Mun Fan

I call this dish Chinese risotto because it's made in a similar way but with Chinese ingredients. My husband doesn't agree with me, he thinks it's totally different but you'll see what I mean when you see how to make it.

My M-I-L makes this a lot as it's quite easy to make, very filling and is a great comfort food - it's also great mixed with her delicious chilli but more about that another time.

We ate this on 23rd June 2011.

Ingredients:

Whole or half chick cut into chunky pieces including bones
Dry shrimp or dry scallop (about a small hand full) *Dried scallops are more expensive than shrimps.
Vegetable Oil (3 tablespoons)
Chinese mushroom (about 3 or 4 soaked and sliced)
Potato cut in to chunks (about 2 or 3)
Soya sauce
Oyster sauce
Spring Onion (finely sliced)

How to make it:
Stir fry the shrimp/scallops in the oil to flavour it for about 2 to 5 mins.
Remove the shrimps/scallops and set aside.
Add the chicken to the flavoured oil along with the sliced mushrooms and chopped potato. Add a teaspoon of soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir fry for 5 mins. Set aside.
In a big pot, add 3 to 4 cups of rice and double that amount of boiling water. Then add the stir fried chicken, mushrooms, potatoes and shrimps/scallops.
Bring to boil, then cover and reduce to simmer for about 20 mins until water is absorbed. (You could also do this step in a rice cooker)

Serve with chopped spring onion and chilli.

Fish and Aubergine Curry

Here is our first recipe for the blog:
This is more of a Mauritian dish with Indian influences rather than Chinese.

We ate this on 17th June 2011

Fish and Aubergine Curry

Ingredients:
Fish (in this case, snapper) 1 1/2 pounds
1 Large Onion (chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic sliced)
Vegetable Oil (2 tablespoons)
Curry powder (4 tablespoons)
Curry leaves (2 stalks - very important)
Tomatoes (1 can or 2 large fresh tomatoes chopped)
1 Aubergine (sliced)
Coriander (handful)
How to make it:
Make sure fish is scaled (ask your fish monger to do this).
Cut fish into fat slices.
Shallow fry fish, 4 mins each side.
Add onion and garlic while frying, make curry paste by mixing the curry powder with a little bit of water then add it to the fish with the tomato, curry leaves and aubergine.
Mix together for awhile.
Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 mins on low heat.
If the sauce is too thick then add more water.
Mix in the coriander but save a little bit as a garnish.
Serve with rice.