CHASING FOOD DREAMS: Cooking Demo

Showing posts with label Cooking Demo. Show all posts

June 21, 2017

Recipe: Ayam Percik with Phillips All-In-One Pressure Cooker

Preserving Tradition with Modern Innovation

Not a stranger to Philips products, my kitchen has always been filled with reliable Philips kitchen appliances. I have had the honors of using Philips Pressure Cooker a few years ago and has always been pleased how it helps in shaving off hours of cooking time, yet yielding lots of delicious comfort dishes.

The latest Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker incorporates the functions of slow cook, pressure cook and multi cook all in one machine. The intelligent cooking system offers various cooking functions all neatly pack into this sleek design electrical pot. Thanks to innovation and technology, the new Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker is one kitchen appliance that churns out one pot wonders with much ease.

Thanks to Philips Malaysia, I am super thrilled to test out the Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker with a recipe from Chef Marina Mustafa. Having attended her cooking workshop here previously, I know how easy it is to use the pressure cooker. With more added functions now, one can now whip up dishes with pressure cooking function as well as non-pressure cooking function. This means, you can saute, slow cook, steam, bake, reheat, warm up and more with just this pot.

Assured and built with safety as priority, the Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker has an auto pressure release device plus 9x safety protection systems for extra safety measures. It is not only easy to use with simple click instructions, the digital panel also lets you know exactly the timing and status of the cooking. It is also easy to maintain and clean up with minimal hassle.

The Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker comes with 6 liter aluminum alloy inner pot, rice spoon, soup ladle, measuring cup, steaming plate and recipe booklet.

The recipe booklet is filled with lots of easy to follow recipes. One can whip up curries, stews, risotto, pasta, soups, cakes and even make your own homemade yoghurt!

Let’s cook! I tried a recipe from Chef Marina Mustafa and true enough, making Ayam Percik was so easy that even novice cooks can do it. Most of the ingredients literally goes into the pressure cooker all at once and leave the rest of the cooking to Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker.

The Ayam Percik turned out so delicious and tasty. I even had time to settle other chores while whipping up this dish. The chicken was tender while the percik sauce was piquant and full of yummy spice notes with a creamy touch. The slow cook function on high temperature allows the percik sauce to really cook down to a thick and rich sauce before I added in the chicken. After that, it was only 15 minutes of pressure cooking to make the chicken tender and married it with the tangy and spicy percik sauce.

My family enjoyed the Ayam Percik a lot with lemang that evening. With the festive Raya, it’s a dish that one can easily whipped up for the festive parties…

I cannot wait to experience more dishes with my new Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker, especially the yoghurt and lasagna recipe!

The Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker HD2137 VIVA Collection retailed price at RM799. For more information on the Philips All-in-One Pressure Cooker, visit their website: www.philips.com.my or Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhilipsHomeLiving.my

AYAM PERCIK

From One-Pot Wonders by Chef Marina Mustafa & Sara Khong using Philips

Ingredients

3 Chicken Thighs

½ cup Chili Paste

1 cup Coconut Milk

½ cup Palm Sugar (grated or crushed)

1 cup Tamarind (2 tbsp tamarind paste, mixed with 1 cup water and sieved)

2 tsp Salt

½ cup Cilantro (chopped)

Blended Ingredients

2 large Onion

1 inch Ginger

5 cloves Garlic

3 stalks Lemongrass

2 inch Galangal

1 inch Tumeric Root

Method

Put all the blended paste, chili paste, coconut milk, cooking oil, palm sugar, tamarind and salt into the inner pot of the Philips All-In-One Pressure Cooker.

Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.

Close the lid and turn the valve on the top of the lid towards the SEAL position.

Press SLOW COOK HIGH TEMP and then press COOKING TIME ‘-‘ four times to reduce the cooking time to 2 hours.

Press START.

After 2 hours, when the Percik sauce is ready, open the lid and add in chicken thighs into the pot and smother the chicken with the sauce.

Close the lid and turn the valve on the top of the lid towards the SEAL position.

Press PRESSURE COOK till setting reads MEAT/POULTRY to cook the chicken for 15 minutes.

Press START.

When 15 minutes is done, release the pressure by turning the valve towards the right most towards VENT for steam release.

Once the steam is all release, open the lid and sprinkle cilantro over the Ayam Percik and serve with your choice of rice, bread or lemang.

March 5, 2017

Fresca Mexican Kitchen & Bar @ Gardens Mall

A Mexican Culinary Adventure!

Mexican cuisine is so underrated in Asia. The cuisine has such wondrous flavours that it should really be given more limelight here. Glad to say at least there are a good handful of Mexican places to dine in our city. Fresca Mexican Kitchen & Bar has been serving scrumptious Mexican food that borders Tex-Mex in the city for the last five years.

Fresca has two outlets currently in Gardens Mall and Avenue-K Mall. Siblings Meng Lim and Jan Lim fell in love with the cuisine and the country’s passion for Viva La Vida, translated to Live Life, while seeking their adventures in Mexico and decided to open up their own Mexican restaurant. The cuisine is hard to replicate here due to the distinctive ingredients such as chilies, herbs and spices but that has not deterred the siblings from going all out and importing these ingredients for their restaurant.

Fresca has such an inviting and warming décor filled with lots of natural wood and iron steel. The country’s flamboyant colours are also projected here through posters, Mexican Sombreros and other display of knick knacks. The restaurant has a gorgeous bar and plenty of windows to allow lots of natural lighting. It’s a great place to enjoy a bold flavours of Mexican cuisine.

Not my first visit at Fresca, I am always pleased to be back for their delicious menu filled with small plates, dips and chips, main courses, desserts and of course lots of giggle juices. This round was a little different and I was here for a Mexican cooking demo by Chef BB together with Meng.

The owners believe in making almost everything they can from scratch. It is crucial to them in making their food from the freshest and finest ingredients available. They import lots of Mexican chilies such as Ancho, Pasilla, Poblano, Guajillo, Chipotle and Jalapeno as well as corn flour.

Today’s lesson was the makings of Corn Tortilla, Guacamole and Tacos Ensenada. Fresh corn tortillas are made daily using the traditional cast iron tortilla press and cooked on hot griddle. Its not hard to make these but one needs to find corn flour or Masa. There are white corn or yellow corn flour and Fresca uses both depending on the dishes.

Guacamole is another favorite Mexican dish of mine. I practically make these for all my home parties simply because it is so addictive and tasty with tortilla chips. Chef BB makes a really tasty guacamole using ripe avocados, chopped onions, cilantro, lime, salt and pepper in a big mortar with pestle. The trick is not to over mash the avocados, leaving bits of small chunks for textures. One can also easily adjust the seasonings to your likings. I like to add chopped jalapeno for extra bite.

Fresca serves Tacos Ensenada, California Baja style fish tacos. Using the freshly made white corn tortilla, he piles on golden crispy fried fish strips along with coleslaw, pico de gallo and cilantro.

After our cooking demo, we headed over to our tables for lunch. Baskets of golden crispy fried Tortilla Chips are served with house made Pico de Gallo and Guacamole. All salsas and dips are made fresh daily in the kitchen. These were so addictive, one order may not be enough, especially when you’re dining with a crowd of foodies and friends.

Tacos time! Fresca offers six choices of tacos filled with chicken, beef, fish and shrimp. We had their Tacos Ensenada and Tacos Alambre served with various salsa and sauces.

The Baja style fish tacos or Tacos Ensenada is such an easy dish to enjoy. Even my little one enjoys this a lot. Crispy beer-battered butterfish fillet with creamy crunchy coleslaw on soft tortilla is made even better when one piles on pico de gallo salsa, tomatillo sauce or chipotle sauce.

The Tacos Alambre has chopped beef sirloin cooked with Poblano chili, spices and onions and topped with crispy turkey bacon. Expect bold and big flavours of deliciousness from these tacos, especially when you piled on that spicy Chipotle sauce.

Pollo a la Parilla came sizzling on a hot plate. The grilled chicken is marinated with house special coffee marinade and is served with Mexican green rice along with sautéed onions and bell peppers. The flavours are quite unique and the coffee presence is certainly noted with hints of subtle sweetness. My little one actually enjoyed this dish a lot too, saying its yummy chicken with rice.

There are lots of other dishes to try at Fresca such as Enchiladas, Fajitas, Quesadillas, Burritos, Carne Asada and more.

We ended with a classic Mexican dessert of Churros con Chocolat y Cajeta. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser as these long crispy strips of Mexican donut coated in cinnamon and sugar is served with sides of chocolate dip and goat’s milk caramel. Such a drool worthy dessert!

Make sure you order their Agua Frescas to quench your thirsts. There’s Tamarindo, Hibiscus, Limon, Mango and Horchata. These are all perfect with the Mexican dishes as they are all somewhat tangy and fruity.

FRESCA MEXICAN KITCHEN & BAR

Lot G242-A, Ground Floor, The Gardens Mall,

Midvalley City

59200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2201 2893

Website: www.fresca.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/frescabar

Business Hours:

Sunday to Thursday 11am to 11pm

Friday & Saturday 11am to 12midnight

February 2, 2017

Flavour of Hanami @ The Cube, ISETAN The Japan Store Kuala Lumpur

A Cherry Blossom Celebration with Authentic Japanese Cultural & Culinary Experience

Sheer pleasures of Kyoto’s enchanting seasons are truly worthy of celebrations with the finest gastronomical cuisine of The Land of the Rising Sun. From 21 January to 25 March, ISETAN The Japan Store Kuala Lumpur plays host to Flavours of Hanami exhibition where four of Japan’s finest chefs are flown in to the city by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

In time with Hanami, the celebration of cherry blossom in Kyoto, Flavour of Hanami set sails in our city to let avid Japan fans experience the magical four seasons of Kyoto together with its culinary flavours and the essence of Hanami.

Flavour of Hanami leads participants through the Hanami themed activities were presented in three different zones at The Cube, located on the third floor of ISETAN the Japan Store Kuala Lumpur.

The Gallery, the first room of the three, takes one across the mystical and Zen sights of Kyoto displayed on projector as well as a galleria of Hanami bento boxes made especially for this exhibition prepared by four Japanese culinary maestros from four fine Japanese restaurants in Kyoto.

Participants will experience the tradition and craft of Japanese cuisine with tastings of MIO Sparkling Sake and Hana Kizakua Sake.

The display of the aesthetics of cherry blossom viewing Hanami bento boxes by the four Japanese chefs are a sight of culinary art and its intricate rules of creating classic bento boxes the old traditional way. From the dishes packed neatly and tightly, it also follows a three-dimensional arrangement that appeases the sight when the lid of the box is open. All ingredients are the best during the season and all tastes are well balanced from acidity, bitter, sweet and salty to umami. Every ingredient is cut into the shape that best bring out the season such as flowers for spring and all colors of the ingredients are coordinated to compliment the season too.

IZUU by Shogo Sasaki

Bento Box: Hakozushi (Pressed Sushi), Saba-Sugatazushi (Whole Mackerel Lightly Matured Sushi) and Futomakizushi (Large Sushi Rolls)

IZUU is famed for their mackerel sushi made from chub mackerel from the sea near the shores of Japan. Marinated in salt and vinegar, the mackerel is then combined with sushi rice and wrapped in kelp to bring out its flavour. It is said that when enjoying the mackerel sushi that the people of Kyoto have loved and prepared for celebrations from ancient times, the children will recommend the fattiest part of the mackerel to the parents and the parents will then also do the same in return.

KINOBU by Takuji Takahashi

Bento Box: Chirashizushi (Scattered Topping Sushi), Simmered Spring Vegetables (Bamboo Shoots, Fuki), Simmered Japanese Imperial Prawns and Simmered Spring Vegetables (Broad Beans)

The bento box compliments the pale colours of cherry blossoms with much colours of the ingredients. Kinobu originated as a caterer and continues to this day, taking many orders for their bento boxes. Preparation of these bento boxes starts few days in advance to ensure everything is well prepared, seasoned, flavoured and packed beautifully. Kinshi egg made with extra egg yolks to whole eggs, prawns accentuated by concentrated mirin to simmering dashi soaked bamboo shoots, giant butterbur and broad beans, one can be sure to taste the rich flavours of the season in the bento box.

CHIKURIN by Hideki Shimoguchi

Bento Box: Octopus Simmered in Hoji-Cha Tea, Uji Matcha Flavoured Fudengaku and Tempura with Rice Cracker Coating accompanied by Matcha Salt

Chikurin bento box has three layers, letting diners reveal layers of surprises. In themed with spring and cherry blossoms, the layers of bento box is filled with vibrant fresh colors denoting of the gorgeous colours of the season. The fudengaku (gluten cakes) with matcha green tea kneaded and the prawn tempura served with salt mixture with matcha green tea pays tribute to the restaurant built in Uji where tea is at its prime. There is also the octopus boiled in hoji-cha tea too to showcase that tea leaves are used in the dishes not as a drink but as a seasoning.

RESTAURANT AND INN TSURUSE by Nobuyuki Tanaka

Bento Box: Steamed Abalone, Red Snapper Sushi Wrapped in Cherry Leaf, Bamboo Leaf Rolled Gluten Cake with Sweet Red Beans, Flower Petal Daikon and Flower Petal Carrot

Perhaps the most luxurious bento box featuring premium abalone and the highly prized Red Snapper much loved by the Japanese, TSURUSE bento box features gorgeous ingredients just like its gorgeous building overflowing with food and beauty. Soft and sweet nuances of lightly steamed abalone paired with delicate and sweet red snapper wrapped in cherry leaf shows the freshest seasonal ingredients are so good, only minimal cooking is needed. A steamed bun with manju filling is also served wrapped in bamboo leaf.

Moving to the Theatre, one catches short but amazing movie of Kyoto’s magnificent four seasons in high definition. The short movie gives an enticing insight into the four Japanese seasons, the history and foundation of Kyoto food.

And this is followed by the finale of the event where participants can personally get close with the Japanese chefs in a live presentation of authentic traditions and techniques of “authentic Washoku”.

Leading the event with a speech is none other than Xavier Mah from Xavier Mah Consultancy

Chef Shogo Sasaki and his charming personality where the humble chef is shy but passionate about sharing information from his experience in the Japanese culinary scene. Known as the heir of the current 7th generation owner of IZUU, a Kyoto sushi restaurant established in 1781, Chef Sasaki is known for his culinary prowess in preparing the popular mackerel sushi. After training for three years at a famous sushi restaurant in Osaka, he joined IZUU, with the aim to preserve the flavours and culture of Kyoto’s mackerel sushi. The sushi specialist continues the tradition of his forefathers, adding significant touches of Japanese flavours and culture into one of his most-loved dish, to pass it to the next generation.

Left or Right: Mr. Xavier Mah, Mr. Ken Fukutake, General Manager of Media Content Planning Department, Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd., Chef Shogo Sasaki and Chef Takeshi Matsuo, head chef of IZUU Restaurant

Chef Sasaki takes over with a live presentation of his two signature dishes - Chirasizushi (Scattered Topping Sushi) and Saba-sugatazushi (Whole Mackerel Lightly Matured Sushi). After the exciting demonstration, participants will have a chance to indulge in Chef Sasaki’s authentic and delicious Kyoto-style dishes.

Needless to say, Chef Sasaki makes it all looked so easy with his swift skills in preparing the mackerel. The finished mackerel sushi resembles the logo of IZUU where a rabbit takes center stage.

We were served a freshly prepared Mackerel Sushi and a one-day only matured Mackerel Sushi for comparison. Strangely, the one-day matured mackerel had a softer flavour without the sharpness of vinegar compared to the fresh one. I enjoyed the one-day matured mackerel out of the two.

Next up, Chef Sasaki prepares his Chirasizushi with such finesse and efficient movements. Mixing mushrooms and a type of fish into the rice to flavour it before finishing it with yellow sunshine of finely shredded egg omelette, sliced sea bream sashimi, poached prawn and squid and finishing it with black fungus and seaweed flakes.

The flavours of the Chirasizushi is rather simple but nevertheless delicious in every bite.

Perhaps what took me by surprise was the dessert. Dessert ended on high with hot green tea and freshly made Sakura Mochi. The texture of the mocha is deliciously delightful while the filling of red bean is creamy and just right in sweetness.

Don’t miss this exclusive Flavour of Hanami exhibition for its truly one-of-a-kind event that was brought in especially by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.