Nasi Bukhari With Chicken / Meat

I went to a cooking class held at Chef Ismail's Rebung some time back (but it wasnt the chef who taught the class). We were only using the facilities there and the chief cook for the day was a fellow food enthusiast who shared with us a most remarkable recipe of hers.

I made this a couple of times and both times the children gave thumbs up sign for it. It's easy, simple and simply sedaaap.

Here's how..

1kg basmathi rice
1 whole chicken (cut into pieces) * The chicken could be substituted with mutton or beef.
3 + 3 pandan leaves
Ghee (minyak sapi) & cooking oil
Mint leaves (pudina) or you can use curry leaves too

A
Dried chilli (amount according to taste) or chilli boh
1 medium onion
3 garlic
1 inch ginger

B
1 medium tomato (cut into 8)
5 tablespoons crisply fried onion (bawang goreng)
1 packet bukhari powder (beriani powder works fine too)
1/4 can evaporated milk
About 1/2 cup tomato sauce

C
1 stick cinnamon (kayu manis)
5 cloves (cengkih)
3 cardommon (buah pelaga)
2 anise seed (bunga lawang)

Directions
1. Blend A together till fine.
2. Mix chicken, A & B together. Marinate for 10 minutes or so.
3. Heat ghee & oil and add C. Fry till aromatic. Add marinated chicken & its ingredients. Simmer for a short while.
4. Add water, salt and pandan leaves.
5. Stir. Close lid. Cook on a slow fire. Occassionally stir the chicken.
6. When chicken is cooked, put chicken in a serving dish with about two thirds of the sauce.
7. Put washed basmathi into the rice cooker and add in remainder of the chicken sauce. Add enough water. Add also salt and remaining pandan leaves. Stir. Cook.
8. When rice is cooked, garnish with mint / curry leaves.
9. Serve rice hot with chicken.

The kids really love this. And I didnt know I could cook that good, actually..

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Thai Mango Salad Everyone Will Adore

And how time flies! I relly wanted to update this space here regularly but I guess some things are just not meant to be..

Nevertheless I am must share the mango salad dish we learned from my cousin previously. I love watching her did this - simply and so effortlessly (and if only I could imitate even half of her confidence..)

You'll need:

A
1 medium green mango ('apple' mango works best for the recipe).
... julienne the mango or you can grate it (grating makes
the mango soft and watery though..) You need not peel the mango.
Nur my cousin uses a peeler-like grater that's simply superb
for the job; but uh, she got that in Thailand...
1 tablespoon blended/pounded dried shrimp
2 tablespoons fried & corasely chopped ground nut
2 tablespoon fried onion (bawang goreng)
1 tablespoon fried coconut (fried to golden brown - kelapa goreng)
1 small onion (thinly sliced)
chillies, to taste (cili api works best - thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon spring onion (thinly sliced)
Small amount carrot (grated) - for color in the salad

B
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice (do not use kasturi, it doesnt have that zing you want)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix ingredients A thoroughly.
2. Mix B together and stir till sugar is melted.
3. Add B to A and mix well.
4. Taste & serve.

Everytime we go for our lessons we begged Nur to make us this salad. It's simply irresistable. Unfortunately I didnt get a photo the other day; this is courtesy of the internet.

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Aharn Thai - Tom Yam

That translates to 'Thai Food' actually.

My cousin married a girl from Thailand. She cooks divinely. She worked at a restaurant and sells food at pasar Ramadhan. When I heard she's starting cooking classes at her home I told her I'm coming. And I brought a few sisters with me.

We had great fun at her house cooking and catching up with each other's news. That first day we did tom yam, kerabu mangga and telur bungkus. I'll share the tom yam first - it is divine.

A
300g squid
200g shrimp
200g chicken
Boil these half cook. Drain.

B
1 cube chicken stock
2 medium onions (cut into quarter)
3 stalks lemon grass (sliced diagonally, thinly)
3 inch galangal (sliced)
4 kaffir lime leaves (tear into half)
1 medium tomato (cut into quarter)
6 cili api (crushed)
2 garlic (whole)
1 small carrot (sliced or coarsely grated)

C
3 tablespoons tomyam paste (we use Mae Pranom chili paste)
1 tablespoon fish sauce (she recommended the Squid brand)
3 tablespoons lime juice
Salt to taste

D
1 cup oyster mushroom
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 sprig coriander leaves

Directions :
1. In a pot boil 5-6 cups water. Add B and wait till it boiled.
2. Add A and cook for about 3 mins.
3. Add C. Adjust taste.
4. At medium heat, add milk and mushroom.
5. Remove from fire. Add coriander leaves. Serve.

It's easy and delish. The boys went yum-yum over the tom yum. You really must try this. Bon apetit!

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