A Home Cooked Dinner at long last!

After a very very very long time, I finally decided that I will once again step into the under utilized kitchen and cook a simple dinner for ourselves.

I guess it started because of that 2 simple cookbooks I got in KL. What better way to start with a simple meal and since Hub has no class and I've finished exams for this semester! =)

I decided to make Japanese rice with egg and chicken. So during lunch, the lunch kaki and I went to AMK Hub for lunch where I also went to buy my chicken, frozen veggies, toufu and Yakitori sauce to prepare for dinner.

But I always prefer my meals with veggies... so I modified the given recipe and added in frozen mixed veggies. End up... My chicken becomes very colorful with the mixed veggies =P I think it's still acceptable! I did not really follow the given recipe and instructions exactaly. What I did was stir fry the onions and mixed veggies till almost done. Add in marinated chicken (in Yakitori sauce), water and continue to stir fry. When chicken is almost done, add in 2 beaten eggs, simmer for just 5-10 seconds and off the fire.

By this time, the japanese rice (Short Grain Rice) is done, pour all the chicken into the rice cooker to keep warm and to cook the egg so that the egg will still be watery and soft.

And I love the Japanese Cold toufu! So I decided to make that as well. Only thing is, I added Enoki (not sure how to spell) mushrooms, spring onions and bacon bits. VOILA! A little of "East meets West" but added crunch from the bacon bits and not to mention, it looks so much more colorful too!Hub commented. "WAH! So convenient! Don't even need to cook!" I retorted "Says who! I got to lightly boil the mushrooms lei!"

For the sauce, just mixed the yakitori with some water, soak the cooked enoki mushrooms and pour it over the toufu. Chuck it back into the fridge to keep it chilled till it's ready to be eaten.

Then, we go bathe! hahaha.... so that we can have a nice meal after our shower and I've also heard that showering after dinner is not good and it adds weight! So, as far as possible, we try to shower BEFORE eating. hahahahaha..

Our dinner on 27 Nov. Home cooked Japanese Rice with Egg and Chicken with a twist and Cold Toufu.Pardon the newspaper.... We usually eat in front of the TV at the coffee table and we are just too lazy to even wipe the table after eating, so with the newspapers, just crunch everything up and throw. =P

Hub said it was Good. =D And I'm happy that he likes it.

The Ingredients (serves 4)....
1. Dashi, 250 ml
2. Sugar, 1 Tbsp
3. Mirin, 4 Tbsp
4. Japanese light soya sauce, 4 Tbsp
(no idea what iall the above are, I used Yakitori sauce to replace items 1 to 4!)
5. Large onion, 1, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
6. Chicken fillet, 250 g, cut into small cubes. (I used chicken tigh, cut into bite size)
7. Eggs, 4 large, lightly beaten (I used 2 normal sized eggs)
8. Cooked Japanese Rice, 300 g (Short Grain Rice, 3/4 cup)
9. Shichimi togarashi (No idea what it is, replaced with Yakitori sauce)

Instead of Yakitori, other japanese sauce can be used too!

and the Instructions...
1. Combine items 1 to 4 in a bowl and bring to boil in a pan.
2. Add onions rings and chicken cubes and turn heat to hight. Cook for 2-3 minutes ensuring Chicken is evenly cooked. (I just heat olive oil, lightly fry mixed veggies and onions, then add Yakitori sauce and water to dilute the sauce and lastly chicken marinated in the yakitori.)
3. Pour in eggs covering chicken and onion rings. Cover pan and leave for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and leave to stand for about 1 minute, allowing eggs to cook lightly but remain soft.
4. Divide into portions, pour warm egg mixture over each bowl, sprinkle with nanami togarshi or Japanese seven-spice seasoning to taste. (To keep the food warm, I just pour the whole thing into the rice cooker. No need to add seasoning as the yakitori sauce does it all.)

That's all. Simple isn't it!

Cold Toufu is even easier!
1. Remove the toufu from the plastic container.
2. Rinse it under cold running tap water, place on plate.
3. Mixed yakitori sauce (or other sauce) with water.
4. Pour mixture over toufu. (I felt that it's a little too plain, hence added Enoki mushrooms, spring onions and bacon bits... these, I anyhow add, not even sure how it would taste.... But Thank God. It's not too bad!)
5. Chuck back into fridge and only take it out when it's ready to be serve.

Was a good and simple meal.