NASI HAINAM/HAINAN

Beberapa tahun lalu, tepatnya tahun 2012, saya dan 2 teman lainnya diajak teman satunya  untuk menulis buku resep, setelah berembuk bolak balik liwat email ( karena kami berempat tinggal di negara/benua yang berlainan, Belanda, Sydney, China dan US ), akhirnya jadi juga buku tersebut diterbitkan dan sempat dijual di Gramedia.

yang mau saya bahas kali ini, adalah tentang Nasi Hainam yang resepnya saya tulis di buku tsb, kali ini mau saya tulis ulang, dengan sedikit modifikasi di cara merebus ayamnya, karena biasanya saya masak dengan ayam yang udah dipotong-potong, kali ini saya coba dengan ayam utuh

Banyak cara memasak Nasi Hainam, ini cara favoritku, hasilnya sesuai dengan selera kami, nasinya so flavorful, disiram dengan saus kecapnya aja bisa abis nasi sepiring, tanpa ayam, benar lho, suamiku sudah membuktikannya

Untuk ayam:

- 1 ekor ayam utuh, sekitar 1 kg, terserah mau ayam kampung atau negeri, kalo saya pribadi suka yang negeri karena lebih banyak lemaknya :), cuci bersih, tiriskan

- rebus 2 liter air dengan jahe, 2 jempol orang gede, 1 babay ( bawang bombay ) medium, 1 ikat daun bawang, 1 ikat daun cilantro ( wan sui ), 1/2 cup kecap ikan, 2 sdm minyak wijen, garam dan merica secukupnya, kalo sudah mendidih, masukan ayam, ayam harus terendam semuanya, tambah air kalo perlu

- rebus dengan api gede sampai mendidih, kecilin api, rebus lagi selama 30 menit, sampai air rebusannya berminyak bening

- ini optional ya, ayam diangkat, hati2 karena kulitnya cepat sobek, tiriskan, rendam dalam baskom gede yang berisi air es, rendam sekitar 5 menit, kalo rajin boleh diulangin sampai 3 kali, tentunya waktu rebusan ayam dikurangin sebelum direndam air dingin.. biarkan ayam mendidih sekitar 5 menit, angkat dan rendam lagi dalam air es, terakhir masukan lagi ayam dalam air rebusan lagi, kecilin api, simmer ayam sampai mulai mendidih, matiin apinya, tutup panci, biarkan  20 menit, kemudian angkat dan tiriskan ayamnya, potong2 deh.. kalo mau ayamnya mengkilap, boleh dioles dengan campuran minyak wijen dan minyak sayur

babay jahe green onion cilantro kecap ikan garam minyak wijen

Untuk nasi:

- 500 gram beras, cuci bersih

- 2 sdm margarine/minyak sayur, kalo margarine bisa memberi warna kuning pada nasi

- lemak ayam ( biasanya waktu bersihkan ayam, saya suka sisihkan lemak ayam yang ngga kepakai, masukkan dalam kantong plastik kecil, simpan dalam freezer dan siap dipakai kapan saja)

- 5 siung bawang putih cincang, boleh diperbanyak

- 3 cm jahe, iris kayak korek api

- kecap ikan secukupnya

- minyak wijen secukupnya

- 750 ml to 1 ltr air rebusan ayam ( kaldu ayam)

- garam kalo perlu ya

 Cara untuk memasak nasinya:

- panaskan panci, lumerkan margarine dan lemak ayam, masukkan jahe dan batih ( bawang putih ), aduk sampai harum, tambahkan beras, aduk lagi, kasih bumbu lainnya, kasih air kaldu, masak sampai airnya abis meresap ke beras

- kukus deh sampai mateng, di tahap ini saya pindahin beras ke pyrex, tutup dan masak dalam microwave, 10 sp 15 menit tergantung kekuatan watt microwave

jahe batih dan lemak ayam tumis sampai harum

tambahin kaldu ayam, masak sampai meresap

cover, steam in microwave for 10 minutes 

Siap saji deh, untuk sambal saya suka pakai kecap dan potongan cabe rawit dengan sedikit perasan air jeruk nipis.. 

COCONUT CUSTARD.. revised..

For this Easter Holiday, I made some Coconut Custard, Custard pie is one of my most favorite pies, I don't bake it often, usually I bake it when I have some friends come over or for potluck.. now Easter is my excuse to make some, I'll bring some to my friend and my in-laws for dessert or snack on our Easter dinner.

I posted the recipe before, today I'm going to post it again, a bit different ( I think), as I used mini pie molds to bake a dozen mini pies

My homemade crust, following my Mom's ancient recipe, it was just right and so good ( I have tried some other pie crust recipes before and never satisfied with the result, yet)

Crust/shell for one 9" pie pan, 1 and 1/4 " deep we need:
- 1 large egg
- 150 gram butter ( room temperature ), about 1 and 1/2 stick
- 2 cups of flour ( 225 to 250 gram )
- 1 to 2 tbsp water

beat with mixer (hook)

Making the pie crust:
- beat butter and egg, lightly, then add in flour, mix well, add water as needed, form a ball dough, then chill in fridge for 30 minutes

while chilling the dough, prepare for the filling:
- 4 whole eggs (large)
- 3 egg yolks only
- 1  cup of milk ( add another 1/2 cup if you feel the filling is not enough to fill the pie crust )
- 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar, as desired
- 1/2 cup of condensed milk
- 2 unsweetened cups of coconut flake, lightly toasted, set aside

Making the filling:
- whisk eggs, then add in the rest of the ingredients, except coconut
- heat the egg mixture on the stove, low heat, constantly stir, turn off the heat when mixture is warm
- let it cool a bit, then pour the custard through a strainer to ensure a nice and smooth consistency

Back to the crust:
- roll dough into a round thin sheet, carefully transfer the dough to the pie pan, cut off the excess dough hanging over the edge, press and secure it with fork
- line with parchment paper over the dough, weight it with beans
- bake for about 15 minutes in a preheated oven, 350'f
- take it out and let it cool

For coconut custard:
- arrange a handful ( about a cup ) of toasted coconut on the pie, carefully pour the smooth custard into the pie shell
- bake the pie for 30 minutes, sprinkle more coconut on top of it, then continue baking it until the filling is golden color, the middle part is almost set
- take it off from the oven, let it cool before slicing

NOTE: for this recipe, I mold the dough into  a dozen mini pan and one medium 6" pan with the same process

SPINACH QUICHE

I know, I know... it has been a long while since my last post, so many things happened, like,  I went to visit my Mom and stayed for 7 weeks, and I took bunch of my homemade foods, intended to post the recipes but never made it.. blame on laziness *grins*

Today I want to talk about Full breakfast in this part of world, and I better write it and post it before my laziness takes over *grins* again

Full breakfast in my Hubby's family consists of toasts/pancake/waffle/hash brown/biscuit, eggs, bacon/sausage/ham, those were what we ate whenever we stayed at his parents' house, I did not mind at all, I'd help with the eggs or sausage, they usually let me do how I wanted to make/eat with them ( omelet, scramble, sausage crumbs or sausage patties )

In my house, we seldom have full breakfast, not once a week, even not once a month, for me, 1 or 2 crackers with half cup of latte is enough for me, for him, sometime is easy too, couple of oranges/apples and 1 or 2 cups of coffee, or some cheesy grits, cereal or buttered toast.

Today I made "full breakfast" with some twists *grins* : eggs, bacon and toasts, as what we call QUICHE, for our brunch

It's similar with Salmon quiche I made on my older post, omit bacon if you are vegetarian, basically we can add anything we want

http://beyondfoods.blogspot.com/2013/04/salmon-quiche.html

SPINACH QUICHE

Ingredients:
- 4 to 5 eggs
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of mayo or plain yogurt or sour cream
- half medium onion, chopped
- half large red bellpepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno/serrano pepper, finely chopped
- 1 cup of cheese
- 1/2 cup of bacon bits
- chopped green onions and parsley
-  bunch of fresh spinach, soak in boiled water for 2 minutes, squeeze dry
- store bought pie crust/tortilla/ sliced of bread ( optional, omit it if you make crustless quiche )

What to do:
- spray cooking oil on a 9" pan, I used Pyrex
- lay pie crust, tortilla/ breads on, this time I used, 3 slices of sourdough bread, if using pie crust/tortilla bake it for 5 to 10 minutes, let it cool

 for the filling:
- in a medium bowl, mix milk and mayo
- in another bowl, beat the eggs, then pour into the milk mixture, mix well, add some salt and black pepper
- arrange the veggies, herbs and cheese on top of the crust
- pour in the egg mixture
- sprinkle bacon bits on top of it
- cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes in  a preheated oven, 350'
- take off the foil. bake for another 15 minutes until the middle is set
- let it cool, slice and serve warm

CHEESY GRITS

One of the easy way to cook GRITS that my DH loves, is to cook it in the microwave, all we need are, 8 tsp of grits, 1 cup of milk,more or less depend on the thickness we like, 1 tbsp of butter, salt, black pepper, egg,  grated cheese and some herb for garnish.

- put grits in a microwave proof cup, add in milk and salt, cook for 4 to 5 minutes, better watch it, stir once or twice, before it set, add in butter, stir again, crack the egg in, cook for another 2 or 3 minutes until the is egg done, add in cheese and freshly ground black pepper, garnish with herbs, I used our homegrown onion chive.. voila.. a delish breakfast/brunch is done

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

One of my DH's favorite squashes.. I'm not a big fan though, my DH loves most of the squashes but I rarely cooked them.. the other day I bought one and cooked it the way he likes.. with Ragu sauce and meat sausage.. he likes it.. very much..

- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1/2 lbs of breakfast sausage
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 cup of favorite Ragu sauce, I used 4 cheeses
- herb, I used Rosemary, chopped

How:
- halve the squash, clean out the seeds
- cook in the microwave for 5 to 10 minutes, covered with damp paper towel
- when they are soft, take them out and let them cool to touch
- fluff them with a fork to become fine strings, set aside
- for the topping, brown sausage with onion, add in the sauce and Rosemary, cook and stir
- pour the meat sauce on the top of the squash, add some Parmesan cheese

Another way to cook Spaghetti Squash that I like.. add some grated carrots to the squash, squeeze them dry, add 1 egg, 1/2 cup of breadcrumb, crunch some fried onion, some garlic powder, some chopped green onion, salt and black pepper, form patties and fry them in a nonstick pan

BAKED GRITS WITH CHEESE AND BACON BITS

Here is another quick and easy recipe for breakfast/lunch, we are not a morning persons, so we ate it for brunch

I don't like eating corn products, my DH loves them, esp grits, polenta, corn meal, I like corns though, simply steamed or grilled.. we always have grits in our pantry, sometimes I cooked some easy grits for him, cooked in microwave, added in cheese and eggs, today I tried a new way in cooking it, and he loves it, I did too.. surprise, surprise :)

- 1 cup of grits
- 2 cups of water and 2 cups of milk
- 1 cup of bacon bits
- some chopped green onion
- 3 tbsp of butter
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1  cup of grated cheese
- salt and dash of tabasco

Method:
- boil water and milk, turn down the heat
- add in grits, stir and cook till thickened, about 5 minutes, turn off the heat
- add in butter, stir until smooth
- add in bacon bits, cheese, green onions, salt, tabasco and eggs
- mix well, pour in the prepared muffin tins ( paper and spray with cooking oil), about 2 dozens
- bake them in a preheated oven, 375'F for 20 minutes, sprinkle more cheese and bake again for another 5 minutes
- or simply pour the mixture in a greased casserole pan, spread evenly, bake for 30 minutes, sprinkle more cheese, bake again for 5 minutes, then set the oven to broil, broil for 3 minutes
- let cool down a bit before cut and serve

EASY PEASY BANANA PANCAKES

my 1st post on November, a very short and easy one, but delicious

We need 3 ripe bananas, mash with spoon or if you want it very smooth, blend with blender, add in 1 egg and 3 to 4 tbsp of flour, mix well till the batter is smooth, then heat a bit of butter in a nonstick pan, pour in a small ladle full of batter, cook for 3 minutes, flip carefully and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes