Curry Chicken & Sambal Petai

I can't be more pleased that restaurants are open for dining-in again. It's somewhere to take the dog too. We have the choice of making a reservation and going to sit down at at restaurant; I'm always happy to have someone else cook my food, clear and wash the dishes after. Hurhurhur. Of course we still have the option of getting takeout, which we do on some nights because that's just easier on the schedule. We do cook at home, but we don't have to do it so often.  

Sorted out a simple dinner at home with nyonya curry chicken, and stir-fried nai-bai, and sambal petai and ikan bilis. Three easy dishes that hold plenty of flavor and umami. I have a batch of frozen packs of chicken breasts and legs that I should really pare down...... by cooking them. So I used a whole thigh and a breast for the curry. The man would eat all the meat anyway. Hurhurhur. The curry was easy. I always have a stash of curry powder. I just needed curry leaves, lemongrass, potatoes and the vegetables. 

I didn't need organic stuff. I needed them fresh, and I chose to visit the wet market to get them. It has been a while since I stepped into Tiong Bahru market to buy ingredients for a simple meal. The bonus is randomly stopping at the fruit stall and scoring a batch of firm and lovely Rainier cherries — 1kg for S$45, okay can. This is the last of the season. 

Oh I didn't fry up the ikan bilis from the tiny raw bits. I don't really want to work that hard. Hahahah. They were bought cooked and crisp from Lee Wee & Brothers. Cleverly packed into four small sealed packets, I could just open one for a snack or to add to noodles and such. So I opened up one packet tonight. After the petai were boiled, I tossed in the sambal and the ikan bilis. Mmmmm. Dinner looked presentable, and not too sad. Basmati rice with the meal fulfilled the carbs to mop up the curry with. Spicy sambal belachan (fried up last week) on sliced kyuri completed the meal. #ImpieCooks2021