A Quickie

Pardon my absence.

In between of moving to a new house, getting to know a new kitchen (different oven, different stove), following all sorts of utilities men (TV, internet, AC..) around the house, helping a Singapore company to set up their Angolan office and planning a Christmas party (supermarkets are empty!!), I have nothing left of me. I have so much to do, so tired and yet I couldn't really rest. My feet ache and often numb.

H isn't exactly helpful because he's been working a lot including weekends.

A proper rest is needed. I plan to chill out on the beach this weekend, then replying some mails, then blogging. Then more groceries hunting.

Ciao for now.

Bits of My Weekend

[ all photos are courtesy of F ]

NYC Street Cart Chicken and Rice with White Sauce

Few winters ago YIKES!! It was (only) February last year, H and I decided to meet in NYC to buy my engagement ring. I would be flying in from Atlanta after my work trip and he would be flying from Sanaa, Yemen. I made sure that I would fly in to the same airport as H, that our flights would land on roughly about the same time. We calculated that we would just take the airport train to Hoboken (New Jersey) to our aparthotel by the Hudson. All within day light.

What we didn't calculated however that my flight (the flight before mine and the 3 flights after mine) would be cancelled because of the snowstorm. The domestic airplane is typically small hence rendering it pliable to heavy winds, rain and snow. H's flight however was 7-hour transatlantic flight, hence he took off and landed as scheduled. So when we finally met, it was close to 8 hours after the planned timing. The sky has turned dark and the night has fallen by the time we stepped off Hoboken.

We knew that our aparthotel is only 5 mins walk from the train station, by the river side but we lost our ways, even after asking direction from so many people. We probably waddled our way through in calf-high snow for only half an hour, but it certainly felt like years. I was drenched, cold and tired. But H persevered, grabbed my luggage and continued walking. To say that we walked through a storm that night will not be an exaggeration.

However after a very bad beginning, we had a lovely time in New York albeit stressful. Broadway, shopping, diamond district and of course, Zagat. We had our fills of the greatest food in New York, from Zagat and Michelin to street cart food. And today, I want to cook something that reminds us of that particular trip that ended with us engaged 3 weeks later and married 4 months after. We are ever so-efficient! :)

[ Hello Eloise! ]

NYC Street Cart Chicken and Rice with White Sauce (serves 2)

Original recipe is from Serious Eats (and Gilt Taste) here.

[a] Preparing the chicken

[ pardon my bite, can't fight the temptation ]

* 2 chicken thighs, de-skin and de-bone (roungly about 300 gr)

* 1 tbsp lemon juice

* 1 tsp dried oregano

* 1 tsp of chopped cilantro

* 1 tsp coriander powder

* 1 big clove of garlic, minced

* 4 tbsp olive oil

How to: 

* [Marinating the Chicken] Mix all the ingredients with food processor or pestle and mortar till it becomes a smooth paste, then coat the chicken with half of the paste. Marinate at least 1.5 hour. 

* [Cooking the chicken] Over a pan, spray with some oil, brown the chicken on all sides. Do not over turn/ disturb them too much. Once they are brown, coat them with the other half of the paste. Put it back into fridge. 

***

[b] Making the white sauce

* 4 tbsp mayonaise

* half of yogurt cup

* 1 tbsp lemon

* salt, pepper

* 1 tsp sugar

* 2 tsp white vinegar

How to: 

Mix everything and let it chill in the fridge.

***

[c] Preparing the rice

* basmati rice enough for 2 person, washed and drained

* 2 tbsp butter

* a pinch of cumin seeds

* 1 tsp of turmeric powder

* water (double amount of rice. so ratio of water to rice is 2 : 1) Note: I found basmati/long grain rice needs more water than my usual short grain rice.

* 1 cube chicken bullion

* some green peas (for colour)

How to:

* On a heavy bottom pan, melt the butter, add in the cumin seeds & turmeric powder. Stir fry for about 1 minute before adding the rice.

* Coat the rice with the butter mixture and let it toast for few more mins before adding water & the chicken bullion. Cover and let it cook until rice is tender. 

* Add in the peas and stir fry for another 2-3 mins then turn off the fire. Cover and let it rest. 

***

[d] Putting them all together

* Take chicken out from the fridge, return it into skillet together with their juices and marinate sauce. Cook them a little bit more until heated through.

* Divide the rice onto two plates and pile the chicken on top of the rice. Top with white sauce (and some hot tabasco sauce, if you want). 

I burnt my rice while typing this post, hence I need to supplement our lunch with some tortillas. Duh!

***

Note: You can also use pita bread instead, put some lettuce on top, before you pile on the rice & chicken, top with some slices of tomatoes, cucumber and what have you. 

Enjoy! 

Crepe Batter with Beer and Orange Juice

The other day, I made another batch of beef stew, this time using a cheaper cut of lamb meet. And the fact that I cooked it over low fire for at least 2 hours, the lamb meat was as tender as a tenderloin.

Anyhoo, I'm left with half bottle of beer, which I decided to turn it into crepe, instead of throwing it out like the first time. This is not recipe from my mom in law, since she uses beer and orange juice, I tried to emulate her. I promise I'll squeeze out the recipe from her next time I see her.

Crepe Batter with Beer and Orange Juice (makes about 17 crepes)

[ voila, thin crepe from scratch]

Ingredients:
* 3 eggs, whisked
* 1 cup beer
* 1 cup milk - 2 tbsp
* 2 tsbp orange juice
* 1 3/4 cup all purp. flour
* a pinch of salt
* 2 tbsp vegetable oil

How to:
* Mix the eggs, beer, milk and orange juice and slowly whisk in the flour till well incorporated. Add in the salt and oil, whisk some more.

* Let it sit on room temperature (covered with cling wrap to keep it hygienic) at least for 1 hour.

* Over medium fire, using non stick pan, pour enough batter to cover the entire pan. I used a soup spoon to manage the quantity. Try the first one, if it's too thick, add in more milk to thin it out.

One thing about making crepe is that the first few crepes will not have the right texture. Until the pan has the right temperature, even heat all over or until you have mastered the right batter quantity (not too thick, not too thin), your first few crepes will look awful. Keep going. In the meanwhile, spread some jam or nutella or simple some sugar on the first few ones and nibble away.

Oh btw, I don't know why but this batter doesn't yield a weak crepe that tears whenever you try to flip it. I like!

[ please ignore the dirty pot behind ]

What keeps me going

.. is coming home to little notes like this, next to clean plates.

Butter Chicken Take 2

"Houston, Houston.. we have a problem." said a voice from the toilet.
"What problem?" I asked
"We haven't been eating butter chicken for a long time.." said the voice again.
"Ok, this weekend we will buy the ingredients." I promised
"Ok Houston. Roger and out."

Original recipe is from Rasa Malaysia. I did the first version with Turkey here, but I didn't grill the meat. So this time round I browned it using a stove top.

Butter Chicken a la Rasa Malaysia (serve 2)

Ingredients:

[a] Chicken Marinade

* 350 gr chicken breast meat, cubed

* 1/2 cup plain yogurt (about 1 1/2 yogurt cup)

* 1 tbsp Chicken tandoori masala

* 1/2 lemon juice

* 1 tsp minced garlic

* 1 tsp ginger

* salt & red chilli powder to taste

[b] Chicken Gravy

* 1.5 tbsp butter

* 1 cinnamon stick

* 1 clove

* 1 cardamom, bruised

* 2 ripe tomatoes, blended

* 1 tsp tomato paste

* 1 tsp fenugreek leaves (I subs. with a pinch of fenugreek seed)

* 1 tsp honey

* 1 tsp Garam Masala

* 125 ml thick cream

How to:

* [Preparing the chicken marinade] add all ingredients and marinate overnight. 

* Brown the chicken pieces in griller or in my case, I used stove top. Set aside.

* [Preparing the chicken gravy]  Melt the butter, add in the cinnamon stick, clove and cardamom. Stir fry for a minute before adding the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Half cover, over small fire, to let it cook until the tomatoes turn dry a little with the oil forming at the top.

* Add in the rest of the ingredients, including the chicken and any remaining chicken marinade you have. Cook for another 10-15 mins. 

A personal note: The first time I did it, I didn't wait until the tomatoes have dried up properly (as per instruction), rendering a 'wet' butter chicken. We loved the taste and everything but my maiden attempt didn't look anywhere near Rasa Malaysia's. So this time round, I made sure they are cooked until it is dry. And thick :) I absolutely adore this version, but H likes when it's wetter. He prefers the first version. 

Some Dirty Laundry

My mind has been full of crumpled papers for the past few weeks or even months. They need ironing but I didn't seem to know how. It's like the littlest thing that bothers me the most. I tried a lifestyle of gratitude, faking it just to see if it would do any good, but it didn't work. Being idle certainly let my mind run all sorts of course. I don’t like where they typically end up.

H always warns me that I won’t be always received with open arms. For my skin colour, for my background. At times I wish I have blond hair, fair skin and blue eyes. Another time, I wished I were 5 inches taller, so at least people wouldn't have to stare down at me (quite literally). I can’t exactly fend off all stereotypes, but I try to do the little things I can, held my head up, chin high and walk straight. Correct any misgivings they have about my race (or where I come from) in general. H comforts me by saying that the label “a developed country” is meaningless. The way they think is not always developed. Even one who comes from a developing country can often forget his/her humble beginnings.


I won’t say I miss working, but I certainly miss doing something productive for myself. Working towards a goal, like having a KPO (Key Performance Objectives). I didn't realize goals and objectives are very precious until I was made aware that unless I set myself some purpose, my life is like a paper floating in the air, blown around by the wind. That's why I hold my french classes to heart, refusing to even skip one course. It is my goal, my only goal at the moment. And I actually look forward to the day I work in France. It will be my bittersweet victory. I will remember all the heartaches while I try to master this language.. the times I feel like I'm the third leg or fifth wheel, the times I struggle with so many exceptions in french grammar, the times I strain to understand native speakers and feel dejected when I don't. [I was so happy when I met C (a Korean who is married to a French man) and could hold a 1-hour conversation with her in French. I realize foreigners tend to pronounce each word individually, we want to make sure we pronounce it right, hence it's easier to understand, as opposed to native speakers who use a lot of liaisons. I guess this is the reason why I can hold a lengthy conversation with my mother in law but not my own husband. Until I have built up a good library of vocabularies and familiarity, any liaisons of 2-3 basic words come across as another foreign, new word]. 

Finally.. after so very long, I found a group of people that I'm familiar with. Maybe because I grew up in English speaking community that I have no problem understanding the jokes (I didn't need somebody to decipher the joke for me or explain what is 'lebay' or 'ciamik' or any other words). There will always be the Asian gatherings (Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese) and there will always be the French gathering but I'm very very happy that I found an English speaking community (American & British). I think yesterday is probably the highlight of my time in Angola. I feel as if I have come full circle. 

And lastly, I am very happy that I found a good yoga teacher here. LS, if you're reading this.. this is for you. Here I understand whether you're lifting your left leg or right leg. At least, I didn't embarrass myself and got it wrong like I did in Venice :) And I finally understand what the strap is for.