Recipe: Oven-roasted chicken drumsticks and vegetables

Today marks the first day of the partial lockdown that we Malaysians face. At this time, we should try to practice social distancing and avoid going out except for essentials such as food.

Let's do our part and stay home during the next 2 weeks. It is still important to eat healthy during these times, so please try not to have instant noodles for every meal. Here is a very easy recipe you can try at home with minimal ingredients - oven-roasted chicken drumsticks paired with oven-roasted vegetables and fries.

Simply drizzle some olive oil over the chicken drumsticks and season with salt and pepper and oven-roast for 25-30 minutes. The chicken is moist with crispy skin (tip: to ensure that the skin crisps up, ensure that you dry the chicken thoroughly with kitchen paper towels.)

To go with the chicken, I roasted some French beans with carrots, tossed in some olive oil, salt and a dash of soy sauce. French beans and root vegetables such as carrots are great as they keep longer than leafy vegetables in the fridge, so you can keep a stock of them in your fridge during partial lockdown times. I also made a simple gravy to go with the chicken. Happy cooking guys!

Oven-roasted chicken drumsticks

Oven-roasted chicken drumstick
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves 3-4

Ingredients
8 chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Butter
1/2 tsp thyme, if available

To serve
Gravy

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (roast mode). Pat dry and arrange the chicken drumsticks on a baking tray, making sure they do not overlap.

2. Drizzle over olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper and dried thyme (if using). Roast for 20 minutes, then remove and reserve juices for gravy. Place a sliver of butter onto each drumstick. Roast for another 5-10 minutes, until the skin has crisped up and is lightly golden. The juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced with a sharp knife.

3. Remove and serve with gravy.

4. To make the gravy, add 1/2 OXO cube and 1 cup of water to a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then add the reserved juices from roasting. Add 1 tbsp of cornflour (mixed with 1 tbsp of cold water) to thicken the gravy. Season with black pepper.

Note: Please ensure you pat dry the chicken to get nice, crispy skin.

For whole roast chicken recipe, click here.



Roasted vegetables
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
16-20 French beans or green beans, cut into 2" pieces
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced vertically
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
1/2 tsp light soy sauce

1. Place the vegetables and garlic into a baking tray, then toss with oil, salt and light soy sauce. Place in oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.

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Sunday Lunch @ Thainstone House Hotel, Inverurie

I love Sunday roasts. We used to have it almost every week back in the day, be it homecooked or at the local pub / restaurant. So, during our last trip back to Scotland, Sunday Roast was on my list of to-do things.

After some deliberation, we chose Thainstone House Hotel as the online menu sounded promising, plus the hotel looked lovely from the photos on their website. Located in Inverurie, Thainstone House is an elegant 18th century Palladian country mansion set amongst 44 acres of woodland and parkland.

 

Sunday Roast is served in The Green Lady, a gorgeous 2 AA Rosette restaurant with high ceiling, Wedgewood green walls, grand paintings and ornate furnishings. We were ushered to a table with a beautiful view, thanks to the large picture window overlooking the parkland.

I was expecting to see roast beef or roast lamb on the menu, but unfortunately for us, there wasn't. I asked and the server mentioned that they were offering a new concept, whereby only one type of roast is offered every week and it was chicken during our visit.

Diners can opt for the 2-course lunch at £15 or 3-course at £19.95 while kids under 12 eat at half price. For starters, I went for the King prawn & crayfish cocktail served with buttered brown bread. The portion was generous, with huge juicy prawns and sweet crayfish in a Marie rose sauce. A great start to the meal.

Hubby had the Chicken liver parfait with onion marmalade and oatcakes, which was equally delicious. The rich, smooth parfait paired well with the onion marmalade. 

For mains, there was a choice of chicken, coley (fish) and pumpkin tortellini. Since we were craving roast, we both went for the chicken. The roast chicken breast was pretty moist, and was served with roast vegetables and red wine jus.

The kids got to choose from the special young diners menu. Unlike other restaurants which have a limited kids menu, the young diners menu here offers grilled steaks, eggs benedict, mussels, scallops and haddock.. impressive. For most of the items, you even get to specify how you would like them cooked. Too bad this menu was only for children under 15, otherwise I would definitely order from this menu too. We let the kids order for themselves and they picked well.

Our son went for the scallops (good taste, boy) and they were pan fried in butter with pancetta bacon and served with chips and salad. Plump and juicy, the boy gave a big thumbs up for this dish. Our daughter on the other hand, went for the fillet steak. Simply grilled to medium, she thoroughly enjoyed it. The portion was generous (2 pieces) so we got to enjoy some of it too. 

Since Hubby and I were full, we skipped dessert but the kids had the Sticky toffee pudding and Toffee Sundae. They licked the cups and plates clean. Lunch overall was excellent and the ambiance was fantastic.

After lunch, the kids enjoyed a spot of giant chess at the hotel entrance. 

The Sunday Lunch is available every Sunday from 12pm to 2pm.

Price: Total bill £45.

Location: Thainstone House Hotel, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK, AB51 5NT

Tel: +44 1467 621643



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Happy Father's Day 2016 + Roast Chicken Dinner

To my husband and father to my two children..

Happy Father's Day!

Also to my dad, Hubby's dad as well as all the super dads out there.... hope you had a great day celebrating with your family!

For Father's Day this year, Hubby asked for roast chicken for dinner. What daddy wants, daddy gets! You can find the recipe by clicking this link here - I omitted the lemon this time, and stuffed the cavity with fresh rosemary from the garden instead. Here are some photos as well as video recipe that I made today of our roast chicken dinner. 

Watch video recipe in full screen here (link)

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Sunday Brunch @ The Cobalt Room, The Ritz-Carlton KL

The Ritz-Carlton KL's Sunday Brunch is well-known and highly popular amongst KL folks. Now guests can partake in an even bigger and better buffet spread at The Cobalt Room, happening every Sunday from 12pm to 3pm. Dressed in dark wood paneling, white tiled walls and leather chairs, this new restaurant space is bright and spacious and has a classic diner feel to it. 

The Sunday Brunch will feature sumptous spreads of signature roasts, fresh seafood on ice, freshly shucked oysters, homemade pastas, artisanal cheese, decadent desserts as well as free flow of premium champagne and wines, and live band entertainment. 

The Cobalt Room

For those who take up the free flow champagne option, you will be served Canard-Duchene Brut Champagne.

Cheers! Toasting to a delightful afternoon

Oyster fans, there will be at least 5 types of oysters available here at the Sunday Brunch, such as Irish Premium, Cloudy Bay, Jersey Rock, West Mersea and Creuses No 3. Take your pick and the chef will shuck them for you on the spot.

One of the highlights of the buffet spread is the fresh seafood on ice. You will find prawns, scallops, mussels, flower crabs, baby lobster and more. Sweet and succulent, these are worth getting your hands dirty for!

At the Japanese section, you will find salmon and tuna sashimi, tako as well as a small sushi selection - I just wish that they wouldn't place the sliced sashimi inside the glass counter, as you will need to ask the chef to get it for you each time you want a refill.

A wide range of appetizers and salads

Not to be missed here are the signature roasts, such as the roast beef, roast leg of lamb and salmon coulibiac. The signature roast beef is wheeled around the restaurant in the trolley, and the chefs will serve you at the table. The roast beef was tender and beautifully cooked, and was served with traditional Yorkshire pudding and roast vegetables. 

There are also live cooking stations for eggs, sausages, grilled meats and pasta, which are cooked to order.

You will be spoilt for choices when it comes to dessert. The colorful display is sure to tempt, and includes a macaron tower, cakes and French pastries. You can also indulge in the artisanal cheese on offer.

An enjoyable brunch for the whole family

While the adults are enjoying their Sunday Brunch, the capable butlers have organised a range of fun activities to entertain your children. Our kids took part in cupcake decoration, smoothie making and coloring activities under the watchful eyes of the butlers in the Ritz Kids corner.

The Sunday Brunch is priced at RM198 (food only) or RM398 per adult with free flow champagne, wine and beer. For reservations, please call 03-2142 8000 or email dining@ritzcarlton.com.my 

Location: The Cobalt Room, Level 1, The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, 168 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2142 8000

GPS Coordinates: 3.146901, 101.715438

Website: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/malaysia/kuala-lumpur



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