Chicken, Mushroom Pumpkin Rice

I've started to plan a weekly menu to ease the load of having to figure out what to cook for the day:) Since we will have at least 3 dishes per meal time, I've decided to dedicate simple One Pot cooking for every Wednesday!

It has been a while since I last made Pumpkin Rice and so I've penned it down as one of the One Pot meals for Wednesday.

My mum used to cook such one pot meals for us such as Pumpkin Rice, Yam Rice & Cabbage Rice whenever she ran out of ideas for the day:) Eating this dish today simply brings back fond memories of childhood home comfort and my mummy's love.

I still missed my mum a lot even thought she had passed on closed to 8 years now. She'll be amazed that I actually managed to pick up cooking after all! hahahahahaa...... I used to be the one to run out of the kitchen the minute I heard a "ping" sound coming from the heated oil in the wok and my mum used to shake her head and wonder out loud why I chose to climb trees instead of learning the art of cooking :P

So, here is my favourite one Pot Rice Meal :D


Chicken, Mushroom & Pumpkin Rice
Servings - 4 persons (2 helpings each)

Ingredients:

3 cups Rice, rinsed and soaked for 20 mins
½ Pumpkin, cut into cubes
2 pkts Chicken fillet, cut into small cubes
5 - 8 Dried medium size shitake mushroom, soaked in hot water for 1 hour (washed with running water, cut into small chunks & keep the soaking water)
25g Dried prawns (pre-soaked for 15 mins, retained water for cooking later)
1 Small Onion, minced
2 tsps Shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp Sugar
3 tbsps Cooking Oil
3-4 Cups Water/Chicken Stock for cooking (depending on the type of rice used)
Spring onions (for garnishing)

Seasonings for rice (mix all in a bowl)
2 tbsps Light Soya Sauce
3 tbsps Dark Soya Sauce
1 tsp Salt
2 tsps Oyster Sauce
Dash of Sesame Oil & Pepper

Marinate for Chicken
1 tbsp Light Soya Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Sesame Oil
3 tsps Corn flour

Methods:

1. Marinate the chicken with light soya sauce, sugar, sesame oil & corn flour for at least half an hour.
   
2. Fried onions until golden brown. Add fried shallots and move to the side of the wok.
   
3. Add in dried prawns and stir fry under low heat until fragrant. Add in mushrooms and 1 tsp of sugar, stir-fry for a while.Push the dried prawns and mushrooms to the side of the wok, add in chicken and stir-fry until the chicken cubes turn pale (half-cooked).
   
4. Add in pumpkin and continue to stir-fry for a while.
   
5. Add in a little oil if the mixture looks dried.
   
6. Add in pre-soaked rice, fried shallots followed by seasoning and stir until all the ingredients are well-combined.
   
7. Transfer all the ingredients to a rice cooker, add 1 cup of Mushroomwater and 3- 4 cups water/chicken stock to cover ¾ of the rice mixture.
   
8. Cook under low heat and stir occasionally until the rice is cooked thoroughly.
   

Cinnamon Swirl Buttermilk Pound Cake

Wonderful hubby recently bought me The Cake Book by Tish Boyle and ever since receiving the book, I've been oogling at the numerous mouth watering recipes in that book.

Thus without further ado, I decided to pick on Cinnamon Swirl Buttermilk Tea Cake as my first bake using the book's recipe :)

The thing that drew me to this recipe was Tish Boyle's description "A sure-fire bake sale hit..." She was not joking when she said that as the cake was really moist, fluffy and the crumbs are really fine. The cinnamon scented brown sugar streusel swirls added an extra OOmph despite the unassuming appearance of the cake. One bite into the cake and I went "mmmmmm WOW!" hahahahaha

I'm not a fan of pound cake...don't asked me why I chose a pound cake recipe to start off ... anyway, this recipe really changed my view and a definite keeper for sure!

I really love anything that has spices in them especially Cinnamon. This recipe not only has Cinnamon, it contains wee bit of Cardamom as well!

I think hubby must be rolling his eyes when I sms him right after my first bite on the cake! hahahahaaha....

Ok, one down and many more recipes from the book to try! Woohoo!! I can't wait to bake more of those!

Cinnamon Swirl Buttermilk Pound Cake
Recipe : (From Tish Boyle's The Cake Book)

Cinnamon Streusel Swirl
60g All Purpose Flour
72g Firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
42g Unsalted Butter, Melted
Pinch of salt

Buttermilk Pound Cake
242g All Purpose Flour
57g Cake Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Cardamon
227g Unsalted Butter, softened
400g Castor Sugar
3 Large Eggs
2 tsps Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Finely grated Orange Zest
240ml Butter Milk

Methods
1. Preheat oven to 170°C. If using a bundt pan, grease the inside of a 10inch bundt pan with butter and dust it with flour. You can also use a 12-cup size loaf pan and lined it with baking paper.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients of the Cinnamon swirl. Add the melted butter and stir until blended and crumbly. Set aside

3. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

4. Using a paddle attachment, cream butter for 2 mins at medium speed in a mixer until very creamy.

5. Gradually add in the sugar and continue beating at medium high speed until pale and light. (4mins)

6. At medium speed, add in eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate eggs well.

7. Add vanilla extract and orange zest. Add in the flour in 3 portions, alternating it with milk (2 additions). Mix until just combined.

8. Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the batter. Scrape the remaining batter on top and smooth it into
an even layer.

9. Bake the cake for 65 to 75mins on medium shelf, until the cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

10. Cool the cake for 15 mins before turing out the cake to cool completely. Serve & Enjoy!

Gong Pao Ji Ting 宫保鸡丁

Ingredients:

(A)
400g Boneless Chicken Breast, cubed
1 Tbsp Shao Xing Wine
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
½ tsp Salt

1½ Tbsp Corn Flour
Dash of Pepper
1 Tsp Cooking Oil

(B)
1 Dried Chilli, soaked in water to soften & cut into ½ inch long. Remove all seeds
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsps Sesame Oil

(C)
1 Japanese Cucumber, removed seeds
2 pkts Unsalted Roasted Cashew Nuts

(D)
5 Tbsps Light Soya Sauce
5 Tbsps Water
1 ¼ Tbsps Sugar
1 Tbsp Shao Xing Wine
2 tsps White Vinegar
2 tsps Corn Flour

Methods

1. Mix (A) together except cooking oil & Marinate for at least 30 mins.

2. Add 1 tsp of Cooking Oil just before stir-frying into the marinated chicken so that chicken will separate easily during the frying process.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp of cooking oil and stir fry (A). Close the pan for 2 mins until the chicken pieces are medium well then move to the side of the pan.

4. Use remaining oil to stir-fry (B) until fragrant by closing the pan for 2 mins.

5. Add and stir (C) briefly.

6. Mix and add (D). Cover the pan and cook for 3 mins. Open the pan, stir to mix well

7. Serve & Enjoy!

Apple & Cinnamon Tea Cake

I chance upon this recipe in a magazine a couple of years ago and never got around to baking it. I was looking for an easy recipe so that I can try to bake it with my Happycall Ocher Pan. This recipe pops up again while I was flipping through my collections and I decided to give it a go.

The Apple & Cinnamon combination is just heavenly :) The cake is moist and lightly buttery, not those super buttery cake that I simply don't fancy.

I would recommend that you try it out and perhaps invite some friends over for tea for a splendid afternoon. You can either choose to use Granny Smith Apple or for sweeter option, go for small Crunchy Red Apples.

The trick is during the process of folding in of the flour. Do not overmix the batter as if you do, the cake will be rubbery and not fluffy. Use a rubber spatula and gently fold the flour in.

Here is the recipe for you to enjoy!

Apple & Cinnamon Tea Cake
Utensil used – Happycall Deeper Pan
Baking Time – Approx. 1 hour.

Ingredients:
185g Butter, softened
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

150g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
170g Plain Flour
½ tsp Baking Powder
1/3 cup Milk

Topping:
4 Small Green Apples, peeled, halved and cored
1 tsp Sugar
¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
¼ cup Strawberry Jam Glaze.(Optional)

Methods:
1. Do not grease the pan.
2. Place the butter, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy with electric mixer.
3. Gradually add the eggs and beat well.
4. Sift flour and baking powder over butter mixture and stir in milk until combined. Spoon the mixture into the pan.
5. To make the topping, cut a row of deep slits in each apple half and arrange over the top of the cake mixture.
6. Press apples into the batter but not until all the way down, otherwise the batter will cover the apples.
7. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples.
8. Bake in the pan for about 20 mins on low heat. Open & check if the cake is almost done. If it is still wet, close the pan and let it bake for 10 mins.
9. Flip the pan over and bake for 20 mins. Flip the pan back and test if it is done by inserting the skewer.
10. Once done, you can brush the cake with the warm jam and let it bake for 5 mins.
11. Serve & Enjoy.

Notes:

You can also bake this cake in the Oven.

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease the sides and line the bottom of an 8" round cake pan.
Bake for 45mins or until cooked when skewer is inserted.

Happycall Pans

I really love my Happycall Pans. These are the pans in my kitchen now :

• Basic Pan
• Ocher Pan
• Diamond Wok
• 18cm & 20cm Pots (waiting to recieve)

Ever since my first pan arrived, I've been experimenting with different dishes and snacks and I'm still so impressed by its capabilities :)

Let's see, here are some of the dishes I've prepared so far:

• Sweet & Sour Chicken (Gok Lok Yuk)
• Marmite Chicken
• Aunt Aster's Chicken Stew
• Gong Pao Ji Ting
• Pan Fried Fish with Black Sauce
• Sambal Fish (using Prima paste)
• "Claypot" Chicken Rice
• Garlic Ketchup Prawns
• Beef Bulgogi
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Black Hokkien Mee

And here are the snacks & cake:

• Cinnamon & Apple Tea Cake
• Peanut Pancake (Mee Chiam Kueh)
• Muah Chee
  
  

Chicken Stew Claypot Chicken
Rice

Marmite Chicken Mee Chiam Kueh

Aunt Aster's Chicken Stew

I love chicken stew, especially made by dear late Aunt Aster. She is one fantasic cook with a very adorably cute stern face :P I just love to tease her and see her trying her best not to laugh :)

Eileen made this dish just like Aunt Aster and I've been trying to get it right for quite a long time but somehow there is always something missing. After all the trials & errors, finally.....I managed to get it right this time :)

The stew is really nice and it can be eaten as a one pot dish if you add more potatoes but I just like it with my white rice.

The most daunting task in the past was the 1st step of frying the cinnamon quill as it will cause the oil to start singing...a sound that will make me run miles away! Now with my Happycall, I'm certainly Happy as I can quickly shut the pan and let the "singing" rest inside the pan! How marvelous!! hehehe

Here is the recipe for you to share. The aroma of this stew is simply heavenly and the cinnamon added a really warm touch which definitely greatly enhanced the flavour of the chicken.

Chicken Stew

Happycall Ocher Pan or Slow Cooker
Servces 3

Ingredients:

½ Chicken, skinned & chopped to bite size pieces
1 Chicken Breast with bone, skinned & chopped to bite size pieces
10 New potatoes, skinned & halved
1 Large Onions, peeled and cut into quarters
2 Carrots, skinned and cut into wedges
2 cups Water (add more if you want more sauce)
1 Chicken stock cube
1/2 tsp Peppercorns
2 tbsps Cooking oil
5cm (2 in) Cinnamon quill
1 Tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsps Cooking Oil
2 Tbsps Plain Flour

Marinade

1.5 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 Tbsp Corn Flour

Seasoning

2 Tbsps Dark soy sauce (Add more if you like your stew to be darker in colour)
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsps Plain flour
1 Cup Water

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken for overnight or least 3 hours before cooking.
   
2. Heat up HCP and spread 1 Tbsp of cooking oil around the pan. Add Cinnamon quills and close the pan for 2 mins.
   
3. Coat Chicken Pieces with flour and pan-fry the Chicken pieces until golden brown on all side. Set aside chicken pieces & leave cinnamon quill in the pan.
   
4. Add 1 Tbsp of Cooking Oil.
   
5. Add in Onions, Potatoes, Carrots and stir slightly. Close the pan for 2 mins.
   
6. Flip the pan & grill for another 2 mins. After 2 mins, flip the pan back.
   
7. Put in water, chicken stock cube and peppercorns in HCP. Close the pan and bring to the boil for 5-8 minutes.
   
8. Mix seasoning ingredients in a bowl and add to pan
   
9. Stir and let simmer until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
   
10. Remove from heat and serve.
    

Tips – the longer you cook the better it will be J

Marmite Chicken

Marmite brings back childhood memories. My mum used to put 2 teaspoons of marmite into my porridge and I just love it!

When my son was about 9 months plus, I also put a teaspoon of marmite into his porridge and he loves it too! So, for me I was quite amazed when I chanced upon this Marmite Chicken recipe so I decided to give it a try. I simply love marmite to bits that I even spread it on my toast!

The combination of Marmite, Honey & Light Soya Sauce is really amazing. However, if you're not a fan of marmite, you probably won't like this as it is full of marmite flavours :) A definite keeper for our family menu :)

Ingredients

1 Whole Chicken, cut into bite size pieces

Marinade:

1 tsp Ground Pepper
2 Tbsps Oyster Sauce
2 Tsp Light Soy Sauce
1 Egg
6 Tbsps Corn Flour

Sauce:

3 Tbsps Marmite

3 Tbsps Honey
2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
½ tsp Chicken Stock Granules (knorrs)
100 ml Water

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with seasoning and let it stand in the fridge for 1 hour.
   
2. Heat HCP with oil and pan fry chicken until golden browned. Remove chicken and set aside.
   
3. Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan and boil until sauce starts to thicken.
   
4. Add the fried chicken pieces to the pan and toss to coat.
   
5. Dish out and serve with rice.