Chicken Curry

The Ng sisters LOVE curry of all styles, Indian, Malaysian, Thai, Chinese.....  Last week I was craving chicken curry and decided to have a go at making it from scratch (no recipe!).  I'm glad I did because the results were delicious and so satisfying!  Let us know what your favorite curry recipes are!  Here is how I made it...

Em's Chicken Curry

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

Pinch of cayenne powder 

4 cardamom pods

1 can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 can light coconut milk 

8 chicken thighs

1 large Asian eggplant cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

-Brown chicken set aside

-Sauté onion, ginger and garlic until caramelized

-add can of diced tomatoes, scrape up any bits stuck to pot

-add the chicken, bring to boil

-add spices

-add coconut milk

-simmer on low for 20 mins

-make a slurry with tomato paste and add

-add eggplant 

-simmer on low for another 20-30 mins

-add salt and pepper to taste

-serve with rice

Dining Out : Congee Village NYC - Allen Street

Sharing one of our favorite cantonese restaurant in Chinatown, NYC.

Congee Village 

100 Allen St, New York, NY 10002

(212) 941-1818

Manila Clams with Black bean garlic sauce

-

 Garlicky Chinese Broccoli..great greens and to freshen up the palette .. 

only if you can avoid the whole fried garlic..

Crispy wonton noodle with soy sauce, chives and bean sprout ...excellent with hot sauce

Ginger Scallions stir fry whole lobster .. so good!

Salt and pepper calamari .... very good tender squid ..wish it was less oily. 

Along with these dishes we all shared steamed rice and crab congee.

Will be back with some more next time...

Quinoa Patties

Quinoa Cauliflower Patties

These are very easy to make and so so delicious!  I always make a large batch so that we can have leftovers.  They never last more than a couple of days.  The nutty flavor of the quinoa coupled with the sweet full flavor of cauliflower makes these patties irresistible!

I was inspired to post this recipe after the fact so I didn't take very accurate measurements.  My only tip is to start with a half a cup of breadcrumbs and add more if needed.  Also, let the mix sit a little before making the patties.

1 cup (uncooked) quinoa, follow box instructions

1/2 small head of cauliflower, chopped small

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup grated parmigiano

1/2 to one cup whole wheat bread crumbs

4 eggs

Saute onion and cauliflower until cooked, add a dash of salt

let quinoa and cauliflower cool until lukewarm

beat 4 eggs

add quinoa, cauliflower, cheese and stir; add tspn of salt and pepper

add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, if mix seems too loose add more 

form patties and pan fry till crispy on both sides

Enjoy!

Pollo Guisado, braised chicken

Growing up in NYC, we were exposed to the rich and delicious flavors of Latin Caribbean cooking.  We grew up with friends with families that hailed from Puerto Rico, Trinidad and the Dominican Republic, the origin of one of my favorite dishes, Pollo Guisado.  It is basically a braised chicken dish with a tomato base.  It is super easy to make and delicious with rice and beans. Living in LA, I have grown to love the fresh and bright flavors of Mexican cuisine but oh do I miss my Pollo Guisado, pernil and sancocho!  This past weekend I woke up with a hankering for these flavors and ran to the market to grab my ingredients.  Make this for your families and they will love you even more.  Make a big batch so there are leftovers!! 

Pollo Guisado
6 chicken legs split into thighs and drumsticks (organic, I insist!)
4 plum tomatoes chopped
1 8oz can tomato sauce 
1 green bell pepper diced
1 large onion diced
6 cloves garlic smashed (keep pieces big)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1 generous pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 cup of green Spanish olives
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cilantro chopped

• brown chicken, set aside
• saute garlic, onion 
• add bell pepper then chopped tomatoes
• add a pinch of salt to this mix
• when the sofrito is nice and cooked, add the chicken back
• after 5 mins, add the tomato sauce, cumin and bay leaf
• bring back to boil and add olives
• add water if necessary to almost cover the chicken
• bring back to boil and lower heat to slow simmer
• cook for 45 mins, add salt, pepper and red pepper to taste

Serve with rice, beans, sliced avocado and fried plantains sprinkled with brown sugar.  Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the chicken to finish.  

Here is my easy black bean recipe:
1 lb black beans dry (soaked overnight)
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

• discard soaking water and rinse beans
• add 9 cups water (don't salt water! will make beans tough)
• bring to a boil, lower to a simmer
• simmer for 45 mins and add bay leaf
• in a separate pan, saute onion, garlic and pepper then add to beans
• simmer for another hour 
• salt and pepper to taste 

Enjoy!

Malaysian Dining at the Malay Restaurant - Flushing - NYC

The restaurant we stumbled upon while walking around in Flushing looking for a place new to eat. This place was on one block full of restaurants and it was small and busy looking. Looked very home style.

We had .....

Steamed Tilapia with Special Sauce

Sauteed bittermelon with eggs and radish 

(didn’t expect it to be like a pancake but it was tasty nonetheless)

Sauteed Chicken Gizzard and Liver ( Menu offered heart as well but they were out )

served with cucumber, cilantro and sweet soy / chili that usually comes with Hainan chicken  

And of course we had rice made with home made chicken stock

Overall very happy with our food and family atmosphere.

Restaurant 

Malay Restaurant

13517  - 40th Road 

Flushing, NY 11354

718-353-2901

*Reviewed by Biggiefood