Galangal Chicken with Curry Leaves

Galangal and curry leaves are two key ingredients in many Asian cooking. As i mentioned before, galangal comes from the ginger family, yet it has stronger taste than the common ginger. Widely used in Thai cuisine (Tom Yum soup) and Indonesian cuisine (Soto), it has this strong yet refreshing aroma not comparable to any other herbs and spices.

Curry leaves is grown in tropical countries.My mum planted one just outside our house.Usually we can also find the dried ones in stores, though the aroma is largely inferior. Curry leaves are widely used in Indian cooking, for example as seasoning in curry, while in Chinese restaurant, they are commonly used to cook butter prawn.

For this recipe, i am using both these ingredients to heighten the flavour of the fried chicken. The crispy chicken is coated with a layer of aromatic spices, making it a great dish to eat with a bowl of plain white rice.

Ingredients:

1                         Chicken thigh (deboned, cut into pieces)
1 1/2 inch            Galangal
1 clove                Garlic
3                         Shallots
2                         Chilli
1 tsp                    Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp                  Light Soya Sauce
1 tbsp                  Oyster Sauce
3 tbsp                  Corn Flour
                            Salt and Sugar to taste
                            Oil for deep frying    

1. Marinate chicken with light soya sauce, oyster sauce and corn flour. Set aside.

2. Blend galangal, garlic, shallots ,chilli and turmeric powder.

3. Heat up oil and deep fry chicken until golden brown. Dish up and remove excess oil.

4. Heat up wok. Add in a bit of oil. Fry the spices until fragrant.

5. Add fried chicken into the wok and mix well. Add salt and sugar to taste.

Herbal Chicken with Dried Scallop and Chicken Essence

This is a nutritious and delicious herbal chicken soup. Chinese have been using herbs in cooking for thousands of years. Herbal chicken is said to have the effect of strengthening our body, boosting our immunity and improving our general well-being. Coming from a Chinese family, my dad has been preparing this soup for us since we were young. He usually prepares this soup using a double boiler.

For my version, i have opted to use a steamer instead. And i've also added Chicken Essence for that extra flavour and nutrition.

Ingredients;

1                   Chicken Thigh

2                   Red Dates

2                   Dried Longan

1 tbsp           Wolfberry

1                   Shitake Mushroom

2                   Dried Scallops (soaked in water)

1 tbsp            Oyster Sauce

1 tbsp            Light Soya Sauce

1 tbsp            Shao Xing Wine (optional)

1 tsp              Sesame Oil

                      water

1 bottle          Chicken Essence

1. Put all ingredients (except chicken essence) in a bowl, add some water, and cover with lid.

2. Put in a steamer and steam until chicken is cooked, soft and tender.

3. Before removing the chicken, put the bottle of chicken essence to the steamer to warm it up.

4. Just before serving, pour chicken essence into the herbal chicken, and serve immediately.

Another way of eating this will be to serve the chicken with Mee Sua.

Chicken Porridge with Wolfberry & Century Egg

One of my favourite choices for late night supper. Porridge is easily digestible, hence does not add too much burden to your digestive system. Another good time to have this will be after a long night of clubbing! This food can really soothe your body after an intense night of alcohol.

Ingredients:

1                    Chicken Thigh

1 cup              Rice

8-10 cups       Water (adjust the amount of water according to the texture of porridge you prefer)

1                    Century Egg*

1 tbsp             Wolfberry

1 tbsp             Garlic (minced)

1 tbsp             Ginge r

1 tbsp             Chicken Powder

                       Oil

                       Salt and Pepper to taste

*Century Egg is a Chinese delicacy which might repel many westerners due to its color and ammonia, sulphur odor.  How westerners perceive century egg is tantamount to how many Asians see blue cheese. Trust me, it is not as disgusting as it seems. Once you have tasted it, you will be asking for more. You can easily find them in Asian grocery stores.

1. Boil the chicken in water. Once cooked, remove the chicken and cut them into pieces. Keep the water for use.

2. Cook the rice with water (from boiling the chicken). I personally prefer a creamier texture for my porridge. So i usually blend the rice before cooking them. It also speeds up the cooking time.

3. Add in wolfberry, chicken powder, salt and pepper.

4. In the meantime, heat up a wok and fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant.

5. Serve the porridge with fried ginger, garlic, century egg and chicken.

Drunken Chicken

Drunken chicken is a very popular appetizer in Chinese cuisine. Cooked chicken is marinated in wine and chilled before serving. I have tasted some of the best drunken chicken in renowned restaurant such as Din Tai Fung 鼎泰丰 and Dragon-i龙的传人

Not to say that my recipe is comparable to those served in these restaurants, but it is always fun trying to prepare it yourself at home. Furthermore, you can adjust the taste according to your preferences. Some might find this dish too "alcoholic" and literally making you drunk, so by making it yourself, you can reduce the amount of alcohol put into it.

Before going into the recipe, there's one key ingredient which you should know. It's the Shao Xing Wine 绍兴酒.

This wine is widely used in Chinese cooking. It gives an extra flavour to the cooking. You can get them in Asian Stores. 

Ingredients A

2                   Chicken Thigh

1 inch            Ginger (pounded)

2 cloves         Garlic (do not peel of the skin)

1 tbsp            Chicken Powder

1 tbsp            Wolfberry (optional)

salt to taste

Ingredients B

1 tsp             Sugar

1 tbsp           Oyster Sauce

2 tbsp           Light Soya Sauce

1/2 -1 cup     Shao Xing Wine (adjusted to personal preference)

1 tsp             Sesame Oil

1-2tbsp         Chicken Stock* (warm Chicken Stock to melt the sugar)

*Chicken stock - The soup from boiling the chicken is used as Chicken Stock.

1. Put the chicken into a big pot and add in tap water. Make sure the chicken is fully submerged in the water. Add in the rest of ingredients A.

2. Turn on the fire and bring the water to boil. Once the water is boiling, immediately turn off the fire and cover the pot with lid. Let it stand for at least 1 hour. (this ensures the chickens are properly cooked)

3. Dish up the chicken and soak in iced water for 15 minutes. Keep the soup in the pot for use as Chicken Stock.

4.By now, the chicken will be soft and tender. You can easily de-bone the chicken before cutting them into pieces.

5. Mix all ingredients B together and pour over the chicken. Keep the chicken refrigerated overnight.

6. Serve chilled.

Fragrant Chicken Rice

Chicken Rice is an all time favourite. Even though it might seem tedious with so many steps involved, believe me, everything is worthwhile once you have tasted it.The succulent chicken with a dash of home made chilli sauce, the crispy and refreshing cucumber salad, and the fragrant rice make this a perfect meal ideal for all occasions. When i was studying oversea, this is one of our favourite dish, and my housemate Rouven never got bored of eating it.

Give yourself ample time to prepare this, preferably over the weekend when you have extra time to spare in the kitchen and enjoy the fun of cooking!

Preparing the Chicken

Ingredients A

2-3                Chicken Thigh*

1 inch            Ginger

5 cloves         Garlic (do not peel of the skin)

2                    Scallion a.k.a Spring Onion

1 tbsp            Wolfberry** (optional)

1 tbsp             Chicken Powder

salt and paper to taste

* For those opting for a healthier option, you can substitute chicken thigh with chicken breast.

** Wolfberry 枸杞 is a widely used ingredient in chinese cooking. It gives an extra sweetness to the soup and is said to be good for the vision. You can find them in most asian stores.

Ingredients B

1 tbsp           Sugar

1 tbsp           Oyster Sauce

1 tbsp           Light Soya Sauce

1 tbsp           Fish Sauce*

1 tbsp           Shao Xing Wine (optional)

1 tsp             Sesame Oil

1/2 cup         Chicken Stock**

* If you can't find fish sauce, substitute it with light soya sauce. Hence, instead of using 1 tbsp light soya sauce and 1 tbsp fish sauce, use 2 tbsp of light soya sauce.

**Chicken stock - The soup from boiling the chicken is used as Chicken Stock. Use it while it is still warm to mix all ingredients B.

1. Put the chicken into a big pot and add in tap water. Make sure the chicken is fully submerged in the water. Add in the rest of ingredients A.

2. Turn on the fire and bring the water to boil. Once the water is boiling, immediately turn off the fire and cover the pot with lid. Let it stand for at least 1 hour. (this ensures the chickens are properly cooked)

3. Dish up the chicken and soak in iced water for 15 minutes. Keep the soup in the pot for use as Chicken Stock.

4.By now, the chicken will be soft and tender. You can easily de-bone the chicken before cutting them into pieces.

5. Splash the mixture of Ingredients B onto the chicken.

Preparing the Chilli Dipping Sauce

No chicken rice is perfect without a good dipping sauce. And here's how to prepare one nice and easy homemade dipping sauce. Prepare extra and you can keep it in the fridge. It goes well with other dishes too.

Ingredients

5                   Chilli (add more if you like)

1 inch            Ginger

3-5 cloves     Garlic

3 tbsp            Light Soya Sauce

1 tbsp            Fish Sauce (can be substituted with light soya sauce)

1 tbsp            Sweet Soy Sauce

1 tsp              Sesame Oil

5 tbsp            Chicken Stock

1. Blend chilli, ginger and garlic.

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients. That's it!

Preparing the Crispy Cucumber Salad

This is a great appetizer that goes along well with the chicken rice. The sweet and sourness of the salad, with a tinge of spiciness give an extra boost to the savoury taste of the chicken rice.

For a better result, prepare this salad a day before.

Ingredients

2                     Cucumber

1/2                  Carrot

1                     Chilli

some               Pineapple cubes

3-5 tbsp          Sugar

1 tbsp              salt

1/2 cup            Vinegar

dash of sesame oil

1. Cut the cucumber into half. Remove the seed. Slice into thin pieces. (Do not peel the skin)

2. Cut the carrot into thin strips.

3. Mix the cucumber and carrot with sugar, salt, vinegar and sesame oil in a bowl. Keep in the fridge overnight.

4. Before use, pour off the excess water in the bowl. Give the cucumber an extra squeeze to remove any water remaining. This will give the cucumber a crispy texture.

5. Add in the chilli (cut into thin slices) and pineapple cubes.

Preparing the Rice

And finally, after a long day of preparing, we have reached the final step. Getting the rice cooked.

Ingredients

Rice

Chicken Stock

Pandan leaves (optional)

Cook the rice using the chicken stock. The will give the rice the added flavours.

Enjoy the meal!

p/s  Of course, cooking is not a formula. You don't have to follow the ingredients strictly. Adjust the flavours according to your personal liking.