Hongkong-style chicken curry

I bet some of you haven't heard about this version but if you grew up in a Chinese/Cantonese household , you've probably had it before or even for your supper tonight . Or if you're one of those who frequented dai pai dongs / Hongkong-style café , you can find this on the menu .

Unlike Indian or Thai curry , which has a complex flavor , this version is creamy and mild , depending on how spicy/hot your curry powder or how hot you want it to be and it should be always with potatoes . The ingredients are simple enough and the cooking time varies , some don't even fry the potatoes or marinate the chicken for a long time . If you're unlucky , the one that you can find in some dai pai dongs is quiet bland and even watery , not enough coconut milk in it . I've seen some with carrot added but this is the first time that I've added it to mine , yeah , try photographing a yellow curry with only chicken and potatoes in it and you'll see  lol 

Serves 2-3 

1 pound chicken wings / 10 pieces
1 onion , cut into wedges
550 grams potatoes , cut into wedges
1 small carrot , cut into 2 by 1/2 inch slices
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cups coconut milk
2 teaspoons raw sugar
salt , to taste

Marinade for chicken : 

5 grams ginger , finely chopped 
1 clove garlic , minced
1 teaspoon light soy 
a generous dash of ground white pepper
a generous pinch of salt

* In a large bowl , combine the ingredients for marinade and add in the chicken , mix well to combine , chill in the fridge at least an hour . 

* Heat the wok or the pan , add oil when oil is hot , pan-fry the potato and carrot slices until lightly browned , transfer to a plate and set aside . In the same pan , add in chicken and fry until both sides are lightly browned , put in the same plate with the potatoes . 

* In the same pan , wipe or discard some of the oil , add in the onion and fry over medium heat for 5 minutes . Put back the potato and chicken in the pan and add in the curry powder , mix everything together until well combined then add in the broth , coconut milk and raw sugar , let boil and cook over medium high-heat  for 20 minutes , stirring from time to time to prevent scorching the bottom of the pan , adjust taste by adding salt , if needed . Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot with rice .

This post is linked to the blog hop event , Little Thumbs Up , Potato is the ingredient for this month and is hosted by Jasline of Foodie Baker . This event is jointly organized by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Favourite DIY

                                                 

Flour's famous banana bread

I don't know how really famous this bread is but for sure this banana bread is one of the bestest that I've tried so far .

I haven't heard about Flour Bakery before I stumbled upon this recipe , Joanne Chang , the owner of the bakery and who developed this bananalicious is heaven-sent lol

But just because everybody love the recipe doesn't mean you can make your own little tweaks , the sugar , in my opinion , is way too much especially if the bananas that you're using are very ripe . I don't want to buy a pot of sour cream because I only need 2 tablespoons of it , so evaporated milk plus lemon juice is a great sub and cheaper , too . Now , the amount of mashed bananas made me scratch my head , how much is 3 1/2 bananas , anyway ?! I can't find the exact weight of 1 banana online , I'm here in HK where the size is not exactly the same as in other part of the world and according to our visitor , the bananas she had in US were huge compare to what we have here , or maybe she was exaggerating hee hee !

The texture is a cross between cake and a bread , really soft but substantial enough . Oil instead of butter makes it moist for days , okay , barely 3 days because it's such a shame not to eat it right away .....

If you're a banana-holic , this might be your cup of tea !

Please check original recipe @ Food Network

Makes one 7 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch and one 6 x 3-inch loaves ( or one 9 x 3-inch loaf  )  

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
scant 3/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 large eggs , at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
400 grams ( peeled weight ) very ripe bananas , mashed  and mix with 1 tbsp dark rum
2 tablespoon evaporated milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice , combine and let stand for 10 minutes


For the topping ( optional ) : 1 banana ,  peeled and cut into 1/2 cm slices  

* Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F . Grease and line the bottom of the 2 pans with parchment paper .

*  In a small mixing bowl , sift together the flour , baking soda , cinnamon and salt . In another mixing bowl , with an handheld mixer , beat together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy , about 6 minutes . Drizzle in oil and beat until well combined , add in banana and soured milk , mix well . Using a large spatula , fold in dry ingredients and pour into the prepared pans , gently put the banana slices on top  . Bake for about 55 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean . Serve warm or at room temperature .  

Spicy peanut butter-sesame ramen with chicken

The scorching hot weather we have right now is just insane , our itty-bitty kitchen is not a place to be in summer but most of the time I don't have a choice *sigh*

I saw this easy-peasy recipe on my Facebook news feed , a no-cook dressing for noodles and thought , hmmmm sounds really good , just few minutes on the stovetop to warm it up .....

I'm one of those who doesn't like cold noodles , I've tried cold soba noodles with dipping sauce and often wonder why some people really dig them ....

Now , don't complain about the long list of ingredients below , I'm pretty sure those can be found in your well-stocked pantry .

This deliciously easy noodles is packed with flavors that will surely tickle your taste buds , add more veggies if desired and if cold noodles is your cup of tea , go ahead , saves time cleaning up later ! Tired of your same old , same old salad dressing ? Try this spicy and creamy sauce , you gonna luv it !

Please check original recipe @ Cooking Light

Serves 2

200 grams fresh ramen noodles or egg noodles 
1/2 cup thinly-sliced carrots
1/2 cup thinly-sliced sweet peas 
1 small yellow bell pepper , thinly-sliced
2/3 cup homemade chicken broth or store-bought 
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic , grated
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken thigh
2 tablespoons sliced spring onion plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 

* In a small saucepan , combine the broth , peanut butter , vinegar , soy sauce , ginger , garlic , chilli flakes , whisk until mixture is well combined . Turn heat to medium , heat the mixture for 2 minutes , stirring constantly or until slightly thicken , do not boil , take off from heat , add in the sesame oil and half of the sesame seeds , stir and keep warm . The sauce is more than enough for 200 grams of noodles . 

* Boil water and add noodles , let boil for a minute , add the sliced carrots and cook for another minute then add the slice sweet peas and  bell pepper , cook for 10 seconds . Drain the noodle-veggies mixture , rinse briefly and shake off excess water , transfer to a mixing bowl , add the chopped chicken and the spring onion then drizzle in the warm sauce , toss everything until well combined  . Transfer to a serving plate , garnish with some spring onion and sprinkle in the remaining toasted sesame , serve immediately . 

Coffee-chocolate ice cream

Hey guys , I hope you still remember me , it's Anne , just in case lol

I need to get back my blogging mojo ( I swiped the words from Lena's ) .

Blame it to the heat or the usual lazyitis .

Lately though , I started using my camera shooting flowers and some other random things outside , okay , not much since it's really effin' hot these days . But at least the camera isn't so fat anymore , shooting only all those food  hee hee So , if your interested in flowers or orchids particularly , check out my 500px or my not-so updated Flickr .

Oh , back to ice cream , I saw this coffee-choco ice cream @ Southern Living and just can't resist ! So far , I've made 3 flavors of ice cream , the cheaty peach ice cream which was so disappointing , the strawberry ice cream lacks something , yeah , I should have added more sugar in it *sigh* Since third time's the charm , I got this smooth , creamy and just wonderful coffee concoction that instant coffee lovers will surely love !

It's custard based ice cream that uses only one egg yolk , the tapioca makes the custard easier to do , the mixture just thickens beautifully . Instead of chopping the chocolate chips , which I did initially but it was so hot that day that it keeps getting soft as I chopped it so , I added most of it whole into the ice cream .

If you're keen on making homemade ice cream but don't have the ice cream maker , fear not , use your trusty handheld mixer  ! If you don't have that then you are hopeless ! 

Recipe adapted from Southern Living

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
pinch of salt
2 cups milk 
1 cup cream 
1 egg yolk 
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon coffee paste 
1/2 cup chocolate chips , a combination of bittersweet and milk chocolate

* In a medium saucepan , whisk the first 3 ingredients then gradually whisk in the milk and the cream . Cook over medium heat , stirring constantly for 8 to 10 minutes or until mixtures thickens slightly . Remove from heat . 

* In a small mixing bowl , whisk the yolk until slightly thickened , gradually whisk in about a cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolk . Add the cream-yolk mixture back into the remaining hot cream mixture , mix well to combine .

* Strain mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer , let cool for an hour , stirring occasionally . Place a plastic wrap on top of the custard and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight . 

* Pour mixture into the ice cream machine and churn for 45 minutes , adding the chocolate chips in the last 3 to 5 minutes of churning . Transfer mixture into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 4 hours preferably , overnight . 

* If you don't have the ice cream maker but have too much time on your hands ,  do it manually . Make the custard and chill it , an hour or more , your choice . Transfer it into a freezer-proof container or use a loaf pan , freeze for 45 minutes to an hour . Take out from the freezer , use a fork to scrape the mixture , then whisk the mixture using the handheld mixer until mixture is slurry then put it back into the freezer and freeze for an hour . Do it  twice again and you'll have a creamy homemade ice cream !