Moroccan Spiced Chicken Stew with Couscous - Deliciously easy to make

As a continuation of my post on Moroccan Spices Mix earlier, I thought, might as well sharing with you a simple recipe of the Moroccan spiced Chicken Stew.
First time I had Moroccan food was when I lived in New York many years back. I remembered a very complex  taste of it. Moroccan cuisines are mixture of African, Middle Eastern, Arab, Mediterranean influences. Chicken, lamb, beef and other meats are widely used for dishes along with bread and salad. Couscous is a delicacy enjoyed by locals until now. A cup of mint tea is usually drunk to end the meal.
So what we do here is a simple chicken stew and couscous that I used Moroccan spice to jazz it up. Best part of all is that it is very simple and you could easily prepare this for a weekday dinner.

Moroccan Spices Mix - a little some Zing!

Also this was one of the night I would typically be looking forward to. It was when our group of friends from university gathered over at one of our friend's place whenever she came back to Bangkok. Best part of all that we might not have realized, it has been 20 years already that we known each other. Time flies, isn't it. Though this trip was slightly different as our lovely host, she actually moved back to Bangkok for good along with her husband and (not so) little kitty.
Like every time, we would do it in a pot luck style, everybody brings a little something to share. Though the high light of the night would be my friend's home cooked meal that we are all always looking forward to. Myself is one great admirer of her home cook. The other night she happily fed us with chicken stew and couscous that was quickly whipped up after returning from her busy day. In my opinion, couscous can be a little too dry at time but because it was served with a more soupy base dish so it was just perfect together.

Crispy Mixed Nuts Cookies - Crunchy Munchy!

Typing on the keyboard full of crumbs while I was also munching on these delicious crunchy cookies. I personally not a big fan of crispy kind, but these are results of me and my sister baking session at home on the past weekend.
We altered the recipe to tone down the sweetness and this time we found the balance of tastes, slightly sweet, salty and buttery with the crunchy texture of all nuts in them. As these ones have less flour in proportion, more on nuts and that is one of my weakness, I'm on the third one now and seems to keep going. I was surprised also how easy it is to make them. My sister is kind enough to let me share her recipe with you. Let me know how you like them when you try the recipe.

Get ready for your crunchy munchy time.

Satisfied - Konaya Curry Udon & Tempura

It became our ritual now that every time I pop into Bangkok, me a my lovely friend will catch each other for an extensive lunch and tea at least once if not more while I am there. We met at the recently opened community mall right around my neighborhood. With a coupon print out in hand, we were expecting to have a feast at a discounted price in the restaurant there specialized in beef, beef and beef. As it turn out we showed up just a day short of 20 days too early. Fail from using the coupon and our stomach were groaning, immediately my friend mentioned, Konaya! We were there once before, their udon was quite good, and myself as a big Japanese curry fan, burst back, Let's go!

A slight hint of comfort - Putien @ Kitchener Road

And who knows where did she originally from...I was briefly told about our ancestors migration story, until now I wasn't sure where exactly was our root. All I know is growing up in a half Chinese family, food is a big deal. " Have you eaten yet" was my grandmother's way of saying hello when I visited her. And don't you dare answering " No, I haven't ", I promise, that would be the beginning of a big feast to come.
I was too ignorant to learn, Teochew dialect Chinese is used in our family. This might be a small clue that tells me that my ancestors were probably from somewhere South of China. Although I have just a few simple words of Teochew Chinese that my grandmother said often remain in my memories, the granny herself and the taste of her food, on the other hand, were subconsciously embedded in.
Just last weekend, I stepped into this restaurant that gave me a nostalgic moment of her.

Off the beaten track - L'etoile

A cute handmade table number tag

Several times we walked pass, cycled pass this small cute corner cafe right within our neighborhood, after heard that they have just introduced a new All day breakfast type of menu this summer, we decided to pay a visit during brunch on Saturday
L'etoile is situated in a two-storey shophouse at the junction of Owen and Dorset road near by little India area. As its location is off the beaten track, it is perfect place to chill and relax on any given afternoon. L'etoile means star in French. This cafe is inspired by an indie cafe in Japan and has French influence in it. With high bay window gives the cafe light and airy atmosphere dinning hall on the ground. The second floor, was surprisingly large dinning room with series of window covered with laced curtains give the room a softer feel.It was packed with diners that time of day so we settle ourselves on a comfortable couch by the window downstairs that turn out to be a good spot to enjoy watching people and activities that were going on outside.

Pick-Me-Up @ Group Therapy

It was one of those morning when anticipation set in and things flew fast. Next thing I knew I was already behind to catch the High Tea with the group. While rushing out luckily spot the taxi, believe it or not, there are plenty of them on the street but I find it is hard to flag one down here in Singapore. This one stopped so I was happily hopped in. Somehow the traffic was jam than it would normally be during that time of the day. Then came the A-HA moment, it was just a few days before the famous Formula One starts, most of the streets downtown were closed off to be transformed to racing track. After 30 minutes, I finally reached the up and coming Duxton road. Not very difficult to notice ( if you are looking ) a humble simple blade sign on the second floor was telling me I was at the right building. The entrance on street level is simple with the small indication for me to proceed upstairs.

Chili Con Carne- always better on the second day

Have been hopping in and out Mexican restaurants quite often lately and my darling happens to love one of Hernan Cortez's captains' dish - Chili Con Carne. For about a week now that I was on a hunt for a recipe, for ONE recipe. To my surprise, none of recipe are the same. The variant recipes provoke dispute among aficionados, which is probably why chili is a frequent dish for cook offs. Chili in the traditional  recipes are made using mainly chili peppers, garlic, onions, cumin along with chopped beef. Beans and tomato were added later to the recipe on which created different opinions and preferences.

So after all the readings and researching I decided to create my own version.With chocolate in it. Oh! did I mention chocolate!? This version of chili has mild spicy end note, with reminiscent of Mole, the flavors are rich, mellow and deep. Here we go!

Baked Salmon with Lemon & Herbs - Dinner in a Flash!

There are so many things I could write about food, travel and all life style. So! Let's see! Cooking is one of my passion for food. I could for an hour or so block myself out and enjoy the pleasant journey within my own kitchen. And the fact that I could share the food and moment with people I cook for makes me very happy especially. Sharing the recipe with you would be something I would love to do though my only problem is that when cooking I don't really have exact measure for ingredients that all go down the pot. It is all about tasting and adjusting them along the way. But let's try it. An d absolutely you can follow this recipe or do your own version of something similar. Do share with me how you like it.