A paw full of spice makes everything nice
The Chicken Tikka Masala Origin Story Chicken Tikka Masala was supposedly born in Glasgow when a customer complained about his chicken curry being dry. To remedy this situation, the restaurant chef added some tomato soup to the mix and VOILA! This British-Indian dish was born. Many people speculate on whether or not this is actually…
If you are a follower or even a fan of this blog, you’ll know that I love roasted red peppers (also pork belly, pasta and all things chicken but I digress). No offense to fresh, crunchy, raw red peppers, but roasted is where it is at. Soft, sweet and the perfect accompaniment to cheese (which…
Is there anything more comforting than a warm little mug of salty chicken broth to drink? When you’re sick, when you’re sad or nothing is wrong at all, drinking chicken broth is the ultimate comfort food. For the past month or so, I have been sick…TWICE! The first time was a bit of a…
Don’t lose it, reuse it! Got lots of leftovers that no one wants to touch? Is everything in your house avoiding it like the plague and insisting on ordering pizza instead? If you are like me and hate food waste, you have to learn how to get creative with leftovers. For me, the…
What is spatchcock chicken? ‘Spatchcock’ is just a funny word for butterflied. You basically just cut the chicken down its backbone and flatten it. What you get it one whole chicken laid flat for your cooking and eating pleasure. Why would I do this? There are several advantages to spatchcocking chicken….
A curry here, another curry there… Compare a local mamak (eatery) here in Malaysia with an Indian restaurant back home and you will be puzzled. Granted, a mamak serves a wide range of different Malaysian foods from three (or more) different ethnic groups, not just food from the subcontinent, but if you fancy a curry…
How curry laksa was born The story goes that when Chinese immigrants settled in Malaysia, they married locals who learned to cook Chinese recipes but put their own twist on them by using local ingredients. Hence, Peranakan cuisine (aka Nyonya cuisine) was born and still remains a delicious staple in Malaysia…
The evolving fajitas recipe Let me preface this by saying that I know fajitas were originally made with skirt steak. Some food purists would argue that steak is the only way to have fajitas but I disagree. You gotta change with the times if you stay current and fajitas NEED to stay…
For me as a kid, nothing was as big of a bummer as being served Hawaiian pizza. This was a time in my life when I keep the sweet and savory completely separate. To quote my father, “Leave the fruit in the bowl”. So I did just that and painstakingly removed all…
I could go on and on about how salty, sweet, crunchy, satisfying and generally great this lemongrass chicken stir-fry can be in a long story. Or I can just get down to the reasons why I love this recipe so much: It’s easy It’s quick It’s healthy It’s cheap to make…
Cooking is as much about the mistakes as it is the successes. Believe me, I have learned the hard way, especially when it comes to making ravioli. The first time I tried to make homemade ravioli, the dough was too thick and not cooked through and contained a filling that was…
] What is a chicken chop and why is it called that? A chicken chop is a deboned chicken leg with about 1 in / 2cm of the tail end of the bottom of the drumstick left in. This not only makes it a ‘chop’ but also gives you something to hold on to when…
I like my wings like I like my men: a little sweet, a little salty, tender on the inside but hot and spicy throughout. What a tragedy it is to be in a bar, pub or on a dinner date and find that their wings (or your…
Enchiladas…gooey, cheesey, spicy and warm enchiladas. The thought of it makes your mouth water and puts a little spring in your step. You might even say to yourself, ‘Tonight, I’m making a big ol’ plate of enchiladas for dinner. Let’s get some beer to go with it, why not? Diet starts tomorrow!‘….
The inspiration Before I met my husband and before I moved to Malaysia, I was completely unaware of what “Nando’s” chicken was and never heard of the term Piri Piri chicken. He explained to me that it was a spicy Portuguese chicken joint popular in the UK. Chicken? Spicy? YES, PLEASE! Keep it moist…
The first stop is to the taqueria Arroz con pollo (Mexican chicken with rice) would always be the first thing I ate when I returned to the USA from abroad. After a tortuous 17-hour flight, I need my spicy chicken and rice to cheer me up. Tender chicken with mushrooms and…
Living in polluted Beijing and teaching preschool meant that I was often sick throughout the years I was there. After all, if you’ve got a classroom filled with 3-year-olds with sticky hands and runny noses coughing and sneezing on you on purposely on you, well then you’re bound to be frequently ill. Should the occasion…
When I was a child, my favorite food was Chicken Cordon Bleu. In my opinion, there was nothing to dislike. Someone somewhere in Switzerland had come up with a sinfully perfect combination of fried chicken with salty ham and molten cheese center. As someone who LOVES fried chicken, I can’t think of anything better. As…
There will always be a place in my heart for you, chicken nugget. Does anything epitomize kid food more than a chicken nugget? I doubt it. Chicken nuggets and mac n’ cheese were some of my favorite foods when growing up. In fact, they still remain some of my favorite foods to…
Cilantro chicken curry is one of those easy Indian curries that you can make practically anywhere. You don’t need a lot of different spices to make it, nor a lot of time in the kitchen. All you need in a lot of fresh cilantro/coriander, chicken, ginger, garlic, and a touch of yogurt….