Fried Archives • Mushroompride

Japanese Curry Fried Rice with Chicken Katsu – Delishar

The husband is a big fan of Japanese curry. I mean, who isn’t? That distinctly rich, thick, and mildly spicy curry with a hint of cocoa. Sooooooooooo good, and so simple to make! This dish was inspired by Pepper Lunch. That delicious sizzling Japanese cast iron hot plate meal. My go to is always the curry beef rice with cheese. Darn, my tummy is growling again!

Anyway, with that in mind, I added the Japanese curry roux to my fried rice. Then jazzed it up a little more with more curry powder, and cocoa powder. Yes, cocoa powder. For a richer, deeper flavour, and colour too. Do you know that Japanese curry has cocoa powder added to give you that rich colour? So why not a little more? 🙂

I used a mix of cornflakes and panko for my breading to make it extra crispy. But you can also just all panko to safe some time from crushing the cornflakes. Which I find extremely therapeutic when I’m feeling stressed! Almost like popping bubble wrap. 😀

Check out my other recipes using Japanese Curry: Baked Curry Katsu Don, Japanese Curry Beef Baked Rice.

Don’t forget to participate in the current giveaway!! 5 pairs of Each-a-Cup drink vouchers to giveaway! Click HERE for details!

Chicken Katsu Process

Curry Fried Rice Process

Japanese Curry Fried Rice with Chicken Katsu

Sharon of Delishar

Japanese Curry Fried Rice

2 cubes of curry roux melted
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
3 cups cooked rice preferably cooked a day before
3/4 cup frozen mixed vegetable thawed
1/2 yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil

Chicken Katsu

3 chicken breast butterflied
1 large egg lightly beaten
1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve

3 eggs
1/4 cup Japanese mayo
1-2 tsp wasabi or to taste

Japanese Curry Fried Rice

Heat curry roux in microwave for 40 seconds to melt.
Heat pan on medium high, and add 2 tbsp oil.
Saute onion until soften, then add garlic, and mixed vegetable.
Add rice and use a spatula to break up the clumps.
Sprinkle the cocoa powder and curry powder.
Add in the curry roux.
Mixed until combined.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat.

Chicken Katsu

Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a plate, mix cornflake and panko together.
Dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg.
Coat chicken with panko and cornflake mix.
Heat pan on medium high, add oil.
When oil is hot, shallow fry chicken until golden on both sides. (about 3 minutes)

Curry Katsu

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Cauliflower Fried ‘Rice’ – Delishar

After all the festive feasting, it’s time for us to lose the carbs that are clinging on to dear life around our belly. Using this cauliflower ‘rice’ method, I was successful in tricking the kids into eating cauliflower. Which for some weird reason, they do not like. They seem to think it’s a defected broccoli, and it’s just not right to eat.

While we were having dinner at the dining table as a family, I asked if they knew what they were having. Excitedly, the girls exclaimed, “Fried rice! Mmmm I like fried rice! It’s very yummy, mummy!”. The husband looked at me with a puzzled face thinking I’ve gone crazy asking him such a silly question. He said, “Isn’t it fried rice? Or has it got some magic?” so I whispered to him that it’s actually cauliflower. His respond was, “Wow! Smart move.” knowing that the girls doesn’t like cauliflower, he kept the secret.

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that is very often under-appreciated. Perhaps it’s because it’s not green? In actual fact, cauliflower has an abundance of health benefits. It contains sulforaphane which has been shown to slow tumour growth and fight cancer. It is rich in vitamin and minerals, especially Vit-C. Good source of Vit B which is good for the brain. Cauliflower is also an anti-inflammatory, and contains antioxidants that’s great for detox. It is also heart healthy and is an important source of dietary fiber for digestive health. It is listed as one of the world’s healthiest food. So if you are looking for an alternative low-carb source of food, cauliflower may be your best bet. 🙂

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Califlower Fried ‘Rice’

Delishar

650 g Cauliflower cut into florets
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup mixed frozen vegetables
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
Salt & black pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp cooking oil
2-3 tbsp chopped spring onions.

Place cauliflower florets in food processor, process until you get fine rice-like pieces.
Alternatively, you can grate a head of cauliflower to get cauliflower ‘rice’.
Heat wok on medium high heat, add oil.
Add cauliflower ‘rice’ and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Add frozen mixed vegetables and stir-fry until heated through.
Season with soy sauce, salt & pepper.
Create a crater in the middle of the cauliflower rice, and pour in eggs.
Scramble until almost set but still wet.
Toss with cauliflower ‘rice’ to coat.
Remove from heat, and stir in chopped spring onions.

Cauliflower fried rice 1

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Kimchi Fried Rice – Delishar

Fried rice is my best friend when I’m fighting for time, and have plently of leftover rice laying around in my fridge. It is such a great meal on it’s own to use up whatever leftovers there are in the fridge! Add some chicken cubes to this recipe for some protein, and it’s good to go as a complete meal on it’s own.

I served this super simple 15 minutes dish with Korean Fire Chicken with Cheese that I shared last week. I love the slight tangy-ness from the pickled kimchi, and the lovely spices definitely helped kick this fried rice up a notch, or even two notches! Even the husband who is not a big fan of Korean food helped himself to his second serving that evening. If you are one who love your food with some kick to it, you will definitely enjoy this one. 🙂

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Kimchi Fried Rice

Delishar

1 cup kimchi chopped
1/2 cup kimchi juice
1/2 yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp gochujang Korean hot pepper paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp chopped green onions
Salt and black pepper to taste

Toppings

4 sunny side up eggs
Chopped spring onions
Toasted sesame seeds

Finely chop up kimchi and squeeze to get juice.
Reserve juice for later.
In a bowl, mix gochujang, kimchi juice, grated ginger, soy sauce, and sugar.
Heat pan on medium high, add sesame and vegetable oil.
Saute onion until soft, and add garlic to stir fry for another 30 seconds.
Add Kimchi into pan, and stir fry for a minute.
Then add rice to the pan breaking it up with your spatula.
Pour in kimchi juice mixture, and toss to coat evenly.
Season with salt and pepper if needed, and remove from heat.
Sprinkle chopped green onions, and toss to combine.
Serve with sunny side up egg, chopped spring onions, and sesame seeds.

Kim Chi Fried Rice 1

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Mango Chicken on Cauliflower Egg Fried Rice – Delishar

The husband came home one day, rather excited to discuss a brilliant idea he had.
Husband: “Do you know of the Whole30? I would like to go on it, would you do it with me? Please? I really need you.”
Me: “Hmmm, to be your personal cook I suppose? Let me do a little research and let you know.”

Next day, I went to the library to read up on this whole 30 program. I was intrigued, and checked out the book to go a little more in depth. After I’m sped through the first half of the book, I told the husband, “I’ll do it if you read this book too. Skip the recipes, just read what this program is really about and the rules that follows.”

If we are doing this I need commitment. Why? This is going to be the toughest challenge that we will be embarking on. Basically, the rules are no sugar (real or refined), dairy, legumes, grains, alcohol (not even for cooking), carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites, and no baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients. So in short, no soy sauce, pasta, rice etc. What do we eat then?!

After researching, I was pretty confident that I can make Whole30 compliant food using the approved food list, this is one such recipe. Made it as a test-run. It was so goooood, that we felt pretty confident diving into this program! So we agreed on a date, the Monday after my youngest daughter’s birthday party.

Why? Because we all wanted cake! Lol A little diversion. This is the bear cake I made for her. Quite proud of myself as it was my first time making a bear cake and with modeling chocolate too. I had a tiny sliver of cake that day to celebrate her birthday, and mark my sugar-free journey.

Focus. Whole30 in short eliminates food that causes allergies, addiction, or mess up our gut health. Thus, programming the body to reset itself, and slowly re-introduce food to find out how the body reacts to it. I’m hoping this will help with my daily sinus and hive problem. I’ll blog more about our Whole30 journey, and share the recipes that comes with it as well. For now, let’s just hope I can survive my mornings without my Kopi Kau (thick coffee with condensed milk). That hit of sugar in the morning is probably what has been keeping me from biting off people’s head. lol!

Mango Chicken on Cauliflower Egg Fried Rice

Delishar

Chicken

5 tbsp Tapioca flour
400 g Chicken breast patted dry and cut into one-inch cubes
Salt & black pepper to taste
3 tbsp Coconut oil

Mango Sauce

4 tsp coconut oil divided
1 tbsp ginger grated
3 cloves garlic grated
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli flakes optional
1 1/2 cup 360ml mango juice (100% pure juice)
1 tbsp coconut aminos*
3 tsp tapioca flour

Cauliflower rice

6 cups cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces about 620g
3 tsp coconut oil
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup spring onion chopped
1 tbsp coconut aminos
salt and black pepper to taste

Baby Beans

300 g baby beans ends removed
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Garnish

Chopped spring onions
Toasted black sesame seeds

Chicken

Place chicken, flour, salt & pepper into a ziplock bag. Seal and toss to coat chicken with seasoning and flour.
Heat pan on medium high heat, add oil.
Shake off excess flour, and pan fry chicken until golden on all sides. You may have to do this in batches.
Remove and set aside.

Mango Sauce

With the same pan, give it a wipe with kitchen towels.
Add oil and heat on medium heat, melt coconut oil.
Add in the ginger, garlic, chilli flakes, and cumin. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add in the juice and coconut aminos.
Bring to boil at high heat.
Add 1 tbsp of sauce liquid to 1 tbsp of tapioca flour in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Pour mixture into sauce while stirring constantly, and cook for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 6-7 mins, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces by about 1/4.
Remove from heat, and add in chicken.
Toss to coat.

Cauliflower rice

Process cauliflower in food processor until you get rice size pieces.
Heat wok on high heat, and add coconut oil.
Add cauliflower to stir fry for 6-8 minutes.
Create a well in the middle of the cauliflower and add in eggs.
Scramble until almost set, and toss together with cauliflower.
Season with coconut aminos, salt, and pepper.
Remove from heat, and toss in spring onions.

Baby Beans

Heat pan on medium high heat, and add oil.
Add beans to saute until desired done-ness.
Season with salt and black pepper half way through.

I made my own mango juice by pureeing a fresh mango and some water.
Coconut aminos is a whole30 compliant ‘soy’ sauce.
Adapted from LAMuscle

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Pineapple Cauliflower Fried ‘Rice’ (Whole 30, Paleo) – Delishar

Day 17 of Whole 30. Still, no tiger blood. Perhaps, I’m just one of those who will never get it. That would kind of suck, because I could really use that burst of energy. The husband’s energy level has been pretty low as well. He mentioned that he felt slightly light-headed when he was playing at the softball field over the weekend. This could be due to the body working extra hard to convert reserved fats in the body into energy rather than feeding off the refined sugar & simple carbs that a regular diet would have.

He also broke one rule and stepped on the scale on Sunday. I honestly don’t think that’s a make or break and have to restart the whole program. But he did tell me that he lost 4kg! His biggest fight is with his sugar dragon. I’m not sure if he would ever be able to slay that dragon. He snacks on a date and fruits whenever he feels the need for something sweet. Still better than him eating chocolate, or cake. Other than that, he has been really good about the diet. I’m very proud of him!

One thing I miss most is Asian food. You know, rice with several dishes laid out on the table. I miss Thai food too, so I made this whole 30 variation of Thai Pineapple Fried Rice using cauliflower ‘rice’. I served it with a side of Thai Basil Beef Lettuce Wraps. It definitely satisfied my need for Asian food that night. 🙂

I honestly can’t wait for the diet to be over so I can go get some blood work done to see if my body chemistry changed. Believe it or not, my cholesterol level is borderline high, and I suffer from hypo hypothyroidism too. I tried eating bland soupy food, mainly soy, vegetables, and fish for 2 weeks and re-took the test, but it was still borderline high. Attributed it to genetics. Everyone in my family has that problem.

I’d be very surprised if I’m able to lose a couple of pounds with this diet given my under-active thyroid condition. My metabolism rate is pretty low, and I have been struggling with losing that extra 3-4kg to get to my ideal weight. During the re-introduction phase, I’ll get back to fitness routines as well which i’m sure will help burn the extra calories and help me feel better.

Thai Pineapple Fried Cauli-rice

Delishar

1 kg cauliflower cut into florets
1/2 pineapple chunks
12 large prawns peeled & cleaned
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 yellow onion diced
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup diced french beans
1/2 red pepper diced
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce if not whole30
1 tbsp fish sauce
Salt & black pepper to taste
3 tbsp coconut oil
Chopped spring onions to garnish
Sliced lime wedges to serve

Place cauliflower into food processor and process until you get rice like size.
Heat pan on medium high heat with 1 tbsp oil.
Season prawns with salt and black pepper.
Pan fry prawns until until cooked, about 1-2 minute each side.
Remove and set aside.
Add remaining 2 tbsp coconut oil into pan.
Stir-fry onions until soft and translucent, then add garlic to cook for 30 seconds.
Add french beans, carrot, and red pepper to cook for a minute.
Then add cauliflower rice.
Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
Season with turmeric powder, fish sauce, coconut aminos, black pepper, and salt to taste.
Create a well in the middle and pour in eggs.
Scramble until set and toss it together with cauli-rice.
Add pineapple chunks, and cooked prawns.
Add
Serve garnished with chopped spring onions, and a wedge of lime.

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Sesame Fried Chicken Wings – Delishar

Are you a fan of fried chicken wings? If you are, then I’ve got the perfect winner-winner chicken dinner recipe for you. If you aren’t then this recipe is going to win you over! It only takes 5 minutes to put together and another 5 or so to cook it. Amazingly simple and guaranteed to tantalise your taste buds!

The secret to these speedy sesame wings is Mizkan‘s ready to use sauces. For this dish, I used Mizkan’s Versatile Sesame Sauce. It has a nutty aroma with a slight tinge of sweetness which is great to use it for marinating food, cooking, dipping sauce, and as a dressing. The possibilities are endless. In this recipe, the sauce was used to marinade the wings and tossed to coat the wings after frying for a more intense flavour.

I made a portion to feed 4 as a side. However, my youngest daughter who is only 6, devoured almost half the portion on her own before I could stop her. She quickly requested for me to make it again, and claimed this to be her new favourite food. I wouldn’t mind given that it requires very little ingredients and can be made in a jiffy. Do give it time for the wings to marinade in the sauce. I’d recommend marinating in a ziplock baggie overnight for best result.

NTUC Fairprice is hosting a Japan Fair during 3rd to 16th of May. This particular Mizkan Versatile Sesame Sauce will be promoted during that time with sampling period for this sauce. Do pop by to give it a taste test!

You will be able to find Mizkan Sesame Sauce at NTUC major stores including

NTUC Finest Bukit Timah Plaza
NTUC Finest Bishan Junction 8
NTUC Finest Bedok Mall
NTUC Finest Jurong Point
NTUC Hyper Ang Mo Kio Hub
NTUC Hyper Hougang One
NTUC North Point City
NTUC Tampines Mall

Sesame Fried Chicken

delishar

500 g chicken mid wings
4 tbsp Mizkan Versatile Sesame Sauce
3-4 tbsp cornflour
Oil for deep frying

Coating Sauce

2-3 tbsp Mizkan Versatile Sesame Sauce
Sprinkle with white & black sesame seeds

Marinade chicken in Mizkan Versatile Sesame Sauce for at least 1 hour. But preferably, over-night.
Drip off excess sauce and coat chicken with corn flour.
Heat up oil over medium heat for deep frying.
To check if oil is ready, insert a wooden chopstick into the oil. If it starts bubbling, it’s ready.
Fry chicken wings for about 5 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
Toss fried chicken with coating sauce and serve immediately.