Grilled Honey Chicken

Grilled Honey Chicken

Recipe source :  The Star Newspaper :  Cook's Nook ( Amy Beh )

Given a choice, I would not choose chicken white meat as I had been "conditioned" to think white meat is tough and coarse, even though the health conscious would most certainly opt for white meat rather than drumsticks which are considered "fatty". However, during one of our office lunches, I asked my friends to order on my behalf as I would be joining them later. When my order arrived, I was served a plate of grilled white meat with an assortment of vegetables and fries. That platter looked very appetising and very soon I forgot all about my misconception about white meat because the chicken was not tough at all and very tasty.

Well, that platter of white meat certainly changed my view! So, when I browsed through my scrap book of recipes and came across this lovely recipe on grilled honey chicken, I wanted to try it out. 

This is great! Everything tastes wonderful!

Ingredients

350g chicken fillet
1 can pineapple rings
2 tomatoes, cut into halves

Marinade

1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp French mustard
1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1.  Combine all the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add chicken fillet in the marinade and set aside for several hours in the refrigerator.
2.  Brush a grill pan lightly with oil and grill the marinated chicken for 8 to 9 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked. ( Alternatively, grill in a preheated oven at 220 degree C for about 10 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked ).
3.  Grill the pineapple rings and tomatoes halves until just soft. ( I used the left-over marinade to brush the pineapples and tomatoes before grilling ).
4.  Serve the grilled chicken meat with grilled pineapple rings and tomatoes halves. 

Chinese New Year Dish : Fatt Thieu Cheong/Monk Jumped Over The Wall 佛跳墙

Chinese New Year Dish : Fatt Thieu Cheong/Monk Jumped Over The Wall 佛跳墙

Recipe source :  Doris Choo of Sumptuous Flavours (after listening to narration of a shop proprietor's basic instructions)

Fables had it that this soup was so fragrant that a monk jumped over a wall to trace and followed the wonderful aroma of this soup. The fable became a reality today in my home! The aroma that wafted from the steam oven was truly delicious as the soup was stewing. We all knew it would be great without having to taste it!

Finally I get to taste my own home-styled version of this much fabled "fatt thieu cheong". Thanks to the shop proprietor who persuaded me to buy these mini abalone way before shops started stocking up Chinese New Year goodies. 

Anyway, one of my children was back early for Chinese New Year and has to work during the festive season. So, we decided to celebrate with him first before he goes back to work. My family finds this very delicious. The dried baby abalone which had been soaked for 5 days until soft and then steamed for 3 hours tasted succulent and juicy. In fact we preferred this dried variety to the canned ones. Each springy bite is filled with the rich aroma and wholesome goodness of authentic abalone. Good! Really good!

Truly awesome to the last drop!

Note : the instruction to soak the dried abalone for 5 days until soft was taught by the shop proprietor who sold these abalone.

Ingredients

5 mini dried abalone
1/2 old chicken, quartered
40g dried fish maw(optional)
3 big dried scallops
5 red dates, pitted
1 tbsp wolf berries
6 slices pau-sum
3 pieces wai-san
4 dried mushrooms, soaked until soft
800ml water
2 slices old ginger
1 tbsp rice wine
salt  (optional )

Dried mini abalone

Mini abalone - after soaking for 5 days in the fridge

Dried scallops

Dried mushrooms

From left to right : wolfberries, pau-sum, red dates, wai-san

Method

1.  Soak dried abalone for 5 days until soft. Leave them in the refrigerator. Clean them properly before use.
2.  Soak fish maw until soft. Add 1 tsp vinegar into about 500ml water. Bring to a boil and boil the soaked fish maw to remove the fishy smell and the oily odour. Repeat process if the fishy smell is not removed after the first boiling. Alternatively you can leave out the fish maw if you find preparing it too troublesome because fish maw by itself has little taste.
3.  Place chicken, Chinese herbs and all the ingredients into a ceramic pot. Add in water. 
4.  Steam over high heat for 3 to 4 hours until the old chicken is tender.

Simply irresistible!

The mini abalones were succulent and juicy !

This is absolutely delicious!

The taste is just out-of-this-world!

No wonder there is so much hype about the monk jumping over the wall !

I am linking this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies Jan/Feb 2015

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders 

and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

I am also linking this post to Cook and Celebrate CNY : 2015

Orgainsed by Yen of Eat Your Heart Out , Zoe of Bake For happy Kids and 

Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe

  

Spicy Fried Chicken (Ayam Goreng Berempah)

Spicy Fried Chicken (Ayam Goreng Berempah)

Recipe source : Adaped from  Azie Kitchen

"Ayam goreng berempah"  is an all time favourite among Malaysians. You can find them in almost all the Mamak or Malay stalls around town. Very often, these stalls will have nasi briyani to go with the piping hot ayam goreng. But not all stalls sell good "ayam goreng berempah". Some can be just downright mediocre. 

My favourite nasi briyani stall that was situated between two rows of old shophouses near OCBC Bank in downtown Kuala Lumpur.  I was so disappointed when I went there a few weeks ago only to discover that  the stall had been demolished and relocated elsewhere. Sigh! I had walked in the sweltering heat just to eat my favourite fried chicken and now only parked vehicles lined the lane where my favourite stall once stood.

So my next best option was to try frying some chicken at home to soothe my craving and to nurse back my profound disappointment.  

Ingredients

3 pieces chicken whole legs, cut into 2 sections each
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp of minced chilli
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp jintan manis
1 tsp jintan putih
6 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 sprig curry leaves
2 inch piece of ginger
1 inch piece of fresh turmeric
2 pieces lemon grass ( serai ) - use the white parts only
Oil for deep-frying

Method

1.  Use a mortar and pestle to pound the shallots, garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric and lemon grass into a fine paste.
2.  Add in the chilli paste, curry powder, jintan manis, jintan putih and curry leaves. Mix thoroughly to form a spicy paste.
3.  Marinate chicken pieces with this spicy paste for 4 to 5 hours.
4.  Heat enough oil for frying. When the oil is hot, fry chicken pieces until crisp and golden. 

Ginseng & Chicken Soup 人参鸡汤

Ginseng & Chicken Soup 人参鸡汤

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

I have a box of ginseng roots which has been sitting in my refrigerator for sometime now. It was a lovely gift. However, we were not too sure of its strength or the potency of these little roots for fear of ending up "over-heating" our bodies. I decided to ask the herbal shop proprietor. He advised that I should add in some red dates, wolfberries and some Solomon's seal or "yook chuk" in Cantonese. According to him, the addition of these herbs will counter the "heaty" properties of the ginseng root.

After boiling for three hours we have a pot of very nutritious ginseng soup. The yook chuk had imparted a natural sweetness to the soup.

We are glad that we did not feel any "over-heating" after the addition of Solomon's seal to brew this very nutritious soup.

Ingredients

1 small dried ginseng root
1/2 stewing chicken (old hen) cut into two large pieces
1 tbsp wolfberries, or kei-chi
6 red dates, pitted
30g Solomon's seal or yook chuk
2.5 litres water
1 1/2 tsp salt

 A gift set of ginseng roots

 It's sufficient to use only 1 small root 

 Left :  red dates. Middle : Solomon's seal or yook chuk. Right :  wolfberries

Method

1.  Bring 2.5 litres of water to a boil
2.  Add in all the Chinese herbs, ginseng root and stewing chicken.
3.  Once it comes to a boil again, reduce to small flame and continue to boil for 3 hours.
4.  Add in salt and switch off flame.
5.  Ready to serve.

Brined Roast Chicken With Vegetables

Brined Roast Chicken With Vegetables

Recipe source : Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Turkey is popular and is the preferred choice for Christmas celebrations. However, cooking a turkey would be too big for a small family. We would have to settle for a smaller bird and chicken would be the best choice for us.

Last Christmas my friend prepared a brined roast chicken which was very delicious. She told me to just soak the chicken in brine before roasting. Sounded very simple and I wanted to try it. However, time flies and one full year had gone by while I procrastinated. But then again, come to think of it, the time is just right to roast this for Christmas!

Despite soaking the bird with so much salt in the water, the chicken was not overly salty. The skin was very crispy while the meat was juicy and tasted just right and fragrant. The vegetables were exceptionally sweet, the type of natural sweetness which left us wanting more!

Ingredients

1 plump chicken
1 cup sea salt
1000 ml hot water
3000 ml cold water
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 yellow onion, cut into quarters
1 small carrot, cut into pieces
1 small radish, cut into pieces

Rosemary

Thyme

Method

1.  In a large plastic container or a stainless steel pot large enough to hold the chicken, stir and dissolve the sea salt with hot water. Add in the cold water and stir. Rinse the chicken, then submerge it in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours or more. 
2.  Preheat oven to 200 degree C.
3.  Remove the chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub with unsalted butter and season inside and out with pepper.
4.  Place the thyme and rosemary sprigs into the chicken cavity.
5.  Place the chicken on its side on a rack and roast for 30 minutes.
6.  Turn over to the other side and roast for another 30 minutes.
7.  While chicken is roasting, prepare the radish, onion and carrot. Add a sprig or two of rosemary and thyme to the vegetables. Toss the vegetables with 2 tbsp cooking oil and season with pepper and salt. 
8.  Place vegetables into roasting pan. Remove chicken from rack and place chicken on its back on top of the vegetables and continue to roast for a further 20 minutes. Rotate the chicken so that its back faces up and roast for another 20 minutes to ensure even roasting all over.
9.  The skin should be crisp and brown. 

 I am submitting this post to Cook & Celebrate Christmas 2014

Organised by Yen from Eat your heart out, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and 

Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids

 

I am also linking this post to MTR # 4 Ho Ho Ho It's Christmas time ( Dec 2014 )

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders

and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

Chicken Soup With Pumpkin 金瓜炖鸡

Chicken Soup With Pumpkin 金瓜炖鸡

Recipe source :  The World of Nourishing & Fine Soups

Pumpkin is very versatile. It can be cooked in so many different ways and can be made into all kinds of cakes, buns, muffins, puddings and kuih-muih, not forgetting the wide variety of savoury dishes and soups!

Today I am double-boiling pumpkin with chicken to make a soup. According to the herbal cookbook, this chicken and pumpkin soup alleviates fever and clears phlegm. It cleanses blood and detoxifies the body. Hmmmm, sounds very nutritious and very beneficial indeed.

This soup is absolutely divine!

Ingredients

300g pumpkin
5 dried oysters
5 red dates, pitted
1 chicken whole leg
900ml water
1/2 tsp salt
 

Method

1.  Rinse and peel pumpkin. Remove cores from pumpkin and cut into cubes.
2.  Rinse dried oysters.
3.  Remove skin from chicken and scald in hot water.
4.  Put all ingredients ( except salt ) into a large porcelain stewing pot. Cover with lid and double-boil for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
5.  Add 1/2 tsp salt just before serving. 

 

I am linking this post to Cook-Your-Book-#18

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

I am also linking this post to My Treasured Recipes # 3 - Taste of Autumn (Oct/Nov 2014)

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders and 

co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

Egg & Wine Chicken 蛋酒鸡

Egg & Wine Chicken 蛋酒鸡

Recipe source :  Y3K Magazine, Issue No. 54, 5/6 - 2010

I have been chilled to the bones due to the incessant rain which had cooled the temperatures considerably.  I need to cook some food to warm me up and to boost up my energy level. I flipped through my cookbooks and decided to cook egg and wine chicken which is warming and is good for blood circulation too. 

This dish is suitable for confinement ladies as well. However, for confinement ladies, I would suggest that you use mature ginger.

Ingredients

1 chicken whole leg, chopped into pieces
100g young ginger, shredded
175ml ginger wine
3 tbsp sesame oil
3 eggs, lighten beaten
100ml water
1 tsp salt

Method

1.  Dry-fry ginger shreds till dry. 
2.  Add in sesame oil to saute until fragrant and remove one third of the fried ginger shreds. Set aside.
3.  Pour in lightly beaten eggs. Cook until set. Dish up and set aside.
4.  Saute the remaining one third of ginger shreds with chicken pieces and fry until the colour changes.
5.  Pour in 100ml water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
6.  Add in fried eggs, wine and salt. Continue to cook for 3 minutes or until almost dry.

Salt-Baked Chicken 盐焗鸡

Salt-Baked Chicken 盐焗鸡

Concept source :  Y3K Magazine Issue 55, 7/8- 2010
Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

I followed the concept of using a non-stick pot to bake this salt-baked chicken after reading Y3K magazine. I like this concept because you do not have to stir-fry the coarse salt in a large wok until the salt are hot and popping, which can be very hazardous if the hot salt pellets land on you. Moreover, once the wok is used to fry the salt, it will be damaged as the large amount of salt corrodes cast-iron or aluminium woks.

I adjusted the basic recipe and came up with my own version to cater to my personal preference.  That is because I have tasted a few varieties of salt-baked chicken sold in various shops. The most famous being the Ipoh salt-baked chicken. 

The taste is simply scrumptious! The saltiness had seeped into the meat and it was subtly flavoured by the piece of danggui and red dates. Perfect! It caters perfectly to my family's taste. Everyone is happy ! We had a very satisfying dinner.

Ingredients

3 chicken whole legs
3 pieces danggui
6 red dates, pitted
1 tbsp shao hsing wine
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp sesame oil, for brushing the baking paper

Materials required

6 pieces of baking/wax paper , cut into rectangles of 30cm x 23cm
1 kg coarse salt
1 large piece of aluminium foil to line the non-stick pot

 Danggui and red dates

Line the non-stick pot with aluminium foil

Method

1.  Place the red dates and danggui into a small bowl. Add 2 tbsp of hot water. Set aside to cool. 
2.  Once cooled down, add in 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp shao shing wine.
3.  Line a non-stick pot with aluminium foil. 
4.  Fill the pot with coarse salt and heat on medium flame until the salt is hot. 
5.  While the salt is being heated, brush 1 piece of baking paper with sesame oil.
6.  Place 1 chicken whole leg onto the paper, brush with liquid from soaking the danggui and red dates. Then add in a piece of danggui and two red dates.
7.  Place another piece of baking paper under this sheet and wrap up the chicken whole leg. 
8.  Once the salt is heated through, remove half the amount of salt onto another container. Place the 3 pieces of wrapped chicken in the middle of the non-stick pot. Cover the wrapped chicken pieces with the salt  removed earlier and place lid on the pot.
9.  Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. 
10. Carefully remove the layer of salt and remove the packages. 

Use double layers of baking paper to wrap the chicken thigh

I am linking this post to Cook-Your-Books #16  

hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Wine-Braised Chicken With Peanuts

Wine-Braised Chicken With Peanuts

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

Every now and then I crave for confinement food. I guess it could be because I love to eat the combination of ginger and wine. Both ginger and wine are two main ingredients abundantly used in Chinese confinement dishes. The wine is meant to strengthen and warm up the constitution of women's bodies after undergoing the rigours of childbirth, while ginger is widely known to get rid of the wind and dampness from the body. Old folks advised that black fungus helps to rid blood clots.

For ordinary people who are not in confinement but who wish to indulge in the rich foods of confinement women, bear in mind that the amount of ginger and wine have to be consumed in moderation. Otherwise there is bound to be side effects like headache, toothache or even a rise in blood pressure. On a personal level, I tend to cook this during the rainy season when  temperatures have turn way low or when I feel a bout of weaknesses enveloping me.

Therefore,  if I need a little prep-up or if I am cooking this dish just to assuage my craving, I have to reduce the amount of ginger and wine in my cooking. Furthermore, I have to use young ginger instead of old, matured ginger.

Ingredients

100g peanuts, soaked overnight     ( add more peanuts if you prefer more peanuts )
50g black fungus, soaked until soft and cut into pieces
50g kam cham, soaked until soft and squeeze dry
1/2 chicken, chopped into pieces
40g young ginger, shredded        ( used 100g matured ginger for ladies in real confinement)
1 bulb garlic, smashed
1 cup Stone's ginger wine            ( use 2 cups of this wine for ladies in confinement )
1.8 litres water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce

Method

1.  Boil peanuts with 1.8 litres over low heat for 1 1/2 hours or until peanuts are soft.
2.  Add in chicken, black fungus, kam cham and half the amount of wine.
3.  Let it come to a boil and reduce to medium flame and continue to cook for 25 minutes.
4.  Add in salt, soy sauce and sugar. 
5.  Add in the remaining wine. Stir to mix well. 
6.  Switch off flame.

Stewed Chicken Feet 焖鸡脚

Stewed Chicken Feet 焖鸡脚

Recipe source :  Adapted from Amy Beh

This hearty stew is popular and well received in our family. The elders in my family love the chicken feet as they believe it strengthens the cartilage around their knees and joints, while black fungus is good for clearing clogged arteries. 

I won't dispute the goodness of the chicken feet and the black fungus but for this dish, I strongly go for its great taste! The combination of those herbs and spices boiled together created a truly wonderful aroma and flavour to the stew. 

I used both the fresh chicken feet and some pre-fried ones which can be bought from the wet market. This is to cater for the diverging taste preferences of the family members. Some like the puffed up skin of the chicken feet which had been deep-fried in hot oil.

Ingredients

10 pieces fresh chicken feet
10 pieces fried chicken feet
15 dried chillies, halved and seeded
50g black fungus, soaked and cut into pieces
40g ginger, smashed
2 whole garlic bulbs
3 pieces liquorice ( kam choe )
4 cm cinnamon
2 star anise
3/4 tsp white peppercorns, smashed
1 small piece of dried tangerine peel
2 litres water

Seasoning

2 Chinese soup spoon oyster sauce
2 Chinese soup spoon dark soy sauce
1 Chinese soup spoon soy sauce
1 tsp salt, or to taste

Thickening 

Combine 1 tbsp cornflour with 1 tbsp water

The herbs and spices :

Top left : star anise. Top middle : dried tangerine peel. Top right :  white peppercorns

Bottom left :  liquorice ( kam choe ). Bottom right : cinnamon bark

Dried chillies

Method

1.  Blanch chicken feet in boiling water for 10 seconds then dish up. Rinse the chicken feet and drain well.
2.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil in a large pot. 
3.  Put in both types of chicken feet and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil again. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the chicken feet are tender.
4.  Thicken the sauce with thickening before dishing out to serve.

 

Mini Kampar Chicken Curry In A Bread 咖哩面包鸡

Mini Kampar Chicken Curry In A Bread 咖哩面包鸡

Recipe source for the bread :  Frozen Wings
Recipe source for the chicken curry :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

A few weeks back I made Special Steamed Chicken Curry Pau, which is a modified version of the famous Kampar chicken curry bread. My youngest son, YS has been pestering me to make the baked version. I know the normal size bread ( 面包鸡 ) will be too big for the three of us at home, so I used the same concept of the special steamed chicken curry pau to bake three smaller bread. We gave one to my sister-in-law who lives a few blocks away while we polished off the remaining two bread. 

Yummy, yum! They were truly scrumptious and finger-licking good!

Ingredients for Chicken Curry ( recipe by Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours )

1/2 a chicken ( about 550g )
1 large potato, peeled and cut into cubes, then deep-fried
2 1/2 tbsp curry powder
80g minced chilli
80g shallots, finely chopped
30g garlic, finely chopped
1 cup coconut milk  ( santan)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soya sauce
4 tbsp cooking oil 

Utensils required

3 aluminium foil cups
3 pieces of aluminium foils

Preparation 

1.  Heat wok until hot. Add in 4 tbsp cooking oil.
2.  Saute chopped garlic and shallots until fragrant. Reduce to medium flame. Add in minced chilli. Stir to mix well.  
3.  Add 2 tbsp coconut milk , followed by the curry powder. Stir evenly until red chilli oil oozes out. 
4.  Add in chicken pieces and mix well. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes. 
5.  Add in 4 Chinese rice bowls of water. Bring to a boil.
6.  Pour in the deep-fried potatoes. Stir to mix well.
7.  Allow to simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes until done.
8.  Remove and let it cool down before spooning the chicken curry into 3 aluminium foil cups.
9.  Cover the foil cups with pieces of aluminium foils.   

 

For the bread ( recipe from Lena of Frozen wings )

Ingredient A
450g bread flour
25g milk powder
15g instant yeast
60g sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Ingredient B
1 large egg, beaten mixed with 130ml cold milk + 130ml cold water

 40g butter

Method

1. Add  all ingredients A into a mixing bowl of a machine and use a fork to stir till well mixed. Using a dough hook, add in ingredients B slowly and beat roughly for about 5 minutes until it forms a moist firm ball.
2.  Add in butter and beat for around 5-10 minutes until the dough looks smooth. Remove dough into slightly floured table and knead into a big ball and let it proof for about 45 minutes.
3. After proofing, lightly knead the dough again and let rest for another 10 minutes.
4. Divide dough into three portions. Roll out the dough into three rounds with the middle thicker than the sides. ( See picture below )  Place this on top of the sealed aluminium cups. Seal the edges below the aluminium cups and place each on three different pieces of greased-proof paper. Transfer this to a baking tray and let it rise for another 40 minutes.
5. Apply egg wash (optional) and bake it in a  preheated oven at 170 C for 20 minutes.

 Let the middle portion be thicker than the surrounding edges.

Place this dough on top of the sealed aluminium cup containing the chicken curry. 

This way - It will be easier to seal the thinner edges below the aluminium cup. 

Yum! Finger-licking good!
 

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for August 2014 is Flour

Hosted by  Domestic Goddess Wannabe

This event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids 
and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY