Blood Orange Chicken. My love of sweet ‘n’ sour often got me teased by my parents as a kid, them jokingly disowning me. Things like sweet and sour chicken balls/pork are seen as “inauthentically-Chinese”. Here is my elevated take on a food court fave. The bitterness of Blood Orange, lime, mild heat of chilli and Sambal give this dish a bit of mystery. Enjoy! 🍊🌶️

Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, sectioned to bite-size pieces and seasoned in sea salt
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup corn starch
3 eggs, beaten
Sea salt and pepper taste

Canola oil

Blood Orange Sauce:
1/2 cup Tropicana Orange Juice (no pulp)
3 Blood Oranges juiced (reserve zests of 2)
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup organic raw sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sambal
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 chili, seeds removed and minced
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 green onion stalk, minced for garnish
Cilantro, minced for garnish

Instructions:
1. Heat Canola oil in large skillet, medium-high.
2. Prepare coating in a dish mixing flour, corn starch, sea salt and pepper to taste.
3. Beat eggs in bowl.
4. Dip each chicken piece in egg wash and then flour coating. Once oil is hot, place pieces in oil, careful not to overcrowd.
5. Fry pieces till golden and not too dark. Takes about 4-5 minutes approximately per batch.
6. Place chicken on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
7. Once all chicken is fried, prepare sauce in another skillet.
8. On medium-high heat, sautée chilli, garlic, ginger and Sambal. Add sugar and cook till it caramelizes.
9. Add-in Blood Orange juice, zest and lime juice, stirring till sugar dissolves. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar and bring to quick boil. Add Tropicana and bring to boil. Taste with spoon to ensure flavour balance is right. If not, adjust with rice vinegar, sugar or salt accordingly.
10. Run sauce through strainer, and return to skillet. Bring to boil. In small dish, mix tapioca starch and equal part water to form paste. Stir it into the Blood Orange sauce till it thickens to the consistency of a glaze.
11. Toss-in fried chicken and coat evenly in sauce. Sprinkle cilantro and green onion. Serve.

Gallery:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

We saw the sneak peak stills, here’s a first look at the new Trailer for HOLLYWOOD, from Ryan Murphy!

Synopsis:
What if you could rewrite the story?

HOLLYWOOD follows a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood as they try to make it in Tinseltown — no matter the cost. Each character offers a unique glimpse behind the gilded curtain of Hollywood’s Golden Age, spotlighting the unfair systems and biases across race, gender and sexuality that continue to this day.

Provocative and incisive, HOLLYWOOD exposes and examines decades-old power dynamics, and what the entertainment landscape might look like if they had been dismantled. HOLLYWOOD stars David Corenswet as Jack, Darren Criss as Raymond, Jeremy Pope as Archie, Laura Harrier as Camille, Samara Weaving as Claire, Dylan McDermott as Ernie, Holland Taylor as Ellen Kincaid, Patti LuPone as Avis, Jim Parsons as Henry Willson, Jake Picking as Rock Hudson, Joe Mantello as Dick, and Maude Apatow as Henrietta.

See the Trailer:

HOLLYWOOD streams Friday, May 1, 2020 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

April 22, 2020 is NATIONAL CANADIAN FILM DAY and Canada’s top Film Distributors are joining forces to celebrate their date with a list of specially-curated content. The below Films will be made available on services like Apple TV, Telus, Cineplex Store, Rogers and Bell starting this Wednesday.

Elevation Pictures
HYENA ROAD, directed by Paul Gross, starring Rossif Sutherland and Allan Hawco
INDIAN HORSE, directed by Stephen Campanelli, starring Forrest Goodluck and Sladen Peltier
ROOM, directed by Lenny Abrahamson, starring Academy Award-winner Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay
RUN THIS TOWN, directed by Ricky Tollman, starring Mena Massoud, Nina Dobrev and Ben Platt
THE SONG OF NAMES, directed by François Girard, starring Tim Roth and Clive Owen

eOne
BIRTHMARKED, directed by Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, starring Matthew Goode, Toni Collette and Suzanne Clément
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS, directed by Lone Scherfig, starring Zoe Kazan, Andrea Riseborough, Tahar Rahim, Jay Baruchel and Bill Nighy
THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S SPIVET, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, starring Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis and Callum Keith Rennie
THE 9th LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX, directed by Alexandre Aja, starring Jamie Dornan, Sarah Gadon and Aaron Paul

LevelFILM
BANG BANG BABY, directed by Jeffrey St. Jules, starring Jane Levy, Justin Chatwin, Peter Stormare and Kristin Bruun
DIM THE FLUORESCENTS, directed by Daniel Warth, starring Claire Armstrong and Naomi Skwarna
EDGE OF WINTER, directed by Rob Connolly, starring Tom Holland and Joel Kinnaman
SUCK IT UP, directed by Jordan Canning, starring Grace Glowicki and Erin Margurite Carter
THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN, directed by Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, starring Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Violet Nelson, Charlie Hannah, and Barbara Eve Harris

MK2 Mile End
AND THE BIRDS RAINED DOWN (IL PLEUVAIT DES OISEAUX) directed by Louise Archambault

Mongrel Media
WATER, directed by Deepa Mehta, starring Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, John Abraham and Sarala
THE GRIZZLIES, directed by Miranda de Pencier, starring Ben Schnetzer, Will Sasso, Paul Nutarariaq, Anna Lambe,Tantoo Cardinal, Emerald MacDonald and Booboo Stewart
MAUDIE, directed by Aisling Walsh, starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke
BROOKLYN, directed by John Crowley, starring Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson and Emory Cohen, with Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters
ANTHROPOCENE, directed by Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky. Narrated by: Alicia Vikander

Pacific Northwest Pictures
CANADIAN STRAIN, written and directed by Geordie Sabbagh and starring Jess Salgueiro
DRONE, written and directed by Jason Bourque and starring Sean Bean
FALLS AROUND HER, written and directed by Darlene Naponse and starring Tantoo Cardinal
LAVENDER, directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly and written by Colin Frizzell and Ed Gass-Donnelly and starring Abbie Cornish with music by Sarah Neufel and Colin Stetson
BEN’S AT HOME, directed by Mars Horodyski and written by Dan Abramovici and Mars Horodyski

In addition, it’s been announced that Ethan Hawke, Jay Baruchel, Atom Egoyan, Colm Feore, Mina Shum, Philippe Falardeau, Megan Follows, Don McKellar and Sandra Oh will partake in a livestream Wednesday, April 22, 2020 from 6-10 p.m. EST on:

Facebook

YouTube

Let’s celebrate the amazing Film that’s being made in our Country! Use the Hashtag #CANFILMDAY to share what you’re planning to watch!

(Photo/video credit: TeleFilm Canada)

Courgette Loaf with Lime-Ricotta Frosting. I have memories of my Dad making Zucchini Bread a lot when I was a kid. It pretty much is like Carrot Cake, a bit like Banana Bread, maybe a bit more moist and less sweet. Dad worked with a lot of Italians from whom he got the recipe and we grew zucchini in our garden, often having an abundance of them. He’d never make just that basic Chocolate Cake I always wanted, but luckily my Grandpa would do it for me when I visited him and Grandma. I would watch cooking shows on TV with Grandpa like Wok With Yan and The Price is Right, and that was often my March Breaks and Summer Vacations. Looking back, I miss Zucchini Bread, and decided to make my own version of it finally, but with my own little razzle dazzle. I’ve even tried this with 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut folded-in too and it’s great! 🥒

Ingredients:
2 cups of zucchini, chopped
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup organic raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried fig, mulberry, cherry, apricot mixture
1/4 cup chopped almonds

Ricotta Frosting:
300g of Ricotta
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
Zest of one lime

1/4 cup chopped pistachios, toasted

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven at 350°F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into mixing bowl. Add-in raisins and dried fruit.
3. Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a separate bowl.
4. Add butter mixture into flour mixture and mix till combined. Do not over-mix.
5. Grease and flour loaf pan. Pour thick batter into pan. Sprinkle almonds on-top.
6. Bake 45 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let loaf cool for one hour. Prepare frosting.
8. In mixing bowl combine all frosting ingredients and mix with handmixer till smooth. Chill till ready to use.
9. Frost loaf with icing using spatula. Top with a few threads of zucchini spirals and complete with toasted pistachio bits.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Creamy Baked Lobster x Cheese. Cheese and Seafood I’ve been told are a big no-no, but rules were meant to be broken, especially when they taste this spectacular! Enjoy this decadent dinner, which is a lot more simple to prepare than you’d think.

Ingredients:
2 lb lobster, cleaned and sectioned (reserve a tablespoon of Tomalley)
450g package spaghetti
4 cups Baby Spinach
1/2 cup shredded Old Cheddar
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella
1/2 cup 5% cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 stalk green onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 strip bacon, diced
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons flour

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cilantro, chopped to garnish

Instructions:
1. Prepare spaghetti, cooking till al dente. Strain in colander. Place spaghetti in a deep 13×9″ tray.
2. Boil water and cook spinach till it wilts, drain and gently squeeze out water. Place aside.
3. Preheat oven at 375°F.
4. In sauce pan, melt butter and sautée garlic. Add bacon and green onion, salt and pepper. Cook till bacon is done.
5. Add spinach, cook one minute and add-in cream. Bring to a slight boil. Add tablespoon of reserved Tomalley (fatty goop) into sauce and stir throughout.
6. Mix 2 tablespoons of flour and mix with equal parts water to form a thick, smooth paste.
7. Add a bit of paste into cream sauce, stirring till sauce reaches a thick consistency. Remove from heat.
8. Arrange lobster pieces on-top of spaghetti. Sprinkle sea salt, to taste.
9. Pour cream sauce over lobster pieces.
10. Combine both cheeses together and sprinkle over lobster. Then sprinkle some grated Parmesan.
11. Bake for 25 minutes, till cheese turns golden. Remove from oven, garnish with cilantro and let sit for 15 minutes before serving

Mongrel Media and Lionsgate are partnering for a special four week initiative where some of Lionsgate‘s biggest blockbusters will stream free starting tonight for four consecutive weeks. Lionsgate Live! A Night at the Movies will give Moviegoers a chance to stream the likes of LA LA LAND, THE HUNGER GAMES, DIRTY DANCING and JOHN WICK on Mongrel Media‘s YouTube Channel here. Even better, KNIVES OUT star Jamie Lee Curtis will be hosting.

The free movies that will livestream on Fridays at 6:00pm PT/9:00pm ET are:
April 17 – “The Hunger Games”
April 24 – “Dirty Dancing”
May 1 – “La La Land”
May 8 – “John Wick” (age registration required)

You also may donate, with proceeds going to the CANADIAN PICTURE PIONEERS, who will be donating funds to theatre employees for relief during these challenging times. There is a Donate button on their mainpage.

Happy streaming!

(Photo/video credit: Lionsgate Films)

I don’t remember SAVED BY THE BELL being this sassy, but here’s to new beginnings! Check-out the new Trailer for the SAVED BY THE BELL Reboot, coming to NBC’s  new Streaming Service, PEACOCK TV!

Synopsis:
Saved by the Bell stars Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley reprise their roles as A.C. Slater and Jesse Spano in the first teaser trailer for the beloved sitcom’s reboot. California Governor Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) will find himself in trouble for closing too many low-income high schools and then propose that the affected students be sent to the highest-performing schools in the state — including Bayside High. The influx of new students will give the overprivileged Bayside kids a much-needed dose of reality.

See the Teaser Trailer:

Peacock launches this July!

(Photo/video credit: Peacock)

Meatless Lasagna. Growing-up I had Lasagna maybe twice. Being from a Chinese family, we rarely ever ate Italian other than my Dad’s take on Spaghetti, which though not bad, was Tomato Paste and Ketchup-based with ground pork, peas and carrots. You can imagine the shock of my classmates who got introduced to Hong Kong-style Spaghetti at my sixth birthday party!

My Mom was excited that I asked her to help assemble my Meatless Lasagna and I’m glad I got to show them a proper Lasagna. No processed cheese, LOL. 🧀

You cannot tell this is meatless. It’s got the same heartiness and flavour a Meat Lasagna has. Everyone should be pitching-in their part and reducing our carbon footprint. Eat meatless once a week. This is an easy way to do it!

Ingredients:
9 Lasagne noodles
2 packages of Yves Original Veggie Ground Round
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
2 cups of shredded Mozzarella
1/2 tub of Ricotta
1 pint of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1 white onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon organic raw sugar

Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:
1. Boil noodles till al dente. Place aside in a tray and drizzle a bit of oil on them to prevent from sticking.
2. In medium-sized sauce pan, sauteé garlic and onion. Add-in peppers and mushrooms, cook till mushrooms wilt. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add-in Veggie Ground Round.
4. Cook about 5 minutes on medium heat.
5. Add-in crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Add 1/4 tomato paste can of water.
6. Bring to boil and add sugar.
7. Reduce to low heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Pre-heat oven at 375°F.
9. Prepare a 13 x 9″ tray, ladle some of the tomato mixture in, covering bottom.
10. Layer 3 Lasagne noodles on-top.
11. Add layer of Mozzarella, followed by dollops of Ricotta, covering surface.
12. Add 3 more noodles. Ladle some tomato mixture on-top, then Mozzarella and Ricotta.
13. Repeat steps 10 to 12 again.
14. Add 3 final noodles on-top. Ladle tomato mixture on-top. Cover with Mozzarella.
15. Cover tray with foil and bake 35 minutes.
16. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes.
17. Cool 20 minutes and serve.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Hainanese Chicken Rice. Adapted from Tasty. You don’t ever forget having Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore at a Hawkers Market like Newton Circus. Though we do have some great hole-in-the-wall type restaurants in the GTA that serve the dish as well, venturing-out during isolation hasn’t been easy.

What I love about this national dish of Singapore is that the chicken is so incredibly juicy, while the rice is incredibly fragrant. You get THREE dipping sauces!!! I get that boiling chicken is a weird concept for some, but I tell you there is nothing worse than dry chicken to me.

This is my dad’s favourite dish so I thought I’d gave it a try. Even in his early Dementia, he was aware enough to ask, “Who taught you to make this?”. I adapted this recipe from Tasty whom did a fine job explaining this complex recipe. I did my own spin on the essential dipping sauces.

Full disclosure, once a chicken is frozen, thawed, boiled and cooked fully as it is here, it is impossible to avoid that red colour at the bone. If you can get over that bit and be reassured that it’s cooked, you will come to love this comforting dish.

Hainanese Chicken
5 lb whole chicken
4 slices of ginger (1/4″ thick)
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup sea salt
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Instructions:
1. Clean chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Trim fatty bits off for later use.
2. Season chicken inside and out with sea salt.
3. Stuff cavity of chicken with green onions and ginger.
4. Cover chicken about 1″ in water in large stock pot and bring to boil on high heat.
5. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer about 50 minutes.
6. Remove chicken from pot, reserving stock. Discard onion and ginger.
7. Immerse chicken in large bowl of ice cold water for 5 minutes.
8. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub chicken in sesame oil to keep moist.

Hainanese Rice
2 cups long grain rice
2 cups of reserved chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons reserved chicken fat
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:
1. In large skillet, oil, fry garlic, ginger, chicken fat and salt for about 10 minutes.
2. Scoop-out one quarter of this mixture for later use. Add-in rice. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Transfer rice to rice cooker (discard fat), add 2 cups reserved stock and cook.

While rice is cooking, cut chicken and place on platter. Prepare three sauces.

Sweet Chili Sauce:
2 tablespoons Sambal Sauce
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1 chili pepper, seeds removed and chopped finely
2 teaspoons organic raw sugar
2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon oil

In skillet, sautée garlic, ginger, onion and chili in oil. Stir-in sugar, vinegar, Sriracha and Sambal Sauce. Add lime juice and remove from heat.

Ginger-Garlic-Green Onion Sauce:
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 stalk green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons oil
Sea salt, to taste

In skillet, sautée garlic, ginger and green onions in oil. Add salt and vinegar. Cook for about a minute and remove from heat.

Dark Soy Dipping Sauce:
Reserved ginger and garlic
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3 tablespoons dark sweet soy sauce* (recipe below)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth

Combine all in a bowl, mix well.

Serve chicken on rice with cucumber slices and dipping sauces. Garnish with cilantro.

*Dark Sweet Soy Sauce:
1/2 cup organic raw sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons water

Instructions:
1. Boil water and sugar, stirring constantly over medium heat.
2. When liquid thickens, reduce heat to medium-low, stirring constantly. Scrape sugar off sides of pan.
3. Once liquid is darkened, add in soy sauce, stirring constantly.
4. Once liquid is thick, remove from heat.
5. Transfer to a heatproof bottle for storage. Refrigerate. Sauce may crystallize but will dissolve when heated.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

THE EDDY is a collaboration between Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash), Jack Thorne (National Treasure) and Glen Ballard (Alanis Morrissette, Madonna). See the new Trailer!

Synopsis:
Set in the vibrant multicultural neighborhoods of modern-day Paris, THE EDDY tells the story of the owner of a struggling club, its house band and the dangers they face from the chaotic city that surrounds them.Interspersed with dynamic and uplifting performances, THE EDDY conveys the power of music to heal, unite and turn chaos into beauty.

The limited series stars André Holland, Joanna Kulig alongside Amandla Stenberg, Taham Rahim and Leïla Bekhti.

See the Trailer:

THE EDDY streams on Netflix Friday, May 8, 2020. Soundtrack available via Artista Records the same day.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)