20110831 Chicken Biryani Pilau

(SOURCE: BBC Good Food - Chicken Biryani Pilau)

It was a week when I wanted to have decent meals every evening, but did not have the time to cook anything after work because of the usual 2-hour commute from work. So on the day I worked from home, I went grocery shopping and cooked up a storm in the evening. I made several one-pot dishes, so I simply had to reheat them (or microwave them if I feel really lazy) after work. As I have been craving warm food for lunch these days, I made huge one-pot dishes so there was always enough leftover for my lunch.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
10 chicken drumsticks (poked all over with a fork to let the curry flavor in)
1 onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp curry powder
350g basmati rice
700ml chicken stock
250g frozen peas

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 180 degree C.
2. Fry the chicken over high heat in a casserole, then lower the heat to medum and cook onions for 5 minutes. Sprinkle over curry powder, stir in rice, and pour over the stock. Bring the dish to a boil, then cover the pan and bake the dish in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the dish from the oven. Stir in peas, leave the rice to stand for about 5 minutes with the lid on. Then serve.

20110823 Chicken and Rice Casserole

I remember reading a recipe about chicken and rice casserole before, and was too lazy to look it up on the internet. So I simply gave this a go without knowing if I got the ingredients right - daredevil me in the kitchen! As my husband was home late, I left the dish in the oven for a little too long, so the chicken was a bit dry. Other than that, it was okay so I was pleased.

INGREDIENTS
700g chicken, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
225g mushroom, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream
1 cup raw rice
1tsp thyme
1tsp basil
1tsp Italian dried herbs
1/2tsp paprika

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 190 degree C.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then brown them in a pan over high heat. Remove to a plate. Lower the heat to medium, and cook onions and garlic until the onions are soft. Remove to a plate. Add mushroom and dry saute them to release some moisture. Remove to a plate.
3. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and heat to reduce to about 1 tbsp. Add stock and bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from heat, then add cream, sour cream, and dried herbs.
4. In a casserole dish, mix together rice, onions, mushroom, and sauce. Then lay the chicken over the top in a single layer. Cover the dish and bake for about 45 minutes in the oven. If the dish is still a bit watery, uncover the dish and cook in the oven for a few more minutes.

20110420 Curry Rice with Smoked Chicken

(SOURCE: Albert Heijn Recepten - Kruidige rijst met zalm en ei)

I wanted to follow the original receipe and make curry rice with smoked salmon, but I was very sure my husband would not even touch the dish. So I replaced the smoked salmon with smoked chicken instead. I expected the flavor to be richer because of the yummy yellow color. But for a 20-minute quick dinner, this is good!

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium leeks, cut into rings
1 tbsp curry powder
750ml chicken stock
180g smoked chicken, cut into small cubes
handful of parsley, roughly chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the leeks over medum heat for about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and fry until fragrant. Add the rice and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to simmer with a lid on for about 15 minutes. If the rice is still a bit hard after the liquid has been absorbed, add a bit more stock.

2. Add the smoked chicken and parsley, and heat through. Serve with eggs and some chopped parsley.

20110415 Carrot and Sweet Corn Congee

I have been staying home for two days fighting a recurring headache, so I made a huge pot of typical Chinese comfort food - congee! - using ingredients I can find in the fridge and cupboard. Last time when I was unwell, I whipped up the same congee too. I wonder why I seem to always have some carrots and sweet corns at home. This time I simply scrapped the vegetable oil, and replaced the chicken stock cubes with vegetable ones and dried parsley with a handful of freshly chopped parsley.

20110329 Oven-baked Thai Chicken Rice

(SOURCE: GoodFood Magazine - Oven-baked Thai chicken rice)

I didn't feel weel this week so only made some very simple dishes that did not require too much preparation. I made this a day ahead so I only had to heat up the dish after a long day of work. This dish was so fragrant thanks to the coconut milk and roughly chopped coriander leaves (not shown in the picture), and it was simply delicious!

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
400g chicken tender
4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
250g basmati rice
1.5 red peppers, cut into wedges
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
400g coconut milk
handful coriander leaves

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 180 degree C. Heat the oil in a shallow ovenproof casserole dish, then soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and curry paste, then cook for 3 minutes, stirring to coat.
2. Tip in the rice and peppers, then stir in the lime zest and juice, coconut milk and 250ml boiling water. Bring to the boil, then pop the lid on and bake for 20 minutes until the rice is fluffy. Scatter with coriander before serving.

20110322 Salsa Chicken Pepper

(SOURCE: GoodFood Magazine - Salsa Chicken Pepper)

I used shredded chicken instead of chopped one, in order to fit more chicken into each bell pepper. It is amazing how sweet roasted peppers taste. Too bad I forgot to serve them with some freshly squeezed lime juice.

INGREDIENTS
140g brown rice, cooked as per instructions
4 large bell peppers
oil, for brushing
300g hot salsa
200g cooked chicken, shredded
200g kidney beans, drained
60g grated cheese
20g coriander, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200 degree C. Slice the top off the peppers and cut out the seeds. Lightly oil then bake whole peppers in a roasting tin for 10 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, mix rice with the salsa, chicken, beans, cheese, and coriander. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Take the peppers out of the oven, then fill with the rice mixture. Put on the lids, then bake for 10 minutes.

20110316 Spiny Lobster Fried Rice

Because of their beautiful color, I always thought spiny lobsters were very sweet and yummy. But I was quite disappointed as they were not as tasty as prawns, and yet they were more expensive. So this would definitely be the first and last time I had spiny lobsters.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup rice
chicken stock
1 tbsp vegetable oil
100g spiny lobster
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 onion, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas

METHOD
1. Cook the rice in chicken stock. Drain well, then set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok, and fry the garlic, ginger, and onion for about 3 minutes. Add rice and fry for 5 minutes. Add the frozen peas and fry for another 5 minutes. Lastly add the spiny lobster and egg, and heat through.

20110309 Spiced Chicken and Cauliflower Pilaf

(SOURCE: EasyCook Magazine - Spiced chicken and cauliflower pilaf)

The recipe suggested to simmer the dish for only 10 minutes, but no way the chicken and rice could be cooked that quickly! I used a total of 700ml chicken stock and simmered the dish for about 35 minutes instead. I had a bite of a lemon slice and it was yuck. Next time I will remove the lemon slices afterward, and maybe just top the dish with a lemon slice for garnish.

INGREDIENTS
5 chicken drumsticks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp curry powder (preferably one with turmeric in it)
200g basmati rice
500 to 800ml chicken stock
200g cauliflower florets
200g frozen green beans
1 lemon, sliced and each slice cut in half
small bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks separated and roughly chopped

METHOD
1. Slash the chicken drumsticks so they cook faster.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and brown the chicken drumsticks for about 5 minutes. Tip in the curry powder and rice, fry for a minute, then stir in the chicken stock.
3. Add the cauliflower, beans, lemon, and coriander stalks to the pan. Stir and mix well. Bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid on for 20 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. If the dish got a bit too dry or the rice remained hard, add more chicken stock about 50ml at a time. Sprinkle over the coriander leaves and serve.

20110226 Chicken and Chorizo Paella

(SOURCE: Koken en Genieten magazine - Paella met kip en chorizo)

Paella is a saffron-flavored Spanish dish. The original Valencian Paella is a mixture of rice with meat, snails, eels, vegetables, beans, and seasoning. Well, I am not that much of an adventurous eater so I skipped the eels and snails. This dish was really easy to prepare, and the oven did most of the work anyways. Next time I may use a little more saffron to give the dish an even more vibrant color.

INGREDIENTS
500g bell peppers (green, red, yellow), chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
250g chorizo, sliced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1kg chicken drumsticks, dabbed dry
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil
400g risotto
200g frozen peas
2 chicken stock cubes
2 pinches of saffron
3 bay leaves

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 175 degree C. In a Dutch oven, brown the drumsticks for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and chorizo into the pan. Then add the bell peppers, peas, and rice, and fry for about 3 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the stock cubes, saffron, and 1L of boiling water together. Pour the bouillon over the rice. Add the chicken, bay leaves, and dried rosemary.
4. Cook the dish in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes (DO NOT stir!) or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Remove the bay leaves, and serve.

20110214 Italian Rice

(SOURCE: SimplyDaily Recipes.com - One Pan Dinner Recipe - Italian Rice)

I made this a day ahead so I only had to heat it up on a lazy Monday evening. It tasted so good and I think the flavor got even richer overnight. This dish is so yummy, I only had to serve it with a simple green salad and a nice glass of dry red.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup basmati rice
1/3 cup whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
500g ground beef
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
750ml tomato sauce
2 cups water
1tsp sugar
1 cup grated parmesan

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a heavy dutch oven over medium heat. Add rice and garlic cloves. Stir constantly and cook about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
2. Add meat, onion, dried herbs, and salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until meat is browned.
3. Add tomato sauce, water, and sugar. Simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until rice is tender. Add up to 1 cup more water if needed. Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese.

20110209 Chicken and Rice Casserole

I felt very lazy and didn't feel like cooking last week. So I only made this rice casserole - it took less than 15 minutes to prepare, and then the oven did all the work.

INGREDIENTS
150g basmati rice

2 cups sliced carrots

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and freshly ground black pepper

400g chicken tenders
800ml can creamy mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 175 degree C. In a small bowl, marinate chicken with oregano and salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, mix soup and milk well.
2. Place rice in a casserole dish. Place chicken on rice, and then top with carrots and mushroom. Pour soup mixture all over, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 70 to 80 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

20110202 Seafood Fried Rice

Another home alone evening with a seafood dinner. It took only less than 30 minutes to prepare, and it satisfied my crave for seafood. Thumbs up!


INGREDIENTS
1 spring onion, cut into rings
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 medium bowls of cooked rice
150g fruit del mer
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp oil
salt and white pepper
Maggi sauce

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic for about 1 minute. Add the rice and fry about 5 minutes. Add the seafood and the egg, then fry for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with Maggie sauce and salt and pepper. Scatter with spring onion and serve.

20101129 Carrot and Sweet Corn Congee

I craved something warm and liquidy today after a horrible migraine attack. As I did not want to go to the supermarket, I had to be creative with the leftover carrots and canned sweet corn. So voila, carrot and corn congee (rice porridge)! I still like my usual chicken/minced beef congee better, but this one would do for this miserable Monday.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup uncooked white rice
2.5L water
2 chicken stock cubes
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp dried parsley
50g carrots, finely diced
120g sweet corn, drained
salt and white pepper

METHOD
1. In a large pan, combine the first four ingredients, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook for about 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
2. Add the dried parsley, carrots, and sweet corn into the congee. Cook for another 45 minutes over medium high heat until the congee has a consistency you like. Season well with salt and white pepper.

20101117 Fish Fried Rice

I made the Irish Soda Bread to use up the leftover buttermilk, and thought I could whip up something to use up the leftover rice, ginger, lemon, and celery leaves. I went and bought some nice white fish...ta-da, fish fried rice! Of course, it would taste even better with some spring onions and finely chopped carrots. But hey, the goal to use up leftovers has been met and I am a happy camper.

INGREDIENTS
200g white fish, cut into chunks
1 egg, lightly beaten
65g leftover cooked rice
handful of wild celery leaves, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
fresh lemon juice
a thick piece of ginger, grated
2 tbsp oil

METHOD
1. Marinate the fish with the grated ginger, and salt and pepper for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a wok, and brown the fish for about 10 minutes. Remove fish from the pan. Add rice to the pan and fry for about 5 minutes. Then add the egg and stir until rice is coated with egg. Return the fish to the pan, and fry for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add a dash of lemon juice, and season well.
3. Sprinkle with the chopped celery leaves and serve.

20101110 Soto Ajam

(SOURCE: Albert Heijn Recepten - Soto ajam)

A delicious Javanese meal soup with chicken, a soup recipe from Indonesia. A perfect dish for a cold and rainy evening. Once the bouillon is done, the rest is no brainer - that's why I made the bouillon the day before, and thought my husband could simply heat up a packet of microwaved rice and make this himself when I had an evening out. But as my evening plan was cancelled, my husband didn't even lift a finger!

Instead of chucking the garlic, I simply mashed it and threw it back into the bouillon. And I added A LOT of chopped celery leaves to my soup as they just added so much fragrance! Next time I may add a tsp of ground coriander and a tsp of turmeric to the soup to make it taste even richer. I may replace the cooked rice with grass noodles to give it a Vietnamese touch too.

INGREDIENTS
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 chicken legs
5cm ginger, cut into big chunks
1 1/2 tsp ground lemon grass
1 chicken stock cube
1 tbsp oil
100g cooked rice
20g wild celery leaves (selderij), finely chopped
60g bean sprouts
handful of fried onions

METHOD
1. Add 1L of water, the chicken, 1 garlic clove, ginger, lemongrass, and chicken stock cube into a large pan. Bring it to the boil, then simmer with the lid on for about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Remove chicken from the pan, and sieve out the ginger and garlic from the pan. Mash the garlic and through it back into the bouillon. Use two forks to remove the bones from the chicken. Put the chicken meat back into the bouillon.
3. Slice the last garlic clove. Heat oil in a pan, and brown the sliced garlic.
4. In each soup bowl, add rice, wild celery, bean sprouts, and fried garlic slices. Spoon the hot soup and chicken into the bowl. Sprinkle with fried onions and serve.

20101001 Beefy Spanish Rice

(SOURCE: allrecipes.com - Beefy Spanish Rice)

I replaced the garlic powder with chilli powder instead to give this dish extra kicks.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp vegetable oil
175g uncooked white rice
80g chopped onion
75g chopped green bell pepper
455g ground beef
255g canned corn
170g can tomato sauce
120ml (1/2 cup) ketchup
235ml (1 cup) water
salt and pepper
chilli powder

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, and bell pepper and saute for 5 minutes, or until onions are tender. Add the ground beef and saute until browned. Drain excess oil and fat.
2. Add the corn, tomato sauce, ketchup and water. Reduced heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste.

20100830 Mushroom, Chicken, and Rice One-pot

(SOURCE: BBC Easy Cook Magazine)

It was a side dish recipe. But as I was too lazy to cook a main dish, I simply added shredded chicken to make this a main course instead.

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2 red peppers, sliced
1 chilli, chopped
1 tsp dried rosemary
250g mushrooms, quartered
400g can chopped tomatoes
150ml chicken stock
two 250g packs microwaveable instant basmati rice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
handful of parsley, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a pan, then add the onion and fry for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the peppers, chilli, rosemary and mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes more.
2. Add the tomatoes and stock, season, then cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and gently heat through. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Scatter over the parsley and serve.

20100509 Stuffed Pepper with Yellow Rice

(SOURCE: Albert Heijn Recepten - Gevulde puntpaprika's met gele rijst)

INGREDIENTS
2 onions, finely chopped
300g beef mince
1 egg
50g herbed breadcrumbs
2 sweet long paprika, halved and deseeded
325g yellow rice, cooked
1 tbsp olive oil
300g sweet corns

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200 degree C. In a large mixing bowl, mix 2/3 onions, meat, egg, and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff the meat mixture into the paprika's.
2. Lay the stuffed paprika's on a baking dish, and cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes. Uncover and then cook for a further 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and brown the rest of the onions. Add corns and rice, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Serve the paprika's on the rice.

20100327 Jambalaya

(SOURCE: BBC Good Food Magazine)

I halved the ingredients below in a hope to make a dish for two - but it didn't work. A good lesson learned - portion of water in such a dish cannot be simply halved!

INGREDIENTS
12 chicken breasts, legs, thighs, or a mixture
3 tbsp cajun seasoning
4 tbsp vegetable oil
3 large spanish onions, two sliced and one diced
450g smoked sausage, cut into 5mm slices
1 red pepper, diced
1 stick celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400g basmati rice
3 spring onions, chopped

METHOD
1. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a large, heavy-based casserole, and fry the chicken in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally until well browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
2. Slice 2 of the onions, add to the pan and fry for 4 to 5 minutes. Sir continuously, scaping the bottom of the pan to dislodge the browned bits. Cook for a further 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and golden. Reduce the heat and cook over a low heat for a further 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and cook uncoered over the lowest heat for about 45 minutes.
3. In another heavy pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the sausage for 3 to 4 minutes until browned. Dice the remaining onion and stir in with the pepper, celery and garlic and cook for 4 to 5 mnutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and just beginning to brown. Spoon on top of the chicken, then add the rice. Pour in 700ml cold water. Add 2 to 3 tsp of the remaining Cajun seasoning. Cover with a tightly fitting lid, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, without lifting the lid. If the rice is still a little hard, add a little more water, cover and simmer for a further 5 to 8 minutes until tender. Stir in the spring onions juts before serving.

20100228 Lubia Polo

(SOURCE: ghazakade.com - Lubia Polo)

My first try at Persian cuisine. This is the perfect dish for a very cold evening! By the way, if you don't have time, it is okay to skip step 1.

INGREDIENTS
500g basmati rice
400g stew beef, cut into small pieces
400g green beans, cut into 2 to 3 cm pieces
3 medium onions, sliced
1 to 2 tbsp tomato puree
100g vegetable oil
salt and pepper

METHOD
1. Wash rice twice and soak in salted warm water for 3 to 4 hours, then drain the water.
2. Pour water in a large pan until it is half full and bring it to a boil. Add rice and a spoonful of salt and continue boiling until rice slightly softens (about 5 minutes). Pour rice into a sieve and wash it with slightly warm water. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a stew pan and brown onion until golden. Add meat and fry over medium heat until color changes. Add 1 to 2 glasses of hot water and cook for about 30 minutes on medium heat, add more hot water if necessary.
4. Add tomato puree, salt and pepper, and cook for another 15 minutes on medium heat.
5. Add the half cooked and rinsed rice, mix well, then cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.