Shrimp curry with stir fried rice

serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

* 500g middle sized shrimp
* 1 small can of bamboo shoots
* 1 spoon of tom yum paste
* 1 spoon of lemon juice

* 2 spring onion

* 1 thumb sized ginger

* 3 garlic cloves

* 200ml coconut milk

* 2 cups of rice, pre-boiled
* Curry powder
* Turmeric powder

* 1 red paprika

* 1 small can of pineapple (or 2 slices)
* 200g small sized shrimp

Preparation:

This is my Christmas special this year; I once ate this dish at a Thai restaurant, and this is my interpretation of the recipe. I might be a little off, but the taste comes close to what I've had, and I sure loved it! Here goes:

Be sure to have boiled rice ready for this dish, as you need it cold, because it is better to stir fry then.

Peel the garlic and ginger and use a rasp to grate them. Finely cut the paprika and cut the spring onion in rings. Finally cut the pineapple as small as possible.

Heat up a wok and a saute pan with 2 spoons of oil both. In the wok we're going to make the stir fried rice, in the saute pan the shrimp curry. Once they both reached temperature, turn the heat of the saute pan to low and add the ginger and garlic. Softly let them fry, while stirring.

Meanwhile add the paprika to the wok, and stir fry for about 5 minutes. 

Back to the saute pan, add the bamboo shoots and mix well. Let it cook for a couple of minutes more on low heat. 

Now add the small shrimps to the wok and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the curry powder and turmeric and mix well. Turn the heat low. Now add the pineapple and mix. 

Let's go back to the saute pan, turn the heat high there and add the large shrimps. Stir fry for about one minute and add the spring onion and tom yum paste. Mix well, and add the coconut milk. Blend again and bring to the boil. Once it boils turn the heat low.

In the wok pan, add the rice and use two spatula's to blend everything well. Make sure no single grain of rice is left white, and the ingredients are blended together nicely.

Let both pans on low heat for 2 - 3 minutes more and serve on a plate separately from each other.

I hope you like this recipe, because I certainly did. This is my Christmas dish, and I ate this as a treat to myself.

I hope to see you soon again!

Yours truly,

Mike

Orange chicken

serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

* 500g chicken breast

* 1 egg

* All purpose flour

* Salt & pepper to taste

* Oil
* Boiled rice, cooled down
* 100g ham in cubes

* 1 omelette in strips

* Fried rice herbs ( or make your own as I did in: this recipe )

* 1 leek

* Spring onion for decoration

* Sesame seeds for decoration

* 250ml chicken stock
* 1 spoon sriracha sauce
* 1 spoon sugar

* 1 spoon orange zest

* Juice of one large orange
* 2 spoons of vinegar
* 2 spoons of soy sauce
* 1 spoon of ginger powder

* 1 spoon of garlic powder

* 0,5 spoon of white pepper

* 1 spoon of caster sugar

* 1 middle sized onion

* 2 garlic cloves

* 1 spoon of water

Preparation:

Finely cut the onion and garlic. Cut the leek in half rings. Cut the chicken in cubes of 2 - 3 cm.

Beat the egg in a large bowl, Add a spoon of oil and a spoon of water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now add flour, and beat until you get a smooth batter. It should not be too wet, or too dry. Mix the chicken cubes in the batter and make sure you covered them all. They should not stick together, if so, add more flour. Leave alone.

We will prepare the orange sauce now. Start by putting 250ml of chicken stock in a sauce pan. Add the soy sauce, the vinegar, the garlic powder, the white pepper, the ginger powder, the sriracha sauce, and the sugar. Mix well with a whisk. Use a rasp to get the orange zest, and add this too.
Now get the juice from the orange, and put it in the sauce pan as well. Softly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally so the sugar won't burn. Make sure you get a nice syrupy substance. Take off the heat, keep stirring for 2 - 3 minutes and let it rest.

Heat up a wok and stir fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the leek, omelette and ham and stir fry for about 2 - 3 minutes. Meanwhile heat up a frying pan and deep fry the chicken until crispy.
Now add the fried rice herbs to the vegetable mix, and blend well. Add the rice, and scoop over until everything is blended perfectly.

When the chicken is done, let it rest on a plate with a paper towel underneath so the fat can drip off, making it crispier. Now take a bowl, add the chicken and the sauce and mix well. You should use as much sauce that it covers everything perfectly, as we don't need leftovers. Blend well.

Put the fried rice on a plate, with the chicken on top. Decorate with sesame and spring onion.
Congratulations, you've just made orange chicken!

I hope you like this recipe, and I'll see you again next time!
Yours truly,

Mike

Babi panggang with fried rice

serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

For the Babi Panggang:

* 500g lard cutlet 

* 1 teaspoon coriander powder

* 1 teaspoon of Chinese 5 spices

* 5 spoons of Ketjap Manis

* 0,5 spoon of oil

* A dash of lemon juice

* 1 Garlic clove finely cut

For the sauce:

* 125ml Tomato ketchup
* 1 spoon of sweet chili sauce

* 2 spoons of vinegar

* 4 spoons of ginger syrup

* 3 spoons of Ketjap Manis
* 2 spoons of dark caster sugar

For the fried rice:

* 2 cups of rice

* 1 leek

* 1 middle sized onion

* 2 garlic cloves
* 150g ham in cubes

* 1 spoon of Sambal Ulek

* 1 spoon of coriander powder

* 1 spoon of cinnamon

* 1 spoon of nutmeg

* 1 spoon of cloves powder

Additional:

* Atjar (pickled vegetables)

Preparation:

The following preparations are best done a night before cooking this dish:

Boil the rice with plenty of water, meanwhile make a marinade of everything for the Babi Panggang, except the lard cutlet. Cut the lard cutlet in strips and mix well with the marinade. Meanwhile, when the rice is done, pour all the water out and leave alone until the next day. Put the marinated meat in the frigde. Mix all ingredients for the sauce with a whisk and leave overnight as well.

Cut the leek in rings, and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat up a wok pan and fry the lard cutlet while stirring occasionally until it gets crispy ( or use the oven to do this ). Meanwhile heat up another wok and stir fry the hamcubes, onion and garlic with the spoon of Sambal. Add the leek to this mixture and stir well. When the leek starts to shrink a little put in all the herbs, stir well. 

Meanwhile the lard cutlet should be getting crisp. Pour the sauce mix over it once you are satisfied, if not, wait until later, be sure to put on medium heat, and stir occasionally.

Now add the cold rice to the leek mixture and stir well. It is best if you use two spatulas for it. The rice should be loose, if not break it. Blend the rice well with the mixture, making sure it mixes well with the vegetables, ham and herbs. Stir fry for about 1 - 2 minutes more. 

Don't forget to stir the sauce mixture occasionally as well. Be sure to put on low heat when you pour the sauce in. At this point you can add the pickled vegetables to the sauce mixture if you like.

Once the dish is done, serve the fried rice apart from the Babi Panggang.

I hope you enjoy this dish and hopefully until soon.

Yours truly,

Mike