Chicken and Mushroom Risotto with Lemon, Rosemary, and Thyme

Ingredients

1.5 cups Arborio rice

150g + 1 tbsp Butter

4 cups vegetable/chicken stock

1 whole medium-sized shallot

5-7 buttons Mushroom

250g chicken breast

Lemon zest from 1 whole peeled lemon

1 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese (grated)

1 pinch of rosemary

½ tsp thyme

Salt, to taste

TIP: In case Arborio rice is not available, use Binni Rice as an alternative. Just add more stock amount to the rice, because Binni Rice is more absorbent and needs more time to cook. 

Method

Cut half of the chicken breast into cubes and marinate in lemon juice and garlic paste. In a pan, heat up 1 tablespoon of butter. When its heated, add in your marinated chicken cubes and cook for around three minutes (until cooked through). Set aside. In a separate pan, add in butter. Chop up the shallot and add into your butter, until the moisture gets sorted. Once the shallot turns translucent, add in your washed rice, and mix together. Fry the rice for around three minutes, and slowly in turns, add in your stock, one cup at a time. Arborio Rice soaks up water really fast, so be mindful and stir occasionally, and once each cup of the stock gets soaked up by the rice in the process of getting cooked, add your next cup and stir. Make sure your stock has salt, and if it doesn't, adjust the level of salt as per preference.

After mixing the fourth cup of stock, add in your cooked chicken, and the mushroom, and mix them together. Once combined, the risotto will start to hold its shape and consistency that is thick and rice. Zest your lemon, and add into your risotto, along with rosemary and thyme. Slightly mix your heavy cream with a teaspoon of water and loosen the consistency, then add in your grated cheese to the heavy cream. Once combined, pour the mix into your risotto and stir to mix properly.

Once fully incorporated, pour the glorious rich risotto into a bowl, and top off with a little dollop of extra cheese. Serve hot!

Bread Pudding with Black Raisins, Orange Zest, Vanilla, and Cinnamon

Ingredients

7-9 slices Brioche bread (cut into any preferable shape)

2¼ cups full cream milk (lukewarm)

3 tbsp butter

5 tbsp sugar (or to taste)

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp orange zest

Handful of black raisin

3 eggs

½ tsp cinnamon (powdered)

Method

First, line the brioche in a buttered baking dish. After that, prepare the custard base for the pudding. Mix in milk, sugar, beaten eggs, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, orange zest, ground cinnamon, and beat them well together. Once fully combined, add in your butter after having it melted.

After all the ingredients are combined together, pour over the mixture to your lined brioche bread slices in your baking dish. Pre-heat oven at 180°C. Top the pudding with the black raisins, and few extra strands of orange zest. Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. You can also pair this with Vanilla Crème Anglaise.

Indonesian Nasi Goreng

Ingredients

4 cups cooked rice

200g chicken thigh (cut into cubes)

5 tsp Kecap Manis (sweet dark soy sauce)

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 whole shallot (sliced)

2 Birds eye chilli (slivered in fours)

4 cloves garlic (diced finely)

Oil, for rice

½ tsp shrimp paste

Method

Marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes with ginger-garlic paste and Kecap Manis. Make the sauce mix for rice by mixing Kecap Manis and light soy sauce. In a wok, heat oil, add chopped shallots and red chilli (Bird's eye chilli). Add in minced garlic when the onion turns translucent, cook for 2 minutes. Add the marinated chicken, and let it cook directly through the heat, make space putting shallot-mix aside, which will retain juiciness and prevent overcooking. When the chicken cooks, add shrimp paste and mix well. Add in the rice (pre-cooked; steamed rice), followed by the rice sauce mix, and stir and mix thoroughly.

Serve with crispy fried shallots, fried egg, and pickled cucumber for the whole experience! In case you do not have access to shrimp paste, you can use Balachaw.

Chinese Spicy Garlic Chicken with Pickled Scallions and Sticky Rice

Ingredients

250g chicken thigh (sliced)

6 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp black pepper

Chilli flakes, to taste

Tempura, for frying

½ tsp onion and garlic powder

1 tbsp chilli oil

1 tsp ginger (minced)

½ tsp sugar

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp Chinese chilli paste (OPTIONAL)

1 stalk scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup vinegar, Oil

Salt, to taste

Sticky rice, if preferred

Method

First, marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, black pepper, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, oil, and lemon juice. To make pickled scallions, soak your sliced scallions in vinegar and rest for 2 hours at least. Make the tempura batter with cold water by mixing tempura, onion and garlic powder, salt, and fry the marinated chicken by dipping into the batter, and fry.

Now, on a pan, heat up oil, add minced ginger and garlic, and chilli flakes, and cook till garlic turns slightly golden. Add in the chilli oil, soy sauce, light soy, sugar, lemon juice, chilli paste, and mix thoroughly. Once the sauce bubbles, add in your fried chicken and mix well.

Serve the chicken over sticky rice or regular garlic rice. Top with the pickled scallions.

Recipe: Shababa Suzana Hossain/ Fatduck21

Food Stylist and Photographer: Shababa Suzana Hossain/ Fatduck21