Hainanese Chicken Rice (Com Ga Hai Nam)

Tonight we will talk about "Com Ga Xiu Xiu", which can be translated loosely into "chicken rice." While it is common called "com ga xiu xiu," another name for this dish is "Com Ga Hai Nam" (Hainanese chicken rice).  It is named after an island, Hai Nam, off the coast of China.  Anyway, I love to eat chicken and I've experienced many different ways to cook it --deep fried, steamed, boiled, stir fried, broiled, etc.  And I find that chicken tastes good regardless of how you cook it.  With that being said, tonight I will blog about how to cook it by boiling it.   I got this recipe from my sister a while ago after I posted a comment on Facebook about my craving for com ga Hai Nam.  The recipe takes a little work on the preparation part, but it will be all worthwhile when you chow down on it.  So let's get cooking!!!

Ingredients:

1. What you need is-----Duh! Chicken!!! --ONE WHOLE CHICKEN that is!
2. Rau ram (Persicaria odorata, the Vietnamese coriander)
3. Minced Ginger
4. White part of green onion (minced)
5. 1 whole white onion
6. Minced Shallot, sliced shallot ( for hanh phi aka saute shallot)
7. Rock sugar, salt, fish sauce
8. Jasmine rice (or any medium sized grains)
9. Shredded green onion (mix with rau ram) 

Now that you've gathered all the ingredients, it's time to make a chicken masterpiece!!!

• Boil water in large pot, once boiled add chicken, salt, rock sugar, whole onion.
• Cook for 45 min, remove chicken let it cooled then shred it or chop it up to smaller pieces
• Reserve the broth, rinse the rice, in an empty pot, add oil, then minced shallot and ginger till slightly brown, add rice and mix well. 
• Season with some salt, bot nem (seasoning powder), sugar and pepper to taste.  
• Add broth to the pot, enough to cook the rice like cooking steam rice ( about 1 inch of broth from rice surface). 
• Cover and cook the rice, mix every now and then to fluff up the rice. 
• Now, you can use a rice cooker instead.  I find it more convenient and save you some hassles with the possible burnt rice at the bottom on the pot.  
• Make nuoc mam gung (fish sauce with ginger) with minced garlic, ginger, red pepper, lime juice or vinegar, sugar, little water and fish sauce. 
• In a small pot add oil, minced ginger and mince white part of green onion, sauté till tender season with bot nem, salt. 
• Plate up rice, chicken, some of  the sauté Ginger and green onion, rau ram on the side, hanh phi and nuoc mam gung on top. 

Note: left over broth can be cook with cai be xanh and some slices of Ginger for soup to eat with rice 

Honey Walnut Shrimp

This is one succulent, juicy, crunchy, milky and sinfully good dish that will keep your taste buds screaming out for more.  But be warned, it is also very fattening and not good for your diet if you consume a large amount..... sooo control your tolerance during your consumption.  Happy cooking and eating!!=)

As for the recipe, I got it from Rasa Malaysia, but I changed it up a little according to my taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of big shrimp
• 1 small pack of walnut halves (or you can use cashews which I did)
• 1.5 tsp. of honey
• 1 tsp. of condensed milk (optional if you want to minimize the calories in this dish)
• 2.5 - 3 tbs. of  mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. of chili powder (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. of minced garlic
• salt to taste

Let's cook it!

• Peel, wash, and rinse the shrimps
• Put the shrimps into a bowl and add the following seasoning and let them marinate for 5 minutes: 1/4 tsp of salt and sugar, 1/8 tsp. of garlic powder, 1-2 tbs of corn starch, chili powder (for the kick in your mouth)
• Meanwhile, you can caramelize your walnuts/cashews.  Add one tbs. of water and 2 tbs of granulated sugar onto a hot pan.  Constantly stir it until the mixture becomes golden brown under medium-low heat.  Add in the nuts and stir around until they are well-coated.  Place these nuts onto a cookie sheet and let them cool.  Make sure the nuts are not touching each other or else once they are cool down, they will clump together.  
• Next, saute minced garlic with oil in a pan until slightly golden and then add the shrimps in.  Under high heat, stir around a few times for the shrimps to cook throughly but don't cook them too long for the shrimps will become chewy and lost their succulent juice inside.  Another way I like to cook my shrimps is to deep fried them.  Quick and easy while the shrimps remain their juice inside yet crispy on the outside due to the coating of the corn starch you added in earlier.
• Put the cooked shrimps into a big bowl and add mayonnaise, honey, and condensed milk .
• Mix them up so the shrimps are well-coated with mayonnaise, honey, and condensed milk.  Add the nuts last while you dress up your dish.  
• Last, it's time to make your dish look pretty and delicious to eat.  
• Enjoy!

Please note: When I cook, I usually season my dish by eyeing the amount of the spices I use so I don't necessary add the same exact amount as stated in the recipe.  Depend on your taste, you can vary them accordingly to satisfy your on palates.  

Toasted Sesame & Matcha Crispy Rice Treats

Ingredients


2 tablespoons salted butter

1 tablespoon DōMatcha (green tea powder)
45 large marshmallows
5 cups crispy rice cereal
½ cup toasted sesame seeds

Melt butter in a large pan over med-low heat, once melted stir in matcha powder. Add in marshmallows and cook and stir until melted. Add in rice cereal and toasted sesame seeds and gently stir cereal until evenly coated with melted marshmallow. Transfer mixture to a 13x9-inch pan or a cupcake pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Gently press mixture into an even layer. Allow to cool to room temp and cut into bars.

This is a quick and easy to make treat for little kiddos as well as the kiddos at heart.  I love the color of the matcha reflected on the rice crispy.  So good that my brother, who is on a NO Carb mission, had to take a bite of it.

Where the Passion Began....

My passion for foods is undeniable and my interest in photography is blooming.   It all began two years ago when I started taking pictures of my first dish.  It sparked a sense of self-satisfaction and accomplishment looking at the pictures I took of the food I made.  Thus, the journey into the world of foodography began for me.  

I am an amateur cook, self-taught, and practiced in my very own kitchen.  My food philosophy is food tastes good has to also look good.  It has to be both pleasing to the taste buds as well as to the eyes of the beholder.  With that simple believe, I embarked on a journey to create dishes that taste amazing and make the eyes drool as well as the mouth.  

My recipes are compiled from a range of sources including from my mother, cook books, online cooking websites, friends, television cooking shows, etc.  There are times I will venture out and experiment my own dishes with whatever inspiration that come to my mind.  

I'm here to meet people who share the same interest and hopefully to learn from them a thing or two to enhance my skills in kitchen as well as my skills behind the camera lenses.  I can't wait to get it started!!!!