Spectacular Christmas Lunch of Golden Pillow : Malaysian Bread Stuffed with Curry Chicken

Malaysian Golden Pillow is a dish of cooked curry chicken stuffed and baked in a soft white bread. If you are keen to take the unbeaten path and wow your Christmas lunch guests this year, how about trying out this unconventional dish ? The presentation is going to impress  your guests and have them talking about it and will definitely be unique after having eaten10 roast turkeys, 13 glazed leg hams running up to Christmas Lunch.

Not entirely sure where the name Golden Pillow comes from but it's easy to associate the name with the look of the finished product. A big pillow size bread that resembles a pillow. The one in the photo was a show stopper just by its size. It was something like 40 x 50cm and weighs a ton. I made mine by using a recipe from a sweet dinner I have used a few times before( it was a joy to eat!) with my own curry chicken recipe (below).

Step 1: Sweet Dinner Rolls 

• 1/2 cup warm water 
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

1. Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.Depending on your bread machine, mine takes 3 hours until I get a my dough ready. While waiting to it to be ready, I have enough time to prepare the chicken curry.

Step 2. Malaysian Chicken Curry Recipe:

1-1.5kg boneless chicken thigh ( I used chicken drumsticks because I didn't mind the bones)

2-3 large potatoes, skinned and cubed.

Curry paste:

4cm frozen tumeric

4 large dried chillies; seeds removed and soaked in hot water  (add more if you prefer yours spicier)

2cm ginger

4 stalks of lemongrass

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

4 shallots

2-3 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

Others:

1 sprig of curry leaves (optional)

1 can of 400ml coconut milk  ( I prefer Cock brand from Asian supermarkets, use more if you prefer it creamier)

1 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp curry powder to marinade chicken

Oil 

Salt

Pepper

1 oven bag

Aluminium foil

Note: If you don't have all the above spices or just want to cut short the process, you can buy a packet of meat curry powder from an asian supermarket. I am an ardent fan of Baba's Meat Curry Powder($3.50) and they can be found in almost every asian supermarket. I prefer making everything from scratch because it just tastes better but the curry powder is pretty good as well.

1. Marinade chicken with salt, pepper,curry powder and set aside.

2. Blend all the spices in your food processor. If you have a pestle and mortar, you can pound all these ingredients in it. I usually go for pestle and mortar if I have the time just because I enjoy the smell and texture of the paste you get in the end.

3. Heat oil in wok. Add in curry paste and let it 'sweat' in the hot oil.

4. Microwave the potatoes in a bowl covered with cling wrap for 6-7 minutes until potatoes are a little cooked but not starchy. I prefer to cook my potatoes separately because the starch doesn't dilute the curry.

5. Add in chicken meat and cook for about 5 minutes and add in coconut milk. Add in your semi cooked potato cubes and cover for up to 10 minutes in medium heat. If you are using drumsticks or whole thighs, make sure you cut them into smaller pieces to save cooking time.

6. Turn off heat and fill the curry chicken and gravy into 1 oven bag and tie it up and wrap with 2 layers of foil to prevent leakage in case the oven bag breaks.

7. Set it aside and roll out the dough on a dry surface.

8. Put the wrapped chicken curry on top of the dough and fold. 

9. If you want a darker finish on the bread, crack 1 egg yolk in a bowl with 1 tbsp of water and brush it over the dough.

10. Bake the bread for 20 minutes at 200c.

Fill curry chicken into oven bag. Use a bowl to keep it steady.

Tie the oven bag tight to avoid spillage.

Filling wrapped in oven bag then a layer of foil

Fold wrapped filling into the prepared dough and brush with egg yolk 

After baking for 20 minutes,the finished Golden Pillow !

Use a pair of scissors to cut the bread when you serve and then cut into the foil and finally the oven bag. The aroma of the curry will be oozing out of the bread and it's just as spectacular in flavour as it is in presentation. If you are unsure that curry chicken is for everyone i.e young children, make a second Golden Pillow and fill it with a chicken stir-fry with oyster sauce, chicken fricassee etc.

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Annabel Langbein's 5 Minutes Lemon Coconut Cake

My aunt recently gave me a copy of Annabel Langbein's latest cookbook  ' Free Range Cook in the City'.
It was a such a delightful gift because most of the ingredients can be sourced locally and are not complicated to follow. Mostly recipes are simple but produces great food that you can prepare with a few basic ingredients that does not take too much cooking skills to prepare. I never enjoy baking as much as some people that I know. I was determined to rid of the lack of confidence when it comes to baking. And the only way to do so is to keep trying until I succeed. I am not joking when I say I can't bake. I've even failed to bake a simple banana cake.

Back to this recipe, the mentioned prep time was 5 minutes. Thought to self  'sweet, I just do this while waiting for my coffee'. I was so wrong. It took me 30 minutes. Firstly, I have to juice and grate zest of 4 lemons which took me more than 5 mins. Second speed bump was it was not mentioned how big the food processor that should be used. Mine is a standard size 1500ml capacity. I bet Ms Langbein's must be an enormous one because I could barely close the lid after pouring in 3 cups of flour and has to clean up some spillage and pour the remaining cup using the chute. If you have a bigger food processor this recipe will work in 10 minutes. But all the frustration was well rewarded when I saw the end result of a moist and zesty lemon cake.

I decorated mine with orange, lemon, lime slices and a handful of pomegranate. The cake retained its moisture after being in the fridge for 2 days thanks to using oil instead of butter ( as I was told by a very good cook). The cake calls for a 28cm cake tin but I only have a 24cm so I left it in the oven for extra 15 minutes. I brought some to a friend's afternoon tea and they enjoyed it. I will definitely make this again but next time I will only put half the ingredients and make a smaller cake instead.

Recipe:

For cake:

Juice and zest of 4 lemons

4 eggs

1.5 cup unflavoured yogurt

3 cup sugar

4 cups self rising flour

1/2 cup dessicated coconut ( Use the coarser type if you like the texture in your cake)

2 cups neutral oil ( I used rice bran oil)

a pinch of salt

Cream cheese frosting:

75g butter , softened but unmelted

250gm cream cheese

4 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

Bake at Fan Bake for 1.5 hours at 160c. I baked mine at 170 because the seal of my oven is a little loose and loses heat. If you are an amateur like me, please resist getting the cake out of the tin while it's hot. Let it cool down on the bench and it will shrink a little and you will not have broken bits like mine. 

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Late night dumplings at New Flavour Restaurant, Dominion Road

I often tell S how lucky we are to live in Auckland whenever we go food hunting at night. At 10pm on a Wednesday night, you are spoilt for choice if you live in Auckland. At least, our choices are not limited to Maccas, Wendy's, kebabs and greasy pies from a petrol station.

We have walked past New Flavour on numerous occasions but have only tried it's food recently. We were often put off by the crowd but that's a good sign isn't it? This place is a real gem and you can tell words had spreaded like wildfire. About 6-12 months ago, you will only see mostly Asian people on this part of Dominion Rd but of late, it's transforming into a Ponsonby / K'rd 

All the dumplings here are handmade. We saw a woman making these by hand while we were waiting for our food. The menu is extensive, you can choose from a variety of meat and vegetable combinations i.e pork  & chives, lamb & fennel,etc, steamed, boiled, fried or combination of fried and steamed. We chose steamed pork and coriander dumplings. 20 morsels of these handmade goodies for only $8 ! They were delicious. Generous amount of pork meat and not just just fats with coriander, dipped in chilli oil and vinegar. The skin of the dumplings are really good too...NOT doughy and thick like some that we have come across.

Also on the menu are chinese pancakes. They come in sweet & savoury . We chose a savoury option - spring onion pancakes. 

These were stunningly good ! Thin and crispy and not greasy at all. Every bite is so light and the best surprise is they are only $1.50 per portion. Each portion are 6 pieces, enough for 2 to snack on while waiting for the dumplings. 

We also ordered a portion of cucumber and tofu salad and it was really good too. So light and refreshing. The tofu strips are not the usual soft cubes you get in Chinese restaurants, these resembles spaghetti and tossed with soy sauce, sesame oil and some chilli oil but not overly oily at all. 

If you are craving for dumplings after this post, the address is  541 Dominion Road, Mt Eden, ph 638-6880.

Opening hours are 5pm to 3am.

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A hearty vegetarian dinner from Revive Cafe !!

Whenever I try to be a vegetarian for a meal or two, I was always hesitant because the lack of options.
Often you can only opt for a carbo rich meal i.e  vegetarian lasagne that tastes like cheese on cardboards and
dodgy sandwiches with very little fibre. S and I try to have a few meat free meals a week because we think that it's good for us and eating less meat overall is probably a good thing for the environment.We went to Revive to take out 2 meals and 1 salad meal and then went for my short run in Cornwall Park before coming home without the stress of thinking what to make / buy for dinner.

I've recently bought a few $6 vouchers from Grab One and has been to Revive a few times to pack some dinners and I have to say that I really enjoy their food. Lots of veg, lentils and whole grains. I bought a hot pot of the day : Italian White Beans in a Romesco Sauce on Brown Rice which is Gluten Free too. I really enjoy the beans and sauce. I have only used white beans in salads and sometimes made into a dip but cooking it in a tomato base sauce is pretty good. I might cook mine with Barilla's Arabiata sauce for my pasta..yum!

Quinoa salad with broccoli. I never knew what to do with quinoa but making a salad with is so delicious and easy. Must try !

Moroccan Chickpeas (gluten free) and Fresh Vegetable Medley w Spinach, Carrot & Cauliflower . There was lots of food, no doubt but I don't mind refuelling my body with loads of goodness. Will definitely be getting more take-outs from Revive on weekdays. They different menu each day to keep the options interesting. Go to their website to view their latest updates: http://revive.co.nz/.  

p/s: I don't work for or benefit in anyway from them. Just an honest recommendation especially if you are vegetarian and lives in Auckland Central.

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Ombre Hair with Kevin Murphy Color Bug

I have been craving for something fun to do on my hair especially with summer coming up. But I have never been a fan of spending more than 5 mins on my hair in the morning when I can barely even get out of bed after

hitting the snooze button for the gazillionth time ! I found this photo on Pinterest and absolutely adore it. Recently found out that an Australian haircare hairdresser /company, Kevin Murphy that sells a temporary hair  call Color Bug that  you can DIY on the weekend and achieve pink/orange/purple hair and can be washed off easily to go back to work on Monday ! I have to get it soon! I am not really fond of pink hair but maybe orange? 

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Back in Action !

Sorry for the long absence. I have been so busy with work lately but that's not a good excuse I know.
Also, to top it off, I have so graciously-accidentally deleted some of my older posts. It was absolute horror. Sure I can re-post the blog but it's not the same. Thanks to a lot of dedicated geniuses out there who know how to retrieve silly mistakes like these. So in the case that you might have an unfortunate accident like this go
to this link for a life-saving tips: http://www.bloggertipsandtricks.com/2010/04/recover-accidentally-deleted-post-part.html. Thank you Peter @Enviroman.

I will be back soon with the next exciting post. Meanwhile, enjoy this short post about Fauja Singh who'd just competed in the Toronto Marathon at the young age of 100 !! Now there's no reason not to run ey ?

Ok, I need some tea to calm my nerves until the next post!

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Little & Friday Newmarket

If there is anything that had made my life sweeter (and waistline wider) recently, it has to be the
Little & Friday cafe on Melrose St, Newmarket. At first I was reluctant to share information of this little piece of gem to others but it will be known to all sooner or later so I might as well ..

The coffee is from Supreme Coffee...my favorite and the talented bakers here uses  free range and organic ingredients in their kitchen. Not to mention that the staff here are really friendly most of the time.

The tables were decorated with more goodies to entice you !  

      The pear tart is so delicious...the pear was just the right texture and the pastry was just so damn    good. After I've finished I just wanted another because it's just too awesome.

Lemon & coconut cake is one of their best sellers.

I also love their grilled haloumi cheese, tomato and leek pastry.

This is one of the rare cafes in Auckland that I think will make non Aucklanders jealous (I am just being sour grape of the cafes in Wellington) and wish they had one too. 

There's really nothing to complain about this place other than some selfish patrons who'd rather let their designer handbags sit on a chair than you (Grrrr!!) The coffees here are pretty great too and prices are around $5-$8 for their cakes which I think is a really good deal for the quality, taste and quirkiness.

Little & Friday
12 Melrose St.
Newmarket

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A whiff of Eritrea in Auckland

The very first time I had African food was during a trip to Vancouver and I fell in love with the flavour, texture and the smell of my fingers after the meal. I was hooked. Since I am back in Auckland, I kept googling and finally found an Eritrean lunch outing through a food tour organiser, Finding Flavours.

This is not just a lunch outing, we are going to be served a meal cooked by an Eritrean family and followed by a coffee ceremony. There were about a dozen other foodies on the day and we were warmly welcomed by Aklilu and his sisters Rahel and Tsehaines in their family home. The smell of the food was making me hungry.After an introduction to the family and Eritrean food and culture, the dishes were presented to us on a table and we were encouraged by the family to eat as much as we like.

The meal starts with injera, a flat bread made from fermented rice flour is the base of a meal much like rice or pasta. The fermentation process created the airy soft texture of the injera.

Derho is a chicken and hard-boiled eggs in curry. The chicken was so tender, it fell off the bones.It was not very spicy, just a little hint of chilli with a nice gingery aftertaste.

Zigni is a lamb curry cooked with the family made from scratch curry paste. Very good too.

Alicha : stir-fried carrots, beans, potatoes ,garlic and onion with spices. It was so delicious that I ate almost half the bowl. No kidding.

Ades is a spicy lentil dish that goes really well with the injera.

Our lovely foodie, oops! I mean guide Lynn from Finding Flavours

Tsehaines & Aklilu generously shared their food and culture with us

Aklilu presented us Hmbasa bread to go with the coffee. Popcorn was also served and it's a common practice to have it before coffee is served.

Freshly baked Hambasa bread to go with the aromatic coffee

Green coffee beans are roasted over charcoal fire by Rahel


The roasted coffee grinds are then transferred to be boiled

If only I can have this coffee every morning..strong but not overpowering with a nice cardamon flavour lingering in your mouth.

We've spent almost 3 hours in the family home and it was one of the warmest occasions that was motivated by food but continued by sharing some of the families' stories in a group of like-minded, well-traveled foodies. I personally think it's a true privilege to share an amazing meal cooked by the people who eat it everyday at home themselves. Nothing can get as authentic as this. The experience was really memorable and kudos to Lynn from Finding Flavours for organising such a special occasion and am looking forward for more to come.

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First race of the year

Just collected my race pack after work last night and going to rise up early tomorrow to run the half marathon with an unwilling knee. Up until last Friday, I was still very uncertain if I should do it because my knee was still in agony but I received a lot encouragement and will show up with the best spirit tomorrow and see how far I can go. On somedays I thought I won't make it but I did and hopefully tomorrow is one of them. Heck, if I really can't go on anymore I will just find the nearest cafe to have my cuppa and get S to pick me up.

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O.P.I No Room For The Blues

A little bit of nail polish talk to kick off August blogging! I got this as a gift for Christmas and loved this shade to bits. It's also one of the best O.P.I shade that I have come across. It goes on beautifully and won't chip for a good 3-4 days without top coat and that means a lot to me

because I cook and wash a fair bit during the week. Coincidentally, I also have a ukulele in almost

the same shade. How matching is that ?

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Mamak in Chancery Square Auckland

I have been longing for a 'Mamak' style restaurant in Auckland for so long and always envious of Sydneysiders for having a very good one. So when I found out from a friend there is one, I was excited and enthusiastic! Mamak refers to Indian Muslims in Malaysia and Mamak style cooking and eateries are very much a big part of the Malaysians' eating / leisure culture because of the convenience , taste and great bang for your buck. Mamak stalls are popular throughout the day and to many Malaysians, the day starts with a Roti Canai or Nasi Lemak washed down with Teh Tarik ( Malaysian Pulled Milk Tea). Roti Canai ( Flaky Bread) is the star of any given mamak stall.

Mamak Malaysian in Chancery Sq is the only establishment that make their own Roti Canai fresh everyday and not reheated frozen ones you get from Asian supermarkets. Sorry to burst your bubble if you think that all the Roti Canai you have been eating all these while is made fresh. Mamak is one of the very few Malaysian eateries that make fresh Roti Canai in their premise. Like all other food, nothing beats freshly made option. I cringe when I read food critics goes on and on about how different they are from one restaurant to another because they are all from the same manufacturer.

Our meal started with a compulsory order of roti canai served with curry chicken. The roti was crispy but moist and has a nice chew unlike frozen ones. The serving was generous too. Definitely worth coming here just for the roti canai. They have roti telur (egg roti) too but they were a little too generous with the eggs and made the bread a little heavy.

A good meal at a Mamak always include a good milo ais which without much guessing means Milo with ice. This is the best milo ais I have tasted in Auckland that's not from a bottle.One might ask "aren't Milo the same everywhere?" No. The Milo in Malaysia is more chocolatey .

Mamak Mee Goreng is tangy and superlicious. It reminds me of the great mee goreng from the Mercury Plaza many many years ago. Good balance of sambal chili and tomatoes. The noodles are nicely covered with gravy but not sticky and gooey. Absolute winner !

I find this sign above their kitchen door hillarious.

Once the wet winter season is over, I will be looking forward to going to Mamak and eat in the courtyard area. The owner is a jolly host this is as close as it gets if you want to have a taste of mamak style food in Auckland, not to mention that they are the only one making Roti Tissue!

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