Sour plum Chicken ~ 酸梅鸡

There are many sweet and sour dishes in Chinese cuisine and many of them calls for deep-frying of the meat, be it chicken, pork, pork ribs or fish. I do not encourage deep-frying in my kitchen and this dish only requires some sauteing and pan-frying and hence not much of oily mess to clean up. The sweet and sour sauce helps to 'open' up your appetite and pairs very well with white rice or bread.

Sour Plum Chicken ~ 酸梅鸡

Ingredients

700 gm free-range chicken, cut into bite size

1 tomato, cut in wedges

2 sour plums, lightly mashed

4 pips garlic, chopped

a small knob of ginger, chopped

2 red birdeye chillies, chopped

1 tsp taucheong, bean paste

1/2 tsp dark soya sauce

Seasalt to taste

Sugar to taste

2 tsp Cornflour + 1 Tbsp water to thicken

Method

Marinate the chicken with some seasalt

In a non-stick pan, heat up some oil and saute

the chopped garlic, ginger, chillies and bean paste till fragrant

Add in the chicken , pan fry and add in 1 cup of water, the sour plum and

let it simmer till chicken is cooked

Add in dark soya sauce, seasalt and sugar to taste

Toss in the tomato wedges

Add in cornflour mixture to thicken

Dish out and serve with rice

Snow Swallow Dessert ~ 天然野生雪燕

Natural Wild Tragacanth Gum 'Snow Swallow' or Xue Yan is a gum derived from different varieties of sterculia trees. It's actually a sap drained from the root of the plant and the gum dries as it exudes and is then collected. Once rehydrated will increase to about ten times in size and their white stringy, jelly like strands texture resembles that of the much prized and highly valued bird's nest. One thing to take note when cooking this dessert is that the gum is highly soluble in water and cannot be boiled too long. Since it is 'cooling' for our internal organs, the elderlies should take this in moderation and not recommended for nursing mums for the breast milk may cause the baby to purge. Snow Swallow Dessert ~ 天然野生雪燕 Ingredients 8 gm Snow Swallow gums 10 gm red dates 10 gm goji berries 20 gm dried longan Rock or piece sugar to taste 1 litre water Pandan leaves (optional) Method Soak the Snow Swallow gums in plenty of water for at least...

Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam) ~ 亚参五花肉

A very appetising dish with tangy and robust flavour of tamarind juice, red and green chillies added more oomph to the dish. This dish will surely whet your appetite and you'll go for second helping of rice to soak up the tangy gravy. This is a Peranakan dish but as always, there are many varieties to this delicacy. I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit what I have in my pantry and the end result is a very yummy dish that I will not hesitate to whip up again and again. Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam) ~ 亚参五花肉 Ingredients 450 gm pork belly, cut into bite size 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3 shallots, finely chopped 30 gm tamarind pulp (Assam paste) + 250 ml water 3 green chillies 2 red chillies 2 tsp tau cheong (preserved bean paste) 2 tsp dark soya sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fish sauce 1 onion, sliced Method Mix the tamarind pulp with a cup of...

Double boiled Black chicken soup

This chicken soup is slightly different from the normal good old chicken soup as it's double-boiled with black chicken. Flavoured with traditional Chinese herbs like sweet wolfberries /goji berries/Boxthorn fruits, Ginseng aka 'Pau Sum' in Cantonese and Yuzhu aka Solomon's seal rhizome/polygonatum, this soup is believed to be invigorating and nutritious. According to the Chinese, the black chicken has curative value and it's above that of white chicken meat as the former has less fat. A short introduction to the traditional Chinese herbs. 'Pau Sum' helps to increase energy, enhance healthy blood circulation and also boost the immune system. Wolfberries helps to improve vision and nourish the lungs and kidneys. Yuzhu helps to treat dry throat, dry cough, promote production of body fluid and relieve dryness syndrome.

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