Grill Chicken Thigh Steaks with Garlic, Thyme and Lemon

I haven't done much cooking since I've been down with the flu for the last couple of days. But still, there comes to a point when there is only so much instant warm oats, porridge and plain Congee that I can continuously eat. Having not done grocery shopping for the past week, the only thing I found in my fridge was 3 pieces of frozen chicken thigh.

All I could think of was something that would be quick, easy and full of flavour.

So after quickly defrosting the chicken in my microwave (yes.. I know.. not the best method..but I was hungry!!)... I teamed up the chicken with some garlic, lemon and some fresh thyme from my herb garden and grilled it on my cast iron griddle pan. Result ? Well.. It's a classic combination, so I couldn't really go wrong there. Still its something I'll definitely make again. I mean, it could have something to do with the fact I had been eating plain congee the whole day, but the smell was just amazing :)

Grill Chicken Thigh Steaks with Garlic, Thyme and Lemon

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces Chicken Thigh pieces (boneless)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled, smashed)
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice from 1 lemon (use the zested lemon)
• 3 twigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Slice open the chicken thigh pieces and butterfly them so that it lays out evenly flat.
2. Marinate the chicken with the olive oil, garlic, thyme, lemon zest, salt & pepper and juice of 1/2 of the lemon.
3. Let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least 15 mins.
4. Place the griddle pan over high heat and wait for it to get really hot
5. Place the chicken steaks onto the griddle pan and cook each side for 2 mins. Then turn them once more every minute or so on each side, until you can see all the meat has turned white and opaque.
6. Remove them from the pan, squeeze the juice of the remaining 1/2 lemon over the steaks, season with a little bit more of salt and pepper, and then let rest on a plate for about a minute before serving.
7. Serve with some baked potatoes or green vegetables. Chicken also tastes great the next day sliced into finger-sized pieces tossed through some green salad.

Notes:

• There was quite a bit of smoke being generated from my grill pan. I would suggest you have all windows open and the exhaust fan on full whack when making this.
• If the grill pan is hot enough the chicken meat should not stick to the pan. So you shouldn't need to add any oil to the pan.

Chicken with Rosemary, Olives and Tomato Sauce

On most weeknights when I get home from work, I open up my fridge, stare at the contents for about 5 mins and contemplate what I could conjure up for dinner. Usually if I'm feeling lazy, I'll make what I call my 'one pot meal', which usually consists of meat with some veg and whatever else I feel like throwing in.

Usually using whatever ingredients I have available from my fridge and pantry that's nearing its shelf life...

I had some of this with green salad and bread the first night. Then the leftovers tossed with some spaghetti the 2nd night. Not bad considering its just chicken with some rosemary, olives, anchovies and canned tomatoes. :)

Chicken with Rosemary, Olives and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 chicken maryland pieces (Thigh & Leg of chicken - separated into 3 pieces)
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 red onion (finely sliced)
• 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 2 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 120ml white wine
• 2 tablespoon olives
• 400g can whole tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of water
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Season the Chicken with freshly grounded Salt and Pepper
2. Heat oil in a dutch oven pot or heavy bottom pan, then brown the seasoned chicken all over and remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, gently cook the onion for about 5 mins until soft.
4. Add the garlic, anchovies and rosemary, then fry for a few mins more until fragrant. The anchovies would just melt away as it cooks.
5. Deglaze the pot with the wine
6. Add in the olives, canned tomatoes and about 1/2 cup of water
7. Bring to the boil, then return the chicken pieces to the pot.
8. Reduce the heat, cover, then cook for 40 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
9. Taste and season with salt and pepper if required.
10. Serve with a crisp green salad and crusty bread or with some spaghetti tossed through.

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.

Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms & Chinese Sausage

I often think about the Chinese dishes my grandma makes since moving to Sydney. Whenever I do, I try to replicate them with her helping me over the phone since she now lives 5hrs flight away from me. As a first-generation Australian, my grandma is the source of all my chinese, cantonese style cooking.

Yes... My grandma and not my mother, my mummy is a rather hopeless cook. Not that its her fault, its just not her forte, she was much better at running her business than being in the kitchen.

Now that she has retired, she has started cooking at home. And I've been kept sufficiently entertained by the horror stories my bothers have been updating me on her cooking attempts. The latest had something to do with a steamed fish dish my mummy tried to produce. Somehow, the thickest part of the fish ended up being too undercooked, semi-sashimi-like apparently. Instead of continuing to steam the fish in the wok. My mummy decided to put it into the microwave and nuke it for about 3 mins. Steamed fish is supposed to be moist and delicate, according to my brothers it was rather rubbery and tough. Opps...:)

My grandma had her fair share of laughs over this last attempt as my mummy complained to me about the convoluted instructions my grandma gave her. "Pour some soy sauce over the fish.. but not too much".... "Steam until you can just poke a chopstick through".... "Use just enough ginger to remove the fishy smell"....

Ahh.. the same instructions I've been getting from my grandma over the phone. Its taken me a few trial & error attempts to decrypt my grandma's instructions. But now I have gotten used to it. This dish is another one of my grandma specials. Sometimes she would make this for breakfast, but mostly it was for dinner and always to be served with steamed rice.

Oh...The sauce that is produced from this dish... I could eat a bowl of rice just with the sauce alone..yum... :)

Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms & Chinese Sausage

Original recipe from my grandma

Ingredients:

• 2 Chinese sausage (sliced diagonally)
• 2 Maryland Chicken Thighs (cut into 3cm wide pieces)
• 6 Chinese mushrooms (soaked, stalk removed, cut into half - water reserved)

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
• 1 thumbsized piece of ginger (smashed)
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon corn flour
• 1/4 cup water from the soaked mushrooms

Method:

1. Mix chicken, mushrooms and sausage with marinade ingredients and let stand for 30 minutes. You may need to add more of the reserved mushroom water if the marinade mixture is too thick.
2. Pour the marinated chicken, mushrooms and Chinese sausages in to a deep dish ready for steaming.
3. In a wok, bring some water to boil. Place a steamer rack on top and then place chicken dish in for steaming.
4. Steam for about 25 mins at medium high heat, or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove from steamer and serve immediately.

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

Fried Chicken - Momofuku

After putting together the Octo Vinaigrette, I had to make some of Momofuku's Fried Chicken to go with it. What I didn't know was that it had to be first submerged in brine (I did it for 3 hours), steamed and then cooled and refrigerated for at least 2 hr (I kept it overnight..since it was too late to have as dinner already) and then deep fried ..!! Luckily the Octo Vinaigrette can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. We ended up having the fried chicken and Octo vinaigrette the next day. :)

After P tried it, he said it was like 'Shandong Chicken'.. A rather common Cantonese dish found at most Chinese restaurants.

Over 18 hrs of preparation and waiting for 'Shandong Chicken' ?!?!??!

After trying it, I had to admit I had made something very similar to Shandong chicken. A much more glorified version though. Still the chicken wasn't dry at all, which is a common occurrence with most of the Shandong chicken I've tried at the restaurants.

The recipe asks to take the chicken out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you want to cook them. Then fry the chicken in 180C oil for about 6-8 minutes. Since the chicken is already cooked, you really only need to fry until the skin reaches your desired level of crispiness. Remove the chicken from the oil and drain them on a rack or paper towels. Before serving toss the chicken in the Octo Vin and garnish with sliced green onions.

Momofuku Fried Chicken
Recipe from Time Out New York

For the Brine:

• 4 cups lukewarm water
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup kosher salt

For Chicken:

• 1 medium sized chicken (cut into 8 pieces, wings separated from the breasts)
• 4 cups grapeseed or other neutral cooking oil
• About 1⁄2 cup Octo Vinaigrette

Method:

1. Combine the water, sugar, and salt in a large container with a lid or a large freezer bag, and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the chicken to the brine, cover or seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and no more than 6. - I did this for 3 hrs
2. Set up a steamer on the stove. Drain the chicken and discard the brine. Put the chicken in the steamer basket (if you are using a stacking Chinese-style bamboo steamer, put the legs in the bottom level and the breast on the top). Turn the heat to medium and set the lid of the steamer ever so slightly ajar. Steam the chicken for 40 minutes, then remove it from the steamer and put it on a cooling rack to cool. Chill it in the refrigerator, preferably on the rack, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you fry it.
4. In a deep skillet, heat enough oil for the chicken to be submerged to 180ºC. Fry the chicken in batches, turning once, until the skin is deep brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
5. Cut the chicken into a few pieces: cut the wing from the breast, cut the breast in half, cut through the knee to separate the thigh from the drumstick. Put in a large bowl, toss with the vinaigrette, and serve hot.

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.

Coq Au Vin - Cooked Under Pressure

Coq Au Vin is something I usually end up making for dinner over the weekend. The guys in my household are absolutely infatuated with chicken in red wine with onions, mushrooms and bacon. However, with the recent addition of my pressure cooker, I tried making this dish on a work day, and it was finished within 30 mins. Woot !

When I cook this dish in my dutch oven, I usually end up using a whole bottle of red wine. With the pressure cooker, because all the juices are trapped in, you actually need to reduce the amount of liquid, otherwise you will end up with a very watery sauce. Also with using the pressure cooker, I found it easier to just skip the braised onions part that Julia Child's recipe calls for. After all, I am using the pressure cooker to help me save time. :)

Coq Au Vin - Cooked Under Pressure
Based on Julia Child's Book ~ Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Feeds 4 to 6 people

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 250g of Speck (cut into 1.5cm width slices) - can substitute with bacon
  
• 3 pieces of maryland chicken (Drumstick and thigh separated)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup cognac
• 1 onion (halved then cut into quarters)
• 1 cup red wine
• 3/4 cup of beef stock
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 2 bay leaf
  

Method:

1. In the pressure cooker, sauté the speck\bacon slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned.
2. Dry and season the chicken thoroughly with the salt and pepper. Brown the chicken in the pressure cooker, which would now have the bacon fat rendered out already.
3. Pour in the cognac. Either ignite the cognac with a lighted match and shake the cooker back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside, or just let the cognac cook off.
4. Add in the onions.
5. Pour the red wine into the cooker. Add in the beef stock. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and herbs. Lock on the pressure cooker lid and bring the cooker to pressure on high setting (15 psi), then continue to cook for 15 mins.
6. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the mushrooms in a separate pan (recipe follows).

Sauteed Mushrooms:


• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• handful of Button Mushrooms (halved or quartered if large)
• 50g butter
• 1 stalk green onion (finely sliced.. this is optional)
• salt & pepper
  
  
7. After 15 mins, turn the heat off and release the pressure from the cooker using the automatic release method. Remove the lid from the pressure cooker and taste the sauce and correct the seasoning if required.
8. Keep the cooker over a low heat and prepare the finish for the dish (recipe follows)
   
   Finish (buerre manie):
   


• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• Sprigs of fresh parsley (optional)
  
  
9. Remove the chicken and arrange it in a casserole dish. Discard the bay leaves. The chicken should be tender enough to be able to fall off the bone easily.
10. Blend the butter and flour together into a smooth paste. Mix the paste into the sauce in the pressure cooker with a wire whip. Bring to the simmer, stirring, and simmer for a minute or two. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
11. Place the sauteed mushrooms around the chicken and ladle the sauce and onions over the chicken and the mushrooms.
12. If you like, decorate with spring for parsley. (this part is optional).

Serve with some mash potatoes, rice or some bread to soak up the yummy sauce. :)

Buffalo Wings

These are a different version of Buffalo Wings to the ones you can get from a pub in the States. I tried to make these a bit more 'healthier', so therefore these are oven baked and not fried. I also marinate them in some lemon juice and freshly grounded cumin before baking them. After baking the wings, I throw them into the saucepan with the prepared sauce and then put the sauce-coated wings under the grill for about 3 mins. Just enough for the sauce to start bubbling on the wings.

You can serve these with some blue cheese sauce or have them just as is. The perfect snack during poker game nights. :)

Buffalo Wings

Marinate, mix together and let stand for about 1-2 hrs:

• 1 kg Chicken Wings (separated, tips removed)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoon of cumin (grounded)
• 3 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grounded black pepper

Bake wings on a wire rack (with a baking tray below to catch the juices & oil dripping), at 180C for about 10 minutes.

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
• 6 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Frank's)
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon grounded black pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add in the remaining ingredients for the hot sauce and let heat up to a slow simmer.

Add in the baked chicken wings and toss together so that the sauce coats the wings.

Arrange wings in a baking dish and put back into the oven on the grill setting. Let the wings grill for about 3 minutes on high or until you can see the sauce on the wings start to bubble up.

Serve immediately.

Claypot Chicken Rice

I've always loved the tasty claypot rice from the street stalls in Hong Kong. Actually been craving for it. So I've been trying to replicate it at home in the past couple of months... to some limited success. :P

The rice is supposed to form a fragrant brown crispy layer around the bottom of the claypot

However, the many times I've tried cooking it, I always seemed to burn that layer. The taste and flavour of the chicken was the same, but I'm not really fond of eating burnt rice.

So as a work around, I let the rice cook on the stove top for about 15 mins, while that was cooking, pre-heat the oven to about 180C then place the marinated chicken over the semi-cooked rice, then finish the dish in the oven instead of keeping it over the stove top.

Here is the recipe...

Claypot Chicken Rice

• 2 ½ cups rice (washed and drained)
• 2 Chinese sausage (sliced diagonally)
• 1 ½ cm thick piece salted fish
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• water from the soaked mushrooms

Marinade:

• 3 chicken pieces (Thigh pieces or Drumstick - cut into 3cm wide pieces)
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
• 1 thumbsized piece of ginger
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon corn flour
• 5 Chinese mushrooms (soaked, stalk removed, cut into half - water reserved)

Method:

1. Mix chicken, mushrooms with marinade and let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Put rice and the reserved water from the soaked mushrooms into a claypot, add in salted fish, cover and let simmer over a lower fire till the rice is semi-cooked. (This should take about 15 minutes)
3. Pre-heat oven to 180C
4. Pour the marinated chicken, mushrooms and chinese sausages over the rice
5. Cover the claypot and put into the oven
6. Leave for about 15-20 mins until the chicken is cooked.
7. Serve by drizzling the dark soy sauce over the chicken.

If you like the extra bit of semi-burnt rice, then put the claypot back on top of the stove and keep it on low heat for about 3 mins.

Coq Au Sauvignon Blanc - Cooked Under Pressure

I finished work today at about 7pm.. got home at about 7.30pm... chopped up some chicken.. veggies. Browned the chicken.. threw everything in a pot. Dinner was ready at 8.07pm.

If I didn't already mention it before...I love my new pressure cooker !!

This is a variant on 'Coq Au Vin' which is a French dish that translates to 'Rooster in Wine'. Coq Au Vin is made with red wine. However for this time, I'm using a white wine. Sauvignon Blanc to be exact. Not really by choice, but it's because I've actually run out of red wine at home.

Yes.. probably for the 1st time.. I have no reds at home. Only a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

So this Coq Au Sauvignon Blanc is really 'Chicken in White Wine'. The Sauvignon Blanc can be substituted with any other types of white wine you have available.

Also, instead of going for the full blown Julia Child's Coq Au Vin recipe, I've scaled it back to omit the braising of the pearl onions. And I use some Speck Ham I have in my fridge instead of the bacon. I also added in some carrots to help sweeten the sauce.

As mentioned before, I've put my new pressure cooker back to work. According to the guide, chicken is done in 8mins on high (15 psi) or 15mins on the low (8 psi) setting.

Coq Au Sauvignon Blanc (Chicken in White Wine)

variant of a Coq Au Vin recipe I've made before, which can be found at smitten kitchen

• 3 Maryland Chicken Thigh Pieces (drumsticks separated, thigh pieces cut into two)
• Flour for dusting
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 250g Speck Ham (sliced & diced into 2cm wide pieces)
• 3 cloves garlic (smashed)
• 1 large brown onion (quartered)
• 2 carrots (diced)
• 2 cups white wine
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• Salt & Pepper

Season chicken pieces with salt & pepper. Dust with some plain flour and set aside.

In the cooker, melt butter in the olive oil. Add the Speck Ham, garlic, onions and carrot to the cooker and saute until the onions have started to brown. Remove from the cooker with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Brown the chicken pieces in the cooker on all sides. Pour back in the Speck, garlic, onions and carrots. Add the thyme and pour in the white wine. Close the lid on the pressure cooker, set to cook on high (15 psi) and bring cooker to pressure. After 8 mins turn off the heat. Release the pressure using the automatic release setting and remove the lid.

While the pressure cooker was cooking, in a separate pan, put together:

Sauteed Mushrooms:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• handful of Button Mushrooms (halved or quartered if large)
• 50g butter
• 1 stalk green onion (finely sliced.. this is optional)
• salt & pepper

Once the lid is removed from the pressure cooker, add in the saute mushrooms.

Finish off the dish by thickening the sauce with a Roux made out of 1 tablespoon of butter to 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Or you can use about 150ml of thickened cream. I went for the cream option this time as I was pressed for time and had some available in my fridge.



Serve with rice, potatoes or even just 'as is' for a low-carb option. :)

Thai Red Curry

I'm not a big fan of using pre-made pastes or sauces. Firstly, because of the presence of preservatives and additional colourings usually found in these pre-made sauces. Secondly, because of the amount of MSG present.

MSG = Monosodium Glutamate => very dry mouth => red skin rash => :((((

Making Thai red curry from scratch isn't actually that time consuming. The paste base can actually be done beforehand and kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The red curry paste can be paired with beef, chicken, most seafoods and vegetables. You can use a pestle mortar to make the paste, but I take it as a sign for me to put my Magimix food processor to good use.

Red Curry Base Spice Paste:

• 5 dried red chillies
• 5 cloves garlic
• 5 shallots (Try to get the small redish\purple coloured shallots)
• 1 thumbsize piece galangal (thinly sliced)
• 1 stalk lemongrass (use the bottom 10cm, inner white part - smashed, then thinly sliced)
• zest of 1 lime (grated)
• 3 Coriander stalks (bottom ~5cm of stalks)
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon cardamon seeds (seeds removed from husks)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon white peppercorns (black peppercorns can be substituted)
• 1 teaspoon Shrimp paste (Thai version preferred)

Over a hot pan, lightly toss and toast together the coriander seeds, cardamon, cumin and peppercorns until the aroma is released. This step also helps to bring out the flavours in the spices.

Pour all the ingredients into the food processor and pulse until everything has broken down and blended together. This should make enough base paste for about 5-6 serves. With about 2 tablespoons used per red curry. When using the spice paste, just fry in equal amount of peanut oil to release the flavour.

It does look like a lot of difference spices and ingredients are being used. But once you are able to source all the ingredients, the cooking part is actually quite easy. Thai curry is different to cooking other curries, where you don't actually need to simmer the curry over a long period of time (atleast I don't find that I need to).

I still like to add more fresh lemongrass, shallots and galangal to the curry on top of the spice paste. I also find that with my red curry, I usually end up with a curry that has a lot more vegetables present than meat. I also tend to like eating the vegetables more as it tends to absorb the flavours of the spice and curry sauce better.

Red Curry Chicken with Mix Vegetables

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoon red curry paste
• 3 shallots (chopped into quarters)
• 3 whole dried chillies (optional - use less if you prefer a milder curry)
• 1 stalk lemongrass (thinly sliced diagonally)
• 1 thumbsize galangal (thinly sliced)
• 5 kaffir lime leaves (torn in half)
• Mix vegetables - see section below...
• sawtooth coriander (if substituting with chinese coriander add this around the end)
• 500g coconut milk
• 300g chicken thigh meat (skin removed, sliced into strips)
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• juice 1 lime (kaffir lime preferred)

Mix vegetables - I usually add in a selection of the following (about a handful each):

• canned longan fruit <-- used to enhance the sweetness in the curry
• Thai green round eggplant (preferred, but purple eggplant can be substituted)
• Okra (a.k.a Ladies fingers)
• canned bamboo shoots
• fresh oyster mushrooms
• zucchini (sliced in chunks)

This list is a guide only, you can use any types of vegetables that you may have available. The veggies in the list are also what I've found to soak up the curry sauce better.

The canned longan fruit is easily sourced from any supermarket. Try to get the non-sweetened syrup version. The sweetness in the longan fruit actually helps soften the hotness of the chilli in the curry.

Method:

1. In a medium-hot wok, add peanut oil then the two tablespoons of the previously prepared red curry spice mix. Fry the spice paste for a couple of seconds, then add in the chopped shallots, dry chilli, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves.
2. Add in the mixed vegetables & sawtooth coriander. Stirfry the veggies around with the spice paste and the other fresh spices for about a minute. The veggies are added in earlier to try to soften them first, as they do require to be cooked longer than the chicken.
3. Pour in the coconut milk. Stir the contents around, making sure the coconut milk has combined with the spice paste. Bring up the heat until the coconut milk starts to simmer.
4. Add in the chicken strips. Season with fish sauce and the palm sugar. Keep the curry on a slow simmer. Keep stirring the curry around, make sure the chicken pieces has cooked.
5. Squeeze in the juice of one lime.
6. Taste the curry, if its not salty enough, add in more fish sauce. If its not sour enough then add in more lime juice. If its too sour, then add in more palm sugar.
7. Let simmer for a couple more minutes then serve with some steam rice.

Notes:

• If using Okra (Ladies fingers), make sure they have cooked thoroughly.
• Sawtooth coriander is a Thai style herb. Chinese coriander can be used instead. Put these in at the end, if you are using chinese coriander.
  

Steamed Tofu & Chicken Mushroom Sauce

Today was one of those days where I go and open my fridge, stare at it for a couple of minutes, contemplating what I have to make for dinner.

I pulled out the following:

• 1/2 pack of tofu (still edible)
• partially defrosted chicken thigh pieces
• button mushrooms (about a handful)
• spring onions & coriander
• 1/2 onion (nicely wrapped up in some Glad wrap ?!?)

I managed to pull away one full piece of chicken thigh. The rest was still a bit too much fused together with ice that I decided to throw it back into the fridge and let it continue with its defrosting process.

Combine this with some chopped garlic, some spring onions and coriander and we'll have enough to make this steamed tofu dish.

Firstly mince up the chicken, then marinate the chicken mince with:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of corn flour (can substitute with potato starch)
• 1 teaspoon of chinese cooking wine
• Couple of dashes of sesame oil

Let sit for about 15-20 mins. While this is resting, bring a Wok full of water to boil, and place a steel rack in the water so that a plate can rest on top of it. The water should not be touching the plate. Place the tofu in the place and use some Glad wrap (cling film) to cover the plate, then place on top of rack for steaming. Cover with a lid.

This way, the condensation of water that catches on the lid wont fall back into the plate with the tofu. Otherwise, at the end of the steaming process, you'll have a very watery plate of tofu.

Steam for about 5 mins on medium-high heat. Once this has finished, remove the plate from the Wok, remove Glad wrap and set aside.

Chop onions and slice mushrooms. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add garlic, then onions then mushrooms. Once everything starts to soften a bit, add in the chicken mince.

Once the chicken has cooked, add in about 1/4 cup of water and then the spring onions. The water with the corn flour previously used to marinate the chicken will turn into a sauce. Add a bit more corn flour if the sauce seems a bit too thin.

Pour this on top of the tofu. Sprinkle with some additional thinly sliced spring onions and coriander (if you have it) if desired. Serve immediately with some steam rice.

Soy Sauce Braised Chicken Wings

This is a very easy dish to make. And does not require any marinating at all. The important thing to remember is add each ingredient separately, adding the next after the one before has been absorbed. This dish is a favourite in my family. I would always end up eating more than 1 bowl of rice if there are these chicken wings on the table.

Soy Sauce Braised Chicken Wings
Original recipe passed to me from my grandma

• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• 2 pieces of thumbsized ginger (smashed)
• 1 kg of chicken wings (drumlet and winglet separated, tips discarded)
• 1 tablespoon of chinese rice wine (Shaoxing preferred)
• 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• enough water to cover to cover the chicken wings
• salt to taste (if required)

Heat oil in a large saucepan, add in the ginger and saute around for about 30 secs until you start to smell the fragrance of the ginger.

Add in chicken wings, turning the pieces around until the skin becomes opaque.

Add in the rice wine and continue to cook until the wine is absorbed. Pour in the dark & light soy, oyster sauce and sugar. Keep moving the chicken wings around the saucepan, making sure each piece is coated in the sauce.

Add in enough water to cover up to 3/4 of the wings, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover with the lid and let simmer. Taste the braising liquid. Add salt or sugar to taste.

Braise for about 1 hr, or until the end of the bones start to be exposed. The meat should be able to fall off easily. Occasionally check the chicken wings, if it becomes too dry, then add more water.

The sauce should be slightly thick. Serve with some plain steamed rice. Enjoy :)

Coq Au Vin

I've made Coq Au Vin or Chicken in Red Wine plenty of times. Its yummy. But not mind-blowing-yummy. But after reading this on smittenkitchen.com .. I decided I had to try out this recipe which was based on one from the Author of Mastering the Art of French cooking - Julia Child.

The main difference with this recipe than my usual one, is with the 'brown-braised baby onions'. This part calls for about 18-24 peeled (Yes.. PEELED) white onions. Peeled onions which are simmered slowly for 40-50 minutes -- cooked separate to the Chicken.

I found it easier to make the brown-braised baby onions first, then the chicken and while the chicken is cooking, using a separate pan saute the mushrooms.

Onions and some shallots I had around braised with 1/2c of red wine and 1/2c of beef stock.

After nearly 50 minutes of slow simmering, the onions should look like this

The Chicken pieces are browned in the bacon then the wine, stock, garlic, herbs and tomato paste are added. Chicken needs to be cooked until tender. About 30-40 mins.

While the chicken is cooking, saute the mushrooms in some olive oil. Add a slice of butter when mushrooms are nearly cooked.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan to a separate dish. Add flour & butter mixture to sauce and continue to reduce until the sauce is able to coat the back of a spoon lightly. Add Chicken back to the pan with the onions and mushroom. Simmer for 3-4 mins and continue to baste the chicken with the sauce. Serve when chicken is hot.

We had it with some mash potato - see pic above.

And it was amazingly good !! P kept on asking me what I did different to the last time I made this dish. The braised onions were the first to disappear.

I didn't follow the recipe as closely as I wanted to. I didn't really have a choice. I didn't have cognac at home, and had to substitute some shallots for the onions as I didn't have enough. I also didn't want to boil the bacon. But Hey... its a Julia Child recipe. So I'm not going to repost the recipe with my alterations here. Somethings should stay as classics. However, you can find the Julia Child's recipe as posted by Smittenkitchen.com here. Enjoy

Chicken Steak with Onions

My grandma used to make this for breakfast. Yes.. breakfast. Gran's typical breakfast was usually 2 dishes served with lots of steamed rice. Most breakfasts were bigger than what we would usually eat for lunch. Breakfast was the most important meal...and every important meal had to have rice.

I usually make this dish for dinner now. :)

Chicken Steak with Onions
Original recipe from my grandma

• 350g of Chicken Thigh Pieces (skin removed, sliced into 4-5cm pieces)
• 1 brown onion (sliced)
• 2 thumbsized pieces of ginger (smashed)
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of chinese rice wine
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of cornflour

Method:

1. Place thigh pieces in a mixing bowl, add ingredients one by one (except for the onions), mixing until they are combined. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hr.
2. In a heated pan add a dash of cooking oil and saute the onions with a pinch of salt. Before the onions become too soft, remove and set aside.
3. Bring the pan to medium-high heat, add some more cooking oil and the ginger from the marinated chicken.
4. Once the oil has the ginger fragrance, add the chicken to the pan and brown on both sides.
5. Once chicken is about done, add onions back to the pan and saute around. Place a lid on the pan and turn the heat down.
6. Let simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Remove and serve with some steam rice.
   
   

Notes:

• I prefer to cut the chicken thighs into smaller pieces about 4-5cm. Making it easier to cook.
• Add some water if the sauce becomes too thick during the simmering stage.

Chicken Mushroom & Dried Scallop Rice

This is another one of my grandma's dishes, which I have adapted into one of my a so-called 'one pot' meals.

Its pretty much just throwing everything together to be cooked in the rice pot. So instead of plain old steam rice served with separate dishes. The dish is incorporated into the steam rice. The result is a bit like chinese fried rice, except the method calls for steaming with some fresh rice. Therefore, it is also a lot less oily than fried rice. Also Chinese fried rice is best made with leftover rice that has been sitting in the fridge overnight.

Chicken Mushroom & Dried Scallop Rice
Adapted from a Recipe originating from my grandma

• 3 cups of white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 4 dried scallops (soaked overnight - water reserved)
• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked overnight - chopped - water reserved)
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• thumbsized piece ginger (smashed)
• 300g chicken mince
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon chinese rice wine

Method:

1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear.
2. Using a fork, break up the dried scallops. Add scallops and the reserved water into the rice. If needed, fill the rice cooker with water to the required amount to cook 3 cups of rice.
3. Add in the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir the rice around, so that there is an even spread of scallops around the rice. Start the rice cooker. When the rice is nearly ready...
4. Heat the oil in a pan and add in the ginger. Once you start to smell the ginger, add in chopped mushrooms and the chicken mince.
5. Add in the seasonings - salt, soy sauce, sugar, wine and oyster sauce.
6. Pour in about 3 tablespoons of the reserved mushroom water. Enough so that the chicken doesn't dry out too much as it cooks.
7. Stirfry the contents around until the chicken mince has just cooked. Discard the ginger piece.
8. Open the rice cooker and pour in the contents of the pan and mix everything into the rice.
9. Close the lid of the rice cooker and let the contents sit for at least 30 mins on the 'keep warm' setting.

Notes:

• 3 cups of rice is enough for 3 very hungry people or about 5 'normal eating' people
• Taste the rice. If its a bit too bland, drizzle a bit of light soy sauce over the rice and mix well before serving.
• The ginger is optional, and is used to fragrant the oil and the other ingredients during the stir frying process.

40 Clove Chicken

There are many versions of this recipe around. The thing that makes this dish different and so yummy is the amount of garlic used... 40++ cloves of garlic!! The garlic turns out amazingly sweet. But still have some breath mints handy. :)

I'm not sure where I first saw this recipe anymore. But after seeing the pictures from Alice Q. Foodie made me want to cook it again. Here is my take on it...

40 Clove Garlic Chicken

• 3 x Maryland chicken (Thighs and legs chopped - skin on)
• 2-3 Heads of Garlic. (I'm lazy... and just leave it smashed and unpeeled)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 Cups Dry white wine
• 3 tablespoon Cognac (optional)
• Handful of fresh herbs (I used Sage & Thyme)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/4 Cup of Thickening Cream
• 2 tablespoons butter & 2 tablespoons plain flour
• Salt & Pepper

Pre-heat Oven to 180C. Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper. Heat the butter with 1/2 of the olive oil in a Dutch Oven and brown the chicken, skin side down first.

Remove the chicken to a plate, and add garlic cloves to the pot. Saute on low heat until it turns golden brown. Add 1 Tbl sp of the Cognac, then add all the wine. Bring to boil and continue to stir, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.

Return chicken to the pot. Add herbs and tuck the Bay leaves in between the chicken pieces.

Cover and braise in the oven for about 45 minutes - until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken to a baking dish and put under the grill. Just long enough so that the skin on the chicken starts to go golden brown.

Squeeze out the garlic from the skins. Add remaining Cognac to the sauce. Bring to boil and add cream. Melt the butter in a separate saucepan then add flour. Once it has combined and starts to bubble, add this mixture to the sauce.

Spoon garlic sauce over the chicken and serve.

Chicken in Milk - For 1

I find it really hard to cook for just two people. We always seem to have an endless supply of leftovers in our fridge. P is back home in Perth at the moment. After 3 days of eating noodles (the instant type with my own toppings), I decided to turn one of the recipes I've made plenty of times before into a recipe for one.

Dinner for One - Chicken in Milk.
recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's TV show ~ 'Oliver's Twist'

• 1x Merryland Chicken Thigh Piece
• rind from 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tablespoon of whole dry sage (fresh if you have any)
• 3 whole cloves of garlic (smashed)
• 1 teaspoon of thyme (again..fresh if you have any)
• 1/2 a stick of cinnamon
• 1 cup of milk (full cream works preferred)
• butter & olive oil
• salt & pepper

Season the chicken with salt & pepper.

Using a small saucepan (one that the chicken thigh can just nicely fit into), melt the butter in the olive oil. Add garlic then chicken and brown on both sides. About 2 mins each.

Into the saucepan add in the milk, herbs and the cinnamon stick.


Bring the milk to a boil. Cover and continue to simmer on medium-low heat for about 35 mins. Until the chicken is cooked (ie. juices run clear) and the milk has started turning into little pre-cheese curdles.