Simple Dinner Recipe: Homemade Satay Chicken

This is my first attempt at making my own Satay Chicken at home. Marinated lean chicken, on a grill and we ran out of bamboo skewers. Truly home style. Haha.

Homemade Satay Chicken

The verdict? So gooooood.

Well, don't compare to the bought ones especially those laden with artery-clogging fats and charred taste of potentially-cancerous carbon bits ;) This is truly homemade and healthier version. And by homemade standard, I have to say it's pretty darn good!

I'm quite impressed with the marinate which I bought from Tesco, Malaysia. I like the fact that I can still taste the lemongrass and it wasn't salty enough! You see, I'm always very skeptical to try packet mix because it's always too salty for my taste but this was different. It still has room for me to adjust the saltiness to my taste - so I added a bit of sugar, salt, pepper and oyster sauce. I'm happy :)

Next, it's the Satay Sauce. Honestly I've tasted better but you really can't complain for something as easy as throwing the whole packet into a hot water bath, cut open and serve!

Here's my happy Satay Sauce enjoying his hot spring, totally ignorant and unsuspicious of the fate that awaits him...

To make your own homemade Satay Chicken (for 4 person):

Ingredients
1kg of chicken thigh (skin removed;cleaned and chopped into small pieces)
1 packet of Satay Marinade
Packet of Satay Sauce (1 packet = a small bowl shown on the packaging = only enough for 1 person. So do the math yourself!)
Chopped Onions
Chopped Cucumbers

Optional: Salt, Pepper, Oyster Sauce, Sugar


Step 1: Marinate the chicken with the Satay Marinade and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. (Add water and seasonings to taste. Give it a good stir to ensure all the chicken pieces are well marinated.)

Step 2: Using a grill pan, cook the chicken until slightly charred. Just slightly!

Step 3: Put the whole packet of Satay Sauce (unopened) into a hot water bath for 15mins, cut open and Serve!

Step 4: Serve satay with some chopped onions and cucumbers. We had it with rice too and all we have to say is....YUM! :D

Dinner's ready! I love this one! :D

Oh by the way, my first job interview is happening next week!! Weeee~ I'm so excited. It only means I can cook and bake more yummy goodies without feeling the guilt of being jobless! Wish me luck!!

Be back soon! Muax!

Easy To Impress Dessert Recipe: Sago Pudding with Coconut Milk & Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka)

"Dessert is the best time of the day."


I can't agree more. :)


The other night, I made teriyaki chicken for the guys and after that, fly them off to dessert heaven with this sago pudding recipe! Well, it was my first time making teriyaki AND sago pudding...so it was more like an experiment with the guinea pigs. Lol. The outcome of the experiment? Guinea pigs were a happy bunch. :P

Anyways, back to this recipe, I have to stress to you how super easy it is! If I knew it was this easy to make, I would bring it to all potluck parties I have been invited to! Serious! It's soooo easy to make and it's really difficult to fail this one. >_< Coconut milk and Palm Sugar is perfect match in dessert heaven. :) If you are a fan of Asian desserts especially Malaysian dessert, you got to try this!!  I found the recipe from the talented Ms I-Hua here in her blog (Link).

So, what's sago pudding by the way? Basically, it's a soft pudding made of sago (which is quite tasteless on it's own), but when combined with rich coconut milk and the oh-so-fragrant palm sugar (in Malaysia, we call it Gula Melaka)...it transforms to become this wonderful dessert so yum and soooo sinful in every bite! >_<

Perfect Ending: The Awesome Sago Pudding

So, here's the step-by-step recipe to make 4 awesome 6-oz ramekin sago pudding:

Ingredients
- Sago/Tapioca Pearls (about 250g or more!) (refer to packaging for cleaning instructions)
- 4 Pandan Leaves/Screwpine leaves (washed and tied into a knot)
- 150g of Gula Melaka/Palm Sugar
- 1 can of Coconut milk
- 1 Egg white

This is how Sago/Tapioca Pearls look like, if you don't already know. I used about 250g which was just enough for the 4 of us, considered many pearls were lost because some were stuck to the pot and the sieve!!  >_<  So, trust me, make more than 250g!! Lol.

The key to success in this recipe is definitely Palm Sugar! Very important to get only DARK palm sugar because it makes all the difference! This is the bestest palm sugar I've tasted so far. Very close to those you find in Penang/Malacca. Serious! By the way, let's all droool at that bowl of Ice Kacang on the package for awhile. Slurp!

 

 

 

 

Anyways, back to the recipe! It can't get any easier that this!


Step 1: Add water into a large pot and bring to boil. Add in the pandan leaves. When the aroma of pandan leaves start filling your kitchen, that's the best time to throw in the sago pearls. Keep stirring until the pearls float to the top and turn translucent.

Step 2: Drain the water and remove the pandan leaves. Wash the cooked sago with cold running tap water thoroughly to remove any excess starch.

Behold my beautiful pearls....with some stuck in between the sieve!! >_<

Step 3: This is a very interesting step I learned from Ms I-Hua. Beat an egg white until soft peak and fold it into the sago pearls. Egg whites help to keep the sago separated so when you eat the pudding, you can taste every pearl in your mouth. Do not skip this step! >_<

Step 4: Grease the ramekin with some vegetable oil before filling them with the sago pearls. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Step 5: In a small pot, melt palm sugar with a bit of water in low heat. Keep stirring and be careful not to burn it! This will take just a few minutes.

Step 6: In another small pot, heat the coconut milk just until it simmers. Do not overcook the coconut milk!

Step 7: Assembly time! Gently remove the sago pudding onto a serving plate/bowl. Fill it with some warm coconut milk and then slowly drizzle the warm palm sugar on top! Ooooo...reminds me of the chocolate lava in my previous recipe but only this time, it's palm sugar! >_<

Let's droool~ or you can make some for dessert tonight! Hehe..

And, that's it! There you go, another superrr easy dessert recipe to impress your loved ones!

This recipe is definitely a keeper and since I still have sago pearls and pandan leaves in my freezer, I might just make it again very very sooooon! :D


See you at dessert heaven, tata! :)