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 :)

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*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.

MySeafoodMart.com - Malaysia's First Online Seafood Store!

I love the convenience of online food shopping, whereby I can just sit in front of the computer, click a few buttons and get my groceries delivered to my doorstep. This is something I miss from my days in the UK.

The online food shopping trend is slowly catching up in Malaysia, and I am glad to have discovered MySeafoodMart.com recently. MySeafoodMart.com prides itself as a supplier of fresh seafood, so when I was asked if I would like to try their delivery service, of course I said YES!

Wonderful seafood dishes, made with delivery from MySeafoodMart

First, a little info on MySeafoodMart.com - it is the first & only full-fledged Online Seafood Store that sells fresh seafood online & provides delivery to most parts of Klang Valley. With over 20 years of experience in the fishing industry, they supply seafood to fish sellers & restaurants (such as Sitka, Porto Romano and The Kitchen Table) all over Klang Valley. Now, they have started an online store to cater to households in Klang Valley directly. Wonderful news for us all!

How to Order: Visit their website at www.myseafoodmart.com and under Categories, you can browse what fresh fish, fresh shellfish and frozen shellfish they have available. Select what you would like to purchase, add to cart and checkout. Then, simply enter your delivery address and pay via Paypal, bank transfer or cash on delivery. There is a minimum order of RM100 (RM15 delivery charge) and delivery is free for orders above RM200. At the moment, they deliver to most areas of Klang Valley, including Subang, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, PJ, Damansara, KL City, and Ampang.

Let's talk seafood! All seafood sold on their website are from their daily catch and all orders are delivered directly from Pulau Ketam to your doorstep. Deliveries are made every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

My QC manager approves :)

You can choose from a variety of fresh fish such as dragon tiger grouper (龙虎班), threadfin/senangin (ma yau上午), giant/estuary grouper (long dan 大龙且), a few types of pomfret, red snapper (红鱼) and seabass/siakap (食角). They also have fresh shellfish such as cuttlefish, flower crab, prawns and squid.

Dragon tiger grouper

Red prawns "Hong Ha"

Our order arrived in a styrofoam box, filled with ice to maintain the freshness of the seafood. Inside, there was a 1.15kg dragon tiger grouper also known as loong fu pan (RM60/kg), 1kg of red big prawn XL size (Hong Ha 红大虾 - RM56/kg), as well as frozen slipper lobster meat (RM39 per 450g pack) and mantis prawn meat (RM22.90 per 1kg pack).

We originally had plans to make a Vietnamese dish that evening, but the seafood delivered to us was so fresh, we felt the urge to cook it that evening itself. The dragon tiger grouper comes from their own farm in Pulau Ketam and the guts/scales are removed before it arrives to the customer. We simply oven-baked the fish with some lemongrass, dill and fennel - the fish meat is so sweet, meaty and taut, we enjoyed it very much! See recipe here.

Oven-Roasted Dragon Tiger Grouper

We also cooked half of the prawns, with some garlic butter and curry leaves. You can find the recipe here. It's certainly pleasurable to be able to enjoy such large, fresh prawns - so succulent and "bouncy" 弹性 - finger licking good! The other half of the prawns went onto the BBQ that we had a couple of days later. The price is very reasonable for the size and freshness of these prawns.

Stir Fried Hong Ha with Garlic Butter and Curry Leaves

Prawns on the BBQ - delish!

The slipper lobsters are caught from the waters of Mersing, and the meat is removed from its shell and frozen to maintain freshness. I certainly enjoyed having it with my salad (see my post from yesterday for recipe), simply pan-roasted with some butter, shallots, garlic and thyme.

Pan-Roasted Slipper Lobster Salad

I have yet to try the premium frozen mantis prawns 虾姑 yet but am quite confident that it will meet my satisfaction as well.

Thanks to MySeafoodMart.com for providing us with the fresh seafood. I would highly recommend this website to any seafood fans.

Their offices are located at 92-2A, Jalan PJU 1/3B, Sunwaymas Commercial Centre, 47301 Petaling Jaya and can be contacted on 011-12308408.




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Product Review: Electrolux ERGORAPIDO Vacuum Cleaner

Don't you just hate living in a dusty environment? Eye irritation, runny nose, allergic reactions and so-forth can be avoided by maintaining a clean, dust-free home. The Electrolux ERGORAPIDO, recognised with the iF product design award is a cordless stick vacuum cleaner which can be used indoor for cleaning household dust and debris effectively and efficiently.

I recently tried out the Love Red model (ZB3003), and this is what I like about it:

1. Sleek Design
Firstly, I love the colour and the sleek design hence there is no need to hide it away in the store room. I just leave it out in the living room, always ready for cleaning on the go.


2. 2-in-1 functionality
The Ergorapido is a 2-in-1 upright vacuum, with a detachable handheld device which can be used to vacuum  dust and debris on floor surfaces as well as furniture, car seats and harder to reach areas.


3. Easy to use and navigate
Very easy to use, simply press the "On" button and hoover away! There is also a silent mode (which makes less noise) just below the "On" button. The vacuum also comes with a-180 degrees nozzle rotation, and bigger wheels, making it effortless to maneuver around the house.

4. Sucks up dirt effectively

This is one powerful vacuum cleaner, thanks to the larger motor-fan unit. With the Ultrapower technology, efficiency is also improved by 20%. A redesigned nozzle head delivers far better airflow efficiency as well, resulting in more powerful suction that sucks up dirt, crumbs or pet hair around the home more effectively.

5. Brush Roll Cleaning
The Ergorapido comes with the innovative BRUSHROLLCLEAN™ technology and this unique feature effortlessly maintained and cleaned the brush roll. Simply turn on the machine and then press the "BRUSHROLLCLEAN" pedal with your foot and hold for 5 seconds - a tiny blade will "cut" and remove the entwined hairs and fibres which are stuck to the brush roll. Really handy function!



Price:
The new third-generation range of Ergorapido vacuums is available at these recommended retail price: ZB3003 (Love Red) at RM510; ZB3004 (Ice White) at RM546 and ZB3013 (Tungsten Metallic) at RM614.


Electrolux and selected Harvey Norman outlets will be running a special promotion from March 13 – May 15, 2014 under which, anyone who brings an old broom to the outlet will get a rebate of RM100 on the spot when purchasing an Ergorapido model of their choice. Mother's Day gift, perhaps?

For the promotion-participating outlets please visit Electrolux's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ElectroluxMalaysia.







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Manmaru Homemade Udon, Midvalley Megamall, KL

If given the choice, my kids would always opt for Japanese food for lunch. We decided to try Manmaru Homemade Udon, a fairly new udon place in Midvalley. 

The restaurant operates a self-service system, hence you place your order at the counter, pay and collect your food before going to your table. The interior is basic and bright, with an open concept kitchen.  The udon is freshly made on site at their outlet, using machinery imported from Japan and the culinary skills of their Japanese chefs.

There are a variety of udon available here, from curry udon (RM10.90), kimchi udon (RM11.90), niku udon (RM12.90) to zaru udon (RM8.90). You can view the full menu here. On weekdays, there are also set lunches available, which come with a side salad, hanjuku egg, rolled chicken with teriyaki sauce and green tea. Pretty good value for money.

We ordered two sets, the bukake udon set (RM13.90) and kake udon set (RM12.90). Since the restaurant was not too busy as we were dining early, our food was brought to us when ready. Green tea is refillable at the drinks counter.

Bukake udon set

I had the bukake udon, which is cold udon served in a fish broth and generous amounts of grated radish and ginger. I enjoyed it, very refreshing and the texture of the udon is nice, smooth and chewy. The udon portion is quite big, so it was pretty filling. The fresh garden salad is dressed in an appetizing apple sauce. The hanjuku egg was very nicely done - was pleasantly surprised by the lovely runny yolk, though it could be marinated slightly longer in soy sauce for a more intense taste. We both felt that the rolled chicken was really nice - smooth and tender, and nicely flavored by the teriyaki sauce.

Baby D has already "attacked" the egg before I could take photos :P

We also had the the classic Kake Udon, served in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru, made of dashi, soy sauce (shoyu) and mirin, and topped with some finely sliced scallions, and a couple of thin slices of kamaboko (fish cake). Simple and nice.

One thing that impressed me here is the service (despite it being a self-service restaurant). I was refilling two cups of green tea and I was having trouble carrying it back to our table cos the cup was too hot. I was pleasantly surprised when one of the staff noticed and came over to help me carry the cup back to my table. A simple gesture, but it left a lasting impression. We need more people like this.

Full menu can be viewed here.


Price: Total bill RM26.80.

Location: Manmaru Homemade Udon, S-045A, Midvalley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2282 0287

**********************

Yay! I have a new toy - the Electrolux Ergorapido vacuum cleaner in Love Red. Can't wait to check out all the functions, especially the brush roll cleaning function.  Look out for my full review, coming in April. 

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

Recipe: Nasi Goreng Indonesia (Indonesian fried rice) + WORLDFOODS giveaway!

As a busy mother, my favourite lunch meals are often those which are quick (preferably one that takes under 30 minutes to prepare and cook!), nutritious and delicious. I still had a bottle of WORLDFOODS Fried Rice "Nasi Goreng" paste left, so I used this to whip up a plate of delicious nasi goreng Indonesia for lunch.

Nasi goreng Indonesia is usually made using leftover (or pre-cooked) white rice and stir fried with a paste made of chillies, shallots and garlic and seasoned with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). Other ingredients that I have included in my nasi goreng are long beans, chicken, and prawn. For garnishes, you can either top it with a fried egg or omelette, and serve with prawn crackers (krupuk), lettuce, cucumbers or tomatoes.

Nasi Goreng Indonesia

Since I already have the WORLDFOODS Indonesian fried rice paste, I didn't have to get my blender / mortar and pestle out to ground the ingredients to make a paste. The WORLDFOODS paste includes garlic, dried chillies, shallots, onions, turmeric and tomato paste. The spiciness level is mild.

For my version of nasi goreng Indonesia, I decided to serve it with telur dadar (omelette) which is cut into thin strips. If you are using freshly cooked rice, it is recommended to cook it at least one hour beforehand, then allow it to cool and "dry out" and then loosen the grains with a spatula. Traditionally, nasi goreng is made using leftover rice from yesterday's meal. We just harvested some long beans from our garden that morning, which went straight into our fried rice.

This was easy to make, and very delicious. The fried rice was fragrant with a slight spicy kick. Hubby liked it very much too, and helped himself to an extra large plate.

WORLDFOODS have kindly offered another giveaway for you. This giveaway is open to Malaysian readers only. Please complete the Rafflecopter app you see below, which includes:
1. Enter 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 (mandatory)
2. LIKE "WORLDFOODS" Facebook page (+1 entry)
3. LIKE "Baby Sumo" Facebook page (+1 entry)

Prize: 2 x box of WORLDFOODS products

Contest ends on 13 September 2013. Good luck! (Those who have entered the previous WORLDFOODS giveaway can enter again).

For those who reside in KL, WORLDFOODS is also having a tasting/promotion every weekend in September (Friday to Sunday - 11am - 7pm) at Village Grocer, Bangsar Village II. There will also be a 10% discount on all WORLDFOODS products.



Nasi Goreng Indonesia (Indonesian Fried Rice)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 12-13 minutes
Serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 cup rice, washed

For the omelette
2 eggs
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp cooking oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 1/2 tbsp WORLDFOODS Indonesian Fried Rice 'Nasi Goreng' Paste
100g chicken, cut into small chunks
8 king prawns, peeled, deveined with tails intact
1 long bean, sliced thinly
1 spring onion, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp kecap manis

To serve
3-4 bird's eye chilli (cili padi)
Kecap manis
A few lettuce leaves
Prawn crackers


1. Cook the rice first and leave to cool. Once cooled, use a spatula and loosen the rice grains. Set aside. You can also use leftover rice.

2. Break eggs into a bowl, then beat lightly with a fork. Season with the soy sauce. In a frying pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the egg mixture and cook for about 2 minutes, then flip over and cook for a further minute, until it is golden in colour. Leave to cool, and once cool, cut into thin strips. The easiest way to do this is to roll the omelette and then cut with a sharp knife.

3. In a wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 1/2 minutes until lightly browned. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the WORLDFOODS paste and fry for a further 1 minute, until fragrant.

4. Add the prawns, and sear quickly for 20 seconds, then add the rice and stir well to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until rice is well coated, fragrant, and dry. Add the long bean, spring onion and kecap manis, and cook for a further 30-40 seconds. Add 3/4 of the omelette (from Step 2 ) and give it a quick stir. Remove from heat.

5. To serve, place lettuce leaves on the plate. Scoop rice into a small bowl, then unmould onto the lettuce leaves. Serve with prawn crackers and a chilli-kecap manis dip.

Please remember to comment in this post (See Step 1 above).

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*See my recipe for seafood tom yum with quail's egg using WORLDFOODS products too. Please note that 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

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