Recipe: Mee Goreng (Malay-style fried yellow noodles)

Today, I am sharing the recipe which I wrote for my guest post on The Beesley Buzz last month as part of the WORLDFOODS International Fusion Recipe Swap Challenge.The dish I chose to showcase was mee goreng, a much-loved Malay-style fried noodle dish which can be eaten anytime of the day.

For the challenge, we were required to incorporate WORLDFOODS sauces into a favorite or typical dish from our country and I have chosen the "WORLDFOODS Indonesian Fried Rice 'Nasi Goreng' Paste". Having used this sauce before to make fried rice, I was confident that it would taste good in the mee goreng recipe too.

For mee goreng, we usually use thin yellow noodles, however a good substitute if you cannot find yellow noodles where you are is spaghetti. Other ingredients that we can find in mee goreng is chicken strips, prawns, fish cake as well as vegetables such as choy sum and cabbage. The WORLDFOODS paste includes garlic, dried chillies, shallots, onions, turmeric and tomato paste hence the noodles is fragrant with a slight spicy kick. If you prefer it spicier, then add in more chilli paste.

Mee goreng is commonly served with a fried egg, or you can also have it with a spicy egg sambal. Enjoy the recipe!

Mee goreng (Malay-style fried yellow noodles)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
300g yellow noodles
2 heaped tbsp WORLDFOODS Indonesian Fried Rice 'Nasi Goreng' Paste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 fish cakes
80g chicken breast, sliced
3 stalks choy sum
1 cabbage leaf
10-12 prawns
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp cili giling (chilli paste) (optional)


1. In a large saucepan or wok over medium high heat, add the oil and garlic, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.

2. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the WORLDFOODS paste and fry for a further 1 minute, until fragrant. If adding chilli paste, you can add it at the same time as the WORLDFOODS paste. Add the fish cakes and cook for another minute.

3. Add the noodles, and toss until evenly coated with the sauce. Add the choy sum greens, cabbage and prawns, and season with dark and light soy sauce. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until greens, prawns and noodles and cooked through.

4. Serve immediately with some sambal at the side.

Note: You can substitute the yellow noodles with spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti until 80% cooked, then add in as you would if using yellow noodles.

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*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 10 December 2014.

Best Wings Recipe: Sticky Gula Melaka Glazed Chicken Wings

Let's end November with a fantastic recipe - sticky gula melaka glazed chicken wings! After experimenting with lots of different marinades, this is by far the best chicken wing recipe I've tried. If you love wings, you gotta try this!

What I like about this recipe is definitely the ease of making and availability of the ingredients. I have everything I need in my kitchen pantry, and all I need to do is measure it out and mix it in a bowl and pour it over the chicken wings. So easy! Plus it tastes really really really good.

Sweet, salty, sticky, juicy wings... absolutely glorious! Worth getting your hands dirty, and they're so good you'll wanna lick your fingers afterwards. Yup, finger licking good they are!

My kids absolutely adore these chicken wings - my boy surprised me the other day when he ate one after another wing and kept telling me how yummy it was. He likes to do this "tick" sign with his fingers as a sign of his seal of approval. We usually serve this with a side of salad to keep things simple.

This is a recipe so easy that you can even assign it to your children to make. Baby D made the ones we had a couple of weeks ago - from marinating to arranging them on the baking tray, as well as making the salad (I helped him pit and peel the avocado but he did everything else). I make this recipe at least once a month now as my family tells me "more of this, please" ;)

Sticky Gula Melaka Glazed Chicken Wings
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 1 minute
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
12 chicken wings, cleaned

For the marinade
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin or ginger wine
3 tbsp gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup or concentrate
1 tsp coarse black pepper
1/2 tsp shichimi powder
2 tbsp cooking oil



1. Place all marinade in a bowl, and mix well. Pour over the chicken wings and marinate for at least 6 hours in the fridge.

2. Preheat oven to 190C (roast mode). Line a baking tray with foil and arrange wings on tray in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the wings and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the skin is sticky, and a beautiful golden brown.

3. Remove and serve immediately with some of the marinade leftover in tray as a dip.

Note: Gula melaka syrup is available in supermarkets- they usually come in a 500ml bottle, costing about RM5-7 depending on brand.

Avocado, lettuce and cherry tomatoes salad
For the salad
1 ripe avocado
1 baby butterhead lettuce
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 lemon

For the dressing
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
Salt

1. To pit the avocado, first you need to find the stalk and remove it. Hold it horizontally, with a knife through the centre until you hit the seed then move the knife in a circular motion until you go all the away around. Twist the avocado halves in opposite direction and it will come apart easily into 2 halves. Sink the knife into the avocado seed and remove. Squeeze lemon juice all over to avoid discoloration. Chop the avocado into bite-sized chunks. Season with salt.

2. Place ingredients for dressing a bowl and whisk well to mix.

3. Place avocado, butterhead lettuce and cherry tomatoes into a salad bowl and then pour over dressing and toss. Season with more salt as necessary and serve immediately.

The wings and salad that Baby D made ;)

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*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 5 December 2014.

Recipe: Sambal telur (Malaysian Egg Sambal)

Last week, I cooked mee goreng and as an accompaniment, I also made sambal telur. Sambal telur, also known as egg sambal is a Malay dish whereby hard boiled eggs are coated in a spicy, sambal sauce. This recipe is pretty similar to the sambal telur tauhu recipe that I posted last year but with slightly less ingredients.

Sambal telur, absolutely enticing!

This is a much healthier version compared to the ones you get outside as I did not deep fry the eggs, and just pan fried them with a little oil. Lots of onions is a must for me and you can adjust the spiciness to your liking. This is great with any noodle dish or simply a bowl of white rice.

Try it and you'll love it!

Sambal telur (egg sambal)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
4 hard boiled eggs
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp cili giling (chilli paste)
100ml water
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp soft brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt


1. Heat oil in a large wok. Add the eggs and lightly pan fry for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.

2. Add the onions and garlic in the wok and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the onions have softened slightly. Then, add the cili giling (I used about 2 tbsp first) and fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the water and cook for another 3-4 minutes, to further soften the onions.

3. Add the eggs and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season with light soy sauce, soft brown sugar and salt. Add more cili giling if you like it spicier. Mix to coat well.

4. Serve with rice or noodles.

Note: For instructions on how to cook hard boiled egg, see Step 1.

Photo by Baby D, using my iPhone.. good job boy x

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 23 November 2014.

Nuffnang's Featured Blogger of the Month for November 2014!

Some of you may have seen this on my Facebook and Instagram page, but to my blog readers, I am delighted to share some happy news with you all!

I was featured as Nuffnang's Blogger of the Month for November 2014. It truly is an honour and I am absolutely over the moon. You can read my story in more detail here.

You can also read my 5 Blogging Tips here.


A big thank you to you all for always reading and supporting my blog, love you all! xoxo

Recipe: My Mum's Chicken Curry with Potatoes + Happy Diwali

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a photo of my mum's chicken curry on Facebook and Instagram, and got some email requests for the recipe. So, here it is!

This is an Asian-style curry which is fragrant from the fresh herbs used - ie lemongrass, curry leaves and daun kesum (Vietnamese mint). My mum has been cooking this for us since we're kids, and it is one of my favorite versions of chicken curry. The gravy is so delicious, that you can't help but have extra helpings of rice. We do recommend making a huge pot of this, so that you'll have leftovers for the next day (we like dunking toast in the curry sauce - I think this is quite a Malaysian way of eating leftover curry). Even Hubby enjoys eating it this way for breakfast!

Now everyone, say thank you Aunty for the recipe :)

And to all my readers and friends celebrating Diwali, Happy Deepavali to you all! :)

My Mum's Chicken Curry
Recipe by Baby Sumo 
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours
Serves 4-5

Ingredients
1 chicken maryland
1 chicken breast
1 bulb garlic, minced
3 large onions, sliced
3 stalks lemongrass, bruised with your cleaver
8 stalks curry leaves
6 stalks daun kesum (Vietnamese mint)
6 tbsp curry powder
4 medium potatoes, cut into big chunks
1/2 grated coconut
4-5 tbsp cooking oil
700ml warm water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp light soy sauce


1. First, squeeze out as much coconut cream as you can from the grated coconut, you will get about 60-70ml. Set aside. Then, soak the grated coconut in 600ml warm water and squeeze again to get coconut milk.

2. Mix the chicken pieces with 2 tbsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp light soy sauce. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

3. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the potatoes and brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Add chicken (from Step 2) into the same pot and cook for 5-7 minutes,until the chicken pieces are evenly browned. Remove and set aside.

5. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are slightly softened and garlic is golden brown. Then, add the curry leaves, lemongrass and daun kesum and cook for a further 30seconds. Add the remaining 4 tbsp curry powder and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk only and bring to the boil.

6. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and add the potatoes. Simmer for 1 hour, then add the chicken and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut cream and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt as necessary.

Note: If you have any leftovers, simply reheat before eating and serve with toast bread (soldiers). Dip and enjoy!

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 24 October 2014.

Recipe: Nasi lemak with Malaysian sweet chilli chicken + WORLDFOODS Giveaway

Happy Malaysia Day, folks! To celebrate this special day, it's only apt that the recipe of the day is Malaysian's national dish and everyone's favourite, nasi lemak. :)

Nasi lemak with Malaysian sweet chilli chicken

Nasi lemak is literally translated as "fatty rice", because coconut milk is added to the rice while cooking, resulting in a rich dish. The basic components of a traditional nasi lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk, fried ikan bilis(anchovies), peanuts, hard boiled egg, cucumber slices and sambal. You can also add other extras such as chicken, beef rendang, sambal sotong/kerang or prawns.

This time, I created a braised chicken dish using the WORLDFOODS Malaysian sweet chilli coconut sauce to go with our nasi lemak. The braising sauce also doubles up as our "sambal" so I added in lots of onions to the dish. We prefer a sambal which is both sweet and spicy, hence we added in about 1 tablespoon of cili giling (chilli paste) to the sauce. The mild spiciness is just nice for the kids, they certainly enjoyed eating this a lot.

I really like the convenience of the WORLDFOODS sauce - it is quick and easy to use and I only had to add a few extra seasonings (chilli paste and salt) to create the taste that I want. The sambal tastes really good, and goes so well with the rich rice.

GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway is open to Malaysian and Singaporean readers only. Please complete the Rafflecopter app you see below; it is also mandatory to post a comment on this post "I want to enter this WORLDFOODS giveaway." Please also include your FB name and email address so tht I can contact you if u win.


Prize: 1 x 3 bottles of WORLDFOODS products

Contest ends on 21 September 2014 23:59 . Good luck! (Those who have entered the previous WORLDFOODS giveaway can enter again).


WORLDFOODS products are food allergens free, trans-fat free and gluten free with no artificial preservatives, coloring or flavouring, as well as being suitable for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and Muslims. You can check out WORLDFOODS products in these locations in KL - Village Grocer (Bangsar Village 1, Sunway Giza, Mt Kiara), Jaya Grocers (Intermark, Empire Shopping, Plaza Jelutong), Hock Choon @ Ampang, Jason and Ben's Independent Grocer as well as in all Cold Storage stores in Malaysia.

Nasi lemak with Malaysian sweet chilli chicken
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 bottle WORLDFOODS Malaysian sweet chilli coconut sauce
1-2 tbsp cili giling or chilli paste
1/2 tsp salt
2 chicken maryland, separated into thigh and drumsticks
2 large onions, sliced
1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced
1 tbsp coconut milk (optional)

For the rice
2 cups rice
90g thick coconut milk (from 1 small coconut)
Thin coconut milk (amount dependent on rice used)
2 pandan leaves, knotted

For condiments
30g ikan bilis (anchovies), deep fried until golden brown and crispy
70g peanuts
1 egg per person, boiled and peeled, cut into half
1 Japanese cucumber, thinly sliced (round)


For the Malaysian sweet chilli chicken:
1. In a saucepan/pot over medium high heat, heat oil and then add the onions. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are softened slightly, then add 1 tbsp of cili giling and lemongrass and fry for another minute, until fragrant. Add the WORLDFOODS sauce, and cook for a further 1 minute.

2. Add the chicken, stirring to coat with the sauce and simmer over low heat, covered for 20-25 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. Turn the chicken pieces a few times throughout the cooking time.

3. Taste and add more cili giling as necessary (if you prefer it spicier), and season with salt. Stir in the coconut milk, if using.


Note: If you do not have cili giling, blend 1-2 deseeded red chillis with some water until you get a paste. If using chicken breast chunks, you can reduce cooking time to 15-20 minutes.

Note: 1 tbsp cili giling gives u a mild sauce, for spicier sauce, please adjust accordingly.


For the rice:
1. Wash rice until clean, then drain. Measure, in grams, how much water is needed to cook the rice you are using (different rice grains use different amount of water). To find out how much thin coconut milk you require, deduct the amount of thick coconut milk [90g in this instance] from the total amount of water required (ie if total water required is 200g, you need 110g thin coconut milk).

2. Once you have ascertained how much thin coconut milk you require, for example 110g, then measure out this quantity of water, add to the coconut and squeeze out the milk. This is how you get the thin coconut milk (also known as "second round milk").

3. Pour thin coconut milk over rice in rice cooker, and place the pandan leaf inside. Add about 1/8 tsp of salt. Cook rice until 75% dry and then use a wooden ladle or spatula to loosen the grains.

4. Pour the thick coconut milk in, and mix well to evenly distribute the coconut milk. Continue to cook until the rice is dry, then leave to stand for 10 minutes. Before serving, loosen the grains again.

For the peanuts and ikan bilis:
1. For the peanuts, dry fry in a wok (ie no oil added) over low heat, until the peanut skin takes on a dark brown hue. Just before removing from the wok, drizzle a few drops of oil - this is to give the peanuts a nice sheen. Remove from heat and place in a bowl, and season with some salt.

2. For the ikan bilis, place 2 tbsp of cooking oil in the wok and shallow fry the ikan bilis until golden brown and crispy. Remove from heat and place on a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.


Assembling your nasi lemak:

1. To assemble your nasi lemak, ladle rice into a small rice bowl and overturn on to serving plate. If possible, try and get a piece of banana leaf and place your rice on the leaf (more fragrant). Serve with a side of ikan bilis, peanuts, sliced cucumber, hard boiled egg and Malaysian sweet chilli chicken/sambal. Enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 16 September 2014.

Recipe: Sticky Spiced Chicken Wings (Gordon Ramsay)

In our home, we normally consume chicken breast (leaner and healthier), but once in a while we like to treat ourselves to some finger-licking chicken wings. I came across a video of Gordon Ramsay teaching his son how to make these chicken wings, and the recipe is taken off his "Ultimate Home Cooking" cookbook. These are described as "chicken wings with a spicy Asian marinade and roasted to sticky perfection" - I like the sound of that already!

Sticky spiced chicken wings

This is really easy to make. Simply mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl, then add the chicken wings and rub in the marinade. It is best to marinate it overnight, or at least for an hour before popping it in the oven. I reduced the amount of chilli flakes slightly in case it would be too spicy for my kids - 1/2 teaspoon is just nice for us. I also added in extra fish sauce, some coarse black pepper and light soy sauce. I also brushed on some gula melaka glaze 15 minutes before end of cooking time to get the skin extra sticky. :)

They smelled, looked AND tasted amazing! Just how I like my chicken wings -sticky with lots of different flavours (sweet, salty, tangy and spicy). Both my kids absolutely enjoyed this.

By the way, greetings from Scotland! Sorry if I have not been visiting your blog but will do so when I get back from holiday. Last week, Hubby made some Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs which I styled and posted on Instagram and my post received a retweet back from him (or his account) on Twitter :) I also bought his Ultimate Home Cooking book over here, so looking forward to trying more recipes when I get back!

Sticky spiced chicken wings
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Home Cooking
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
16 chicken wings

For the marinade
5 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp palm sugar (gula melaka) or brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli powder or flakes
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper

1 1/2 - 2 tbsp gula melaka syrup, to glaze (optional)


1. Place marinade ingredients into a bowl, and mix well. Add chicken wings and using your hands, toss the wings, to ensure it is coated with marinade. Cover cling film and marinate overnight in the fridge, or at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C (roast mode). Line a baking tray with tin foil. Arrange chicken wings in a single layer in tray.

3. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove from oven. Brush gula melaka syrup glaze on one side, then place back in oven and roast for a further 7 minutes. Then, remove again from oven, turn the chicken over with tongs and brush with more glaze. Place back in oven for another 7-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and sticky. I cooked mine for a total of 35 minutes.

4. Serve warm, with a salad.

Note: I increased fish sauce from original recipe from 1 tbsp to 2, reduced chilli flakes from 1 tsp to 1/2 tsp, added in black pepper and light soy sauce and extra glaze.

* I am submitting this to the "Cook Like Gordon Ramsay" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Mich of Piece of Cake. To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from any Gordon Ramsay websites or cookbooks for the whole month of August 2014. You can link your posts at one of the host's pages.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in August 2014 - please do not link older posts.Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Mich of Piece of Cake and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:





* I am submitting this post to "Cook-Your-Books #15" hosted by Joyce.

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 15 August 2014.

The Great Scott® Calorie Light Challenge + Recipe: Oven-baked buttermilk "fried chicken"

So, I received an "invitation" to join The Great Scott® Calorie Light Challenge, whereby I have to share a fried chicken recipe, use Scott Calorie Light premium kitchen towel while preparing the dish and then blog about it. Since Scott® is a trusted brand in my household (we are already using the kitchen towels + toilet rolls + tissue), I gladly accepted the challenge.

Oven-baked buttermilk "fried chicken"

The new Scott® Calorie Light Premium towel is specifically designed for superior oil absorbency. It is extra thick, with Fiber-Tech Technology and infused with green tea extract for easy and effective absorption of excess oil from surface of foods, which in turn reduce the calories you consume. A research by an independent party found that by using just 3 sheets of Scott® Calorie Light kitchen towel to soak up excess oil from food like fried chicken before serving, the calorie intake from fat is reduced by an average of 25%.

And now to the fried chicken recipe. As usual, I am oven-baking my "fried chicken" but even with oven-baking, there is still a considerable amount of oil from the chicken skin as well as the oil you drizzle over to get the skin to crisp up nicely. I first marinated the chicken pieces in buttermilk for 6 hours - the buttermilk helps tenderizes the chicken, keeping it moist and juicy in every bite. The chicken is then coated in crushed cornflakes for that crispy outer finish and baked in the oven. Just before serving, I used the Scott® Calorie Light kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

I am definitely very happy with this recipe - the chicken is moist, tender, juicy and flavorful and the skin is lovely and crispy. Kids enjoyed this very much too!

Now we can enjoy delicious "fried chicken" more often, minus the extra calories ;)

Oven-baked buttermilk "fried chicken"
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 3-4


Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 chicken maryland, separated to thigh and drumsticks
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper

1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

2 1/2 cup cornflakes
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp canola oil


1. To make buttermilk, place milk and lemon juice into a measuring jug, then leave to stand for 5-10 minutes.

2. Place chicken in a bowl, then pour over the buttermilk. Add salt, coarse pepper and crushed garlic, and mix well. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 6 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 180°C (roast mode). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

4.  Put flour, paprika, cayenne pepper on a plate, mix, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Put cornflakes in a plastic bag, then crush using a rolling pin, until fine. Pour onto a plate.

6. Beat egg in a bowl.

7. Remove chicken from buttermilk, one piece at a time. Dredge in flour, then dip in egg and finally the cornflakes, making sure it is evenly coated. Repeat for all the chicken pieces.

8. Place chicken in tray in a single layer, then drizzle over the oil. Cook in preheated oven for 25 minutes until the skin is golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Drain on kitchen towel, to remove excess oil. Serve immediately, with a side salad.

Remove excess oil before serving

My healthy fried chicken, made even "healthier" with less calories :)

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 12 July 2014. This recipe was picked as one of the winning entries for this challenge.