Yammy....Kaya

Remember the old time? Moms and grandmas took half a day to cook kaya in the kitchen. That time no mixer yet, they had to use their hand as a mixer to beat the eggs and sugar until they turned pale yellow. Then another few hours sitting in front of the charcoal stove to slow cook the kaya. I remember my sisters and I took turn to help my mom to stir the kaya. Definately not the fun job in the world but it was well worthy.

The process of making kaya twenty something years ago sure was a long process. That's why I never try to make my own kaya. But the other day when I was sick, not sure what got into me, I decided to make kaya. Of course, today making kaya isn't that time consuming anymore. All you need is approx. two hours then you will have a pretty good homemade kaya.

Here is my version of kaya recipe:

Ingredients A

2 cups of eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanila extract (if you can't find pandan leaves)

Ingredients B

2 pandan leaves, washed and knotted (optional)

2 cups of coconut milk (not thick coconut milk)

1) Use electric mixer, beat ingredients A until they turn pale yellow.

2) Add in ingredients B.

3) If you have non stick pot, you can cook the kaya directly from the stove, if not please use double boiler method to cook your kaya.

4) Cook the kaya at a very very low heat. High heat will turn the kaya into scrambled egg kaya. Don't forget constantly stir your kaya in order to get the smooth texture.

5) It wil take approx. 30 to 45 min for the kaya to thicken up.

6) To get a nice brown color: Over medium heat, caramelized 1/4 cup sugar until they turn dark brown. Pour the caramelized sugar into your kaya and stir well. Turn off the heat.

Leena's tip: Try to use duck eggs to make kaya. You will be so suprise that it actually taste better than eggs.

花开福贵--Broccoli with Stuffed Shiitake Mushroom

Last week, I promised this 芒果安娣 that I would give her some ideas on Chinese New Year dishes. Since it is -25C outside (who wants to go out on the cold weather like this right?), so I decided to cook this super easy dish that looks gourmet enough to serve during Chinese New Year dinner or lunch.

Ok, here is the recipe on how to make this 花开福贵:

Ingredients: (serve 8)
30 to 40 dried Shiitake mushrooms

For pork mixture:
1 lb ground pork
1/3 cup finely diced carrot
2 stalks green onions - finely sliced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce or to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tbs corn starch

For center of the plate:
2 cups broccoli florets
1 carrot thinly sliced

For sauce:
Mushroom water
Some sesame oil
White pepper
Chicken base
Cornstarch/water mixture


1) Soak dried mushroom in warm water to softern them. Save the soaking water/mushroom water for sauce later.

2) Mix pork mixture's ingredients together.

3) Cut off the mushroom stems and squeeze the water out .

4) Stuffed the mushroom caps with the pork mixture.

5) Arrange them in a steamer or a plate raised above the boiling water in a large pot.

6) Steam stuffed mushroom for 10 to 15 minutes.

7) Cook the broccoli florets and carrot in salted boiling water for one minute.

8) Arrange broccoli and carrot at the ceter of the serving plate.

9) Arrange the stuffed mushroom around the broccoli and carrot.

10) To make the sauce, heat the mushroom water in a pot. Add in a few drops of sesame oil, some white pepper and some chicken base to taste.

11) When the mushroom water is boiling, thicken the sauce by adding the conrstarch/water mixture.

12) Pour the sauce over stuffed mushroom, broccoli and carrot.

Enjoy!!

Chicken Curry Lefse Roll

Yesterday evening I was lazy to cook, so I came up with this simple and easy to make chicken curry lefse roll.

Ingredients: (3 servings)

3 sheets 10"x 6" lefse

12 oz cooked chicken breast (diced) or 1 can (12 oz) chunk chicken

1 tsp curry powder

1/3 cup mayonese or spicy mayonese

1/3 cup finely diced celery

2 tbs finely diced onion

salt and pepper to taste

1) Combine chicken, curry powder, mayonese, celery, onion, salt and pepper together.

2) Spread curry chicken mixture over each lefse sheet to within 1/4 inch of edges.

3) Roll up each lefse, starting with the short side.

4) Using a knife cut each roll into 4 slices. Serve immediately.

Leena's tip: If the chicken mixture is too dry, add more mayonese.

Lefse is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread made out of potato, milk or cream and flour, and cooked on a griddle -- Wikipedia

Enjoy!!

Chicken Stir-Fried with Vegetables

Not sure what to cook for dinner/lunch? Here is a simple and yet delicious chicken stir fried dish that you can try at home.

Ingredients: (serve 4)

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb chicken breast (or dark chicken meat) sliced thinly

2/3 cup of green and red pepper mix

1/2 cup sliced carrot

1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp corn starch

1/2 cup of water

salt and white pepper to taste

1) Marinate chicken with soy sauce and corn starch for a few minutes.

2) Add cooking oil in a heated wok or large skillet.

3) When the oil is hot, add chopped garlic and carrot into the wok/skillet.

4) Let the carrot cook for 2 minutes, add in chicken. Stir-fry until the chicken is almost done then add in water and sugar snap peas. Cook for 1 minute.

5) Finally, add green and red pepper mixture, salt and white pepper to taste. Stir fry for 1 minute or until the chicken is done. Do not over cook the vegetables.

6) Transfer to a clean plate and serve with rice.

Variation:

This recipe may be made with beef strips (steak), turkey or pork.

Enjoy!!