Clay pot chicken

I’ve had a clay pot sitting around for a while now and finally decided to use it when I saw Rasa Malaysia’s clay pot chicken with mushrooms recipe here. So this is inspired by her dish with some extra ingredients to make it more of a one-pot wonder 🙂

Ingredients:
• 550g chicken thigh, cut into 2.5cm cubes
• 10-12cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thickly
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 100g fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed and halved
• 100g fried tofu, halved diagonally
• 1 small bunch of broccoli, cut into smaller florets
• 3-4 spring onions, sliced diagonally into 6cm pieces
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 3/4 cup water

For the marinade:
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

For the sauce (mix into a small bowl):
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/3 cup Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup oyster sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder

Method:
1) Combine the chicken and marinade; set aside for 20 min.

2) Heat the clay pot over medium heat and fry the ginger for about a min or until fragrant. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and fry for 30-45 sec.

3) Then add half the sauce and 1 cup of the water. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer on low heat for 15 min.

4) Add the broccoli; mix well to combine. Cover and simmer for another 5 min.

5) Add the tofu, mushrooms, remaining sauce and water; mix well to combine. Cover and simmer for another 5 min.

6) Stir in the spring onions and serve immediately with rice. Serves 4-5 as part of a Chinese meal.

Tips:
• You can add/change the vegetables – carrots, cauliflower, onions etc.
• If you use dried shiitake mushrooms instead, be sure to soak them for around 30min first and add them in after adding the chicken as it requires a longer cooking time.
• If you’re using the clay pot for the first time, be sure to break into it by completely immersing it in water (turn the lid inside out) – I used a Japanese clay pot and the recommended soaking time is 24hrs. Scrub it after while it’s in water to remove any dirt. Rinse and let it dry completely for another day. Try not to cook anything that has a strong flavour the first few times as it might ‘stain’ the pot. You can also season it with oil before using – for more clay pot care check this site out.

Enjoy and have fun!

Soy sauce and ginger chicken stew

A super simple chicken stew that’s tasty and fuss-free. I used to make this a lot during Uni days and it somehow reminds me of home 🙂

Ingredients:
• 1 kg chicken v-wings, separated
• 1 can whole champignons
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly bruised
• 125-150g ginger, peeled and roughly sliced (depending on how gingery you like it)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 can water (approx. 1 cup)
• 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Method:
1) Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ginger and fry until fragrant; add the garlic cloves and fry until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and mix well; cook until the skin becomes opaque.

2) Add the champignons, water, sauces, and sesame oil; mix well. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat.

3) Simmer for 40-45 min or until the meat is tender, stirring every now and then. Add more water if too salty or salt if not salty enough. Serves 4-5 as part of a Chinese meal.

Tips:
You may add vegetables to make it a more balanced dish though it might change the flavour quite a bit.

Enjoy and have fun!

Ayam pongteh

I first had this dish when a dear friend made it for dinner ages ago and it was love at first bite! I got this basic recipe from her and tweaked it a little to suit my taste buds. This slightly sweet and salty Nyonya dish is simple to make and absolutely comforting to eat. I especially love the rich aroma of the coriander powder as it fills the house while the chicken simmers 🙂

Ingredients:
• 1kg chicken wings
• 24 shallots, peeled
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp  taucheo (salted soy beans)
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 500 ml water
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1.5cm pieces (optional)
• 1 can button mushrooms, halved (optional)

Method:
1) Coarsely pound the shallots and garlic; set aside.

2) Lightly pound the taucheo. Add the coriander powder and 2 tbsp of the water; mix to combine.

3) Heat the oil in a wok/pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, reduce heat and fry, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown. Sprinkle some water to prevent the shallots from burning.

4) Add in the coriander and taucheo paste and 2-3 tbsp of the water; mix well to combine. Stir for 1 min.

5) Turn the heat up and add the chicken; mix well to combine. Cook for a few min. Add the carrots, mushrooms, sugar, salt and dark soy sauce; mix well to combine. Lower the heat and add 2/3 of the remaining water; simmer for 2 min.

6) Add the remaining water and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 30-40 min or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender. Add more salt or water to taste. Serve with rice; serves 5-6.

Tips:
• Because this is such a basic recipe, it leaves room for tweaking! Add more ingredients (e.g. potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots) to make it more tasty and substantial.
• The original recipe is for babi pongteh (pig trotters) and it’s exactly the same amount of trotters required.

Enjoy and have fun!

Simple beef stew

Stews are God-send one pot wonders which you can put together easily, chuck in the oven, go do your thing, and after 3 or so hours…tadah! Dinner is served. I love cooking stews in winter because it’s just so heart-warming to eat; the only downside is that you do require time to make it. This is a slight adaptation of Jamie Oliver’s ‘melt-in-your-mouth shin stew’ 🙂

Ingredients:
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 sticks of celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, stalks removed and halved
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• small handful of dried porcini
• 1kg gravy beef, cut into 4cm pieces
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• Sea salt and pepper to season
• 800g tinned plum tomatoes
• 2/3 bottle of dry red wine

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Season the flour with salt and pepper then toss the beef pieces in, shaking any excess off.

2) In a heavy-bottom ovenproof saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and fry the beef pieces for 2-3 min to seal in the juices; dish out and set aside.

3) Heat 3 tbsp of oil and gently fry the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, bay leaves and cinnamon for 5 min or until soften; stir frequently to avoid burning.

4) Add the beef into the pan and stir to mix everything.

5) Add the tomatoes, wine and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently bring to a boil then cover with a double-thickness piece of foil and a lid.

6) Place into the oven and cook for 3 hours or until the beef is tender and melts in the mouth. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the cinnamon, rosemary sprigs and bay leaves before serving. Serves 4.

Tips:
• Serve it up with some wilted spinach, mash potatoes or root vegetables, bread or pasta.
• Trying adding 1/2 – 1 tsp of truffle oil just before serving for an added dimension in flavour.

Enjoy and have fun!