Day 31 ... Wholewheat Chapatti with Curry Chicken

WHOLEWHEAT CHAPATTI WITH CURRY CHICKEN

This morning, Bryan was at Taman Melawati for an appointment. Sowing seeds, he said. Came back late afternoon. Showed me a packet of frozen chapatti that he bought. Wanted to cook curry chicken and have that with the chapatti. So dinner tonight was prepared by Bryan. In a cheery mood, appointment probably went well. Says this meal is super easy to prepare. Here's how he did it, and yeah, it sure does sound very simple and straightforward.

Step One : Curry Chicken

Fry shallots and garlic in cooking oil.

Add half a packet of ready-made curry paste (Brand A1). 

Add water. Add chicken pieces, potatoes and carrots.

Add curry leaves. Add 1/4 fresh full cream milk.

 When boiling, turn down heat and 

simmer till curry thickens to desired consistency.

(No salt is added.)

Step Two : Chapatti

Chapatti is bought frozen. 

Need not de-freeze.

Heat up in the pan

with a bit of butter.

Step Three : Garnish & Serve

Serve hot with a side salad.

Bryan's creation :D

The wholemeal chappati was surprisingly quite tasty, a little bit to the sweeter side though. Bryan's curry was perfect. The chicken was tender, and the potatoes were just yummy. Bryan and Justine had 3 chapattis each. I had two, but may have another one later on for supper. :D

To Sum Up

I had one shaker of The Green Drink for breakfast,

2 slices of french toast for lunch,

and the above for dinner. :D

Juice. Fruits. Water.

Time of Posting : 9:40pm

Day 30 ... Oven Baked Vegetable Quiche

OVEN BAKED VEGETABLE QUICHE

This dish is fun to do. Was alone the whole day. Justine was out on a school function at the Banker's Club, and Bryan was catching up with some friends in PJ. So thought of doing another easy, no-fuss dinner. Went to the fridge and got out whatever vegetables I could find. This dish is easy to prepare - just toss everything you can find in the fridge, and pop it into the oven. :D

I had cut some slices of lemon and pulled out a sprig of mint leaves for garnish. However, they were not laid out as planned (heard that? - as planned - oooh, like real) because when Bryan and Justine came home at 9pm, I was on the phone for the longest time, and they couldn't wait. So, Bryan took out the dish, snapped a photo, without the garnishing. Was quite mad with him for spoiling my, uh, masterpiece. Hehe. Garnishing is important for me, it completes the picture, don't you think? Well, just imagine the lemon slices and a sprig of mint in the middle of the Quiche. :D

Step One : Prepare ...

i. Pasta 

Boil pasta in salted water till HALF-done.

Saute garlic in olive oil and toss pasta in.

Add seasalt and basil herbs.

ii. Vegetables

Potatoes (cut length-wise like fries), 

bell peppers (chopped roughly),

carrots (sliced thin), zucchini (sliced thin), 

mint leaves (chopped finely).

iii. Egg Mix

Beat 3 eggs and add half a carton of fresh milk. 

Seasalt. Pepper

Step Two : Layer Up

Coat the base of a pyrex with olive oil, 

so the quiche doesn't stick later on. 

Makes serving and cleaning up easier. 

Lay the potatoes at the base, and pasta on top of potatoes. 

Scatter the rest of the vegetables over. 

Sprinkle organic hulled millet on the top. 

Add black pepper and basil herbs. 

Flood the dish with the egg mixture. 

Finally, give it a nice shower of lemon juice all over. :D 

Cover the serving dish with aluminium foil.

Pop into the oven.

(I forgot to pre-heat the oven)

I set the heat at 250 degrees (C)

for about 30 minutes.

Stick a fork in to see if it's done.

Turn off the heat. Remove foil.

Leave it to brown a little in the oven till dinner time.

My Dinner :D

Step 3 : Garnish & Serve

While the quiche was in the oven, I made a quick side salad. :D Just a note, penne pasta would be more suitable to use here but I only had spaghetti noddles. Pasta was added in to make a more filling meal. Also, normally Quiche would have some kind of pastry crust at the bottom but that would taken a bit of time, making the dough etc. So I used potatoes for the base instead.

To Sum Up

I had one shaker of The Green Drink this morning, 

lunch (sunny side up egg on a slice of wholemeal bread, 

fried onions and tomatoes on a second slice), 

and Quiche for dinner.

Juice. Fruits. Water.

Time of Posting : 9:53am (Sat 31/7)

Day 29 ... Crock Pot Brown Rice Cereal

CROCK POT BROWN RICE CEREAL 

with red beans and kombu

Dinner tonight was a no-fuss crock pot brown rice cereal. I tend to call it "cereal" and not "porridge" when the rice is really (really) smooth, almost like it has been blended. There is a tupperware of brown rice left over from yesterday's dinner. Remember that the rice from last night is fragrant and tasty since it was prepared as a chicken rice, rice, and has red beans and kombu (seaweed), apart from the garlic, ginger and onions which were stir-fried with the rice grains before the rice was cooked in the pressure cooker.

This dish is "kindergarden."

Sap Sap Suey ...

Step One : Crock Pot

Pour contents of left over brown rice
into the crock pot.

Seasalt. Pepper.

Set the timer on high heat. 

Should be ready within 4 hours or so.

Step Two : Condiments

Brown some shallots in sesame seed oil 

in a separate pot. 

Step Three : Garnish & Serve

A few minutes before serving, 
beat an egg and add in. 

Stir slowly.

Garnish with chopped spring onions and chopped chillies. 

Sprinkle a pinch of black sesame seeds,
a dash of black pepper ...

... and a generous dollop of marmite!

Oh Yum!

:D

To Sum Up

I had one shaker of The Green Drink this morning,

organic noodle soup with egg and vegs for lunch

and dinner.

1 shake & 2 meals.

No juice today. Fruits. Water.

(too busy to do juicing today)

Time of Posting : 10:38pm

Day 28 ... Pressure Cooker Brown Rice & Chicken

PRESSURE COOKER BROWN RICE & CHICKEN

Decided to use the Pressure Cooker for dinner. Bryan's mum gave me the pressure cooker and it has truly been a great help in the kitchen. It's easy to use and cooks real fast. Checked the fridge and found some cabbage and petai too. :D

Step One : Pressure Cooker

(i) Prepare Rice

Saute garlic, ginger and onions in sesame oil 

in the Pressure Cooker. 

Add brown rice grains and 1/4 cube of chicken stock (no MSG).

Add a handful of red beans (pre-soaked), 

a strip of kombu (seaweed) and fresh ginger.

Add seasalt. Add water.

(ii) Prepare Chicken

Saute garlic, ginger and onions in sesame seed oil

in a separate pot.

Add organic dark sauce, oyster sauce, brown rice vinegar,

Add seasalt and pepper. Water.

Lay aluminium foil on a plate.

Place chicken piece on foil.

Scoop sauce on to the chicken.

Add goji seeds and spring onions (chopped).

Seal the sides of the foil.

(iii) Place a metal stand in the Pressure Cooker.

Place the chicken parcel on top.

Twist close the lid. Turn on medium heat.

When the PC starts to go SHHHHHH

(about 5 mins' time), turn off heat.

Allow to cook for about 20 minutes.

Step Two : Meanwhile ...

(i) Water Fry (Vegetables)

cabbage, organic glass noodles, bean curd sheet, carrots.

Add seasalt.

Garnish with chillies and spring onions.

(ii) Stir Fry Petai

with garlic only in sesame seed oil.

The chicken is ready. Moist and juicy. :D

Step Three : Sauce & Serve

(i) Chilly Sauce

Blend chillies and ginger. 

Add lime juice, seasalt and sugar.

(ii) My Dinner. :D

LUNCH

WAKAME NOODLE SOUP

Bryan made a quick lunch before he left for an appoinment.

Saute garlic, ginger and shallots in sesame seed oil. 

Add water, 1/4 chicken stock (no MSG) and goji seeds.

Add wakame, tofu, carrots and yee mee noodles.

When ready, garnish with chilly (strip) and spring onions.

Bryan says, preparation took 10 mins and cooking, 5 mins.

TO SUM UP

One shaker of The Green Drink & 2 meals.

No juice. Fruits. Water.

Chocolates. Yum!

Time of Posting : 11:48pm

Day 27 ... Spaghetti with Soy Burger Pate Croutons

SPAGHETTI WITH SOY BURGER PATE CROUTONS

Tied up with work today. Had to rush the article I was writing on, for the company. Due like yesterday. Bryan had to pick up Justine from class in the evening just now, so I prepared a quick dinner. What's quick and no hassle for me? Yup, Pasta! I have 3 hobs on my stove, so I was boiling, boiling and stir-frying all at once. Saves time.

Step One :  Together

Boiled the spaghetti till HALF-cooked. 

Seasalt. Srain when done.

Boil potatoes (cubed). Seasalt. Strain when done. 

Mix with mayonnaise, pepper, flaxseed oil.

Stir-fry soy burger pate (minced). Leave aside.

Step Two : Prepare Stock

Saute garlic, ginger, chillies (diced) in olive oil.

Add coriander leaves (chopped), seasalt and pepper. 

Add 2 small cups of water. Bring to boil.

Pour the HALF-cooked spaghetti into the stock.

Add coriander and mint leaves (chopped).

Seasalt & pepper. Toss well. Cover lid.

Allow to cook till stock is absorbed and pasta is done.

Meanwhile, prepare salad.

Roman lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, red bell peppers, purple cabbage, green olives.

Extra virgin olive oil, japanese salad dressing, pepper. Toss well.

Step Three : Garnish & Serve

Pour spaghetti on to a serving dish.

  Salad and potatoes on top.

Scatter the soy pate croutons over.

Garnish with a few slices of lime

and rings of red bell peppers.

Scatter pine nuts and black sesame seeds.

Is this easy or what???

:D

To Sum Up 

I had one shaker of The Green Drink for breakfast, 

2 slices of bread with tuna-onions-chilly filling 

and pasta for dinner.

 1 shake & 2 meals.

Juice. Fruit. Water. 

And 1 ferrero chocolate ball that I found in the fridge.

Time of Posting

11:38pm

Day 26 ... Crock Pot Tofu

Crock Pot Tofu

One dish meal.

Pretty healthy, no frying.

Tasty and nutritious. 

No fuss. Easy to do.

Washing up was quick.

I was busy with some writing, 

so Bryan prepared the Crock Pot dish. :D

Step One : Ingredients

Onions, Garlic, Ginger, Carrots, Hard Tofu, Corn,

Bean Curd Sheet, Tau Foo Pok, Fresh Coriander Leaves, 

Seasalt, Pepper, Shoyu, Oyster Sauce, Dark Sauce, 

Sesame Seed Oil, Star Anise

Place all ingredients in the Crock Pot.

Step Two : Slow Cook

Turn on to low heat and leave to cook for 4 - 5 hours.

Boil eggs in a separate pot.

Step Three : Garnish & Serve

A few minutes before serving, 

add the French Beans and cut Chilly Strips

for a more vibrant colour.

Add the hard boiled egg.

Ta-dah ... My Plate

Garnish the white rice with some spring onions.

Hmmmm, really enjoyed my dinner tonight. :D

To Sum Up

I had one shaker of The Green Drink for breakfast, 

homecook tomyam fried mee hoon for lunch and the above for dinner.

1 shaker & 2 meals.

No Juice today. Fruits. Water.

Time of Posting : 9:26pm

Day 25 ... Lamb Paella

 

We had LAMB PAELLA for dinner tonight.

A simple rice dish with meat and vegetables, 

all cooked in one heavy-based frying pan.

In anticipation of a heavy dinner, 

I took 2 shakers of The Green Drink today

for breakfast and lunch. Juices. Fruits. Water.

Step 1 : Prepare Stock

Saute garlic, ginger and onions in olive oil.

Add red chillies and tomatoes.

Add seasalt, pepper, rosemary, basil, thyme and coriander.

Add some filtered water in. Bring to boil.

Turn off fire. Blend the stock.

Step 2 : Prepare Lamb

The lamb was marinated overnight with seasalt, pepper, basil, thyme,

brown rice vinegar and olive oil (last), to lock in the moisture.

Saute garlic and onions at medium heat.

Add the pieces of lamb. Stir-fry.

Add fresh mint leaves, coriander leaves.

Put the lid on, turn to low fire and 

allow meat to slowly cook for awhile.

Step 3 : Add On

Add vegetables.

Tomatoes, young corn, carrots, oyster mushrooms.

 Add the blended stock.

Scatter the grains of rice over. 

Use a ladle to work the rice into the stock and

slowly mix the combination up.

Bryan used a shallow pan for photo purposes. 

He says, easier to see. 

I say, but difficult to cook.

We were both right. :D

Easy but difficult ...

Waiting Period ...

While waiting for the Paella to cook, 

we had mangosteens that Carol bought from Penang. 

She and our mother went for a day trip up north yesterday 

to attend St Anne's Feast Day in Bukit Mertajam.

Taking Forever ... 

The rice was taking like, forever, to cook. As you can see, the contents are about to spill over any minute now. The last time Bryan cooked this wonderful dish, it was for 3 pax. Today was for 5 pax - So one more cup of rice, and one more cup of water. He wasn't able to cover the pan with the lid. So we had to improvise, by closing the kitchen windows and doors instead, to retain the heat. Have You ever heard of anyone shutting all the windows and doors of the kitchen to retain heat for the food to cook faster? 

Well, now You have ... :D

  The Wait Continues ...

We continued with the mangosteens, cherries, strawberries 

and grapes while waiting for the rice to cook. 

Oooh, Finally ...

The wait is over. 

Bryan brought out the pan and everyone exclaimed their excitement. 

Forgot to say prayers. Forgot to take photo. 

The aroma took our breath away.

The dish looked a little too moist,

so Bryan started to kacau (stir) the rice for a more even spread.

As a result, the Paella looked even more heavenly. <3

Oh Yes, now I remember why I didn't snap a photo of the pan ...

Bryan removed all the decorations onto his plate 

before he worked the rice.

Lamb Paella

See how carefully Bryan cuts the chilly and spring onion?

Burppp ...

We finished every grain of rice, even scrapping the crusts along and on the pan. 

The rice was so, so tasty and delicious. The lamb was juicy, tender and filled with flavour. 

The carrots were notably sweet and  the oyster mushroom was truly yummy with the rice.
This dish which has quickly become a family favourite, is nutritious and easy to prepare.

Side Dish ...

We had a side dish (diced onions, yogurt, lime juice, pepper, salt, olive oil) 

which complemented the Paella very well.

To Sum Up 

2 shakers of The Green Drink & 1 meal

Juices. Fruits. Water. 

Time of Posting : 9:51pm

Day 24 ... Garlic-Ginger Spaghetti in Olive Oil

This morning I had a shaker of The Green Drink.

Lunch was with the above group of friends. Hamidah's and Gani's relatives. So let's see what I had : one slice of pizza, half a slice of pocket pizza with chicken pieces and tomato sauce, one rib of lamb, half a baked potato, 5 fork-rolls of spaghetti, one pc of garlic bread and one small piece of baked fish.

That's all.

No wonder I was so tired in the car. Bryan la, kept piling up my plate. One after another. Next time, when we are eating like this ... share-share ... must put the stuffs on the plate first, then only eat. Learned something new today.

Garlic-Ginger Spaghetti in Olive Oil

Bryan made yet another amazing dish tonight. Super awesome! Already so darn full from lunch, but came dinner time, could still wish he made more of the above pasta dish. Was truly tasty and mouth-watering. Took him 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients and another 10 minutes to cook. 

1. Sauteed garlic (chopped roughly) and ginger (diced finely) in olive oil. Sprinkled rosemary and basil herbs. Black pepper. Added 2 small cups of filtered water.

2. Boiled water. Added sea salt and a few drops of olive oil. Added spaghetti. Turned off fire when HALF-cook. Drained. Rinsed with cold water for a springy texture.

3. Sauce now bubbling. Poured the spaghetti in. Gave it a good toss. Added a pinch of sea salt. Covered with lid. Simmered briefly. Removed cover, added chopped red chillies (should also add chopped coriander, but we ran out of that) and closed the lid again. Counted to 10 and removed lid. The idea is have the chillies cooked a little so that they weren't raw. Tossed the spaghetti again. 

4. Served with a simple side salad. Drizzled some flaxseed oil on top for the omega benefits.

Absolutely lip-smackin' delicious. The pasta noodles were very very tasty, having simmered in the sauce although just briefly. The ginger gave a tangy, hot-tish taste to the dish. A excellent combination of garlic and ginger. :D

To Sum Up : One shaker of The Green Drink & 2 meals.
Fruits. Water.

I was told that the protein powder in our company (Viva Plus) is currently SOLD OUT. New batch should be arriving the coming week. :D

Time of Posting : 10:52 pm

Day 23 ... Rice with Durians

Carol brought some durians back from Segamat today. 

So, guess what we had for dinner? Oooh ...

The flesh was unbelievably soft, creamy and bitter-ish. 

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...

This is my bowl of rice with durians.
White rice mixed with some salt-sugar water.
Supposed to take with coconut milk but Grandmother
taught our family to take durians the healthier way.
Out of this world, the durians were, honestly. :D

Justine didn't want her fingers to smell of durians
because tomorrow she's attending a function. :D

After a hearty durian feast, we all drank water from the husks. Bryan never used to do that, but through the years, he would notice that my sisters, the kids and I never had any problems with sore throats or heatiness after durians, when he did. So, when You can't beat 'em join 'em.

Today, I had my shaker of The Green Drink in the morning. 
Yesterday's biryani for lunch. And durians for dinner. 
2 meals. No juice. Fruits. Lotsa Water.

Time of Posting: 1:01am

ps Today, Bryan showed me how to post all my photos of the same day in ONE blog entry. :D

Day 22 ...

Chilled fruits for dessert by Bryan.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

4pm to 8 pm & Home

Hayley, Hamidah and Gani came to the house today. We had a lot of fun making an attempt to cook Hyderabadi Biryani Chicken Rice for dinner. See the following entries. 

To Sum Up : 2 shakers of The Green Drink & One meal (dinner).

Time of Posting : 4:11 (Friday 23/7)

Makan ...

My, were we completely engrossed in our food or what ...

Bryan's plate ...

Bryan's first plate. 

We all had second helpings. :D

Hayley's turn ...

Justine and I were waiting patiently for our turn ...

Gani & Hami ...

Hamidah had the honour of starting our Biryani Makan ceremony. :D 

The ladle went clockwise.

Dinner for 6 ...

We were so hungry we did not notice the mis-matched plates. 

No cutleries. We all used our fingers to eat.

Step 6 ... Hyderabadi Biryani Chicken Rice

Hyderabadi Biryani Chicken Rice

Garnish & Serve.

Scooped the contents of the pot onto a large serving dish. Garnished with slices of red tomatoes, fresh sprigs of coriander and bright yellow slices of lemon. The aroma of the biryani just filled the home, tantalizing our taste buds. We were intoxicated by the delicious fragrant and appeared to be inhaling deeper than usual. :D

Step 5 (a) ...

Bryan whipped out a quick yogurt salad as an accompaniment. Chopped onions and coriander leaves roughly, added a pinch of salt, dash of black pepper, drops of olive oil, 1/4 tub of yogurt and juice of a lime. Oh Yum!

Step 5 ...

Time to remove the lid & be spellbound ...

The fragrant was simply amazing!
Remember what I said about the onions ...

Step 4 ...

Waiting Period.

The biryani chicken rice was left on the stove to cook at 5 - 15 - 10.

5 minutes on high heat.
15 minutes on medium heat.
10 minutes on low heat.

While waiting for the biryani to cook, we took a break and had chocolates and nougat that Hamidah bought for me from a recent trip overseas. And, re-checked the instructions on the cooking time.

Step 3 (a) ...

Should look like this. Scattered a handful of chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves on top. And a whole load of fried onions. :D Also, sprinkled a few teaspoons of "tumeric mixed with water" for the yellow coloring. I didn't get the saffron. Didn't know what it was then.

Step 3 ...

Time to marry the chicken and the rice.

So, transferred the chicken pieces into the cooking pot. Evened up the position of the chicken so they lay flatly on the bottom layer. Then transferred all the HALF-cooked rice on top.