Vegan Pumpkin and Broccolli Curry

I made an amazing pumpkin and broccoli curry from scratch for dinner last night and have to share it here. This recipe is gluten-free,vegan and vegetarian friendly. The curry is so creamy and sweet because of the pumpkin. I know a lot of people who doesn't like eating pumpkin because they find it incredibly bland and boring. I personally love pumpkins as they are nutritious, cheap and you can store it in the pantry for a very long time plus it is very versatile.

Ingredients:

Half a pumpkin (about 1kg or a little more), skinned and cubed
1 large head of broccoli
1 large Spanish onion
A stalk of curry leaves (optional)
400ml can of coconut milk
Cooking oil
Salt
Pepper


For the curry paste:

1 large red onion, cubed
2 stalks of lemongrass stem roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 large red chillies
2 cm of turmeric or 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
4 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

1. In a blender, blitz together all the ingredients for the curry paste. It doesn't have to be very fine but fine enough so that you don't bite into chunks of lemongrass.

2. Set aside the curry paste and heat about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a saucepan or wok.

3. Fry the curry paste  and curry leaves until fragrant and and then add in the cubed pumpkins and onions. Stir fry for until they become semi soft and add coconut milk.

4.Add in broccoli and let it simmer for a 2 minutes. Season to taste.

I don't like my broccolis too soft. If you feel the same you can leave it out until the very end too.
Serve with brown rice or indian roti if you can find them in Asian stores.

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Eating in Kuala Lumpur, Stuttgart ,Hong Kong, Copenhagen

This is a very overdue post when I finished my long exhaustive trip in May but there's just too many good food memories not to post so here it is. After hours scouring through hundreds, if not thousands of holiday photos, I have picked out some to share. Be warned that this post is picture heavy!!

First stop was Kuala Lumpur to eat like there's no tomorrow visit family and friends.Like many other Asian cities, you can't walk around Kuala Lumpur without succumbing to food temptations. My favourite haunts are usually in the old style restaurants where you get genuinely good food and not just fancy decor and menus. A good friend took me to Petaling Street aka Chinatown for dinner and it was one of the best food I have eaten during my stay in Kuala Lumpur.

                                 Claypot Loh Shee Fun (rice noodles shaped like mouse tails)

'Siu Yok' (Roasted Pork)Noodles. In true Malaysian style, all noodles are to be accompanied by fresh bird's eye chillies and sambal belacan. Heavenly combination!

Smorgasbord of delicious Malay food

My all time favorite Nasi Lemak

Nasi Padang feast

I don't know how I survived eating so much gorgeous food in my two weeks stay in Kuala Lumpur but I did, which is amazing. These photos represents only a fraction of what I ate. The rest of the time I am too engrossed in eating that I forgot to take photos until it's all gone.

A healthy breakfast of rolled oats with abundance of tropical fruits. Eating a rainbow of goodness - dragonfruit, mangoes,goji berries and almonds.

Sotong Kangkong - Cuttlefish salad with water convolvulus and crushed peanuts.

Yong Tauhu -stuffed vegetables with fish mince on broth

These are the frogs in the fish tank before they were fished out to be cooked.

Hong Kong

I've lost track of how many trips that I have made to Hong Kong and the food has always been the most rewarding part and I keep going back for the food, and the shopping. One of the must try dish in Hong Kong is Wonton Noodles. It's quintessentially Hong Kong cuisine and my favourite is from Tsim Tsai Kee in Wan Chai. Each element: broth, noodles and wontons are just perfect. They have been awarded one Michelin star for their effort.

Ginger Milk Pudding so ridiculously soft you'd think that you're eating clouds.

Charcoal grilled pork neck cheese noodles -quirky and tasty

Dinner @Yung Kee Restaurant. This is one of the most esteemed food establishment in Hong Kong and it's well-knowned for their roasted goose. It was my sis' shout and we got greedy and ordered a whole goose for 4.

Street food galore...

Huge mango dessert ordered by sis to share

Pig trotters cooked with preserved plums in Wanchai

 My all time favourite tea time food Hong Kong - freshly baked Bolo buns from Kam Wah in Mongkok 

I can't remember what these were but I think they were pig offals that my sis ate. I ate some too. I know you shouldn't really eat anything that you don't know but that's part of the fun when you travel in Asia.

After I left Hong Kong, I stayed a few days in Germany with my husband's family and then traveled to Copenhagen for 3 days and had the most fantastic time there visiting an old friend and just sucking in all the beauty of this city. The buildings, designs and people. I would love to come back soon during summer time. 

I started this post with the intention of fitting all my food photos but I realise it's getting a bit too long. I will write another post of my foodie experience in New York and San Francisco.

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Oven Fried Panko Chicken Recipe

Sorry for the long hiatus from my blog. The last two months has been crazily busy for me with work and also with my personal life. I have been too caught up with my Crossfit training and it takes a hell out of me. But I am back now !

I am sharing a recipe that I have concocted a few months back I absolutely adore it from the very first try because it's delicious, healthier than fried chicken and tastes like the real deal! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and altered it to my preference / what I have in my fridge and it turned out great. The recipe called for mayo for marinating the chicken but I don't stock mayo at home but I had full fat yogurt. Greek yogurt is going to work too. Feel free to add more cayenne pepper or black pepper if you like your fried chicken a little peppery.

Japanese panko crumbs are heavenly to work with because of the texture and dryness compared to breadcrumbs which gives the chicken a nice crunch. I served it to S and he didn't have a clue that it was not deep-fried. You can find Japanese panko crumbs in most supermarkets these days but if you can't, you definitely find them in an Asian supermarket. If you like your chicken to have more crumbs, just spoon a little more into the resealable bags

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken free-range drumstick (around 8-9 pieces)
1 cup japanese panko crumbs (loosely stacked)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1.5 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 cup full fat yogurt/ Greek yogurt

Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 175 degrees C

2. Mix together the bread crumbs, cayenne pepper,thyme,salt, pepper, thyme and paprika in a big size resealable plastic bag.

3. Wash and towel dry the chicken drumsticks. Coat the drumsticks with yogurt and place  into the  resealable bag with panko crumbs mixture and coat/shake until well coated. Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch  or similar sized baking tray with wire rack and bake for 40-45 minutes or until juices run clear. 

I made a simple coleslaw with red cabbage, cabbage, carrots, sweet corn kernels and crushed almonds to go with the chicken drumsticks and it was marvellous! 

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