Inchi Kabin - Tastes of Home

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Tonight I decided to make a favorite dish of the Penang Nyonyas. Inchi kabin - which is chicken marinated in a mixture of eastern and western sauces and spices, then fried till golden brown. I remember growing up with grandma or mom making this for lunch or dinner. Or ordering this during dinner out at a restaurant in Penang.

Surprisingly, Hubby who is from Penang (well, Butterworth...but still technically Penang) has never heard of Inchi Kabin. Hmm....so I thought I should introduce it to him. How could one from Penang not know of Inchi Kabin???!! *shock horror*

For this dish, I will respect our family recipe and will not have it published. But a Google search will get you a decent recipe quite easily. Some tips that I am able to share is, use chicken wings or drumsticks as the meat is more moist and suitable for this type of cooking. And only use Coleman's mustard powder (we find that this particular brand gives the best tasting marinade), if the recipe that you obtain calls for mustard powder.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Back when I was studying in Sydney, cousin May and I used to spend Saturday or Sunday afternoons baking. Yes, you read that correctly - B A K I N G. Not a typical way how a pair of 18 and 20 year old single girls would spend their weekends. But anyway, juggling between coursework (mom and dad wouldn't pleased with less than perfect grades) and housework (must keep house clean and tidy regardless) left us with little time for anything else. So we ended up taking a liking to baking.

I always speak of those days with hubby and he says "Oh how come you don't bake anymore?". Hmmm?

So, since we ran out of our store bought CNY cookies, I decided to show hubby that I wasn't bullsh**ting when I told him I could bake! Found this recipe online at allrecipes.com and modified it a bit with home roasted hazel nuts

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
3 (or 4 is small sized) eggs beaten
1 cup raisins
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup roasted hazel nuts (or pecans)

Method:
- Combine eggs, raisins and vanilla in a bowl. Let is stand for an hour - do not skip this step, the soaking makes all the difference!
- Pre-heat oven to 175 0C or 350 oF
- Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar.
- Sift in flour, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix it well with the butter/sugar mixture.
- Then stir in the eggs, oats and nuts.
- Drop teaspoonful of the batter and bake for 10mins or until brown.

P/S. The batter will rise a little during baking, so small teaspoon sizes will end up a nice sized cookie of about 4cm across. My first batch was gigantic as I didn't know what to expect :P

This portion makes about 300 cookies, with the size I made. Hubby believes me now...and is happily munching away while I type this, with the aroma of freshly baked cookies still lingering about our house. :)

Aloo Gobi - Indian Vegetable Curry

A long weekend means more time for cooking. To add some variety to our meals this new year weekend, I decided to try some Indian cooking.

I LOVE Aloo Gobi, a light Indian curry made from cauliflower and potatoes, simmered in fragrant spices. We always ordered this dish if we come across any North Indian restaurant. But being in Miri, Indian food is hard to come by, so as usual, when I crave for something, I cook it.

Found this recipe online and I made some adjustments to it (added a pinch more of some spices). There are many variations of this recipe, but the most basic ones are always the best. This turned out scrumptious! I also added some tomatoes and carrots for the added sweetness and color. You can add peas if you like.



Meant to snap a pic but hubby and I wolfed it down and forgot all about the camera....but it should look something like this picture.




Aloo Gobi

Ingredients:
1 small cauliflower - chopped into small pieces
2 medium sized potatoes - chopped into small squares
2 small tomatoes - diced
1 carrot - diced into squares
Spices:
2-3 pieces dried chillies
3/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1tsp garam masala

some water
salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
- Heat oil and fry the spices (except tumeric and garam masala) till fragrant
- Add in the vegetables, stir around till coated with spices. Leave for about 5 mins.
- Add salt, pepper and tumeric powder. Stir around and then add water - enough to just about cover the vegetables.
- Let the mixture simmer until the liquid reduced to about half the amount, and sauce is slightly thick. It will thicken due to the starch from the potatoes.
- After this, sprinkle the garam masala, stir and let it simmer for a further 5mins. Add a little water if the liquid dries up too much. Once the potatoes and carrots are soft, it is ready to be served.

The amount of spices can be adjusted according to personal preferences. I tend to be generous with the cumin and fennel as I love the fragrance of the spices in the dish.

README Today's Meal: Black Pepper Chicken Pasta with Pear Salad

One of the perks of having your own place with a functional kitchen is more home-cooked meals. The fact that I have not sent Fabian hanging over the sink trying to regurgitate our dinners so far probably means I am doing not too bad (either that or it's because Dudok Cafe closed down and he does not have anywhere else nearby to eat).

Since I usually come up with something new each time depending on what's in the fridge (or what's available fresh at the GK Supermarket), I think it's a good idea to start writing the recipes down....in case I might want to cook them again.... haha....and of course, to share them with whoever brave enough to try. :) Here's the first one, dinner for today. Please note that measurements are approximate only....cooking is always an experiment and taste differ from person to person.

Bon Appetit!

Black Pepper Chicken Pasta (serves 2)

Main Ingredients:
One whole chicken breast meat - boneless
Garlic
Red bell pepper
Fresh or dry mushrooms (if dry, soak until soft)
Pasta (whatever type you fancy)

Seasoning:
Bottled black pepper sauce
Black pepper
Soy Sauce (light)
Salt to taste
Fresh herbs or dry bottled herbs
Olive oil

Method:
1. Clean and dry chicken breast.
2. Season chicken with black pepper sauce and soya sauce. Leave in fridge for at least 4 hours, if possible.
3. After chicken has been marinated, mix in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. This is to prevent chicken drying out when grilling. It also gives the meat a nice brown tint.
4. Grill chicken breast in oven (150-200degC) for about 45-60mins or until thoroughly cooked.
5. Remove chicken from oven and allow to cool down. Set aside.

6. Meanwhile, boil pasta in lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
7. Chopped and crush some garlic - about 4-5 tablespoons of chopped garlic. You can have more if you like.
8. Cut red bell pepper into strips.
9. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, sautee garlic until brown. Add bell pepper and chopped mushrooms.
10. Pour sauteed mixture onto boiled pasta. Add some salt, black pepper and herbs. Mix well.
11. Thinly slice grilled chicken and sprinkle on top of pasta before serving.

Pear Salad (serves 2)

Main Ingredients:
1 pear - slice into chunky pieces. Rinse with some lemon juice or lightly salted water to prevent oxidation (browning)
A handful of sultanas/raisins
1 small potato - boiled and cut into small pieces
1 small shallot - thinly sliced (you may leave this out if you don't fancy raw onions, but I like the slight 'kick' it gives the salad :))

Dressing:
Oilve oil
Brown sugar
Salad cream (just a little bit for taste. Alternatively you may substitute this with fresh lemon juice)

Method:
Well...it's a salad. Mix everything in and toss well.