Changed menu preference

 

After almost 10 days of eating from the international menu, I've decided to changed my choice to halal menu. Had to inform the hotel of the change 24 hours in advance.

Today's lunch is halal meal which is made up of yellow rice + raisins, vegetable spicy curry and chicken tikka. Dinner is fish curry with peas etc. Must confess that the halal meals are much more tastier than the international meals.

 

"Maserati" delivered sliced fruits and herbal jelly to the hotel for us. As we are in quarantine, we are not allowed to come into contact. The hotel staff was gracious to bring the goodies to us. Many thanks "Maserati" for your kind thoughts!

Chicken curry for lunch

Another visit to "Granny Famous Briyani"

We visited "Granny Famous Briyani" again for lunch. This time we ordered curry fish (2 slices), a piece of chicken thigh, potato with long beans and briyani rice (+ an egg). The food is fabulous and according to granny her curry does not include coconut milk. The total bill is $16.50 which is reasonable.

Cooking my favorite curry chicken

Curry chicken in Japan

We brought A1 curry paste and cooked chicken curry today for lunch. Simply followed the instructions on the package and added the marinated chicken parts. In Japan, you can't find the whole chicken in the supermarket. Can only get chicken parts like wings, breast meat, thighs but not the feet nor neck which I love. We didn't add okra nor eggplant as we do not want the curry to be diluted.
Overall, the curry tasted good and we had a satisfying meal in the hot summer afternoon.

Today, for the first time, I used the A1 curry paste instead of the usual Earthen Pot curry powder. A1 cost a bit more than E.Pot because it has all the necessary spices mixed in it. For E.Pot, you may have to add some spices of your own. A1 cost $2.90 a pack and EP is $1.20.
Besides the coconut milk, one may also add some curry leaves to enhance the taste. You may buy the curry leaves from the supermarket (60c a pkt).
Instructions on how to cook the curry are on the A1's label. It's very easy and an amateur like me could cook a nice pot of curry by following the instructions.

Cooking chicken curry@ home

I used the Earthen Pot curry powder which may be bought from the supermarket.

Things to buy:

1. Buy a reasonable size fresh chicken (about $5.60)
2. Also buy a packet of curry powder (Earthen Pot or Baba chicken curry powder)
3. Get a small pkt of coconut milk
4. Need a few potatoes
5. If possible get some curry leaves from the supermarket
6. Also buy a small bottle of cincalok (fermented shrimp paste)
7. You may use red chilli or sambal belachan (shrimp paste)
8. Don't forget to buy some lady fingers and tomatoes

Steps:

• Heat up the wok or frying pan
• When the wok is hot, put some cooking oil and pour the potatoes in it
• Remove the potatoes and place the chicken parts in the hot wok
• After a few minutes, remove the chicken
• Pour more cooking oil into the wok and when it is hot
• Put some curry powder (amount as per instructions on the curry pkt label) into the wok and fry for a while
• Then put the chicken parts into the wok and fry
• Add a little water and stir the chicken parts
• Place the potatoes into the wok
• After about 15 minutes add your cut tomatoes, lady fingers and curry leaves
• Turn the fire down to small and add some cincalok and sambal belachan or sliced red chilli and cover the contents for about 10 minutes
• Add some coconut milk and stir the contents for 5 minutes
• Turn off the fire and let it cool down for about 15 minutes
• Now the curry is ready to be eaten

You may eat with rice or bread......enjoy!

My favourite chicken curry

Curry chicken for lunch. It was cooked by my wife as I told her of my wish to eat her home cooked curry chicken. It was a satisfying and lovely meal especially after the surgery. The top picture didn't look like curry because she placed the veggies on top of the curry in the wok. But nevertheless, the veggies worked wonders as they are full of fiber.

Fried chicken breast meat for dinner

Had the fried chicken plus veggie soup and rice for dinner. Now trying to eat less and eat healthy.

Soba,curry chicken set and ban mian for today.

I had all the above today. The chicken curry was a mistake because what I wanted was Hainanese Chicken Chop rice set from Toast Box. The meal wasn't available at this particular Toast Box. I had been eating curry chicken for my last few meals. It's not that the one served by Toast Box wasn't good but the one that my wife cooked over the weekend was much much better.
The dinner was a simple bowl of ban mian served at Seletar Kopitiam. This one is about one of the best ban mian in Singapore.

Sunday's lunch and dinner at home

Due to the hazy condition and being a Sunday we decided to eat-in. Lunch was a bowl of unagi or grilled eel rice. Dinner was chicken curry and rice. In fact, I had 2 serving of the curry rice and guess what? My weight went down by 400 gm. If I were to eat out, my weight would go up even with the same amount. I think the oil, ingredients etc the restaurants and hawkers use in their cooking are not of good qualities.

Cooking chicken curry on a Sunday

• I used 1/2 pkt of  Baba's curry powder (250gm) which is obtainable from the supermarkets.
• Chicken (1 kg) cut into parts and marinate for 5 mins with the curry powder and a bit of salt.
• Cut the potatoes into any size you like. Get tomatoes, ladies' fingers ready.
• Fry the the cut brinjals with some oil. 

Methods of cooking:

• Pour some oil into the pan.
• Then add curry powder (125 gm) and fry till fragrant. Add a bit of water.
• Add the pieces of chicken. Fry for a few minutes.
• Add pieces of potatoes and stir for a while.
• Let the the curry boil for about 5 minutes.
• Pour some coconut milk into the boiling curry ( if you like your curry to be lemak, you may put more coconut milk). Preferably use fresh coconut milk if not buy the packet coconut milk from the supermarket. Stir the curry thoroughly and let it simmer (low heat) for another few minutes.
• Lastly, put the tomatoes, ladies' fingers and brinjals into the curry. Do not stir as it will crush the veggies. Cover the curry and let it simmer for 3 to 5 minutes before switching off the fire.

It's best to eat a few hours later as to let the curry gravy infuse into the chicken parts,potatoes and veggies.

Bon appetit 

I cooked this chicken curry and you can too

Buy one of those medium size chicken (1.2 kg) from the supermarket. You may get a pkt of Earthen Pot dried curry powder or an A1 Curry Sauce (above).

• Cut the chicken into small pieces
• Saute the chicken parts and potatoes with the A1 curry sauce for about 10 minutes (medium heat) after adding 400 to 600 ml of water
• Add okra or ladies fingers,curry leaves and stir gently in medium heat for another 5 minutes
• Lastly add the cut tomatoes and 100ml of coconut milk or half of the pkt shown in the picture. Simmer the curry and contents for 5 more minutes over low heat

             
Now you may start eating the curry with white rice or bread .

Cooking curry is simple and can be fun. I believe anyone who is passionate can cook a reasonably nice curry. Cooking can also de-stress a person and that includes me too.
All the above including the whole chicken cost only about $10. The amount of chicken and curry could easily cater for 4 people. Cheap and good !