Healthy Kitchen Smells Fresh

October 26, 2008

Ginger and Chicken , No Oyster

Filed under: Chinese, Cooking, Gluten-Free, Malaysians, Nature — nshahida @ 9:01 pm

Both my husband and I love ginger. In my cooking, ginger is almost a must- to -be- part of the fresh ingredients ; when it comes to Asian foods – Malaysian’s and Chinese’s especially.

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There are loads of benefits you will get by consuming ginger.. everyday. Let’s see some of the advantages it provides you:

  • It fights nausea better than the over- the counter anti-nausea drugs Diamamine .
  • The root herb soothe an upset stomach.
  • It  helps lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol.
  • Helps prevent the blood clot that trigger heart attack.
  • Boost immune system.

This is based on scientific research , please refer to source : Nature’s Cures

If you have one of these probs, you might want to give ginger a try. There are several form of remedies made 100% from ginger can be found in local grocery store, Asian Store and Nutrition Store or Pharmacy – capsules, powder or even grated fresh root.

Sliced ginger and ready to use

Sliced ginger and ready to use

As for me and husband, alhamdulillah , we enjoy each doses of ginger from hot tea, hot milk and home cooking meals. One of my daily cookings that helps us consume more ginger is what you see from the above mentioned title – chicken ginger.

Originally, oyster sauce is used for flavoring and provides authenticity of Chinese cuisines.. I think! But this time, I decided to make Chicken Ginger without oyster sauce because we were out of it , besides I could make it an Allergy-Free version who craves for the real taste of this wonderful chicken cuisines but can’t do shellfish – oyster, scallop, shrimp, squid and anything made from one of these. In my humble opinion, by using sesame oil for sauteing really gives the true taste of Chicken Ginger , and yes.. do not omit the ginger; that’s where the main flavor and aroma comes from. So make sure you have dark or light sesame oil in hands ;it can be found almost anywhere now.

The substitute I used in place for oyster sauce was based on my grandma’s whom I adore her cooking soooo much, she is absolutely a great cook to the whole family. I guess everybody thinks their grandma’s foods are the best.MasyaAllah, my grandma doesn’t use oyster sauce much in her cookings yet still get the wonderful flavor and of course taste. She loves tamarind and palm sugar in most of her recipes . The idea of subbing these 2 ingredients came up then. Thanks grandma! I love you…!!

I forgot to measure each ingredients in detail because it was a quick ‘experiment’ . The good news is the Chicken Ginger turned out as good even though no oyster sauce added. The actual taste is still there.. alhamdulillah!

Ok, let’s see what we need to make No Oyster Sauce Chicken Ginger. Please adjust salt and sugar to your taste.

Chicken Ginger

Ingredients:

To marinate:

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast , sliced

1/2 cube chicken bouillon

1 tsp. white pepper powder

1 Tbsp. cornstarch (See Notes)

Combine all together and marinate for 20 – 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Mix together :

1 or 2 Tbsp. palm sugar

1/3 Cup thick tamarind juice

1/4 Cube chicken bouillon (See Notes)

Mix all until sugar and bouillon are completely dissolved.

Other fresh Ingredients:

2 Inches ginger root, thinly sliced

1 large yellow onion, roughly sliced

3 Cloves garlics, pounded

2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil ( See Notes)

1 Cup thinly sliced carrots

1 Cup green peppers , slice 3 inches length

1 Cup red peppers , slice 3 inches length

1Tbsp. Cornstarch mix in 1/4 – 1/3 Cup water

Salt , palm sugar and white pepper to taste ( See Notes)

Garnishing : Chopped green onions , fried shallot, toasted sesame seeds

Method:

Heat a medium sized pan on medium-high, drizzle 2 Tbsp sesame oil and let it heat for 1 minutes or 2.

Add in sliced ginger and marinated chicken and saute for 2 minutes. Stir every few minutes until the chicken just slightly crisp and fragrant from the ginger .( Do not cook the chicken too long especially chicken breast , this is to keep the chicken moist and tender)

Stir in the onions, peppers and carrots until they begin to soften. About 4 – 5 minutes. Pour the sweet sour mixture ( tamarind, palm sugar, chicken cube) , let it boil. Lower the heat to low , slowly pour cornstarch mixture, keep stirring to avoid lumps.Add more water if necessary . Let it thicken , add salt/sugar / white pepper to your taste. Garnish with chopped green onion, fried shallot and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Serve immediately with hot rice.

Served with hot jasmine rice

Notes Of The Day

  1. If you can’t use or out of cornstarch, replace with potato starch or sweet ( glutinous) rice flour . These too are great option to thicken your sauce.
  2. If you can’t find chicken cube ( the halal) in your place, vegetable bouillon would be find.
  3. Use Dark sesame oil for best result. light sesame works too. Like olive oil, grape seed oil and other low saturated fat oil… sesame seed oil provides health benefit to us and help lower cholesterol. If canola oil all you have, that’s find! .. it just the real flavor you will miss. Try not to use olive oil.. it works terribly.
  4. I didn’t have to add salt and extra sugar – chicken cube contains salt.  I only had to add a little more white pepper –  I wanted it hot and spicy.

October 11, 2008

Up to DATE

Filed under: Nature — nshahida @ 7:34 pm

Dates.

(adapetd from http://www.organicfood.com.au/Content_Common/pg-dates-info.seo)

Dates are believed to have originated around the Persian Gulf, and have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt, possibly as early as 6000 BC. In later times, Arabs spread dates around northern Africa and into Spain, and dates were introduced into California by the Spaniards in 1765. The fruit is a drupe known as a date. They are oval-cylindrical, 3-7 cm long, and 2-3 cm diameter.

Dates Nutrition Information.

A 100 gram portion of fresh dates is a premium source of vitamin C and supplies 230 kcal (960 kJ) of energy. They are fat free, cholesterol free, and are a good source of fiber Every 100 gram portion includes Vitamin A — 5 mcg beta-carotene and 75 mcg lutein + zeaxanthin and Vitamin B-complex total folate – 13 mcg. A single date contains Vitamin B6 — 0.192 mg. Dates also contain Vitamin A1, B1, B2, B3, B5, C and more than 20 different amino acids, helping us digest and assimilate carbohydrates easier and control blood sugar levels and fatty acids content in our bodies. The selenium lowers the risk of cancer and heart diseases, as well as helps us keep our immune systems healthy. As a single date contains around 23 calories, this very low calorie count and the huge amount of healthy substances in dates make them one of the best nutrition sources for a diet plan menu.

A 100 gram portion of fresh dates is a premium source of vitamin C and supplies 230 kcal (960 kJ) of energy. They are fat free, cholesterol free, and are a good source of fiber Every 100 gram portion includes Vitamin A — 5 mcg beta-carotene and 75 mcg lutein + zeaxanthin and Vitamin B-complex total folate – 13 mcg. A single date contains Vitamin B6 — 0.192 mg. Dates also contain Vitamin A1, B1, B2, B3, B5, C and more than 20 different amino acids, helping us digest and assimilate carbohydrates easier and control blood sugar levels and fatty acids content in our bodies. The selenium lowers the risk of cancer and heart diseases, as well as helps us keep our immune systems healthy. As a single date contains around 23 calories, this very low calorie count and the huge amount of healthy substances in dates make them one of the best nutrition sources for a diet plan menu.

Traditional Medicinal Uses.

Dates have a high tannin content and are used medicinally as a detersive (having cleansing power) and astringent in intestinal troubles. As an infusion, decoction, syrup, or paste, dates may be administered for sore throat, colds, bronchial catarrh, and taken to relieve fever and number of other complaints. One traditional belief is that it can counteract alcohol intoxication. The seed powder is also used in some traditional medicines. The roots are used against toothache. The pollenyields an estrogenic principle, estrone, and has a gonadotropic effect on young rats.

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