Foodarrific» Fusion

crispilicious sweet potato fries

chili queen — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:54:54 +0000

Friday’s has this Southwest Adobo Chicken on their new menu. What’s got us excited are the sweet potato fries it comes with! How cool is that!

But here it is – a healthier, naturally sweeter contender to the French fry we know and love so well. As you can see, this portion of sweet potato fries is way small for something that tastes so good.

So I went home and made a huge batch of it myself the next day. This is a recipe that came straight off the top of my head. I used to have a pretty good tempura batter recipe sitting around somewhere but I wasn’t about to go digging for it. So I improvised and came up with this.

sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise French-fry style
3-4 tablespoons cornflour
1 tablespoon flour
iced water
pinch of salt and pepper, if desired

Combine flours and iced water into a batter. Feel free to add more water to achieve the desired batter consistency. Dredge the sweet potatoes through the batter and drop carefully into a pot of boiling oil on high heat.

Keep the heat on high throughout the process. Fish out the fries when they turn light golden brown. The cooking process will cause the fries to darken a little more after they’re removed from the oil.

It’s so simple, you should try this. Makes a great appetizer or finger food for guests. If you’re too lazy to make this yourself, go try it at Friday’s where baby strollers are welcome and kids get to eat for free if you order a main meal. No, I’m not getting paid to advertise for them.

fried beef balls

chili queen — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:14:44 +0000

I had some uncooked beef balls left over from our spaghetti lunch which I refrigerated overnight. The next day, I decided to try something different with them.

For these beef balls, I used very simple ingredients. Again I don’t really see the need to measure the ingredients.

ground beef
cornflour
breadcrumbs
paprika
salt and pepper

Simply mix the ground beef with corn flour, breadcrumbs and seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir well till everything comes together. Then heap a spoonful onto my palm and roll them into balls. One of the easiest jobs in the world .

I keep the seasoning pretty basic because I want the beef balls to complement (not overpower) the spaghetti sauce, or whatever I pair them with.

In a pan with a fair amount of oil on high heat, I drop in the beef balls and let them fry for about 10 minutes before removing to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

To my surprise, the fried beef balls turned out to be even more of a hit than the spaghetti ones . Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. I served them with fried egg over instant noodles for a quick, lazy lunch.

fried angel hair pasta

chili queen — Sun, 31 May 2009 08:12:02 +0000

I have half a pack of angel hair pasta left over from yesterday’s lunch. We’ve eaten every other type of pasta so I thought it was time we tried angel hair. But the kids don’t quite care for it so I have to find a way to finish it up somehow.

Now if you notice, angel hair pasta looks a lot like the thin Chinese egg noodle, and I’m guessing it won’t taste far different. So I decided to do a Fusion stirfry… just for the heck of it.

Here’s what I used:

0.5 packet of angel hair pasta
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
a handful of choy sum (mustard green), cut into 2-inch lengths
1 stick of celery, thickly sliced
a few pieces of mock char siew (vegetarian barbecue pork), sliced
3-4 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
spring onion and Chinese parsley, finely chopped
sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

The preparation of the angel hair pasta is the same as if you were actually using it for a regular pasta. Just boil till al dente.

Into my wok on high heat, I drizzle some oil and lightly saute the garlic. Then I quickly add the mock char siew followed by vegetarian oyster sauce, choy sum and celery. Add some water and allow to simmer for a few minutes to let the vegetables cook through.

Then add the angel hair pasta and stir well with the rest of the ingredients. Add a good drizzle of sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped spring onion and Chinese parsley. Serve hot with a small plate of fresh bird’s eye chilly in soy sauce.

Heaven! I’m really proud of this creation of mine. You really must try it. You’ll truly be surprised how good this Fusion angel hair pasta tastes, wierd though it may sound . Best of all, it’s meatless, healthy and trust me, you can banish all thoughts of weight loss products when you’re eating this.

$10 off your Gourmet Station order

chili queen — Sat, 02 May 2009 04:13:05 +0000

Mother’s Day is coming up fast. Have you thought about how to celebrate it? If you ask me, my answer will be to have my cake and eat it too, literally.

I’m thinking something like this… maybe?

You can get an extra $10 off your entire Gourmet Station order upon entering the coupon code – SAS06 – at checkout. Looking at all the yummy menu choices they’ve got, it’d be great not only for Mother’s Day but for any occasion when you want to share great food.

you can’t go wrong roast chicken or roast turkey

chili queen — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:14:20 +0000

If you can roast a chicken, you’ll never go hungry. That’s what I always say. Once you learn to roast a chicken, you just can’t go wrong even if you lose your Mom’s precious recipe or marinate with the ‘wrong’ ingredients because here, just about anything goes .

Here’s what I do when I make roast chicken. For the seasoning, I use salt and pepper.

I grab a few sprigs of Chinese parsley and a few cloves of garlic and pound them to a paste with my mortar and pestle (just like Jamie Oliver, so there ) .

I love the pungent smell of Chinese parsley but you can pretty much use rosemary, thyme or any other herbs you fancy.

Then I plop a generous dollop of butter into the paste to make a rub. Rub the mixture evenly all over the chicken, including under the skin.

Be gentle otherwise you will tear the skin like I did here. I did this in a rush so I ended up with a not-so-pretty roast chicken . Leave to marinade for 3-4 hours or overnight in the fridge.

When I’m ready to roast the chicken, I preheat the oven to 180 degrees F. Stuff a few stalks of Chinese parsley and a few cloves of garlic into the cavity of the chicken before placing into well-greased roasting pan.

Roast for about an hour or until chicken is sufficiently browned without being burnt. You can test for doneness by sticking a knife into the parts with the thickest meat. If the meat is soft and white, it’s done.

I’ve used estimates of ingredients and roasting time here because the actual amounts you use will depend on the size of the chicken you’re preparing. If you’re thinking of roasting a turkey for Christmas, this recipe works great too. Simply adjust the ingredients and time accordingly and you’re all set! Burp!!

the Prosperity Burger is back!

chili queen — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:49:33 +0000

Okay, if you’ve been drooling in your sleep about the McDonald’s Prosperity Burger you had last Chinese New Year, well, it’s ba-ack!

With a vengence, I might add!

The girls and I innocently stepped into McD’s this afternoon and woot, there’s the Beef Prosperity Burger, and then there’s the Double Beef Prosperity Burger for doubly good luck in riding out this economic crisis.

To be on the safe side, go for that Double Beef Prosperity Burger for double the pimples wealth, double the zits money, double the acne good fortune .

Yes, we’re officially one month (give or take) away from Chinese New Year so if you start eating ‘em prosperity burgers now, you’ll be looking nice and fat prosperous by Chinese New Year!

Okay and you can stop wondering now. McDonald’s isn’t paying me in Prosperity Burgers to write this post, okay?

gourmet meals delivered to your doorstep

chili queen — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:29:03 +0000

I don’t know about you but with the busy days just before the holiday season, I get really stressed up having to cook dinner whether it’s just a few of us or if we’re having the in-laws or outlaws .

Quite frankly, I’d really rather order a meal to be delivered than cook up a storm myself. I think sometimes spending a bit of money is well worth the stress we put ourselves through.

Gazing at the food Gourmet Station offers to deliver has me drooling. I’m surprised at how inexpensive their feasts of mouth-watering ribs and steaks, soups, desserts and even a Cajun 4-course meal are.

How heavenly to have someone else do the cooking, deliver the meal to my house and I don’t have a lift a finger!

Whether it’s a deluxe gourmet meal for your family, or a gift certificate for someone who can’t make it to dinner, or simply a presentable corporate gift, go see if you can pick something out at Gourmet Station.

From November 27 – December 2, 2008, you can enjoy 20% off all their products. Click here and use the coupon code – BLACKFRIDAY – to enjoy the offer.

buttered oyster mushrooms

chili queen — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:24:34 +0000

I don’t know why but I’m invariably drawn to the the mushroom section at the grocery store. Each time I walk by those shelves, it’s as if the mushrooms are calling out to me .

Well, I was innocently walking by the mushroom section again last week and suddenly I heard someone or something going ‘psst pssst’. I glanced over and saw these huge gray oyster mushrooms staring at me.

It only requires a few ingredients:

100 grams gray oyster mushrooms, washed and sliced thickly
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon mixed herb powder
dash of parsley
salt and black pepper to taste

First I saute the garlic in butter over medium heat till the garlic browns and I can smell the fragrance.

Then I add the mushrooms and mixed herb powder and saute for another few minutes. Season to taste, sprinkle on the parsley and I’m done .

That was quick. It took me barely 10 minutes to whip up. I serve them as an accompaniment to my pasta. This time, I had them with spaghetti olio.

set lunch @ Secret Recipe

chili queen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:59:05 +0000

We were walking past Secret Recipe and noticed they had a poster up about their rm10 set lunch, apparently meant to bring a smile to those whose wallets are still reeling from the ridiculous price of eating out these days.

So we thought we’d step inside since our tummies were growling and the poster was beckoning to us.

There are 3 choices of set lunch each with a different style of chicken, rice and salad and an ice lemon tea. The girls and I had the Mushroom Chicken…

… while my son had the Black Pepper Chicken. Between the two, I should’ve chosen this instead of the Mushroom Chicken. At least it had a slightly spicy kick to it instead of gooey blandness.

To wash it all down, the kids went to pick out a couple of cakes. We only ordered two slices since I’m quite adverse to eating cake that’s 70% cream. I prefer cakes with more cake and way, way less cream. The very creamy Chocolate Fudge Cake…

… and Chocolate Strawberry Cake!

Now I’ve never seen cakes served lying down on their side before. Maybe this is a new presentation style, I don’t know, but I almost needed a compass to get my bearings on which is the top of the cake and which is the bottom.

Call me fussy but it does matter to me being able to distinguish the top of the cake from the bottom. So yes, I want my slice of cake served upright so I can get a visual taste of it first before my taste buds do. What do you think?

pan-fried fish fillet with butter rice

chili queen — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:12:07 +0000

I’ve been cooking lunch this entire school week. No kiddin’! I used to cheat by buying the kids’ lunch like once or twice a week. But you know the thing with gas prices these days so hell, we gotta try and cut cost.

I made my kids’ favorite pan-fried fish fillet today and paired it with rice simply because we haven’t had rice for lunch all week! Wha-at, no rice and we call ourselves Asians? Shame on us !

I’m using dory fillets here. If you’ve ever eaten fish at a restaurant, you know it’s darned expensive and you walk out still hungry because the servings are so small. Well, that’s me anyways .

The fillets I buy come frozen in packs of 4 or 5 pieces each and cost less than 10 bucks. I heat up some olive oil in a pan and chuck in a handful of chopped garlic and fresh chillies to flavor the oil.

The fillets go in next to be pan-fried till they’re cooked through on both sides. If the fish is flaky when you cut through it, then it’s cooked. A sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste, and we’re done.

Meantime, my rice is in the rice cooker bubbling away. I blanch 1 carrot and a handful of French beans, both finely cubed, to soften them up a bit. I melt some butter in my pan and add the carrot, French beans and 1 tomato, also finely cubed. Fry them for a minute.

The rice goes in last. Give it a good toss with the veggies in there. Add salt and pepper to taste. And we’ve got a healthy lunch with veggies, fish, carb and a spicy kick to boot.