method for Crusted Chicken Breasts:

1. Mix all the nuts and lightly blend or chop them together. Set a side.

2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and oregano, dust with flour, dip in the egg and then dip the chicken in the mixture of nuts and cover it with plastic and put it in the chiller.

3. While you put it in the chiller, pre-heat the oven at 180C and arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven.

4. After 10 minutes or so, take out the chicken and place it inside the oven bake for about 20 minutes until the chicken cooked.

Method for Sun-dried Tomato Pasta:

1. Boil water, add some salt and oil, when the water is boiling, add the linguini pasta and cook for about 8-10minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta and transfer to the bowl.

2. Heat oil in the pan, fry the onion and garlic until golden brown, then add the sun-dried tomato blend.

3. Then add the cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, and cooked linguini pasta and stir for a few seconds.

4. Put the pasta on the plate and place the crusted chicken breasts by its side.

Note: you can add to this dish some vegetables like asparagus and broccoli.

Enjoy your cooking!

Geniet van het koken!

Peach Sauté with Ice Cream

Tonight I make a very nice dessert, not so sweet: just perfect. For someone who likes peach, I guaranty you will like this dessert!

Ingredients:

3 medium sized Peaches, sliced

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 of cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

1 pinch salt

3 tbsp of unsalted butter

1/2 pint raspberries

1 pint of vanilla ice cream

Method

Heat the butter to melt in a medium sized skillet over a medium heat. Add the peaches to the skillet and season with salt, add lime juice and sauté to soften the slices for 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with brown sugar and toss to coat and take out from the heat. Add the raspberries and season the peaches with cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon the peaches (and the sauce) into dessert cups and top off with small scoops of ice cream.

Eet smakelijk!

Selamat makan!

Balinese Pork Rib Soup.

Balinese food is not so easy to make and cook. But when you get there, you will love it. Here I will cook Pork Rib Soup with Balinese spices. You can replace pork with beef or chicken.

Ingredients:

500 gr sliced pork rib/beef rib

1 liter of water

125 g large red chilis halved, seeded and sliced

20 g bird's eye chilis (if you feel this is too much, you can put less) slice finely

25 g garlic, peeled and sliced

100 g shallots, peeled and sliced

25 g ginger, peeled and sliced

75 g galangal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galangal), peeled and sliced

50 g candlenuts or macadamia nuts

1 tbsp black pepper corn crushed

1 tbsp coriander seeds crushed

20 g palm sugar, chopped

75 ml vegetable oil

1 small lime

1 lemon grass, brused

Parsley for garnishing

2 bay leaves

1/4 tbsp of salt

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients except the ingredients for garnishing, lime and bay leaves, place them in a mortal, or a food processor, add a little bit of water to help process and grind coarsely to make a paste

2. Heat the oil in a medium sized pan and cook over a medium heat for approximately 1 hour or until the mixture changes to a golden brown color

3. Set a side and let the mixture cool off

4. Then mix and rub the mixture over the sliced ribs and let them marinate in a fridge for at least 12 hours or over night (you can marinate for two hours minimum as well for quick results)

5. After 12 hours, take them out of the fridge and place them in a large sized pan.

6. Add the water, bay leaves, and lemon grass, and place the pan on a stove bringing it to a simmer

7. Simmer for at least 2 hours or until the ribs are tender or until the meat falls off easily from the bone

8. Put in a serving bowl, squeeze a little bit fresh lime over the top of the soup to give it more kick :-)

9. You can garnish with parsley or other garnish of your preference

Notes:

You can put inside the soup some other vegetables like: egg plants, long bean leaves, young jackfruit

Eet smakelijk!

Selamat makan!

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon, Basil, and Salmon.

I tried another one of Giada's recipes for our dinner, a healthy pasta dish. When we (me and my husband) ate this pasta, we felt so satisfied and the most important thing is that it is healthy and nutritious.

For 2 servings:

1/4 pound whole-wheat spaghetti

1 garlic clove, minced or grated

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for the pasta dressing

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil to cook the Salmon

2 (2-ounce) salmon fillets

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves/ sometimes I change the baby spinach with broccoli or you can change with other vegetables whatever you like as long as it matches with spaghetti.

Bring a medium-sized pan of salted water to a boil over a high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite (al dente), stirring occasionally about 8 to 10 minutes, or you can follow the package instructions. Drain the pasta and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Ad the garlic , extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss together.

Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a medium skillet at medium-high heat. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Add the fish to the skillet and cook until medium rare for about 2 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Remove the salmon from the pan.

Add the basil, capers, lemon juice to the spaghetti and toss together. Prepare 2 serving plates or shallow bowls. Place a half cup spinach in each bowl. Top up with half of the pasta. Top up each mound of pasta with a piece of salmon.

Serve immediately!

Eet smakelijk!

Selamat makan!

GRILLED FISH IN BANANA LEAF WITH BALINESE SPICES

This dish is one of my hubby's favorites. And also one of the most popular dishes in Balinese home. Try this version and you'll understand why.

1 slice mackerel (150 gr), cubed

1 shallot, peeled and sliced

1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste

2cm fresh ginger, peeled and and slice.

1 small tomato, cut in wedges

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon.

1-2 bird's-eye chillies (small chillies)

2 finger-length red chillies, deseeded and sliced.

Salt, to tast

6 pieces of banana leaf, cut in 15 cm squares.

6 toothpicks

Combine all the ingredients except oil, banana leafs and toothpicks, grind coarsely in a mortar or in a food processor and process lightly. Transfer the ingredients to the bowl and mix well with the fish and oil divided in three pieces. Add the mixture to the banana leaf, roll the leaf up around the filling in the shape of a parcel, secure both ends of the roll with toothpicks. Grill the parcel for around 10-12 minutes both sides or until the liquid is not coming out from the parcel anymore.

Tips: you can steam the packets too for around 15 minutes, then place on a charcoal grill for 5 minutes until the banana leaves are evenly browned.

If banana leaves are not available, you can replace them with aluminium foil.

Poached Pear with Honey and Vanilla sauce.

Poached pear is one of my favorite desserts. When I serve this dessert to my guests, they really love it. And they always ask me for the recipe. So here it is :-)

Poached Pear with honey and vanilla sauce.

2 cups/500 ml Moscato wine or another sweet wine

1 stick of cinnamon

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 tablespoon honey

1 cup sugar (you can put less sugar on in)

1 (1/2 inch ) ginger, peeled and finely chop or grated

4 small pears, peeled and cored.

In a large saucepan big enough to hold all the pears, combine the sugar with 1 cup of water. Bring to boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the wine, cinnamon sticks, honey, and ginger. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and add put them with the bean into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a shimmer, stirring occasionally until the honey has melted.

Add the pears and shimmer over medium-low heat around 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender when pierced with a small knife.

Remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool. Continue to shimmer the liquid until it thickens and is reduced by half, for an other 15-20 minutes. Cool the liquid in room temperature. Sift the liquid to discard the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean.

Place the pear on a small serving plate and drizzle with the syrup.

Serve immediately!

Note: you can add vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to accompany the pears.

Eet smakelijk!

Selamat makan!

I Love cooking!

Cooking has always been fun for me, especially after I got married. And cooking doesn't always make us busy and messy. You still can look pretty and great whilst you are cooking ;-)

Here, I will share a simple and easy recipe for a starter from one of my favorite television host from the Asian Food Channel, Giada De Laurentiis. She is pretty and smart. Almost all her food recipes are healthy and the ingredients easy to find.

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Herbs.

INGREDIENTS

6 middle size of tomatoes, slice in half lengthwise.

3-4 table spoon of olive oil.

1 clove garlic, minced.

Pinch of salt.

Pinch of black pepper.

1/3 cup plain bread crumbs.

1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese, finely crumbled.

1 tbsp fresh parsley leaf, chopped.

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F or 190 degrees C.

Using a teaspoon, grapefruit spoon or what ever the tools that make you convenience for it, to remove the seeds from the tomatoes. Place the tomato halves, cut side down, on a paper towel and let them drain for about 5 minutes.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons each of olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Using clean hands, bring the tomato halves in to the oil mixture and gently toss until coated. Marinate the tomatoes for about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and Gorgonzola cheese

Place the marinated tomato halves, cut side up on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Fill each tomato half with the bread crumbs until fully filled. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly softened and until the underside of the tomatoes are brown.

Arrange the cooked tomatoes on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Note: If you don't like Gorgonzola cheese, you can replace with grated Parmesan Cheese.

Bon appétit!

Selamat Makan!