Foodarrific

Whenever we eat out, the kids always seem to order Sesame Chicken, if it’s on the menu, that is. As is usually the case, when we order one plate, it’s not enough for my Sesame Chicken lovers. If we order two plates, I’ll start thinking how many plates of it I can cook at home for the same price !

So the next best thing is to cook this at home where I can make a big enough portion without worrying about the bill. I mean, this is so simple and inexpensive to make at home.

I usually use boneless chicken fillet or deboned drumsticks for this, just like the restaurant. The pieces should be cut fairly large, then drenched in a mixture of flour, pepper and salt.

There’s two steps to cooking this. First I deepfry the chicken pieces on high heat till lightly brown. I know what you’re thinking. That we probably have to jump on our ellipticals and peddle like crazy afterwards to work off the weight gain .

Remove chicken and pour away the oil from the wok. I add some hoisin, or sweet and sour plum sauce and a little water and let it come to a boil. Then return the chicken to the wok and mix to coat with the sauce. Just before serving, sprinkle sesame seeds on top and garnish with fresh cilantro. And you’re ready to dig in.

My Sesame Chicken is a bit saucy because the kids like to spoon it over their rice. It’s the perfect wholesome and yummy dish if you have young kids because the chicken is boneless and the sauce is sweet with a light tang and kids are fascinated by the speckled look of the sesame seeds. Try it !

Filed under: AsianHealthy EatingKid-friendlyPoultryQuick & Easy CookingRecipes by chili queen - 2 Comments →

This is probably one of the easiest, last-minute dish you can whip up on days when your brain juices seem to run dry and you can’t figure out what to cook.

I got the idea for this loaded omelette from the mamak (Indian Muslim) shops where they often either serve a plain omelette or a loaded one like this. Their ingredients are different though with red and green peppers, I think. I can’t remember exactly. I’m usually too hungry to notice .

Anyhow this is my version of the loaded omelette. Simple, different from the real thing but just as delish! You only need 3 main ingredients.

• 1 medium tomato, diced with seeds removed
• 1 medium onion, cut into rings
• 3 eggs

I just heat up some oil in a non-stick frying pan while I beat the eggs in a bowl, adding in the tomato and onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Then I just pour everything into the pan and swirl it slowly around to ensure the entire bottom area of the pan is covered. Leave it to cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes until the base is evenly cooked.

The flip the omelette over and leave to cook for another couple of minutes. And that’s it. You’re ready to serve this wonderfully tasty and healthy dish. With all the nutrients in there, you won’t need to be reading arcona reviews anytime soon. You can serve it over rice and curry or even for breakfast with bacon, sausages and baked beans.

This loaded omelette recipe is loaded with healthy ingredients. If you’re a college student who’s new to cooking, this is the perfect recipe for you. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s healthy and it only uses 3 ingredients. What’s not to love ?

Filed under: AsianCopycat RecipesHealthy EatingKid-friendlyQuick & Easy CookingRecipes by chili queen - 1 Comment →

As a mom of three picky eaters, I often end up cooking two different types of pastas for one meal. One of my kids doesn’t like fish and shrimp but thankfully, he’s coming around a little this year; the other two are okay with it.

So today, I made garlic butter panfried salmon slices and broccoli to go with two types of pasta – a spicy spiral pasta and a mushroom macaroni, and everyone was happy. Salmon panfried this way is very tasty and the kids love it.

See, many times, I have to take into account each child’s taste and their overall well-being, like when I think one of my teens needs some sort of homemade acne treatment, I try to make the food less spicy and oily.

Filed under: Healthy EatingKid-friendlyPastaSeafoodVegetables by chili queen - No Comments →

The week before Christmas, we went on a beach vacation to Penang where we stayed at the funky new Hard Rock Hotel. We set out at the unearthly hour of 4am. Just before sunrise, we were passing by Ipoh and decided to turn into town to have a bit of breakfast.

It’s amazing how we managed to locate Foh San so quickly and in complete darkness too without getting lost like we usually do. I’m pretty sure it was a fluke . But yeah, the old crowded Foh San where it was impossible to get a table, is now housed in a new building which is spacious and bright and where you can actually eat without having someone hit your elbow and shove the food right down your spine.

So we ordered our usual favorite dimsum. You can see we’re  not that adventurous with ordering all the other types of dimsum. We just pretty much stick to what we like.

And the Century Egg Porridge with minced pork is one of our favorites. Now it comes in a claypot big enough to feed 3 or 4. My only complaint is that the century egg was hard, not soft and melt in the mouth as it’s supposed to be.

We had to use the bathrooms before continuing our journey and we were lucky it’s still pretty new and fairly clean. Not sure if they have hand dryers or tissue dispensers, we were too sleepy to notice .

Filed under: AsianKid-friendlyMeatReviewsSnacks & Desserts by chili queen - No Comments →

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.

Filed under: FusionHealthy EatingKid-friendlyRecipesReviewsSnacks & DessertsVegetablesVegetarian by chili queen - No Comments →