Chinese Corn Soup
Indian Tomato Chicken
Malaysian Beef Rendang
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 stalk celery, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 onion, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste
- 1 egg, or more as desired
- fresh ground pepper (optional)
- Heat the chicken broth in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the can of corn. Let the mixture heat to a boil, stirring occasionally, and reduce heat to a simmer.
- In a skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter and cook and stir the celery and onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook and stir for about 2 minutes to remove the raw taste from the flour. Add the vegetable mixture to the saucepan, whisking in the flour to avoid lumps, and stir in the nutmeg. Let the soup return to a simmer.
- Whisk the egg in a bowl until thoroughly beaten. Stir the soup slowly in a clockwise circular motion, and slowly pour the egg into the moving soup. Stir the egg lightly through the soup with a fork to produce egg strands, and sprinkle with black pepper to serve.
Indian Tomato Chicken
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 slice fresh ginger root
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 (1 inch) piece cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 skinless chicken thighs
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
- Place onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and process into a paste. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion paste and saute, stirring continuously, for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and nutmeg. Saute, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Place chicken pieces in skillet and stir them around with the spice mixture until they are well coated.
- Saute for another 4 minutes, then pour in the tomatoes with liquid and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, or until the oil has separated from the liquid. Stir occasionally. (Note: If you simmer uncovered, the sauce will thicken; add water, or keep covered while simmering.)
Malaysian Beef Rendang
- 3/8 pound shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 15 dried red chile peppers
- 5 slices fresh ginger root
- 5 lemon grass, chopped
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 2/3 cups coconut milk
- 7/8 cup water
- salt to taste
- Heat the coconut in a dry wok, stirring continuously until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Using a blender or a food processor, blend the shallots, garlic, chilies, ginger, and lemon grass to a thick paste.
- Grind the coriander, fennel, cumin and nutmeg.
- Using the wok, fry the shallot paste in a little oil for a few minutes. Add the ground coriander, fennel, cumin and nutmeg; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add beef; cook over a medium heat for a further 3 to 4 minutes, or until meat is browned.
- Stir in sugar, coconut, cloves, cinnamon stick, coconut milk , and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until most of the liquid has gone and the meat is tender (about 1 hour). Season with salt to taste.