Friday, 27 April 2012

{Photo Friday} Our Bento Dinner


Making Bento is one of our weekly or at least twice a month mother and kid bonding activities whereby my boy and I will agreed on a theme to work together to assemble his bento.  Up till date I have featured about 30 quick and easy kid's bento in Cuisine Paradise and here I would like to share with you two sets of our Bento Dinner which we have made recently.

A bowl of simple steamed rice topped with some Winnie the Pooh shaped roasted pumpkin adds some extra flavour to the plain rice.

A little bit of here and there make up a nicely presented kid's portion of our dinner. Instead of piling all the side dishes on the plate itself, I have divided them into small portion using colourful container to make the food look more appetising.

Here is another simple Bento Dinner which consists of Chicken Nuggets and Popcorn Chickens plus Hard-boiled Egg and some fish floss and baked whitebait on steamed rice. Till then have a great weekend everyone! Cheers!

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Korean Spicy Chicken - 매운닭날개


If you do a Google on this "Korean Spicy Chicken(매운닭날개)" you notice there are quiet a few different methods and recipes in preparing this dish. From the usual style of marinating chicken using "gochujang paste(Korean hot pepper paste)" and cook it either stir-fry or grill to a fusion way similar to Buffalo Wings where chicken is oven baked and coated with layer(s) of Gochujang sauce.


KOREAN SPICY CHICKEN
매운닭날개


This bake version is something different from the usual Gochujang Chicken Stew(DakDoriTang - 닭도리탕) that is filled with vegetables and spices to warm the cold weather. To be honest, while preparing this dish I was quiet worry that it might not turn out well such as the guchujag sauce might be too spicy to our liking or the overall marination might be either too strong or etc.

But I guess my worried is in vain. By looking at the photo(s) shown above I am sure you are just as excited as me(at that time) who wants to have a bite on those mouth-watering sweet and spicy gochujang sauce coated mid-joints. .


Recipe adapted from Week of Menus, Korean-style Spicy Chicken Wing

(Serves: 2-3 |     Preparation: 10 minutes |       Cooking: 40 minutes)

Ingredients:
12 Chicken Mid-joint(500g)
1/2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1/2 Tablespoon Minced Ginger
1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Spicy Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Gochujang(고추장)
1.5 Tablespoons Honey
1.5 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2.5 Tablespoons Sake/Cooking Wine
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds

Method:-
1. Rinse and pat dry chicken mid-joint, pour in marinade mixture(soy sauce, minced garlic and ginger, sesame oil and pepper)mix well and set as side in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 180° Celsius(356 degrees Fahrenheit), place chicken on baking tray lay with baking paper and bake for about 30 minutes. (turning the chicken at least twice to get an even brown colour)

3. Mix the spicy sauce sauce ingredients in a bowl, spoon/brush the mixture onto the baked mid-joint and return to the oven to cook for another 5 minutes on 200° Celsius till caramelize.

4. Next remove mid-joint from heat, turn it over and spread another lager layer of sauce on it and continue to bake for another 5 minutes.

5. When done, remove mid-joint from oven, sprinkle some chopped spring onion and sesame seeds on it and serve hot.

Above is my share of mid-joints to go with steamed rice(I had 2 bowl of rice :p) and Kimchi(김치) which makes it perfect for my homecook Korean meal. This spicy chicken is definitely a great dish or finger food for party and gathering. And I am sure it goes well with a can of chilled beer to flash down some of those spiciness.

Other than this version of Baked Spicy Chicken, I would like to try the authentic Korean-style of "Gochujang Chicken Stew" soon and perhaps also some homemade Kimchi if I have the courage and time to try it out.

Monday, 23 April 2012

Honey Lemonade From Happy Sheep Honey


Most of us understand that Honey contains antioxidants(essential for protecting against free radicals) which can be helpful to boosting immunity and as well it has been used since ancient times to treat certain allergies. For your information, honey contains traces of Vitamins B and C as well as minerals such as Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium and etc. It is also a source of natural unrefined sugars and carbohydrates, which are easily absorbed by the body and therefore provide an instant energy boost with long-lasting effects.

Recently I received these two products from Happy Sheep Honey to try out and my family and I really love it's taste and flavour compared to the usual one that we always purchased. According to their website, Happy Sheep Honey is from the remote native forests of the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand. And their unpasteurised honey this minimally processed to preserve the inherent natural flavours and live enzymes makes it popular to be consume within health food circles.

Happy Sheep Honey includes a selection of four unpasteurised honeys such as:- West Coast Honey, Active Manuka 12+ Honey, Lemon And West Coast Honey and Strawberry West Coast Honey. You can easily purchase these honey at local supermarkets such as NTUC Fairprice or Cold Storage; prices range between S$10.35 - S$39.90 depending on the product.


HONEY LEMONADE


As recommended, a daily dose of honey whether to be served as sweetener in hot/cold beverages, or spread on toast or cake will help to boost the body's supply of antioxidants. So let's start the day by having a cup of this Honey Lemonade before breakfast to flush out our system and give it a boost with this cleansing brew. And instead of quenching thirst with a soda on a hot day, perhaps you can turn this into an Icy Lemonade for a healthier beverage and support "Food Revolution Day in Singapore" which begins in 19 May 2012.(read more HERE)


(Serves: 2            |        Preparation: 5 minutes )

Ingredients:
500ml Lukewarm Drinking Water
2 - 3 Tablespoons Lemon West Coast Honey
A Few Slices of Lemon, optional

Method:-
1. Stir in Lemon West Coat Honey into water and mix well.

2. Pour honey mixture into prepared cup/mug together with a slice of two of fresh lemon to enhance the taste and flavour.

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TIPS:
~ For icy cool lemonade, you use ice water instead of normal drinking water or add some ice cubes into the final mixture before serving.

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PREVIEW!!!


ROSEMARY HONEY CHICKEN DRUMLET
(using Lemon And West Coast Honey from Happy Sheep Honey)


Other than using honey in making beverage, I would be sharing another recipe using honey to make the above Rosemary Honey Chicken Drummlet(baked version) in the upcoming post. So do stay tune if you like the combination of honey and rosemary herbs!

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