Chocolate Brownies (from the Cookie Jar)

Brownies have always been a favourite sweet treat of mine, even more so than cakes. I love the moist fudgey texture of brownies, and if you make them with semi-sweet or even dark chocolate, they're not all that sweet. Just chocolatey. Which is great, because I don't really like sweet things anyway. :P

Anyway, I quite like Sainsbury's bakery brownies, where they put chocolate chunks on top of the brownie, but they're horrible expensive. Like, 3 squares for a pound. So when I came across this recipe here, which uses chocolate chips, I thought, wahey! And when the person described the brownie as being moist and fudgey, well, its wahey even more! ;) So here we go then!

What you need:
2 cups plain chocolate chips, divided - I used 150g chocolate chips, and another 150g of plain chocolate, broken into pieces
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter - roughly 200-250g
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 eggs
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C, and grease and flour (I used more cocoa powder) and 9x13 inch baking pan. (Unfortunately, I only had a 8x8 inch pan available)
   
2. Melt the butter, 1 cup of the chocolate chips (i used the plain chocolate pieces) and sugar together in a large saucepan over low heat until smooth. Stir often to keep from burning. Take off heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time into the chocolate mixture, whisking well after each addition.
   
4. Add in the vanilla and whisk well.
5. In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture right in the pan and stir gently until just combined. (Unfortunately, I was making this with my little cousin and she dumped the whole thing into the pan without mixing. So I might have had to stir it more than recommended)
6. Add the remaining chocolate chips and stir to distribute throughout the batter. (I reserved a few tablespoons to sprinkle over the top later)
7. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. It should be very thick. Smooth out the top and sprinkle over the reserved chocolate chips over the top, if you wish. Press down slightly into the batter and then bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to the centre. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

One thing that attracted me to this recipe was that it didn't use any kind of raising agent. No baking soda, no baking powder and no self-raising flour being used. So the resulting brownie should not at all be cakey, right?

Unfortunately, the answer is wrong. I should have known, because if I compare this recipe to my favourite recipe, there's about half as much of chocolate and twice as much of flour. So the resulting brownie was, to me, not as fudgey and slightly cake-like in texture. (Haha, I just keep on using those two words to describe brownies, don't I?)

Anyway, moving on from the texture, I did like the chocolate chips on top, I must say. The ones that were mixed into the batter had completely melted away. On hindsight, maybe that was supposed to help with the texture of the brownies, but I didn't think of it then. But anyway, the ones on top were still intact, just a bit gooey if you ate them straight from the oven. But if you wait and let the brownies cool down for a bit, they're a really nice addition. In fact, I would suggest you put all 150g of the chocolate chips into the batter and just get some extra to sprinkle over the top. It might be that will improve the texture, and you will still get the lovely chocolate chip topping on top. :)

As usual with brownie recipes, this is a rather easy one to do. I would highly suggest that you get the correct size pan though. Because I used a smaller one, the brownies were slightly thicker than I would have liked (though luckily, they didn't overspill) and again, this might have affected the texture. Yes, to me, brownies are all about the texture. :D

Quote of the day: Giving chocolate to others is an intimate form of communication, a sharing of deep, dark secrets.

Cupcakes v2 and M&M's warning

We made another batch of Cupcakes, and I thought you guys might want to see our latest creations. :D

Also... I thought you might want to know, M&M's (in the UK) are NOT suitable for vegetarians. What a surprise, at least for me... This time, its not a problem with rennet in the chocolate, but because they use INSECTS as a food colouring for the red ones. And eating insects except for the locust is apparently a no-no. Eating them purposely, anyway. Apparently, most if not all canned and processed and pre-packaged foods have insects in them, which have fallen in during the process of making them. So unless you grow all your own food, you can't really avoid them. Have I disgusted you yet?

But back to the red insect food colouring, its called Cochineal (E120) so if you care about these things avoid anything with this. However, Cochineal Red (E124) is not the same thing as that one is a synthetic red food colouring. Technically, you could just avoid eating the red M&M's but according to some people, some of the colour may rub off when the sweets heat up and transfer to the other colours, so its best to avoid them completely.

Yes, I know I used M&M's in the cupcakes above, but that was before I found out about this. I feel very sad. I had to throw away almost a whole bag of M&M's. :( But again, I don't know whether this applies to M&M's in other countries, including Brunei, so do please check the label. :) It might also apply to Smarties (for the pinks and purples, apparently) and basically, anything with a red colour in it may have it. I mean, come on... insects?? You don't really want to eat them do you...?

Quote of the day: Who bothers to cook TV dinners? I suck them frozen.

Nonya-Style Pasta

Thanks to blogger-in-draft's scheduled posting function, I am writing about this in the past. And published this in the past. But you won't be reading it until Tuesday coz it won't appear until then. Ihsan likes!

Anyway, one of the few Bruneian food bloggers out there (excluding yours truly) is Cookie Monster. He's been doing quite a few restaurant reviews lately, but his recipes have always been unusual. Like... home-made mayo. :D Another one is nonya tuna pasta. Now, when I think pasta, I usually think Italian. Yes, some people have made fried noodles with spaghetti and that pasta is basically made of the same stuff as noodles, but... I don't like mixing things up. Pasta is pasta and noodles are noodles. Until I saw his nonya tuna pasta post. I thought the pictures looked pretty. I don't really like tuna, so I thought I'd make a chicken version. Here we go!

What you need:
(serves 1)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon chopped garlic - I used garlic powder
Some sliced ginger - I used ginger powder
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Nonya sambal chilli paste - use more or less according to your preference
One boneless skinless drumstick, cooked and shredded roughly
About 1 cup of chopped mixed vegetables - I used a bean sprout mix from Tesco's
One 200g can chopped tomatoes, this is the SMALL one
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon chicken stock, liquid version NOT cube
100g dried pasta of your choice, cooked according to directions - I used fusilli
1/3 cup milk with 2 teaspoons cornflour mixed in
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil

What you do:

1. In a wok, heat the oil and add the shallots and fry until fragrant. Add in the sesame seeds followed by the ginger and garlic.
2. Add in the chilli paste, followed by salt and pepper. The strong smell of chillies should come wafting up.
3. Add in your vegetables followed by the chicken.
4. Add in the whole can of tomatoes, followed by the oregano.
5. Stir in the honey and fish sauce.
6. Toss in the cooked pasta and mix well.
7. Slowly add in your milky slur while stir-frying your pasta. You should get a slightly creamy, carbonara-style texture.
8. Serve with grated cheese, chopped basil and pepper.

There. Now, the long list of ingredients may scare you, but as you can see, the actual cooking is rather easy, because most of the ingredients are canned/dried/etc. Stuff that is easily kept in a kitchen cupboard for ages and ages. Which makes this recipe quite suitable for students, according to the Cookie Monster. And I agree. Especially if you make the tuna version, which requires no further cooking. :) Although I did find it hard to find the sesame seeds. But the veggies make it relatively healthy, and to make it even more healthy, you could use wholewheat pasta. :)

Now, on to the recipe... how did it go? Let's see... I found it waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too spicy. That was probably because I put in too much chilli paste and have a low spice tolerance anyway. :P It was sooo spicy, that I couldn't even finish it. Which was a pity, because it was supposed to be my "healthy" dinner, what with all those vegetables. Oh well... never mind.

The observant ones among you might also notice that my pasta doesn't look like the picture in the original recipe. In fact, mine doesn't look different from any other pasta dish - very tomatoey. That was because I couldn't find the small can of chopped tomatoes and had to use the big ones. No, I didn't use the WHOLE can but because I had no where else to put it except a small container, I used quite a lot of it. Maybe about 2/3. Hence, mine looks more tomatoey than his.

Also, I probably put in too much milk. According to Cookie Monster, you should add in the milk slowly slowly, stirring all the time, and stop adding once it becomes sticky enough. I just dumped the whole thing in, haha. It did feel a bit watery for me, so I simmered it for a little bit. That kind of helped, and my resulting pasta wasn't as watery, though it was very wet, and not quite as sticky.

But anyway, after all those teething problems with trying a new recipe, I actually quite liked the pasta - under all the spiciness. The spiciness itself was a nice addition, I thought, but it was just sooo spicy, that I couldn't really taste everything else. So if I ramp it down a bit, it should be quite nice. The tomatoes + milk combo was quite nice. Kind of reminiscent of last year's Creamy Tomato Pasta, but probably a LOT more healthier, since I used semi-skim milk instead of cream. :P I couldn't really taste the ginger or garlic, so I might want to add a bit more next time.

And yes, I'll probably try this recipe again, this time with no mistakes, haha. Maybe put an improved photo for it as well. So look out for it. :D

Quote of the day: Life is a combination of magic and pasta.

Bread Rolls (Roti Golong)

Ibu always used to make these bread rolls for breakfast or as a snack, and I loved them. A juicy beef filling rolled in sliced white bread then dipped in egg and fried. A couple of years ago, a new version was introduced, where Auntie Yenni (spelling?) made a chicken version with mayo spread on the bread and the bread rolled in breadcrumbs before being fried.

So I thought, okay, that's a thought. Why don't I make my own version of bread golong (what we called it) with cheese in it? :D Cheese is goooooooood. So here, I present to you, version 3 of KTB's bread golong. :D Here we go!

What you need:
4 slices sliced white bread, crusts removed if you wish
1 boneless skinless drumstick, cooked and shredded roughly (don't forget to season!)
2 tablespoons mature grated Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped spring onion
1-2 eggs, beaten lightly
Breadcrumbs, for coating (optional)
Oil, for frying
Salt and pepper, for seasoning

What you do:

1. Using a rolling pin, lightly squish the slices of bread. You want it sort of flattish, but not so flat that it tears easily or is too limp. You still want it fluffy, but rolling will make it easier to roll. Trust me.
2. Working one slice at a time, add some shredded chicken to one end, followed with some cheese and spring onions. Working carefully, roll up the bread slice to enclose the filling. You might want to use a something to keep it rolled, like a toothpick, but I just placed the free end on the bottom. That's usually enough to keep it from unrolling, unless you over-filled it.
   
3. Meanwhile, heat enough oil in a frying pan for shallow frying.
4. Roll the bread roll in egg then in breadcrumbs, if you wish. Fry until golden brown all over, turning occasionally, then drain on tissue paper and serve immediately. Cut into slices if you want a more handy version to eat.

And that's it. :D This dish is very very versatile, so you can do almost anything you want to it. Cut off the crusts or leave them on. Personally, I like them on coz for some reason, bread crusts dipped in egg then fried are super delicious. :D Filling, obviously, can be anything you like. Chicken, beef, tuna... the choice is yours. You can also have it in breadcrumbs or without. I actually added the breadcrumbs to make it crispier, but found that it was crispy enough with just egg. Also, the breadcrumbs absorbed a LOT more oil, so I might skip out this step. Unless you decide to bake it. In which case, you might want to use golden breadcrumbs. (I used panko - Japanese breadcrumbs). Also, in case you can't tell, in the picture, the roll on the far left is the breadcrumbed version while the one right beside it is the egg verison. :D

I also preferred the taste of the egg version better. Its... eggier, for some strange reason. Its like the breadcrumbs absorbed the taste of the egg or something. I also highly suggest you serve this while hot. I actually made it as a packed lunch and while someone at uni actually ooh-ed and aah-ed about how pretty it was, the bread was soggier and the filling cold. Unlike the taste test I made earlier at breakfast, which was hot and crispy and ever so delicious... *drool* For some reason, Auntie Yenni's breadcrumbed version was different to this. I don't know what I did different, since I never watched her make it. Oh well. Maybe she didn't use the egg....? Ibu tau? :o

Anyway, despite looking rather complicated to make, these are actually rather easy to make. Similar to Roti John, which also got a good reception coz people thought they looked delicious. I must say, they did really. Unlike in that old recipe of mine, I also added in spring onions and a touch of crushed red chillies, so there were nice splashes of red and green. Speaking of which, do you know how Roti John got its name? I finally found out. The John came from the fact that in the old days, Westerners were generally called "John" by the Malays, and in the fact that the original creator of Roti John (apparently) used a baguette for the bread base. PS I know my recipe for Roti John is rather simple, but I like it that way. ;) If you want a fancier recipe, have a look here.

Anyway, back to the bread golong... where was I? Oh yes, these are really easy to make. Depending on the size of your frying pan and how many people you have to feed, you probably don't have to spend hours slaving over the stove. You can pre-cook the filling the night before, then assemble everything in the morning and fry. Or even assemble the bread roll earlier and just dip in the eggs when you're ready to fry it. Everything is already pre-cooked, so all you have to get cooked is just the eggs. Which doesn't take at all long, really. :D I know it might be a bit too fussy for students to make for breakfast, but just try it. It won't take longer than half an hour, I'm sure. Still too long? Ah well... maybe a nice hot lunch? :) Still no...? Okay, fine... dinner? You might want more than 4 slices though... :o

Quote of the day: Bread is the warmest, kindest of all words. Write it always with a capital letter, like your own name.

Crispy Chicken with Herby Tomato Sauce

Some people have asked me... "Where do you get your recipes?" Much as I would like to say, I get them out of this wonderful brain of mine, sadly, that isn't the case. Often, I get my inspiration online and if I do, I post the link to the original site on the recipe. But oftentimes, I get my recipes from other sources - cookbooks and food magazines. In this case, I don't post the link, but I really should start posting the titles. (And before anyone asks, yes, some recipes are "created" by the one and only Ihsan. In which case, I'll brag about it constantly. Like the buttermilk chicken. ;) And I also usually modify the recipes I do get from other sources to suit my rather simple tastes anyway, hehe)

Anyway, today's recipe hails from a rather unexpected source - the March edition of the free Somerfield magazine. I actually like this magazine because 1. its free. 2. the recipes are usually quite simple to make. Another favorite magazine is EasyCook, which is full of easy recipes as well. Its not free, but a year's subscription is less than £10 (for 6 issues). But anyway. There you go, some of my favourite sources of recipes. And here we go, back to the recipe of the day!

What you need:
1 boneless chicken breast fillet
25g fresh white breadcrumbs
10g walnuts, chopped - omitted
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 medium egg, beaten lightly
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 of a jar of a tomato and herb pasta sauce - I used Ragu

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Place the chicken breast between two sheets of clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin until very thin - just 1cm thick.
2. Mix together the breadcrumbs, walnuts, parsley and cheese in a bowl.
3. Dip the breast in the flour, then the egg mixture, then coat in breadcrumbs.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan. Cook chicken for 1 minutes each side, until lightly golden. You can freeze that this point. First allow chicken to cool. Open freeze on a tray. When frozen, place on a freezer bag.
5. If eating now, place chicken breasts on a non-stick baking tray and cook for a further 5-6 minutes. If cooking from frozen, bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
6. Gently heat pasta sauce. Spoon onto plates and place the chicken on top. Serve with shredded spring cabbage.

So anyway, as you can see, its suggested you serve this with cabbage. I'm not much of a veggie kinda girl, though cabbage and lettuce are fine-ish. I wasn't sure if that would be enough though, since I like to have some form of carbohydrate with a meal, so I decided to serve it with roasted baby potatoes instead. I sprinkled them with some olive oil, and seasoned with salt, chopped fresh parsley, plenty of black pepper and a bit of chilli.

What I thought was I'd make the potatoes slightly earlier, and then pop the chicken in with it in the last few minutes of cooking. And I was instantly reminded why I don't like using potatoes. They take ages to cook! So long after the chicken was done, I was still hovering around the oven, waiting for the potatoes to cook, poking them once in awhile. So the end result was that I had slightly cold soggy chicken with slightly undercooked potatoes. *sigh*

But it wasn't that bad, really, hehe. I just don't like cooking potatoes. Maybe if you boil/microwave them earlier, you'll be able to pull this off successfully. Or chop them into smaller bits.

But anyway, back to the chicken, it may have been cold, but the coating was really flavoursome, and would have been awesome when crisp. Its rather similar to the Parmesan Chicken I cooked last year. I would usually say that the coating would need more seasoning, but the pasta sauce complemented it beautifully. A bit like tomato ketchup, but slightly more subtle and herbier. And its not much harder to use either, since pasta sauce comes in a jar. Unless, of course, you make your own....

Anyway, I thought the coating did need a bit of a kick though. Maybe some black pepper or even chilli powder/dried crushed chillies. And seasoning the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper might have made it nicer as well. Bashing the chicken did help though (not to mention fun). I usually don't like using breast meat (except for things like cucur ayam) but by using a rolling pin to make it flatter, you also make it much more tender and not quite as dry. So that step is definitely recommended.

All in all, this was a rather easy recipe, as promised. Except for the ^%"$* potatoes. But other than that, fry the chicken, then pop it into the oven = easy peasey. Even if it is two steps. But you can wash the frying pan while the chicken is in the oven. So its not that bad. You can even freeze this, which makes it easier to use it for a dinner in the future (if you have space in your freezer, which I don't) And pasta sauce can stay practically forever on your shelf if unopened, so that makes it easy as well. So prepare this recipe ahead and you can use it, whenever you're short of time/ideas! It only needs 15 minutes in the oven after freezing, and you don't even have to thaw it! Simple, no? :)

Quote of the day: Prepared and fast foods have given us the time and freedom to see cooking as an art form - a form of creative expression.

Jam Doughnut Muffins

Ever since I tasted Sainsbury's jam doughnuts way back in my first year, I've been a huge fan of them. I've had jam doughnuts from Tesco, Asda, Greggs, Krispy Kreme... but none of them compare to the humble Sainsbury's jam doughnuts (now selling for 65p a 5-pack).

Naturally, I've tried to replicate them at home, but I'm averse to deepfrying things (uses up too much oil, which is expensive... ), so I tried the BAKED jam doughnuts at home last year. And naturally... they were disgusting. Dry and bland and messy to make to boot! I haven't given up though... and when I came across a recipe for jam doughnut muffins.... well, I like muffins, they're tasty and easy to make. So I thought I'd try it. Here we go! (Post specially pushed forward for Sarah, haha)

What you need:
Oil or melted butter for greasing
280g plain white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
115g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
200mL milk
6 tablespoons sunflower oil or 85g butter, melted and cooled (I used oil this time)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoon strawberry or raspberry jam (I used raspberry)

For the topping:
115g butter
150g granulated sugar

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the caster sugar. (I used vanillin powder, instead of the liquid extract, so added it with the dry ingredients as well)
2. Lightly beat the eggs in a large jug or bowl then beat in the milk, oil and vanilla extract.
   
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten liquid ingredients. Stir gently until just combined; do not overmix.
4. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared muffin tin. Add a teaspoon of jam to the centre of each then spoon in the remaining mixture.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until well risen, golden brown and firm to the touch.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Melt the butter. Spread the granulated sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. When the muffins are baked, leave in the tin for 5 minutes. Dip the tops of the muffins in the melted butter then roll in the sugar. Serve warm, or transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

True to muffin style, these were really easy to make. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients, spoon into muffin cases with a spoonful of jam. In fact, I made these with my little cousin and "allowed" him to spoon in the jam. Because of that though, the jam was not really in the centre, hence the hole at the side of the muffin oozing jam. Funnily enough, he also didn't put that much jam in. If it were me, I would have put loads, haha. So the hole in the side photo was a good thing, because it didn't look nearly as pretty when cut in half.

Anyway, these muffins weren't as crunchy on the outside as the butterscotch muffins from last time, but that was probably my fault, as I left the oven at 180C instead of 200C. A little careless mistake. Oh well, never mind. They cooked properly in the end, and the insides were as fluffy as ever. The muffin itself tasted of vanilla (I love vanillin powder! Thank you Ibu for sending them, haha. Its very very very very expensive here) and the jam, well, tasted of jam. :P My cousin ate his with more jam, haha, but I thought the jam inside was just fine. I liked the crunchy sugar coating on top, though it was largely unnecessary. But of course, its a doughnut. I like doughnuts with sugar coatings. :D If you want, you can probably also dust this with icing sugar (without the butter) but I like the crunchy sugar, as I said.

Granted, they don't taste as good as the Sainsbury's jam doughnuts, but come on... those are fried. ;) Nothing will taste as good as fried. But they taste much much much better than the baked jam doughnuts, so I'm happy. They're easier to make too! I love muffins. :D Which is why you'll be seeing quite a lot of muffin recipes the next few weeks. ;)

Also, someone asked earlier on the cbox on whether you can freeze muffin batter then cook it some other time. I've answered, but I'll answer here again for everyone's benefit, as I'm sure not everyone reads the cbox. Once you mix the wet and dry ingredients together, its best to bake it immediately, as the baking powder will have started to make air pockets and these pockets (and hence the fluffiness) will be lost if you delay the baking.

What you can do though is either measure out the dry ingredients early on and keep in a container or something, then mix with the wet ingredients once you need it. You can measure things out at night, mix them the next morning, spoon them into the muffin tin and go for a quick shower while they're baking in the oven. :) Alternatively, you can also cool down the muffins completely, then wrap securely in clingwrap then tinfoil, then freeze them. Muffins are bread-ish and usually freeze well. When you want them, take them out from the freezer, leave to thaw for a bit then place briefly in a hot oven or toaster oven, if you have one. :)

There you go. A bit of muffin skills for you lot, hehe.

Quote of the day: The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today.

Rice Cooker Risotto

The original title of this recipe was actually oven-baked risotto. Unlike "traditional" risotto, which is usually made over the stove, the recipe aims to make things simpler by plunking the whole thing into the oven. I was being very very verrrrrrrrry lazy, and decided to make things even more lazy-friendly, by pouring everything into my rice cooker and letting it cook! So if you're looking for a fancy risotto recipe, this isn't it, hehe. ;) Though mind you, it was rather tasty.

But wait! What exactly is risotto? Before I made this blog, I had absolutely no idea. Never even heard of it. But recently, it has always been something I wanted to try cooking, and now I can tick it off my list, hehe. Risotto is a type of traditional italian dish, made with special risotto rice, surprise surprise. I used arborio rice, from Tesco. ;) It seems to me that the main difference between risotto rice and other types is their high starch content (apparently). This will make the finished dish rich and creamy.

Now, I have no idea whether they are available in Brunei. Possibly they are. Maybe in the new giant Giant supermarket that everyone is oh-so-excited about. :P (Seriously excited. I saw pictures of the opening, and I was like, whoa! Bruneians really do love their supermarkets, haha). But no harm in trying there, yeah? Anyway, here we go!

What you need:
(serves 1)
Meat, of your choice, chopped finely. I used salami, but feel free to use chicken, beef, or whatever
2 shallots, chopped
25g butter
100g risotto rice
7 cherry tomatoes, halved
230mL chicken stock ( I used 230mL water with 1 cube chicken stock dissolved in)
Parmesan cheese, to serve (I also used a bit of Cheddar)

What you do:

1. (If using the oven, preheat to 200C) Using the butter, fry the meat and shallots together in a frying pan until cooked and softened.
2. Tip in the rice and mix until well-coated. I also seasoned with a bit of black pepper at this point. Transfer the mixture into the pot of a rice cooker. (or oven dish, if using)
   
3. Add the tomatoes and the stock, then give the rice a quick stir. Switch the rice cooker on and leave until cooked. (Or bake for about 18 minutes)
4. Stir in most of the Parmesan and serve sprinkled with some of the remainder.

I always find rice dishes difficult to photograph. They're difficult to focus on, and don't really have one main identifying feature you can highlight. So excuse the bad photos, hehe.

So anyway, since I modified this recipe rather heavily, I really really wasn't sure if it will work, if it will taste good, etc. It was really really easy to do though, so that was good. ;) You probably can't call this risotto anymore, though I have no other names to call it, so risotto it stays, haha.

Anyway, when this came out of the rice cooker, I was ... a bit worried, to tell you the truth. The salami and tomatoes had floated to the top during the cooking and this didn't really make it look appealing. One quick stir (together with the Parmesan) though, and all looked good again. :) I sprinkled over some more Cheddar cheese before tentatively trying a bite.

And was rather really surprised! The rice was a little too salty, but had a slight creaminess. Granted, probably not as creamy as traditional risotto, but still different from say, basmati rice or sushi rice. The texture was good. Flavour-wise, all I could taste was the saltiness, but eaten together with the cheese, tomatoes and salami, it was delicious! So I needn't really have worried, hehe. Finished up the whole thing without any grumbling.

I really should try a traditionally-cooked risotto one of these days though. I still have some of the rice left over. Enough for 4 more servings. So look out for that... someday. :P

Quote of the day: We signal the captain, taking time out against the wall. He frowns. He groans. His feet hurt. His ulcer rages. He hates his wife. The risotto will take 25 minutes. Lasagna will take even longer.

Spicy Basil Chicken

Wow, we're going all over the world, aren't we? Italian, Mexican, Japanese... This particular dish comes from a little bit closer to home... Thailand. :D That should be of no surprise, I'm sure. I wouldn't say that this is an "authentic" Thai recipe, but basil is a particularly popular dish in Thai cuisine. The first herb I ever used in my cooking was basil, and it remains a firm favourite of mine. :) I've never ever used fresh basil though. Some cooks still believe that basil is the "king of herbs" apparently. Luckily, basil grows well in tropical climates, so maybe I'll grow some when I get back to Brunei this year, hehe.

Anyway, in this recipe, fresh basil is absolutely essential, I think. Dried ones taste slightly different, and won't give such a pretty colour to your finished dish. It should be available in Brunei, though I haven't really checked... Anyway, here we go!

What you need:
1 tablespoon chilli oil
1 clove garlic, crushed - I used 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 fresh chillies - vary the type you use to vary the spiciness you get
1 boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt - I just used normal salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms - I hate mushrooms, so omitted this
1/2 cup chopped onions - I used shallots instead
1 bunch fresh basil leaves

What you do:

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a frying pan, and cook the garlic and chillies until golden brown.
2. Mix in the chicken and sugar, and season with the garlic salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, but not quite cooked yet.
3. Stir the oyster sauce into the pan. Mix in the mushrooms and onions, and continue cooking until the onions are tender and chicken juices run clear.
4. Remove from heat and mix in basil leaves. Let sit 2 minutes, before serving with rice.

Easy recipe, yeah? It took me, maybe half an hour from start to finish, including chopping everything. Its a rather typical Asian dish I think, what with oyster sauce and garlic and chillies... The chillies gave a nice kick to the dish, something that I've been wanting for awhile, hehe. I usually use black or white pepper to season my dishes, or even dried chillies, but that's quite different from using fresh chillies.I found it just a little too spicy for me, but I bet the rest of you will barely taste it. Feel free to up the spiciness factor by using more chillies, if you like.

Anyway, spiciness aside, I really quite liked this dish. I probably didn't put in enough basil, I think, but when it was in, it tasted really nice! Very different from dried basil. Kind of... a lemony flavour I guess, but not quite so strong. Your mouth feels... a bit fresher, haha. I've used fresh herbs such as parsley and coriander before, but don't like them as much as I do basil, I think...

Some modifications I would do though would be... I would probably throw in the onions/shallots with the garlic and chillies in the beginning. They'll be much more tender and slightly sweeter too. I probably didn't simmer mine for long enough, but some of my shallots were still slightly crunchy. Which I don't like very much... Oh, speaking of simmer, because I omitted the mushrooms, I probably had less gravy than I was supposed to get, since mushrooms usually release water when being cooked. I suppose this would give the gravy a nice mushroom flavour, but I am not too big a fan of mushrooms... so yeah. :P

And um... that's it, I guess? I don't usually have much to say for simple dishes, but I think this would make quite a nice lunch. A break from all the chicken currys and what have you, hehe. Its not quite so heavy, *slightly* healthier and tasty too! Yum! :D

Quote of the day: Pounding fragrant things -- particularly garlic, basil, parsley -- is a tremendous antidote to depression. But it applies also to juniper berries, coriander seeds and the grilled fruits of the chilli pepper. Pounding these things produces an alteration in one's being -- from sighing with fatigue to inhaling with pleasure. The cheering effects of herbs and alliums cannot be too often reiterated. Virgil's appetite was probably improved equally by pounding garlic as by eating it.