Thursday, April 5, 2007

Baked herbal chicken wings

Ingredients
8 whole chicken wings, ends cut off

Seasoning
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp light soya sauce
1/4 tsp thick soya sauce
1 Tbsp Hua Tiau wine
1 Tbsp cooking oil

Herbs
10g tong kwai, chopped or powdered
20g tong sum, cut into 8 pieces
10g pak kei
10g yok chok
1 tsp kei chi
1 Tbsp Hua Tiau wine
8 greaseproof paper bags, large enough to hold chicken wings
Oil for greasing bags

Method
1. Clean chicken wings and dry with a towel. Make a small slit under each section of the wings. Marinate with seasoning ingredients for at least an hour.
2. Meanwhile, rinse herbs and place in a bowl. Sprinkle Hua Tiau wine over, and steam over rapid boiling water for 12 minutes. Cool and stir into wings.
3. Lightly grease insides of paper bags and place a wing and some herbs in each bag. Fold opening and staple ends.
4. Place wings in the oven, preheated at 190C, for 20-25 minutes.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Bean sprouts with taukwa

Ingredients

200gm beansprouts
1/2 small carrot
100gm prawns (peeled)
1 pc taukwa
20gm kuchai (or spring onion)
Salt

Method

1. Wash beansprouts. Tail if desired. Cut carrot into small strips. Cut kuchai or spring onion into 3cm lengths.
2. Fry taukwa on both sides and cut into strips.
3. Heat one tablespoon oil in kuali and fry prawns till cooked. Add in carrots and fry three minutes (or longer if you like carrots soft).
4. Add beansprouts and fry another three minutes. Add in taukwa and kuchai or spring onions.
Stir-fry one minute and serve.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Spicy chickpeas and cauliflower







Ingredients

200g chickpeas, soaked for 12 hours
11/2 tsp salt
700ml water
180g cauliflower cut up
3 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
21/4 tbsps oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 thumb-size ginger, grated
3 tsps chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
11/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
150ml water
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Boil chickpeas with water and salt in a claypot for at least three hours or until they are soft. You can put them in a crockpot to simmer for eight hours.
2. Heat oil in wok. Throw in the cumin seeds to pop, watching they don’t get burnt. Put in the chopped onion, garlic and grated ginger. Fry till fragrant.
3. Add in the chilli, turmeric and garam masala and fry over low heat.
4. Put in the cauliflower, tomatoes and chickpeas to stirfry. Add salt, and 150ml water.
5. Cover to simmer for about six minutes. Add lemon juice, stir quickly and dish out. Serve with naan, roti canai or pita bread.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Prawn Kway Teow Soup







Ingredients
1kg medium sea prawns
1½ tsp Cajun pepper
1 tsp sugar
1½ tsps salt
4 Tbsps oil
1 thumb-size ginger (sliced)
2 large onions (sliced)
250g ikan bilis or anchovies (wash with water & pat dry)
3 litres hot water
2 pieces chicken breast with bones (washed with water)
2½ Tbsps soy sauce
1 tsp chopped garlic
250g Chinese chives (blanched in boiling water and cut into 2cm lengths)
250g Ipoh bean sprouts (blanched in boiling water)
500g Ipoh kway teow (wash it with hot water quickly before serving)
1 packet parang fish balls
2 Tbsps chopped spring onions
2 Tbsps fried shallots
1 Tbsp sliced cili padi

Method

  • Clean and wash the prawns thoroughly and then shell them. Keep the shells for stock. Devein the prawns and rinse them with water. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
  • Marinate the prawns with half a teaspoon each of Cajun pepper, sugar and salt, put aside.
  • In a pan, heat three tablespoons of oil over high heat, add half of the sliced ginger and the prawn shells, stir-fry for three minutes. Add a teaspoon of Cajun pepper and continue to stir-fry over medium heat till the prawn shells turn red and slightly brown. Scoop out.
  • Heat the wok with a tablespoon of oil, add the sliced onions and the rest of the sliced ginger and ikan bilis. Stir fry for three to five minutes till slightly brown, add the hot water and bring to boil over medium heat.
  • Let it boil for five minutes, add the chicken breasts and continue to boil for 15 minutes. Take out the chicken breast. Strip the meat and set aside.
  • Add the prawn shells to the soup mixture and continue to simmer 15 minutes. Pour the soup into another pot, add a teaspoon salt, two tablespoons soy sauce and half a teaspoon of sugar (optional). Cook the fish balls in the soup till they all float to the top. Dish them out.
  • Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok, add the marinated prawns and stir-fry over high heat for two minutes. Add the chopped garlic, stir fry for a further three minutes. Turn off the fire and add half a tablespoon of soy sauce, dish out and put aside.
  • When serving, put bean sprouts at the bottom of bowl before the kway teow, add the soup to cover the noodles. Top with prawns, chicken strips, fish balls, Chinese chives, fried shallots and chopped spring onions. Serve with cili padi in soy sauce.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Chicken Rice









Ingredients:
1 1/2 kg whole chicken
2 cups long grain rice
14 shallots
12 pips garlic
½ inch long ginger
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
4 tbsp cooking oil
Ingredients for Chicken stock:
250 gm chicken bones
750 ml water
salt to taste
Ingredients for Chilli Sauce:
5 red chillies
4 pips garlic
1 lime bali i
1 Tbsp sugar
½ inch long ginger
¼ tsp salt
Garnishing Ingredients:
1 cucumber
1 tomato
1 sprig spring onion
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp light soya sauce

Preparation of Ingredients:

Boil chicken bones with water to obtain chicken stock. Add salt to taste.
  • Smash 8 shallots, 6 pips garlic and ginger.

  • Clean the chicken and stuff the inside with the smashed ingredients. Rub the skin with salt and pepper.

  • Finely slice the remaining shallots and chop the remaining garlic.

  • Pound red chillies, ginger and garlic together. Extract lime juice. Add lime juice, sugar and salt to the pounded ingredients. Set aside mixture.

  • Finely slice the cucumber and tomato.

  • Cut the spring onions into 2 cm lengths.

  • Mix the sesame oil and light soya sauce together. Wash the rice grains
  • Method:

    • Heat oil in wok.

    • Fry the chopped garlic and sliced shallots until golden brown. Then add in the washed rice grains and continue to fry until fragrant.

    • Transfer the fried rice grains into a rice cooker. Add in the chicken stock and continue to cook until rice is done.

    • Steam the chicken in a wok or steamer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

    • Once the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and cut into bite-size pieces.

    • Arrange the cucumber and tomato slices around the edge of a serving platter.

    • Then place the chicken pieces in the centre of the same platter. Sprinkle the spring onions over the chicken and pour the mixed sesame oil and light soya sauce over it.

    • Serve chicken with the steamed rice and chilli sauce