Chicken Katsudon Recipe

Ok so here's the deal.

During this lockdown season... I mean come on it's been 3 whole months since I've been cooped up at home and i have cravings all the time on normal days. So one fine day I was craving for chicken katsudon after seeing a friend posted on instagram a photo of her meal which was chicken katsu curry rice. 

It was my first attempt at making this but it was a success! My husband loved it! Although I made it a bit too salty hahaha so here's the recipe for a wonderful chicken katusdon!

Firstly use japanese rice to cook if you can get it at your nearest supermarket because it makes a HUGE difference.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce: 

1/2 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup of water

2 inches of ginger(pounded or finely chopped)

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder(alternatively you may use 1 teaspoon of ground garlic)

5teaspoons of packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon of honey(or more to suit your taste)

Method:

Pour everything into your pot and heat it up until everything is dissolve. You may add cornstarch slur to thicken the sauce for other uses but for this chicken katsudon it is not necessary.

Chicken Katsu:

1 whole chicken breast(cut in half)

1 egg

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 cup of breadcrumbs

2 tablespoon of salt

Method:

Firstly pat dry the chicken breasts with a kitchen towel and salt it lightly on both sides and leave for 10-15 minutes. What this does is it takes the moisture out of the chicken and also seasons it so that you won't need to add any more salt to taste. Be careful not to use too much salt and to leave it too long else it will be salty.

Once you've marinated the chicken for 10-15minutes, You will find that there is a lot of water coming out from the chicken. Pat dry chicken again with kitchen towel.

Heat up your oil.

While waiting for oil to be hot, beat 1 egg in a bowl, and separately prepare the breadcrumbs and all purpose flour in another bowl separately.

When oil is hot enough, dip the chicken breast in flour and cover it fully before dipping in egg and dipping it in breadcrumbs. Coat fully with breadcrumbs and fry.

Set aside to cool before cutting the chicken cutlet into thick slices.(however thick or thin you want.)

Chicken Katsudon:

1 onion(sliced)

2 tablespoon of oil

Chicken Katsu

Teriyaki sauce

1-2 eggs

Method:

Heat up the oil and sauté the onions until it has slightly browned around the edges. 

Add 3tablespoons of teriyaki sauce, more to taste. Let it simmer and thicken about 1-3minutes.

Add the chicken cutlet into the pan as nicely as you can to make it more presentable.

Add beaten egg over the sauce and slightly over the chicken. 

Lower down the heat and close the pan with a lid to let the egg cook for about 1-3 minutes(more if needed)

Serve over a bowl of rice!

AND we're done! I hope you made it through!

The Best FRIED CHICKEN recipe

Good afternoon!

2:05pm, May 26th 2020, Tuesday.

It's the third day of syawal! Minal aidil wal fa izin to all muslims! Selamat hari raya!

Day 3 of Syawal 2020.

I ran out of ideas on what to cook today. I still had left overs nasi ayam rice from yesterday's meal/dinner. But the roasted chicken was gone in a sitting.

So i asked my husband if i can fry the drumlets we got the other day and he said go for it!

The recipe for this is as below:

Chicken marinate

1 kilo/ 15-20pcs of chicken drumlets

1 tbsp of smoked paprika powder

1tbsp of garlic powder

2tbsp of mixed herbs

1tbsp of cayenne powder

1tbsp of salt.

Method: 

1) Make a small cut about 1-2cm into the vein of the drumlets to help it cook faster and that when you're frying later, the blood will ooze out and you'll have a perfect all rounded cooked chicken!

2) Make sure you've washed and pat dry your drumlets with a kitchen towel and dump everything, drumlets and spices in a large bowl. Mix well and massage the spices into chicken for 5-7minutes to ensure that when we fry later the chicken will be tender.

3) Once that is all done, cover the bowl with a clingwrap and place it somewhere warm for 1 hour.

Frying mixture

1 cup of all purpose flour(sifted)

1 cup of cornflakes (crushed until small pieces)

1 tbsp of smoked paprika powder

1tbsp of garlic powder

2tbsp of mixed herbs

1tbsp of cayenne powder

1/2 tsp(teaspoon not tablespoon to ensure its not too salty!) of salt

2 eggs

Method:

1) Mix all the dry ingredients into a large bowl

2) Beat eggs in a different bowl.

How to fry chicken:

1) Prepare a straining area for your fried chicken so that after frying the oil will not soak into the chicken and make it soggy. What i would usually do is place a cooling rack over a tray

2) Heat up your oil on high and use a 9-11inch nonstick pot. I use alot of oil. Enough to submerge the drumlets fully for deep frying

3) Arrange your marinated chicken, flour mixture and eggs with chicken furthest away from your wok/pot of hot oil.

Ensure your oil is really hot before lowering the temperature to medium low.

4) Dip your marinated drumlets into the flour mixture and coat it fully before dunking it in the egg and back into the flour mixture for a second coating before putting it in oil to fry.

That's pretty much it guys! I usually lower the temperature of the heat few minutes before frying the chicken so that it won't burn.

And here is the finished result! I hope you like it!

Update Part 2

Dear Diary,

currently it is 9:33 am. Monday of 18th May 2020. Let's continue where I left from my previous post shall we?

When dad passed away, it was two weeks from my wedding reception. Exactly two weeks to my reception. Half of me wanted to postpone the wedding to mourn in grief. But half of me remembered my dad's daily reminder for the past two months.

"Let thunder or lightning may come, do NOT postpone your wedding. If I die, then that's where my story ends. But yours is just beginning. Do not hold back your wedding for me. This is my will to you(aside from many other things he left me with)

And so two weeks after 4th February 2017 on 17th February 2017, Friday. I tied the knot amongst close relatives and neighbours in my humble abode at slightly past 5pm. I officially became Mrs to my other half.

We had our reception the day after on 18th February 2017. It was fun, raining, but fun. I find that my solemnisation was more memorable than my wedding reception to be honest.

All went swell in the beginning. I was happily married to the love of my life.

But he was commuting daily from kahang to singapore. that's a total of 6hours journey daily. my poor man.

2 months into my marriage, my second brother had a huge quarrel with his wife which led to their divorce. My stupid ass made my husband go all the way to fetch him and bring him back with us despite hubby being sick at that time. What the hell was I thinking?

Things took a sour turn between my brother and i after a few months where i finally had enough and told him to get out and get a job. Stop mooching off of my husband. He got married again end of November that very same year in 2017.

I didn't like the girl to be honest.

But what was most hardest to forget was when husband got into an accident which led him to be hospitalised at Ng Teck Fong Hospital for a week. Longest week in my life. I missed him every time i had to walk out of that ward and return home.

That was a second big red flag for me. I didn't see it.

Shortly after i think in September that year my husband resigned from the force and took time to recover fully at home.

It took him about a year before he said, fuck it I'm going to work. So early 2019 he got himself a proper job(I'm skipping a major part in my life in 2018 because it makes me go to a dark place so I ain't talking about it)

we were separated for a year. A sacrifice we were both willing to make. We saved up enough to move out from both our parents' home.

And now in 2020, we are living in our humble abode somewhere in JB, Malaysia. its much nearer to commute for my husband and living on our own has been swell. We're living with four fat male cats. it's like having a party everyday with them. Not necessarily good nor bad mind you...

But since we're under Movement Control Order, MCO, it got fairly interesting very quickly. Our daily lives has been jam packed with test baking with breads, desserts and the likes. And I've been experimenting with my cooking a lot lately. I'll be sure to update the pictures of our successful baking and cooking in my next posts!

Until then, Stay Safe and Keep your distance from people when going out! AND STAY HOME

Back and for good!

Dear Diary,

Today is May 8th 2020, Friday. Currently, it is 10:46am as I'm typing this. It has been five years since I last updated this blog. Many things have happened during this five year timeframe.

Here are some updates I will be adding for my own perusal according to year.

2015

During this time I would still find myself attached to a male in my previous post. I have moved and settled down pretty comfortably in my new home with my beloved parents in Kampong Contoh, Kahang. Nothing interesting happened during the early half of this year.

That was until i made the decision to temporarily stay at my second sister's home in Singapore to find a job and support my parents in November 2015.

I helped her out with her bakes as she was a home baker during this moment and also to point out that i had not been successful in my endeavour of finding a job.

2016

I went on several, multiple, countless of job interviews and sadly and disdainfully, I had not landed myself on an opportunity to prove my worth in any company until March 2016.

I asked for help with my resume from the people i counted on most alas it was a painful letdown. luckily for me, i had a close friend living just a few blocks away and she taught me how to write up my resume. i did and i submitted to job street while applying for administrative work.

March 2016,

I got a job as a part time patient's associate at Sengkang Polyclinic. Huzzah! Pay was pretty pathetic if you ask me. But it did support my parents, albeit barely.

I found myself working elsewhere during the nightly hours after my morning job. Happily working at a tradition chinese clinic in tampines at night. I was also working another job from midnight til 3 am in the morning.

Thus was my daily routine for 3 to 4 months during that time. But i managed to bring home a whopping 2.5k net for le parents. in which i gave $500 to dad monthly and secretly saved the rest in his UOB account. i only took what was enough for me to go to work and back.

I fell out of love with said partner of 2 years during this time because he was an asshole. He claimed i was too busy for him. i had my weekend free for him but he couldn't free it for me for his damn kompang and percussions. *Insert rolling of eyes here*

truth be told, i knew he had another woman by his side. Saw him once when i was on the way back from night shift during this time. Just couldn't be bothered at all with him. After all, he cheated on me twice. what difference would it make a third time?

Fast forward to June 2016.

I was working with my second sister, dumb move, I know. At her little shop in bedok. I sent a friend request on Facebook to someone i highly admired back when i was a teeny tiny, snot-nosed brat. He approved a few hours later.

Freakie Y, let's call him that.

cut things short, we fell in love and decided to get married.

Daddy dearest was all fire and terror when my pompous, dimwitted second brother drop the bomb on him. I wanted to tell dad myself that i wanted to get married. But alas, my intellectually challenged elder brother told him before i had the chance.

i went home in September that year, around a week after the news, to pacify his royal daddiness. It wasn't pretty mind you. I barely had my plush bottom on the kitchen chair when Royal Terror unleashed his accumulated anger upon me.

I managed to quell his anger and soon, father dearest himself couldn't wait to meet his prospective son-in-law.

The following week was the day we were going to meet at my childhood friend, Qurratul Aini's wedding at kg tuah jaya, perling.

F.Y hitched a ride with my siblings.

Long story short, mom, dad, F.Y and i drove home to speak of our wedding details. Father dearest was surprisingly pleasant during the ride home.

Truth be told it was a wonderful experience for me. My prospective husband is a man who is matured and ready to settle down. That much can be seen from his actions alone and dad was more than pleased with the way he presented and carried himself.

2017

Everything went swell. I was the happiest and luckiest person on earth as my fiancee got along greatly with my parents. Daddy loved him more than anything in the world. He was adoring towards his newest addition to the family.

It all went perfect... until 3rd February 2017.

Father was down with a high fever to the point where he couldn't stand let alone walk on his own. He needed help in going to the toilet. The night of 3rd February 2017, I was awoken by the anxious and urgent voice of my mother. She alerted me that dad had fallen in the toilet and couldn't get up with her help alone and thus seek my help.

I dashed out of bed, albeit groggily mentally but still could find my bearings. I rushed to my parents' toilet to find my dad breathless, sitting on the cold tile floor with his eyes blurry. When he laid his eyes on me, he grinned and said, "I sort of fell and can't get up. A little help please?" with his usual cheeky smile.

My heart fell. I could feel a lump in my throat as my lips went dry. No matter how hard I tried, i couldn't get him to stand. Luckily, my fiancee was sleeping over that night and thus it was my turn to urgently awaken him from slumber for help.

It took us a while. But we managed to get him off and onto bed.

Morning of 4th February 2017, my fiancee and i decided to get the local doctor to come visit dad at home seeing as said person refused to go visit a clinic.

He managed to talk jovially with the doctor, but his words were slurring. Doctor said it was just normal fever and phlegm. My heart was restless. Mr fiancee went out to follow the doctor to his clinic to collect medication. And that was where things went spiralling down the drain.

Shortly after they left, Dad asked me to help him sit up as he couldn't breathe. I held him as he held the bottle of 100 plus shakily with his hands. He kept saying, "Sorry nak, bapak menyusahkan kau"(translates to sorry my daughter, i keep causing trouble for you)

By now his lips were turning blue as he drank half of that 1.5litres of water. I could feel my eyes burning from unshed tears. My mom was by his side by then and she kept rubbing his back and said its ok, nothing is his fault. all will be well.

Dad smiled at her and said the same thing to her, "Sorry roh, abang susahkan awak" his breath was getting ragged by now and tears were spilling from my mom's eyes. I was frantically rubbing his feet to warm him up and tapping his face lightly to keep him conscious. But minutes after, my dad took his last breath on my mother's shoulder as he fell into my arms, his last words were, "ashhadu alla ilaha illahllah".

I ran, as fast as my stubby fat legs could carry me to my neighbour's house. Screaming if they knew the ambulance's number. When they said no and asked why, i ran back home to call the medic from our nearby clinic. By now the neighbours have rushed to our house to see what was wrong and another had rode off on their motorcycle to the clinic to urgently get the ambulance over.

By now, my fiancee was back and he looked lost as he rode in from the gate. I couldn't stop the words from my mouth despite knowing he hasn't reached my house door yet. "Dad is gone..." he jumped off the motorbike and rushed in, slippers half way forgotten to take off.

When he reached dad, kneeling before my father. He touched my father's face gently and spoke softly, "Innalillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rojiuun"

The day went by like a whirl. I was holding up as much as i could seeing that both fiancee and mom were both in tears, drowning in their own grief.

4th of February 2017 11.30am. I had lost my strongest pillar in life, my father, Abdul Majid bin Mahadi. May Allah s.w.t have mercy on his soul and place him in Jannahtul Naim amongst the saints and prophets. Insyaa Allah. Allahumma Amin.

I will stop this post here as it took me this long to compose it. My heart is aching at the memory of losing my father.