Chicken Wings with BBQ Sauce

I prepped these last night so that we could have something to munch on while watching the Arsenal vs Barcelona match this morning. Its nearly 6.30am and the game is into its 80 minute mark soon. The score when I walked away to start up my laptop was 3-1 to Barcelona. :(

Oh well.... at least the chicken wings were yummy... :)

Chicken Wings with BBQ Sauce

• 1kg Chicken Wings (Tips discarded, Wings and Drumlette separated)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons dry spice mix
• 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce

Method:

1. In a large bowl, marinate the pieces of the chicken wing with about 2 tablespoons of the dry spice mix. Then squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken wings. Mix well and cover the bowl with some cling wrap and place into the fridge to marinate overnight.
2. When ready to cook the wings, remove from the fridge and pre-heat the oven to 180C.
3. Arrange wings over a cake cooling rack (sitting over a tray to catch the drippings) and bake for about 20 mins.
4. Remove from oven and generously brush each wing with some BBQ sauce. Switch the oven to the grill setting and return the wings to the oven for another 2-3 mins
5. Take the tray out, flip the wings over, brush with BBQ sauce and return to grill for another 2-3 mins.
6. You should be able to see the BBQ sauce start to bubble and caramelise. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Otak Otak (Grilled)

Otak Otak is a parcel of spicy fish coconut custard. Which is sometimes referred to as 'Fish Mousse'. I was introduced to these little babies when my old Uni friends took me to the Bedok night market place in Singapore. Back in Australia, by chance I happened to find Otak Otak being sold at one of the stalls in the South Sydney market. But it wasn't really the same. Sure.. I could go to Malaya (A top notch Malaysian cuisine restaurant in Sydney) and order Otak Otak there. But there's something about paying $15 for two pieces of Otak.. it just doesn't feel right.

So I decided to make my own. :)

That's when I realised there are two versions of Otak Otak. The steamed version which seems to originate from Malaysia - which I found many recipes for online. Then the Grilled Singaporean version - which I found many pictures of online, but no recipes.

So I took the recipe for the steamed version, changed bits and pieces of it according to what I could recall consuming and came up with this.

I changed the fish fillet slices to mince fish paste, since I don't remember there being any individual slice pieces of fish. A lot of recipes recommend getting Spanish Mackerel, but there wasn't any available at my local fishmonger, so I settled for some Red Snapper fillets instead. I also don't recall there being any whole betel leaves in the grilled Otak parcel. Also, being in Australia, I'm not actually sure where you can actually buy these. So I left them out also.

If you like, you could substitute spinach leaves for the betel. I tried this with the first couple parcels, but ended up leaving the leaves out.

Otak Otak

recipe adapted from Nonyafood.com

Ingredients:

• 1 banana leaf (cut into 12-15 cm wide rectangles and soak in hot water to soften the leaf)
• 500g fish fillet (minced with a food processor)
• 20-30 wild betel leaves (daun kaduk) - If you can find any

Spice Paste:

• 10 shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 fresh red chilies
• 5 dried red chilies (soaked in water)
• 2 stalks lemon grass
• 1 inch galangal
• 1 inch turmeric
• 20g shrimp paste (toasted)
• 2 teaspoons palm sugar (pounded into a soft powder)

Custard ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons rice flour
• 3 kaffir lime leaves (finely sliced)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Roughly chop up the spice paste ingredients and then place in a food processor and blend until fine.
2. Remove spice paste from the food processor and set aside in a large bowl, add fish fillets to the food processor and blend until it has turned into a minced fish paste.
3. Transfer the fish paste into the spice paste bowl and stir well to combine.
4. Add in the custard ingredients and mix well.

1. Cut out the banana leaves into 15cm wide rectangles.
2. Soften the banana leaves by soaking them in hot water.
3. Take 1 piece of banana leaf and place 2-3 betel leaves (if using) in the center of a banana leaf. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of the Otak mixture into the middle of the leaf.
4. Form a bundle by folding one side of the banana leaf over the mixture, and then turning it over once to use the remaining side. Secure the ends with staples or toothpicks.
5. Heat up a grill pan (I used my cast iron grill pan) over high flames. And grill for about 10 mins, turning every 2-3 mins. If you have a charcoal grill bbq, use that instead.
6. Serve immediately.

And the finished product...Ta Daa..!

Although I remember these being a bit darker in colour. The taste was very close though. I mean, the taste and fragrance of the spices were all there, but it wasn't totally the same, I think the texture was slightly different. P thinks the difference was because we didn't cook it over a charcoal grill. I think he might be right, as the Otak would have dried out a bit more if we had cooked it over a charcoal grill. And that might help to intensify the flavours and get the texture we wanted.

So with some time still left before the shops started to close (Its Australia..Shops close 5pm on Sundays), we drove to the nearest Barbecues Galore store and bought ourselves a small charcoal barbecue. :)

After getting everything setup and the charcoal beads burning.. We finally made this..

Mission accomplished.. :)

HK Style - Swiss Chicken Wings

Swiss Chicken Wings is not actually a "Swiss" recipe. The story goes that a foreigner in Hong Kong asked a waiter what was the name of the chicken wing dish he was eating and the waiter replied 'sweet sweet', but due to the difference in accents the foreigner thought he heard 'swiss swiss'. Hence now the name of Swiss Chicken Wings. This is my take on how to make this dish, which is commonly found in most HK Style cafes.

HK Style - Swiss Chicken Wings
Recipe adapted from afmag

Ingredients:

• 1kg chicken wings (drumlets separated from wings - you can keep them together if you wish)
• 1 thumbsized piece of ginger (smashed)
• 1 star anise
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of asian red chilli powder
• 2 stalk spring onion (cut into 4cm sections)
• a splash of sesame oil

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• pinch of white pepper

Seasoning:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2/3 slab brown block sugar

Method:

1. Wash chicken wings. Pat dry. Mix well with marinade ingredients. Marinade for 20 minutes.
2. Heat up 1 tablespoon oil. Stir-fry ginger slices till fragrant. Add chicken wings. Pan-fry briefly.
3. Add the red chilli powder, salt, star anise and stir fry the wings to make sure the salt and chilli powder is evenly distributed.
4. Add seasonings (pre-mixed). Braise over low heat till slab sugar dissolves and chicken wings are done.
5. Add the spring onion slices to the chicken wings and continue to braise for about 2-3 mins.
6. Transfer to plate. Sprinkle some sesame oil over the wings. Garnish with extra spring onion slices.
7. Serve with some steamed rice

Pork Buns - Momofuku Pork Belly

These are the Pork Buns we made with the Momofuku Pork Belly...

Pork Buns - Momofuku Pork Belly

• Hoisin Sauce
• 1 Cucumber - Cut into 1/8 pieces with the seeds & watery parts removed
• Couple of Sprigs of Spring onion - White to light green parts only, cut into 5cm pieces
• Steam Buns - 'Man Tou' from my local Asian grocery store.
• Momofuku Pork Belly pieces - sliced just over 1cm thick.

Method:

1. Retrieve the pork belly from the fridge and slice into pieces just over 1cm thick.
2. Heat up the pork belly pieces in the oven. (about 160C).
3. While that is heating up, bring a wok with some water to boil and use it as a steamer to cook the Steam buns according to the packet instructions. This should take about 5 mins
4. Slice the steam buns down the middle, and open up the steam buns.
5. Place one piece of pork belly with sliced cucumber and spring onion and about 1 teaspoon (or more) of Hoisin Sauce
6. Close up the bun and consume immediately. :)

There is a recipe for proper steam buns, but I didn't really have the time to do it. Next time..next time I will. :)

Tsukune - Japanese Chicken Meatballs

If you've been to an Izakaya joint in Japan, then you'll know why I'm such a sucker for these mince chicken meatballs. For those who haven't.. An Izakaya is a type of 'Japanese Drinking Establishment' which serves all sorts of tapas style food to accompany the drinks. If I remember correctly, these chicken meatballs are usually found at the BBQ skewers or Yakitori section of the menu. And they are absolutely delicious. :)

This is my first attempt at replicating these. I managed to find a few reference recipes online, but as always.. its hard to find authentic japanese recipes written in english. I was actually pretty pleased with the end result, as it actually tasted quite similar to what I remember having in Japan.

After mincing and putting all the ingredients together in my Magimix food processor aka Petals, I found the mixture to be quite flimsy. I had already added some cornflour to help the mince meat stick together. But I wasn't sure if the chicken mixture would be able to hold it's 'meatball' shape when I grilled it. So instead of throwing them straight on a grill pan, I decided to put them in some boiling water so that the outer 'meatball' shell is formed first.

Thats about when I stumbled upon this recipe from Rasa Malaysia and realised the author also boiled the meatballs prior to grilling them. Her yakitori sauce also made a bit more food sense. I had run out of ginger at home, so that may account for the slight discrepancy in taste. The next time I make these, I'll definitely try with some ginger.

Tsukune - Japanese Chicken Meatballs
Recipe adapted from Rasa Malaysia

For the Chicken:

• 300g chicken mince
• 1 cup chopped spring onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teapsoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cornflour

Additional Items:

• Skewers (soaked in water for at least 30 mins)
• Water
• tablespoon salt

Yakitori Basting Sauce:

• 4 tablespoons sake
• 5 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon corn starch blended with 1 teaspoon water

Method:

1. Blend the spring onions and garlic into the food processor
2. Using the bigger bowl in the food processor, mince the chicken, then added processed spring onions and garlic and combine well.
3. Add egg and the rest of the seasoning ingredients to the chicken mince. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
4. Wet your hands and scoop about a tablespoonful of the mixture into your palm. Shape it into a small ball about the size of a golf ball.
5. Bring a saucepan of water with about a tablespoon of salt to boil
6. Add the chicken balls and boil for about 7 minutes, or until the color of the meat changes and the balls float to the surface. Scoop out and drain on a plate covered with paper towels.
7. In a small pan, mix all the ingredients for the yakitori sauce, except for the corn starch solution. Bring the mixture to boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce slightly reduced. Add the corn starch solution and stir until the sauce is thickened. Transfer to a small bowl.
8. Thread 3-4 balls on to each bamboo skewer. Grill the skewers on a grill pan. Brush them with the yakitori sauce and turn the skewers frequently until the balls turn brown.
9. Serve while its hot with a wedge of lemon. Sprinkle with shichimi togarashi (Japanese chile powder with sesame seeds) and some yakitori sauce if you like.

Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

I'm a sucker for Zucchini flowers.. If they are on the menu, I would order them. No questions asked. Making them however, is a totally different story. Its always been a bit of a mess. The batter goes everywhere. Ricotta stuffing drips out. Or the batter would either be too thick or too thin... blah ~!

I think though.. I may have finely got it right this time. The difference is draining the ricotta cheese beforehand. By doing this, the cheese has more form and makes it easier when transferring from the batter mix into the deep fryer. Also, coating the stuffed zucchini flowers in a thin layer of cornflour before dipping it into the batter mix, helped to keep the batter coating on. The batter mixture itself had to pass the chopstick test. By that I mean, dipping the ends of a chopstick into the mixture, and when you pull out the chopstick, there should be a coating of batter around the ends that doesn't all drip off.

Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

• 6 zucchini flowers
• 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese (drained)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 clove of garlic (minced)
• 5 fresh sweet basil leaves (finely chopped)
• 1 Anchovy fillet (minced)
• Couple of grinds of fresh Pepper
• 1 small chilli (finely chopped) - Optional

For the Batter & Frying

• Enough vegetable or canola oil for deep frying
• Enough Cornflour for coating the stuffed flowers
• 2/3 cup all-purposed flour
• Teaspoon of Bi-Carbonate of Soda
• 1/2 cup of icy cold water

For serving

• Sprinkle of sea salt flakes
• Lemon Wedges

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together the drained ricotta, egg, garlic, basil, cheese, anchovy fillet and fresh pepper. Once the mixure is combined, using a sandwich bag, spoon the ricotta mixture into the bag and set this aside.
2. Clean each flower by patting it with a damp cloth. Gently spread open the petals of each flower and carefully pinch out the filaments inside.
3. Using a pair of sissors, snip off one of the corners of the sandwich bag so that it turns into a pipping bag.
4. With one hand holding the flower and opening flower petal, and the other with the pipping bag, fill up the zucchini flower with the ricotta mixture. You should be able to use the ends of the petal and give it a slight twist to keep the ricotta mixture in place. Lay these down onto a flat tray or plate. Repeat until all the zucchini flowers have been stuffed with the ricotta mixture.
5. Sprinkle a thin layer of corn flour over the zucchini flowers. Turn each flower and make sure they are evenly covered.
6. Heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat until its hot enough to start frying.
7. Mix together the remaining ingredients for the batter mix. Add more water if the batter is too thick. Or more flour if it is too thin.
8. Once the oil is ready, taking one flower at a time... dip the flower into the batter, turning to coat completely. Lift out and let the excess drip off. Gently slip the battered flowers into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides. This should take about 4 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the blossoms to paper towels to drain off any excess oil.
9. Season with some sea salt flakes and serve immediately with some wedges of lemon.
   

Tips:

• You can test this with a piece a small piece of bread. Or simply dip in the ends of a chopstick, and if it starts to bubble around the chopstick, then the oil is ready. It should not be smoking hot. If it is, the food will burn too quickly, turn the heat off to cool the oil until its no longer smoking.
  
  

Grilled Lemongrass Pork - Rice Paper Rolls

This is a recipe I found online for making Vietnamese-Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork.

We used this lemongrass pork as the main ingredient for making Vietnamese rice paper rolls. Along with some nuoc cham dipping sauce, these were perfect on a warm summer night.

For the rice paper rolls (you can use a combination of any of the items listed):

• Mint leaves
• Coriander
• Basil
• Rice noodles (soaked for 2 mins in warm water, then pan fried)
• Cucumber (finely sliced)
• Bean sprouts
• Lettuce
• Rice paper spring roll sheets

Vietnamese-Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork
recipe adapted from Viet World Kitchen

For the Lemongrass Pork:

• 400g pork neck (sliced into 1/2" thick pieces)

Marinade:

• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 stalk lemongrass (trimmed and finely chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 bird's eye chilli (finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon seasame oil

Pork in Marinade

1. Slice the pork neck into pieces about 1/2" thick. Set aside.
2. Put the sugar, garlic, shallot and lemongrass into food processor and blend into a fine texture.
3. Pour out the mixture into a bowl. Add in the finely chopped up chilli, white pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, and oils and mixed to combine well.
4. Add the pork, and turn to coat well.
5. Cover and set aside at room temperature to marinate for 1 hour. Or refrigerate up to 24 hours, letting the meat sit out at room temperature for 45 minutes to remove some of the chill before grilling.
6. Preheat a grill pan to medium-high. Grill each piece for a couple of minutes, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and serve with the other rice paper roll ingredients.
   
   

Making a rice paper roll

The end product... Yummy!

Notes:

• You can substitute about 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder for the lemongrass instead.

• When using the rice paper sheets, dip them in a bowl of cold water for about 2 seconds, then lay flat on a clean plate. The rice paper will become soft as it absorbs the water.