Singaporean Steamed Chicken

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This recipe is probably one of the best ways to prepare chicken. The tasty rice dish that accompanies it and the sweet perky sauce makes the dish specially appealing. One never tires of the light, flavorful chicken that results from steaming it not with water but with chicken broth.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 whole chicken
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 cups chicken broth
• Cucumber, for garnish
• Tomatoes, for garnish

For the chicken rice:

• Oil for sauteing
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked washed rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the chicken sauce:

• Oil for sauteing
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup minced celery stalk
• 2 tablespoons minced spring onion
• 1/2 cup broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Sesame oil

Cook the Chicken:

1. Rinse chicken well inside and out then pat dry with paper towels. Rub the skin and the inside cavities with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
2. Place chicken on a steamer and steam for about one hour, using chicken broth as the steaming liquid (not water).
3. When chicken is cooked and tender, remove from steamer and let cool. Reserve the broth. Slice the chicken into serving pieces and arrange on a platter. Garnish with cucumber and tomatoes. Serve with steamed chicken rice, chicken sauce and soup.

Cook the chicken rice:

1. In a large pot or rice cooker, heat oil and saute onion.
2. Add rice and toss till slightly brown and all grains are coated with the oil.
3. Pour in chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and simmer until rice is cooked.

Cook the chicken sauce:

1. In a saucepan heat oil and saute onion, celery and spring onion for about 1 minute.
2. In a bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and a dash of sesame oil. Add to saucepan and stir continuously, simmering until thick. Serve as sauce for the steamed chicken.

Roast Turkey with Oyster Stuffing Chefs Recipe

Image by flickr

This is a very delicious recipe that you have to try in your home. This is easy to cook and to prepare. All you have to do is follow the procedure carefully.

Ingredients:

• 1 5-kilo turkey (about 10 lbs)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup butter for brushing

For the stuffing:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cups chopped celery stalks
• 350 grams cubed fresh oysters
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 3/4 loaf white bread, cubed
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the rub mixture:

• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• Ground pepper

 Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse turkey well inside and out with running water.
2. Pat the inside and outside of turkey with paper towels to dry. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper (no need to season the outside because the rub mixture will do the seasoning).
3. Combine all ingredients for the stuffing. Spoon 3/4 of the stuffing into cavity of the turkey and the remaining into the neck and outer breast portion.
4. With needle and thread sew the cavity of the turkey until well closed.
5. In a bowl, combine ingredients for rub mixture and tub evenly on skin of turkey.
6. Arrange turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of turkey.
7. Roast turkey until thermometer registers 180 degrees Fahrenheit, basting every 30 minutes with its pan juices. Allow 30 to 40 minutes cooking time for every kilo of turkey.
8. When cooked, transfer turkey to platter and brush butter over the turkey to give it a shiny appearance.
9. Reserve turkey drippings for gravy. Let cooked turkey rest 30 minutes before carving. Serve with giblet gravy and cranberry sauce.

Let's make the Perfect Giblet Gravy:

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey neck
• 1 turkey gizzard
• 1 turkey liver
• 8 cups water
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• Drippings from the pan used to bake the turkey
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Giblet crumbs

Procedure:

1. Place first nine ingredients in a stockpot and simmer for 45 minutes. Set aside.
2. Remove liver from the pot and reserve for future use. Remove the gizzard from the pot and chop finely. Remove the meat from the turkey neck and chop finely. Reserve the liquid stock.
3. Combine the chopped gizzard and turkey meat.
4. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Add a little liquid stock (from the simmered liquid) if necessary.
5. Pour processed mixture back to the liquid stock. Let boil then simmer continuously until mixture is reduced to about one fourth. Strain stock but reserve any remaining giblet crumbs.
6. When turkey is cooked, transfer all drippings from the roast turkey to a small bowl. Set aside.
7. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and whisk continuously until it turns brown. Pour in the stock gradually by ladles.
8. Let boil then simmer until thick.
9. Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper.
10. Stir in reserved giblet crumbs and drippings and simmer until mixture is smooth and of desired consistency.
11. Pour into a sauce-boat and reserve with the turkey.

Make some Fruitcake Easily

Image by specialfoodrecipe

It will feel like Christmas any day of the year when you bake this festive fruitcake and smell its wonderful aroma. 

Fruitcakes keep for several months, even years, when properly wrapped and stored in the refrigerator or freezer. To keep them moist, brush with brandy once in a while (cherry brandy works particularly well).

Ingredients for two 8" x 3 1/2" x 3" loaf pans:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 5 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon each dry nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, allspice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup rum
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 1 1/4 cups raisins
• 1 1/4 cups glazed fruits
• 1 1/4 cups assorted nuts (walnuts, cashews, and almonds), halved
• Candied cherries, red and green
• Whole walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter at medium speed.
2. Gradually add sugar while continuing to cream until light and fluffy.
3. Add whole eggs and yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Pour in molasses.
5. In a separate container, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace and allspice). Alternately add flour mixture and the vanilla, rum, and brandy into the creamed butter.
6. Add raisins, glazed fruits, and assorted nuts.
7. Mix on low speed until all ingredients are combined, around 3 minutes.
• Dredge these first in a little flour to keep them from sinking in the batter during baking.
8. Grease two 8" x 3 1/2" x 3" loaf pans. Line bottoms and all sides of loaf pans with waxed paper or brown paper. Grease again and line with another layer of paper.
9. Spoon mixture into the loaf pans. Decorate top with candied cherries and whole nuts.
10. Place loaf pans in a bigger pan. Pour water around the loaf pans to make a water bath (bain-marie). Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

• Cool fruitcakes completely in pans. Remove from the pans and peel off waxed paper. Brush fruitcakes with brandy for added moisture and flavor. Wrap each loaf in aluminum foil. Store in refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve or for gift giving.

Almond Jelly Recipe

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Almond Jelly is a light, refreshing dessert favorite in Chinese restaurants. It was traditionally made with ground almond powder. This popular version uses sweetened milk and gelatin, with a dash of almond essence. The mango and the lychees add a fresh fruity flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 teaspoon almond essence
• 1 fresh mango, cubed
• 1 cup canned lychees

For Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water

Procedure:

1.  In a heavy saucepan combine milk and sugar. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring mixture to a low boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Let cool.
2. In a small saucepan combine water and gelatin. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes until the texture becomes spongy. Place the pan over low heat, shaking it occasionally just until gelatin has melted.
3. Stir in milk mixture into the gelatin. Add the almonds essence.
4. Pour the mixture into a rectangular or square cake pan. Allow to cool before refrigerating. The almond jelly will set in 3 to 4 hours.
5. Slice almond jelly into cubes and place in a bowl. Combine with cubed mangoes and lychees. Pour in syrup before serving. You may use the canned fruit syrup or the prepared syrup. Add crushed ice if desired.

Make the syrup:In a saucepan, mix sugar and water and set over low fire until sugar dissolves. Do not stir to prevent crystallization. Set aside to cool. Chill before adding to the almond jelly mix.

Boneless Bangus or Blue Marlin with Vinegar Sauce

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Bangus is better eaten without the pesky bones. Here, technologist Vivian Nebres, Norma Borja and Rosario Ragaza of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) share their technique for deboning bangus.

How to debone bangus:

1. Wash the fish very well. Split the fish starting from the tail to the head by sliding the knife along the backbone.
2. Position the fish like a butterfly fillet and remove the gills and viscera.
3. Remove the backbone with the aid of a knife or blade, sliding it along the backbone from head to tail. Wash the fish thoroughly.
4. Lay the fish flat on a shallow tray and, with the use of small forceps or tweezers, pull out the bones near the stomach.
5. Make a superficial slit, 1/8 inch deep, along the dent of what looks like the outermost layer of the fish.
6. Pull out the spines embedded between the slit flesh from the head to the tail, pulling up towards the head.
7. Remove the spines from what looks like the innermost layer of the fish in the same manner.
8. Remove the filamentous Y-shaped spines along the layer which is between the outermost and innermost lines of the fish. Wash deboned bangus in clean water. Store in refrigerator until ready to cook (within 1 to 2 days) or freeze immediately.

To cook: Boneless bangus can be made into a variety of dishes. One of the most popular is daing na bangus.

To make daing na bangus, marinade the deboned bangus in a mixture of vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped garlic for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain from marinade and cook in hot cooking oil. Serve with rice and achara.

Blue Marlin with Vinegar Sauce

Image by dude4food

This is an easy dish to prepare. The sugar, vinegar and soy sauce mixture adds a piquant flavor and tastes great when spooned into hot white rice.

What to prepare:

• 1 kilo blue marlin fillets (either ordinary cut or the belly)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/2 head garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sliced ginger
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Let's do the procedure:

1. Slice blue marlin into cubes.
2. In a bowl, mix sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and water and let stand for a few minutes
3. In a wok, heat cooking oil and saute garlic and ginger. Add fish cubes and saute two to three minutes. Spoon off excess oil from pan.
4. Add sugar-vinegar mixture to the cooking pan and simmer about 1 minute.
5. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and pour into wok. Simmer until sauce is thickened and fish is thoroughly cooked.
6. Spoon fish cubes and sauce into a serving platter. Sprinkle green onions on top. Serve with hot white rice.

Mango Tart and Tomato Bread Soup for Dessert

Image by rachelcooksthai

Sweet mango wedges blend with a creamy filling in this delightful chilled dessert.

Let's prepare the ingredients for the cream cheese crust:

• 1 8-oz bar cream cheese
• 1 cup butter, preferably cold
• 2 cups flour plus additional for dusting
• 1/2 cup flour for kneading
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

Now for the cream filling:

• 2 cups milk
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

• 4 ripe mangoes
• 1/4 cup mango jam

Let's proceed on making the crust:

1. In an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until slightly softened.
2. Add the 2 cups flour all at once. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn dough into the work surface and knead slightly. Add more flour of dough is too soft.
3. Form dough into a ball and chill for about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness, large enough to fit in a 9-inch tart pan. Ease dough into tart pan to form the crust.
5. Prick the crust with a fork, to prevent shrinkage. Brush with the egg yolk and water mixture.
6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown. Let cool.

Now let's make the cream filling:

1. In a small saucepan heat milk just until small bubbles form around the edges.
2. In a heatproof bowl, mix flour, sugar and eggs until smooth.
3. Pour in milk in a thin stream while whisking vigorously.
4. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over low heat slowly until very thick, about 20 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
5. Pour mixture into cooled crust.

Make the topping:

1. Peel mangoes and slice the flesh from the seeds in wedges.
2. If desired brush top with mango jam to form a glaze.
3. Chill a few hours before serving

Tomato Bread Soup

Image by kahakaikitchen

The extra virgin olive oil gives this dish a rich, robust taste. Serve with warm French bread, this makes an excellent light meal or first course on a cold, rainy day. This recipe was inspired by an episode in Biba's Italian Kitchen, which used to be aired by the Discovery Channel in Manila.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil (preferably extra virgin), plus additional for serving
• 1 large onion, minced
• 4 large cans (about 16 oz. each) whole plum tomatoes, undrained, cut into large pieces
• 5 cups chicken broth OR: 2 bouillon chicken cubes dissolved in 5 cups water
• 10 slices crusty bread, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Pinch Italian seasoning
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves torn into pieces OR 1 teaspoon dried basil

Procedure:

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil and saute onion.
2. Add tomatoes and their juices and saute for few seconds, pressing tomatoes with wooden spoon.
3. Pour in chicken broth and simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in bread chunks and blend well with  the rest of the mixture. Season with salt, sugar, Italian seasoning and the dried basil if using. Let simmer 10 to 15 minutes.
5. If using fresh basil leaves, add the leaves at this point. Heat through for about 30 seconds.
6. Spoon into individual serving bowls. Pour a dollop of extra virgin olive oil into each soup bowl for added flavor. Serve with warm bread such as focaccia or baguette.

Enjoy your day with this very delicious and very easy recipe.

Chicken Galantina

Image by chatshumblekitchen

The addition of queso de bola and chorizo de Bilbao makes this galantina truly special. Simmering it in broth Adds even more flavor to the dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 (1 1/2 kilos) whole chicken, deboned, skin and meat intact
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1/2 kilo ground pork
• 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish, drained
• 1 cup grated queso de bola
• 5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 kilo (250 g) sweet ham, sliced into 1/2-inch squares
• 1 can (140 g) chorizo de Bilbao, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chorizo fat, (reserved from the can of chorizo)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 bottle (140 g) green olives, chopped, reserve 12 whole pieces
• 2 whole eggs, hard-boiled, peeled
• 1 small carrot, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 12 cups chicken broth

Procedure:

1. Prepare all the ingredients. Reach inside chicken cavity and scrape out the chicken meat, making sure the skin does not get torn. In a bowl, rub chicken skin with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Set aside.
2. Chop the deboned chicken meat. In a large bowl, combine chicken meat, ground pork, pickle relish, and queso de bola. Stir in eggs, sugar, remaining salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Add ham, chorizo, chorizo fat, raisins and olives, chopped and whole. Mix until well combined. Taste test by frying a small piece of meat mixture. Adjust seasoning, if desired.
4. Spoon half of the mixture into chicken cavity. Insert hard-boiled eggs and carrot strips into the center. Fill chicken with remaining mixture.
5. Sew the opening of the chicken securely to seal in the filling. Place chicken on a long piece of aluminum foil, breast side up, tucking under the legs and the skin of the neck and wings to make an oval shape. Wrap chicken tightly in the foil. Repeat with one or two more layers of aluminum foil until the chicken is tightly covered in all places, with no skin showing.
6. Arrange chicken in a large pot. Pour chicken broth into the pot. Simmer chicken in broth for 1 hour or until completely cooked. Cool completely. Chill in the refrigerator and slice thinly to serve with salad or as cold cuts.

Note: Many market vendors can debone chicken for galantina. Instruct the vendor to debone the chicken through its bottom cavity, instead of through cutting a slit at the back, so you only need to sew the bottom opening after the chicken has been stuffed.

10 Steps to make Tempura

Image by pattayatoday

While cooking, check the batter regularly to see that the cold temperature and watery consistency are maintained. Recipe tester Victoria Reyes-Ferrer suggests putting the bowl of batter on top of another bowl filled with ice cubes. You can also add a little water, baking powder and cornstarch to the batter if it becomes too thick.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo prawns (about 30-32 pieces per kilo)
• 2-3 cups all-purpose flour
• Ice cold water
• Pinch of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 cups cooking oil

For Dip:

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 beef broth cube
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon grated radish

 Procedure:

1. Clean prawns in water. Remove the heads and shells but leave intact a small part of the shell near the tail. Remove the shell cover of the frontal part of the tails.
2. Place each prawn on a cutting board and make a shallow cut down the back with a paring knife. Pick out its "vein" (or digestive tract), which resembles a thin black string.
3. Make diagonal cuts along the inner side of each prawn to stretch it.
4. Flatten the tail of each prawn on a cutting board and scrape off the dirt on the lower half of the tail with a knife. The dirt will pop out.
5. Position each prawn flat on the table. Squeeze its sides gently to straighten and lengthen its figure.
6. Put about 1 cup of the flour in a bowl. Hold each prawn by the tail and roll in a bowl of flour. Set aside.
7. Prepare the batter: Mix together just enough of the remaining flour with the ice cold water to produce a watery consistency. Add baking powder and cornstarch. (The cold water makes the batter swell and become puffy when it is fried in hot oil). Heat cooking oil in a large wok or deep fryer. Oil must be very hot. To test if the oil is hot enough, put in a small amount of batter on the oil. If the batter floats, then the oil is ready.
8. Holding it by its tail, dip each floured prawn in the batter.
9. While still holding each prawn by the tail, position it gently in heated oil. Deep fry until golden yellow and crisp.
10. Remove prawns from oil and drain on paper towels or wire rack. Serve the prawns with the dip.

If you wish you may use the same procedure for cooking vegetable tempura. Just slice carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes and eggplants into serving pieces. Dredge vegetables in flour, dip in batter and deep fry as above.

To prepare Dip: In a small saucepan, heat water. Dissolve beef cube. Add soy sauce, sugar, ginger and radish. Mix well. Serve with tempura.