Tropical Chinese Chicken Traybake

 

Chinese Chicken traybake with a Mango Chutney flavoured sauce, is a subtle taste of the tropics which works, and won't break the budget. This one is a simple Asian style traybake meal you can cook at home. Traybakes are such an easy weekend dinner and will make your life easy during the week as well. My family has always loved this dish.

Prawn and Broccolini Stir-Fry

 

This is a quick and easy dish, for any night of the week. If you are a lover of Prawns, this recipe is for you, but if you're not, please don't be disheartened. You can play with it, and substitute some chicken or tofu pieces for the prawns and you will still love the result.  This is a very versatile recipe, other vegetables can be substituted or added, and when it comes to eating your dish, you will think you have just been served a meal in your favourite Chinese restaurant. Promise! It will cost you a lot less as well.

Braised Beef Oxtail with Asian Flavours in the Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker

 

If you enjoy Asian style cuisine you will love this dish. Oxtail is a cut of meat which appeared quite regularly as a stew at the dinner table when I was growing up, however it is absolutely transformed here with this remarkable combination of Asian flavours. It is finger lickin' good. I think that your whole family will love it.

In My Kitchen - February 2023

Before Christmas I was selected as a prospective juror for two weeks from the 30th January, 2023, so whilst trying to do my civic duty, I said I would be available if my name was chosen in the second selection, and of course it was. This meant I needed to cancel any commitments for these two weeks, so that I would be available. However, late each afternoon last week I was messaged by the Supreme and District Court to the effect that I wouldn't be required the following day, so it's been a week of just planning things day by day. Next week could be exactly the same, with no assurance that I will be required but if I am I will have to be available or risk being heavily fined. It seems a strange system, but I can't think of a better one, so next week I will be living day by day as well. That means plenty of time in the kitchen, reading a good book, playing the piano, impromptu catch ups, etc., sounds good. One week to go without being able to make any definite daily plans in advance. I have already sat on a jury panel once, have you? Thankfully mine wasn't a disturbing case, and I found the experience quite interesting.

Photo taken before the spinach started to wilt a little.

 I've made two vegetarian Lentil curries, a week apart, because the first one was so delicious. It was a Lentil, Mushroom and Spinach Curry, and I made this one when all of the flooding was occurring In Southern Queensland and New South Wales and there wasn't very much fresh fruit and vegetables available at the supermarkets or the farmer's markets because of the heat and then the rain. I bought a packet of spinach leaves and some mushrooms, which were close to the expiry date and made this curry. I always have jars of green and red lentils in the pantry, so they were the basis of an earthy and delicious lentil curry. 

Then a week later, I changed the vegetables slightly and made an eggplant and mushroom lentil curry, which we enjoyed even more, perfect for the wet weather at the time. Even though this is such a simple recipe, I'll post it on the blog soon, as I know you will enjoy it too. A simple vegetarian meal with leftovers during a busy week, is just what is needed sometimes. However leftover chicken could easily be added to it.

 

I had some leftover mashed pumpkin in the refrigerator so I made a batch of golden Pumpkin Scones from a Kent (Jap) pumpkin, just last week. Cooked mashed pumpkin keeps well in the frig. I made these ones slightly larger than normal, and the recipe made 8 instead of 10. I think a pumpkin scone needs to be on the larger side as they are so delicious with a cuppa. They also reheat beautifully in the microwave oven.  I haven't made pumpkin scones for a while, and it pays to keep in practice don't you think?

So while the scone making flour fest "in my kitchen" was in full flight, I resurrected my Sourdough Mother from the depths of the refrigerator, poor thing. She responded beautifully to being fed with just plain flour and warm but boiled water, by bubbling away happily on the warm windowsill of our North facing laundry.  I always ferment a couple of jars of the sourdough, more than I need, just in case one doesn't work well. The trick is to catch the bubbling dough just in time before it starts bubbling up through the lid of the jar onto the windowsill below. The jars really need to sit in a container in case that happens. "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble", always pops into my head when I am working with sourdough as it seems a bit witchy, even though it should be "Double, double, toil and trouble" originally from Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth. 

Beautiful sourdough bubbles

I mixed up the sourdough for the bread, and then left it to rise slowly in two large bowls overnight at room temperature. I have just baked two loaves, a large hi-top loaf and a smaller loaf. The air conditioning is on during our heat wave, so it's perfect conditions inside for this dedicated baker. These loaves don't have the large holes like the round artisan loaves, as I used a lower hydration recipe, which works well for a standard loaf of sandwich bread. I didn't add any glaze or flour dusting to the surface of this loaf, so it is quite rustic in appearance, but tastes great after it has cooled slightly and is fresh out of the oven. I have made round artisan style loaves before, using the high-hydration method, which are great to have if visitors are coming over.

The smaller loaf today from the second dough mix. Different lighting also?

January included the Lunar New Year celebrations, celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, and whilst we don't get involved in any actual celebrations where we live, I was obviously influenced by all of the fun and publicity at the time. I made a Chinese Omelette for dinner one evening, named Egg Foo Young. I deconstructed it and made a very tasty pork filling to sit inside the omelette. It was a lot of fun to make with all those bean sprouts, and delicious to eat. Egg Foo Young was created by economical Chinese kitchen cooks to use up meat and vegetable leftovers, as was Fried Rice. It's very versatile as well.

It was also Australia Day on the 26th January, amid quite a lot of controversy about what it should really be named and on which date it should occur. The day before we enjoyed some Crystal Bay Prawns on a sandwich for lunch as the easy accessibility to fresh seafood here is one of the food highlights of living in our great Southern land and North Queensland. The prawns are farmed in the Hinchinbrook Channel near Cardwell in Far North Queensland and are sometimes sold at the supermarket. Australia Day is always very laid back. Good friends, P & J invited us over for an Australia Day meal in the afternoon which was delicious, with beautiful seafood to enjoy and homemade Aussie pavlova for dessert.

I purchased a new Australian cookbook, simply called Dinner. I've been wanting Nagi Maehashi's cookbook for ages as I often try her recipes and she has built up a very reliable reputation with her everyday recipes here in Australia, and overseas too I believe.

I agree wholeheartedly with her five non-negotiable rules in the kitchen, and would like to add one more to the list please Nagi.  If cooking with wine, keep a glass for yourself to drink, tee hee.

I made a simple Chicken stir-fry using Nagi's special stir fry sauce, and also tried her Tip on tenderising the chicken, Chinese style. It was delicious. It was extremely hot outside last night, even at 7 pm, still around 30 deg. C, so I cooked the meal inside in a frypan, rather than in a wok which we usually do on our outside gas burner. It was still delicious. This photo is before I added Nagi's magic sauce. Even though stir fries are considered fairly common place these days, I'll post the recipe later so that I can find it easily when I am travelling, and also for your interest if you don't have her book. My stir fries often involve chopping up whatever vegies I have on hand, adding some sliced chicken or beef, some herbs, and then adding some soy sauce and a little oyster sauce as well. Quick and easy. I took this stir fry to the next level by actually following a recipe.

Chicken, snow pea, capsicum and carrot, and a special stir fry sauce about to be added.

That's all folks for now. Thanks for dropping by. I'd love to hear from you, so if you do read my latest IMK or any of my posts, you can leave an anonymous comment at the end in the Comments section if you wish.  Anonymity is guaranteed. And if I happen to know you personally, just type your first name at the end of your comment and say hi, and that would be great.

This is my February submission to the #IMK series hosted by Sherry from Sherry's Pickings. Each month bloggers from around the world gather to share what is new in their kitchen.  I don't buy a lot of new merchandise for my Kitchen, mainly food ingredients, but I love cooking and baking. I hope you enjoy some of my recipes and stories.

Cheerio from very tropical North Queensland,

Pauline x

Pork Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette)

Healthy Egg Foo Young is a delicious Chinese omelette which was created by the economical Chinese kitchen cooks to use up meat and vegetable leftovers, as was Fried Rice. Most Chinese restaurants generally have omelettes on the menu, and they are also delicious as a takeaway, however you can easily make them at home, as a welcome change to the normal cheese and herb omelette.

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken for a delicious mid-week meal

 

This is such an easy and economical version of Sweet and Sour chicken with delicious flavours and using basic ingredients. It's so easy to put together if you are feeling just a bit lazy at home mid-week but still have a yearning for something tasty that is simple to cook. We both felt like some Sweet and Sour chicken tonight, but because of the heat we are experiencing here at the moment, we just can't be bothered dressing up and going out to a restaurant either. Know the feeling?

Take away meals or restaurant eating for my generation growing up in an Australian country town in the 60's and 70's, often started with Chinese food, that was before the influx of Vietnamese, Thai, and Indian restaurants which have been great as well. Now just about every style of cuisine is catered for in the cities anyway. When I was still living at home, a take-away Shandy from our local Chinese restaurant was our big treat when my Mum didn't feel like cooking. The dish we ordered was always a Shandy, which from memory was Sweet and Sour chicken, Chow Mein, Fried Rice, two prawns, and something else, can't remember, can you? It could have been chicken and almonds. Those Shandy's gave me the taste for simple and delicious Chinese food at a young age. Meanwhile, the ladies were also enjoying a drinkable Shandy out on the Queenslander verandah, a combination of beer and lemonade, always more of the latter in the chilled glass.

More vegetables such as zucchini, carrot, peas or snow peas can be added to this dish if you have them on hand. Tonight I added some frozen peas, finely diced carrot and broccoli pieces, just to boost up the vegetable content. This is also so much healthier for us all when we are in a rush than reaching for a ready made jar of Sweet and Sour sauce from the supermarket with too many additives for my liking, and tastes even better and is just a cinch to make. This recipe was given to me by Jacquie, a young work colleague, many years ago when I was working in public libraries, and I have thanked her for it ever since. I think that this recipe has stood the test of time. When Jacquie gave me this recipe, we were all at a very busy stage in our lives, we had young children and were working fulltime. It's amazing that I still have this recipe really.

Left over cooked chicken or a cooked chook bought from the supermarket, can also be used as a substitute for the fresh chicken in the recipe. Just cut it into cubes or shred it, doesn't really matter, and add it at after cooking all of the other ingredients. So easy and fast. Have a night off from fancy cooking my friends, and treat yourself to this easy meal.  I promise you, you and your family will love this one.

The Sweet and Sour sauce can also be served over cooked pork or fish. This is another very versatile mid-week meal, when you can use frozen or fresh vegetables you have on hand to boost it up and make it even healthier.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 tablespoons Olive oil
3-4 diced chicken breasts or chicken thighs, or equivalent chicken already cooked
1 capsicum cut into cubes
4 celery stalks finely chopped

1 finely diced carrot
1 tin of pineapple pieces, or use fresh if you prefer
1 tin of tomato soup
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon fresh garlic (optional)

Let's cook:

Cut chicken pieces into bite size pieces and fry in oil until lightly browned. Remove from the pan.
Add chopped vegetables and fry until slightly softened.

Add the pineapple pieces and the juice and the tomato soup.

Add sugar and curry powder. Stir together and simmer until vegetables are cooked but still slightly crisp.

Serve with white or basmati brown rice, some fried rice, or noodles. 

Hoping the rest of your week is all that you want it to be.

Thanks for dropping by.

Pauline x

Tropical Beef and Mango Chutney Chow Mein

This is the perfect minced beef and vegetable dish for a busy weeknight, fuss free, it's loaded with lots of healthy vegetables, spices, and it takes less than half an hour to cook.  With a recipe like this, you can fly through the week stress-free, with an easy flavoursome meal that will give your family a gourmet experience on the cheap. 500 g of minced beef can be stretched to feed 6 people. 

Tropical Sweet and Sour Pork

 

Happy New Year to you all. If you are living in the Northern Hemisphere where it is freezing in parts I hope you are keeping warm, and if you are somewhere very tropical like we are, reaching temperatures of 36-40 deg. C daily, I hope you are keeping cool and well hydrated.

Chinese Chicken Traybake with a Tropical Twist

This Chinese Chicken Sauce works well with baked chicken wings, chicken thigh cutlets or breasts, or a whole baked chicken. I generally bake the meat as per usual until half cooked, pour off most of the fat and then cover with the sauce and cook until the meat is cooked and the sauce has glazed.  It is important to watch it towards the end of the cooking time so that the sauce doesn't burn. This was a firm family favourite when the children lived at home and is still on the holiday menu repertoire.

Crispy Teriyaki Chicken Wings, they're delicious party food

Crispy Teriyaki chicken wings at a party are always delicious as finger food, and to my way of thinking they are definitely party food. I wouldn't cook them just for Mr. HRK and me now, however if the family or friends were visiting, well that is a different story. I used to cook them as a treat sometimes when the children were younger and lived at home, and as an easy meal with rice and a salad they also stretch the budget. I was planning ahead for a family party when I marinated these,  so they went into a large freezer bag until mid-September for the party. It is safe to freeze the marinated chicken wings for 6 months. They cooked beautifully on the night of the party and did the disappearing act. I was lucky to get a taste, let alone a photo. However my friends you all know what cooked chicken wings look like I'm sure, so I'm afraid you will have to use your imagination with this one.  Just take my word for it that they were finger lickin' good and so easy.

I paid $4.00 a kilo for these at Woolworths yesterday, but last week they were only $2.00 a kilo. Now that would be a bargain. At that price I am happy to prepare and cut them up myself. However if you are time poor and feeling cashed up, chicken wings already dissected can be purchased at Lenards Chicken for $10. 00 a kilo. I think they were also marinated though. That's quite a markup isn't it for only 20 minutes work, and I prefer to make my own  marinade as then I know what has gone into it. (Apologies, this was written a little while ago, I forgot that I hadn't posted it, so prices might have changed again.)

Ingredients:

2 kg chicken Wings (Approximately 21-24 wings) Or 24 if you want to count out exactly 24 wings
3/4 cup (180 ml) Teryaki sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 crushed cloves garlic
2 red cayenne chillis ( only 1 if they are a bit hotter), finely chopped, and deseeded
1 tablespoons brown sugar (I used Dark Muscovado sugar)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Cooking Notes:
*I only substituted the Dark Muscovado sugar because I had no Brown sugar (Oops, I was sure I had bought some)
*I substituted Ground ginger for the fresh stuff because we have recently dehydrated a lot of our home grown fresh ginger and it is amazingly fragrant and flavoursome

Preparation of the Wings:

Cut the chicken wings into three pieces at the joints. I thought this would be more onerous than it was. It only took me about 10 minutes all up. I removed all of the wing tips first and froze them, and then with a twist of both parts of the wing, it was easy to locate the soft part in the middle between the bones and slice through.
 

Reserve the frozen wing tips for another use such as making soups from scratch. I have frozen mine in small ziplock bags to use in my next batch of chicken stock.

Let's cook:

In a large bowl, combine the Teryaki sauce, peanut oil, ginger, garlic, chilli, sugar, sesame oil,and Chinese five spice. Add the chicken and toss with the marinade to coat all of the wing pieces.
Cover and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight in the frig.



Preheat your oven to moderately hot, 180 degrees C.

Drain the marinade from the wings and discard. Place the wings on an oiled cake cooling rack over a baking dish. I used an Alfoil baking dish to save washing up because of the amount of cooking I was doing. I think that one batch of wings was cooked directly in the alfoil baking dish and they worked out well.

Roast the chicken uncovered in the oven for about 40 minutes until cooked through and brown. Turn them once after 20 minutes if possible.

These are attractive to serve sprinkled with a few sesame seeds and a green garnish.

Have you started thinking about your Christmas menu yet? I think these wings might be on mine this year, after all they are easy party food.

Thanks for visiting,

Best wishes

Pauline

Sticky Chicken Legs with Brown Rice and Stir Fried Vegetables

Who doesn't love sticky chicken wings or chicken drumsticks that are finger lickin' good? The weekend is the time when I am really drawn to more casual meals that are easy on preparation, but definitely delicious, and can still be cooked from scratch. This is a good weekender meal. However admittedly the Hoisin and Soy sauces for this dish come out of a bottle. I think that is ok sometimes, don't you?

 I realised I still had a full bottle of Hoisin sauce in the pantry after making gyozas a few months ago. I had bought extra sauce at the time and thought I would try it in combination with other typically Chinese sauce ingredients this time to use it up and it worked beautifully. If you like more sauce, all of the ingredients except for the chicken can just be doubled. If you have the time and think of it, the chicken would be even tastier marinaded for 6-12 hours beforehand, however this is isn't essential.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

1 kg chicken legs, about 8,  or 16 wings if you prefer
1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce
2 tablespoons low salt soy sauce
2 tablespoons Honey
4 chopped garlic cloves depending on their size
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon dried ginger or galangal as well for extra oomph, optional
2 cups brown or white rice

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

1. Mix together well the soy and hoisin sauces, honey, garlic and ginger in a medium sized bowl
2. If you have time, marinate the chicken in this mixture overnight in the refrigerator
3. Because this is a sticky mixture, I lined an average sized baking tray with two layers of alfoil to prevent any leakage and gooey sauces sticking on the tray
4. Place the chicken pieces on the tray and cover each chicken piece with the sauce
5. Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. Turn the chicken pieces every 15 minutes to prevent burning. The chicken should be caramelised and cooked through.
6.  I serve this with brown rice (for health reasons) although white tastes great, and  stir fried vegetables, such as capsicum, zucchini, broccoli or bok choy if you have it, and whatever else you have that is colorful, tasty and healthy.

There are lots of recipe variations out there on sticky chicken legs however this one is so easy with minimal ingredients required.

Dear friends, I hope your week is going well.

Best wishes

Pauline

Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup

Fresh sweetcorn is in season and so cheap to buy, and after a trip to the Farmer's market I decided to use some of it in a soup, as it is still cool enough at night to enjoy soup. I found this wonderful recipe by Lorraine@Not Quite Nigella, which is originally her Mother's recipe and who is also a great cook of Chinese food. I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and simple this is to make, the secret being to have all of the ingredients prepared prior to starting to cook.

It also reminded me of the first time my son, Matthew brought home a cooked dish from school when he had to study a semester of home economics, and it was the most delicious Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup. I remember I made a huge fuss of the soup, hoping to encourage future cooking activities and we ate it for dinner that evening.  I'm not sure where that recipe is now, but this one is delicious. Thanks Lorraine.

I like to add a couple of extra drops of sesame oil to my bowl and another sprinkling of white pepper and garnish the bowls with finely chopped spring onions.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade from scratch if you have time)
4 tablespoons cornflour mixed with 4 tablespoons of cold water
180g/6oz. raw chicken breast, very thinly sliced or extra for a more substantial dinner
1 teaspoon cornflour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
210g/7 oz. tin of creamed corn
210g fresh corn kernels off the cob, or 210g/7 oz can of corn kernels, drained
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
A few drops of sesame oil and ground white pepper to season




Method:

1.  Mix the sliced chicken with 1 teaspoon of cornflour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and set aside. Heat the chicken stock and bring it to the boil, and then turn down to a simmer.
2. When the stock is simmering, add the cornflour and water mixture and mix it in. The cornflour mixture will need to be mixed again before adding as cornflour settles and thickens at the bottom. Stir the stock and then add the creamed corn, the fresh corn kernels and the chicken mixture in small portions so that it doesn't clump up. Stir for a minute or two and the chicken should just about be cooked. It doesn't take long.
3. Add the beaten egg to the stock in a thin trickle while stirring. Season with equal proportions of salt and sugar. I added 1 teaspoon of each but taste it and add more if needed. 
4. Drizzle with sesame oil and white pepper just before serving.
5. Garnish with finely sliced spring onions

I also realised after making this and serving up and trying to take a good photo that I need to buy some proper Chinese serving bowls and spoons. Added to the list for next time!

Best wishes

Pauline

Chinese Braised Oxtail in your Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker

If you enjoy Chinese or Asian style cuisine you will love this dish. Oxtail is a cut of meat which appeared quite regularly as a stew at the dinner table when I was growing up, however it is absolutely transformed here with this remarkable combination of flavours. It is finger lickin' good.

Asian Pork mince with rice noodles or in lettuce cups

Asian Pork Mince

This has become one of our favourite meals, and we eat it almost weekly. It is healthy, low calorie and easy to prepare during the hot summer. Taste it before serving to ensure the combination of sauces suits your taste.

Serves 4
200 calories per serve

Ingredients:

cooking oil spray

4 green shallots, sliced diagonally
20g knob of fresh ginger, sliced finely
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
400-500g pork mince
120g green beans, sliced thinly with a bean stringer
4 teaspoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon kecap manis (or more to taste)
2 fresh long red chillis, sliced thinly
4 tablespoons water
small handful Thai or sweet basil leaves
12 baby cos leaves or packet of rice noodles
Lime quarters to serve

Let's cook:

Lightly spray a medium non-stick frying pan with olive oil and heat over a medium heat.Add the shallots, ginger and garlic. Cook covered, for 1 minute.

Increase heat to high. Add pork mince; cook stirring to break up lumps for 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in beans, sauces, chilli and the water. Cook for a further 2 minutes or until beans are tender and the sauce is slightly sticky. Stir in half the basil.

Serve mince in lettuce cups or in a bowl over rice noodles. Either way, top with the remaining basil and serve with lime pieces.

Enjoy!

Best wishes

Pauline

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken for Retirees and Travellers

Dear friends, Here is such an easy and economical version of Sweet and Sour chicken with great flavour, using basic ingredients, and so easy to put together if you are travelling or feeling lazy at home. More vegetables such as zucchini, or snow peas can be added if you have them on hand.

This is so much healthier for us when we are in a rush than reaching for a ready made jar of sweet and sour sauce from the supermarket and tastes even better and is just a cinch to make.

Left over cooked chicken can also be used as a substitute for the fresh chicken. Just cut  into cubes and add it at after cooking all of the other ingredients. So easy and fast.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Olive oil
3-4 chicken breasts
1 capsicum
4 celery stalks
1 can pineapple pieces, or use fresh if you prefer
1 tin tomato soup
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon curry powder
garlic if preferred

Let's cook:

Cut chicken pieces into bite size pieces and fry in oil until lightly browned. Remove from the pan.
Add chopped vegetables and fry until slightly softened.
Add the pineapple pieces and the juice and the tomato soup.
Add sugar and curry powder. Stir together and simmer until vegetables are cooked but still slightly crisp.



Replace the chicken pieces and serve with rice or noodles.

One of my Cattleya orchids in flower

Happy travels

Best wishes

Pauline