4pm Chicken Rice

It was 4pm ....the dreaded hour of my day.

I was staring at my wide opened refrigerator wondering what to cook for dinner. I defrosted two chicken drumsticks and I had absolutely no idea what to do with it. I cooked chicken porridge the last two days. Don't think I could get away with another day of chicken porridge. Yikes!!

I dashed to my notebook and googled for easy chicken recipes. I landed on Extra Virgin Chef's blog with this title;

Hainanese Chicken Rice, in 5 Terrifyingly Easy Steps. No fuss. No kidding.

I checked to see whether I had the ingredients; salt, garlic and shallots. I was like, that's it ? Oh, she added ginger too but I omitted it to avoid spoiling the girls' dinner. As I read through her recipe I could not help chuckling to myself. Super easy to prepare and all the cooking done in the rice pot. Minimal washing. YAY!! 

Was the chicken rice good? Oh, yes ..... it was! The man thought that it tasted extremely good even though it was a simpler version (and healthier too!) of the hainanese chicken rice. Simplicity at its best, according to him. My younger girl complained that I cooked too little. She made me promise to cook again, soon, with three drumsticks and more rice!

Once again, I copied her recipe here for my own reference. I strongly encourage you to visit her blog as she has pictures of all the cooking steps involved. While you are there, take some time to read through her recipes. She has a huge collection. I have bookmarked some of the easier ones to try out.

Super Simple Chicken Rice

(Recipe from Extra Virgin Chef)

• 3 Free-range Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks
• 2 Cups Jasmine Rice with 2 Cups Water
• 1/2 tsp Salt to rub on meat
• 1-2 tsp each of Minced Shallot, Garlic and Ginger
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• A Pinch of Turmeric Powder for colour (optional)

Instructions

1. Prick chicken with a fork and rub salt all over. Set aside for half an hour.

2. Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.

3. Heat up empty cooker, pour oil in and saute minced shallot, garlic and ginger till fragrant.

4. Add rice and water. If you're using turmeric powder, mix it into the water.

5. Place chicken on top of uncooked rice in a single layer. Cover lid.

6. Don't open the lid so heat and moisture will not escape. Wait another 10 minutes after rice is cooked.

7. Remove chicken and fluff up rice gently so as not to break each grain.

Kung Po Chicken, the easy way

Kung Po Chicken is my family's favorite dish to have with a bowl of piping hot rice.

They claimed that the best Kung Po Chicken are at the "tai-chow" stalls. Tai-Chow refers to street side restaurants preparing Chinese dishes mainly to go with rice. Such stalls are found in Chinatown and the older parts of Kuala Lumpur. I am not a fan of theirs because their dishes are normally very greasy, cooked with lard and pretty unhealthy. The few times we went there I was practically sulking because of the heat (no air-conditioning) and the not very clean environment. The man, a big lover of tai-chow stalls, complained that he is missing out the best of chinese cooking ....  because of me. He has no choice but to beg his work colleagues whenever he has the urge for such meals. Going to that part of town during lunch hour where the traffic is horrendous makes such visits rare for him as well. Poor guy! I feel sorry for the man. I do. He loves rich and flavorful food but I have yet to acquire it after trying for many years. 

When Ashley shared her recipe on Kung Po Chicken last year, I made it to surprise my family. It was healthier than the tai-chow version and super simple to cook.

I loved Ashley's Kung Po Chicken. It was delicious without a greasy after-taste. I expected to finish the dish over a few days by myself. It was nowhere near the super unhealthy (my opinion) tai-chow version that my family love. Surprise, surprise ..... the girls and the man (still shocked!) loved it. I guess their taste-buds must have changed after years of eating my lousy cooking (it's a fact!) and my insistence of less oil, less salt and less chili whenever we eat out. 

I have copied Ashley's recipe here for my own reference. I strongly encourage you to hop over to her blog. She provided a detailed step-by-step together with pictures of the entire cooking process.

Ashley's Kung Po Chicken

(Recipe from Lilblueboo)

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 4 green onions
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar or Splenda
• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanut

[Optional:- 1 tsp red chili oil, 1 small pinch 5 spice Chinese powder and 1 small zucchini sliced and quartered]

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken breasts into small pieces and coat with cornstarch. Add the vegetable oil, sesame oil and chicken to a wok and cook the chicken just until it’s cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside.

2. Cut the bottom of the green onions off and into small 1/2″ pieces. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the wok and move around the bottom of the pan until heated and the add the green onions. (Note: if you like your kung pao chicken with zucchini you can add it at this step, before adding the green onions, just make sure to cook it thoroughly before adding chicken in the next step)

3. Mix the rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar (or Splenda) together and add to the wok. Stir until heated.

4. Add a small pinch of 5 spice Chinese powder, and a tsp of red chili oil, if using.

5. Add the chicken to the wok and mix into the sauce and onions, then add the peanuts.

6. Turn the heat to high and mix together until the kung pao chicken is hot and the sauce thickens.

Frozen Bananas

The weather has been scorching hot lately. 

It was no different today ... terribly hot that makes me lethargic, lazy tired and sleepy.

After sending the man his lunch at work, I spent the rest of the afternoon hibernating at home. The air conditioner was turned on at full blast to keep us sane.

Housework was calling my name but I ignored it.  I tended to more interesting stuff.

I sat for hours editing the photographs that I took in Beijing. We were there in March visiting my sister and her family. It was winter then. Looking at the pictures made me forget the heat temporarily.

Photo Credit: My brother-in-law

I love this picture ALOT. I can't take any credit for it, unfortunately.

It was taken by my brother-in-law. Never knew that engineers have such a good eye for photos.

The pictures brought back many wonderful memories of our trip. I hope to blog about it soon.

While I was working on the computer the girls were busy in the kitchen.

They were making their favorite afternoon snack the 5 minute frozen bananas ice-cream.

Put three frozen bananas (for three servings) into the blender/food processor and blitz for 2 minutes. Scoop into bowls and enjoy!

It was a simple and healthy treat .... cold, creamy and yummy.

It kept us happy on a hot Tuesday afternoon.

Happy Call Pan

Dear Happy Call Pan aka HCP,

I've been meaning to sit down and write this thank you note to you for a while now.

Thank you for making my time standing over the stove shorter,

Thank you for all the sweetest compliments on my cooking (never happened before!),

Thank you for making me enjoy cooking a teeny weeny bit more,

Thank you making my home not smell like my dinner,

Thank you for making my family happy.

We are still shocked that fried chicken can taste this good without using any oil for frying. Frying chicken without any oil? The man laughed when I told him but he ate back his words after the first bite. Crispy on the outside, juicy and tender inside ..... it woWed him!

Before we had you, I have never fried or grilled chicken at home. I simply cannot handle the few hours that my home smelled like chicken. And I hated the cleaning up. How do you prevent a chicken smelling home? And oil from splattering all over the place? I am still figuring it all out.

Anyway the man and the girls convey their heartfelt thanks!

Once again we almost never fried our fishes before we had you. They were steamed. That's it. The three times we pan fried them were when the man kicked a big fuss over how he was tired of his fishes steamed. He pan fried it himself, enjoyed it like mad and endured a grumpy wife from all the cleaning up. He never attempted another frying session since then.

Thanks to you he can have his fried fish anytime he likes now. Fried fish and porridge was his most asked for meal during his tonsillectomy recovery. It was his comfort food. It made him happy. And I was glad. Thank you, once again.

Our younger gal wants me to thank you too. This will be our final thank you, I promise. You are getting tired of us thanking you. I know. She wanted to thank you for making her feel like a mini domestic goddess. She made a tasty stack of french toast (the only recipe she tried so far) with minimal supervision. She was thrilled. Just two flips, every 3 minutes, she was able to make her daddy, mommy and sister happy on a Saturday morning.

We love you HCP. Thank you for being a part of our family.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the world. Here's hoping that my mom, my sister, all the mommy bloggers, and all the mothers in the world will have the best of life in terms of health and happiness.

Recovering from Tonsillectomy - Our Experience

We were warned that recovery from tonsillectomy would be challenging. And it would be worse for adults.

I researched like that there was no tomorrow. I needed to be prepared. That's how I function. I am not one to play by ear.

Today is Day 23 of their surgeries. "They are recovering very well ......couldn't be any better" in Dr R's words after the first week. I was thrilled.

Honestly all the researching prepared me but I was still taken by surprise by the amount of pain they had to deal with. The man with his high pain threshold was moaning and groaning like a big baby. It was so not like him. He kept telling me. "Thank goodness it was not you. You would have fainted." 

The first week was a nightmare. Traumatic for them. And Me. Looking at the people you love suffer and you can do nothing about it is the worst ever feeling. I hated it.

I thought it would be a good idea for me to share our experience. It might help someone who is preparing for tonsillectomy. However please do check with your doctor after reading our tips/suggestions. What worked for us might not work for you.

FOOD

1. Drink lots of cold water

Drinking water is extremely painful but it is required to prevent dehydration. Proper hydration decreases the pain in the throat, keeps the scabs in the throat moistened and expedite healing.

What we did;

I made them drink cold mineral water the minute we got home. Cold water is recommended because it helps with the pain and prevents swelling. Dr R advised to take tiny sips from a narrow straw initially, to prevent bleeding.
How much to drink? Lots of it, as much as you can. I filled their water tumblers and made sure they finished it every hour (refer picture above). There were lots of tears from our gal but this terrible mommy sat and made sure she finished her allocation.

I set my phone alarm and woke them up every hour at night to take some sips of water for the first five days. This was after the man described his dry throat when waking "like having a bunch of glass in your throat".

An indication of how much they drank. This 19liters (5 Gallons) bottle lasted 1.5 days. Our norm is 3 days.

2. Avoid dairy products

The American Academy of Otolaryngology advises to avoid dairy products (milk and ice cream inclusive) for the first 24 hours. General anesthesia can cause nausea which will only be made worse with dairy.

Dr R advised to stay away from diary products for at least 48 hours as it increases mucous production in the nose and throat, and triggers vomiting. 

What we did;

I was determined that they avoided dairy products as long as possible. I am a paranoid, I know. Both of them had iced oat milk and iced chocolate for the first four days. I started making them smoothies from Day 5 onwards. Yogurt, milk and ice-cream only appeared in the second week.

3. Incorporate nutrition in their diet

During the first ten days after surgery eating is close to impossible. The missing nutrition from solid food have to be incorporated into their liquid/soft diet. Proper nutrition is important as it helps in the healing process. It is required for overall health too.

What we did;

I gave them organic vegan meal replacements (think barley, millet, mixed grains, nutritional yeast, soy protein and almond milk) from Day 3 onwards. Don't think they would ever drink it on normal days. But there were no complains at all. It was soft and easy to consume, and it fixed their hunger pangs. I gave them Ensure shakes as treats when they were "good". 

4. Offer their favorite food

Eating solid/rough food is difficult after surgery. It should not be rushed but should be encouraged as the solid/rough food cleans the wound and speeds-up recovery.

What we did;

I noticed that our gal seemed to feel much better by Day 4. I asked whether she was keen to try eating beard papa (her favorite) and she happily agreed. She told me that it was a little painful when swallowing but it was worth the effort! The next day (Day 6) she had fried chicken wings (another favorite). The man thought I was super-sneaky.

Eating solids happened much later for him. He attempted in the second week. And that was 30 minutes after having his painkillers each time. It took him a while (think it was Day 15) before he was willing to try eating without painkillers. I could see tears forming. It was awful. He is not one to complain about pain so I cannot imagine how bad it was. Till today he is still on overcooked pasta, noodles and porridge. He has not taken any rice, meat or poultry yet.
Tonsillectomy recovery for adults is no laughing matter. It is tough. Believe me. Our gal had it much easier. She was back to her normal happy self and eating like she used to by Day 10.

PAIN MANAGEMENT

1. Take the painkillers a little earlier than prescribed

Painkillers are critical during your recovery. Make sure they are taken in a timely manner. Do not skip any doses.
What we did;

Their prescription was to have painkillers every four hours. I gave them every three and a half hours. It was more effective in controlling their pain. I checked with the doctor and he okayed it.

2. Eat after taking painkillers

It's a good idea to time your eating or drinking 30 minutes after taking your painkillers, during the initial few days after the surgery. It makes swallowing more bearable and prevents vomiting.

3. Divert their attention to "forget" the pain

Thanks to the iPad they managed to forgot their pain and discomfort. Thanks to the iPad their down-time was much more bearable. Thank you, Steve Jobs. Thank you, Apple.
I strongly recommend to load the iPad with the latest games and eBooks. It worked for us. It kept them happy many hours in a day.

Other than that, I prepared some simple crafts for our gal. She painted rings for all of us and her friends.

The man caught up with all the DVDs that he always wanted to watch but never found the time. Netflix's instant-watch was a life saver as well.

ENVIRONMENT

1. Maintain a cool environment

Both of them claimed that the stinging feeling at their throats were reduced in a cool room. So we left the air conditioner running all day and night in the house. It was costly but I was willing to do whatever to make their recovery more pleasant.

2. Use a humidifier

Turn the humidifier on at full bast. Best advice that I have gotten from a friend. The humidifier kept their throats moistened as it increased the humidity in the air. 

SLEEPING POSITION

1. Sleep in an upright position
We were advised to sleep in an upright position. Sleeping on the bed is not advisable as it adds pressure on the throat and encourages swelling.
The man slept on the recliner for 3 weeks before moving back to the bedroom. Our gal slept on a stack of pillows on the couch for a week. Both loved their sleeping arrangements. They managed to sleep at least 5 hours every night. And there were no swelling and ear ache.

If you have read this far, most likely you or your loved ones will be going for tonsillectomy soon. Good luck. Here's hoping for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.

Tonsillectomy

16.4.2012

We woke up at 6am, got ready and drove to the hospital. 

The man and our younger girl were scheduled for tonsillectomy. She was scared beyond scared but managed to put up a brave front nevertheless. So proud of her. Never thought that she had that in her.

The man looked calm but I knew he was scared as well. It was his maiden trip to the Operation Theatre (OT). He had no idea what to expect. It made him jittery and restless. His other concern was his diet after surgery. Food is a BIG deal to him. He lives to eat. Liquid and soft diet? He just cannot imagine not having proper food. I was secretly thrilled. No cooking for at least 10 days. WOOHOO!!!

Many of the man's friends asked him, "Is it necessary to do it at this age?". If he had his way he would rather not do it. His tonsils have tormented since childhood with frequent infection and constant discomfort. He wanted to have them removed in his teens. He was tired of constantly being out of action. His parents were against it .....not sure why.

Things got worse the last few years. He has tonsillitis five to six times every year. It affected his work and his business associates were not too happy about it.

His enlarged tonsils and constant tonsillitis lead to other complications. Obstructive sleep apnea was one of the more serious one. If untreated it will lead to heart arrhythmia, heart failure, hypertension and stroke.

Surgery was no longer a choice but required. On top of tonsillectomy, he needed to remove his nasal polyps and have his soft palette lifted. Poor guy!

Our younger girl had enlarged tonsils since young. We were convinced that they were hereditary. She used to have throat infection together with extremely high fever every three to four weeks. Her medical card was kept at a special tray at the pediatrician's place for easy retrieval. Dr V was my BFF then. His number was on my speed-dial. Yes ..... it was that bad. Her condition improved when she turned seven. Her bouts of tonsillitis gradually reduced to only three to four times a year. And last year it only happened twice. Tonsillectomy was not necessary anymore. However, the ENT specialist (Dr R) strongly recommended to have them removed to avoid complications when she is older. Looking at her daddy's sufferings, we took the doctor's advice.

When she was wheeled into the OT fear started to kick-in. I started imagining all the possible complications and injuries from unforeseen causes. The next 38 minutes felt like eternity. I sat in a corner, stared into space, worried endlessly and stormed heaven with my prayers.

When Dr R informed me that her surgery was a success and she should be awake in 2 hours time. I sighed with relief. 

Immediately after that, it was the man's turn. I started worrying and praying all over again. I was a wreck. The nurses were worried about me. I looked very pale. The matron on duty made me a hot drink to calm my nerves. The man was in the OT for close to two hours. I spent the entire 1 hour and 52 minutes nervously pacing up and down the corridor outside the OT.

When the nurses wheeled him out of the OT, I was shocked. He looked very much in pain and was as white as paper. I was totally unprepared for his post-op. Miraculously I did not cry. I kept my cool. I was in control, even. It was like I knew I had to stay strong and be in-charged of the situation. Despite Dr R's assurance that his surgeries went better than expected, I could not stop worrying. 

Thankfully both of them were feeling much better in the evening. With the IVs removed and their vitals checked out, they were cleared to go home.

16.4.2012. 

Don't think I will ever forget this day. It was the day that two people that I love a lot in this world had surgeries done. It was a day filled with lots of worrying and crying. It was a day that my poor heart beat irregularly many times. It was a day that I am thankful that we had insurance coverage (both their surgeries came up to MYR20k or USD6.5k) 

I was totally exhausted at bed time but I could not have asked for a better ending to my very long, eventful and stressful day.