Easy Hainanese Chicken Rice. Almost fool-proof!

When you are out for a playdate and need to prepare dinner, what do you do?

You make Easy as A-B-C Hainanese Chicken Rice!

This is an easy version or rather, cheat version that comes out from a desperate mom who wants to go for her playdate (I mean the kid's playdate) and cook dinner for the family.

Try this out and you will be amazed how simple and delicious this recipe is.
The soup was made from boiling the chicken and to make it even simpler, I added anchovies and kelp to "season" the soup so you do not have to add in further seasonings = healthier :)

Disclaimer: If you are on a diet, please refrain from cooking this - It is addictive!

To make this, you will need:

For the Soup/Chicken:

• 1 whole raw chicken
• Dried anchovies (Substitute with Chicken stock if you want REALLY EASY way)
• Kelp
• Dried Scallops
• Corn
• 2 stalks Spring onions
• 1.5L water
• Parsley (for garnishing)

1. Wash the raw chicken with salt and rubbed intensely - This helps to get rid of feathers and make the skin really smooth.
2. In a slow cooker (I used magic cooker), add in 1.5L of water.
   If you decides to go with Chicken stock, omit step 3 -4 .
3. Wash and drain the dried anchovies, kelp and scallops. Add them to the pot of water.
4. Wash and fold the spring onions and stuffed it into the chicken body.
5. Add the chicken to the pot of water, together with the corn.
6. Leave to cook for at least 2 hours.
7. Once cook, take out the cooked chicken and leave it to cool.
8. Chopped it up and assemble on a big plate and garnish with parsley.
9. With the broth in the pot, add in your desired ingredient ( I added fish balls and Enoki mushrooms).

For the rice:

• Soup Restaurant's Samsui Ginger paste (You can get it here) 
• Raw rice 
• Pandan leaves (Optional)

* I cooked 3 cups of rice using half a bottle of Samsui ginger paste*

1. As how you would cook your rice, add in half bottle of Samsui ginger paste into the rice and mix well.
2. Add in Pandan leaves and switch on your rice cooker till done.

For the Chilli sauce:

• 3 tbsp Belacan Chilli paste
• 1 lime
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp minced garlic

1. Mix all the above

Lately

What I have been doing lately in the Kitchen ✌

Korean Bibim Guksu (Spicy Mixed noodles)

Korean Kimchi Pancakes

Korean Seafood Pancakes

and I finally set a time to bake my CNY Pineapple tarts :)

Rilakkuma Pull apart bread

It's been a long time since I attempted bread making. I am a bread person and making good, tasty and fluffy bread is an art which I think is really hard to pursue and master. Even having lessons could not yield me the kind of soft fluffy breads that we get from local bakeries.

The breads that I used to baked are usually good on the day itself but they turned really heavy the next day which is something I am not looking forward to. Another reason to why I am not into bread making is because Baby Kwok #1 and Prince Charming hated breads so much that it just turns them off LOL! No idea why but I guess its because they dislike the constant chewing.

Recently, there was this huge craze over Japanese pull-apart breads where the bakers attempted to convert these breads into really cute and interesting characters. I super love the ones for Totoro and happen to come across 2 floggers who did Rilakkuma version.

I went to my usual Youtube subscriptions and tried my luck searching for a good fluffy rolls recipe. Happened to view the video by Bakingwithmi who shared her dinner rolls recipe and I decided to create my own pull-apart bread with her recipe.

Like I mentioned above, the breads were good on the day itself. I swear they were so soft and good but when I tried them the next day, they became really heavy :( Sigh.. When will I be able to get really good fluffy bread that can stay soft for 2 days at least? If you have a foolproof recipe, please share with me!

Here's my own Rilakkuma pull apart bread :)

I took the tip from Bento days by baking these rolls in a chiffon pan.

 Gracious me forgotten to greased the pan and the bread were stuck terribly :/

If you are interested to try Bakingwithmi's dinner roll recipe, please hop over to her channel in youtube :) 

Pandan Chiffon Cake

I am getting the momentum of resuming my blogging lifestyle - Something that I used to do it really often before embarking into Motherhood. As much as I would like to update my blog like how I chase after the kids, I just could not get the time properly organized. Sleep is often deprived and "myself" is no longer in the dictionary - I am sure mummies out there definitely agree with me, well maybe some.

Anyway, I have been tempting to bake a Pandan Chiffon cake because this is one of the cake that I hardly bake (For your info, once in my baking journey). I roll my eyes at the moment I learnt that it is an essential to make your own Pandan juice (Screwpine juice). The thought of dragging that bulky food processor just turns me off but for no reason (I really do not know why) - I felt really enthusiastic to make one yesterday and so yes, I dragged my big butt to the nearest Supermarket after we came back from lunch and bought a bag of Pandan leaves and you got it! I MADE MY OWN PANDAN JUICE! Wheeeeeee!

The Pandan Chiffon was really soft and fluffy!

Btw, Super adore the dining cloth that I got from Typo sale! It cost merely $3!

To make this, you will need:

• 8 Egg yolks 
• 70g Sugar
• 140g Fresh Coconut milk (I used the chilled kind)
• 110ml Oil (I used Canola)
• 2.5 Tbsp Pandan juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 pinch of Salt
• 200g Cake flour
  
  
• 8 Egg whites
• 100g Sugar

To make Pandan Juice - You will need 10 finely chopped Pandan leaves with 40ml of Coconut milk. Blend the ingredients using a food processor. With the help of a sift, sieve the mixture to extract the Pandan juice. You may opt to use your hands to squeeze the juice out from the mixture otherwise.

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C
   
2. Sift the cake flour and baking powder. Set aside
   
3. In a bowl, beat the yolks and sugars till pale yellowish. Add in the oil, vanilla extract and pandan juice. Continue to mixt till well combined.
   
4. Add in the sifted flour and salt into the mixture and mix to ensure no lumps.
   
5. In a clean dry bowl, beat your egg whites till frothy. Gradually add in sugar and continue beating till you reaches soft peak stage.
   
6. Take 1/3 of the egg white mixture and incorporate into the cake batter mixture. Pour the mixture back to the remaining egg white and fold well.
   
7. Pour your mixture into a 23cm Chiffon pan. Tap the pan against the table top to release air bubbles.
   
8. Bake for approx 35-40 mins depending on your oven temperature.

Fluffy soft Banana cake

That bunch of bananas have been lazing on the kitchen top for 2 days. I regretted getting such a big bunch forgetting that bananas ripe way too fast in our tropical weather. Banana is one of Baby Kwok #1 favourite fruit. He can eat them EVERYDAY for breakfast - No, he does not find them boring. He even told me he would not mind having them again the next day (on repeat mode).

As a mum, I would not want my children to overly indulge in one particular food. I hope they can widen their food choices and learn not to be as fussy as the mum (oppss) during her younger days. Vegetables still a tough one to conquer for Baby Kwok#1 but well, at least he eats the really soft broccoli without any complaint (well, maybe one or two). Baby Kwok #2 is more adventurous with food but she seems to be really fussy lately! Used to love eating meat and now spitting them out! Grrrr..... I hope it is just the teething phase.

Anyway, back to banana - So not to waste those bananas, I baked a banana cake! I was not expecting much praise from Prince Charming because 1. He does not really like eating banana as much as his son do. 2. He has been complaining to me about his weight. He was with all praise for this banana cake!!!! I should have asked him to draw 4 numbers for me :X

Been into Instagram lately. If you are keen to follow me, add me!
You can search under @Orangejimbo

To make this, you will need:

• 2 ripe Bananas, Approx 220g
• 85g Sugar
• 100ml Oil (I used canola oil)
• 3 egg Yolks
• 1 tsp Vanilla powder
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 150g Cake flour

• 3 egg Whites
• 25g Sugar

1. Mashed the bananas finely and set aside. Preheat your oven to 180°C
2. Sift the dry ingredients (Flour, Baking powder & Vanilla powder)
3. In a bowl, beat the yolks and sugar till it turns pale yellowish. Slowly add in the oil and mashed bananas. Continue to beat till well combined.
4. Add in your sifted dry ingredients and mix well. Ensure there are no lumps.
5. In a clean dry bowl, beat your egg whites till frothy. Gradually add in the sugar and continue beating it till it reaches Soft peak stage.
6. Take 1/3 of the egg white mixture and incorporate into the banana mixture. Pour the mixture back to the remaining egg white and fold well.
7. Pour into a cake tin and tap against the table top to release bubbles.
8. Bake for approx 35-40 mins or when skewer comes out clean.