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

Mini lime marmalade chiffon cake

These little chiffon cupcakes were made with lime marmalade. Other than orange marmalade I've never come across lime marmalade and so this went into my shopping basket when I was in Perth last. It's slightly more sour than orange marmalade but it's delicious when you have it with butter or peanut butter slathered on a slice of freshly baked bread or toast!

Read on for the Recipe

Kai Chai Paeng aka Little chicken biscuit

K ai Chai Paeng or 'Little chicken biscuit' was one of my father's favourite item to take away whenever we stopped by Bidor, a small town south of Ipoh on the way to Kuala Lumpur, long ago before the North-South Highway came into existence. Those days, Bidor's famous restaurant, Pun Chun ,was like a half-way house whereby travellers would stop by for their signature 'Ngap thui meen' or duck thigh noodles. Pun Chun restaurant is right in the middle of town along the main road and has been in operation for 70 years and their Kai Chai Paeng were of the thick, doughy type made with lard and some pork but now they also have the thin and crispy version. Another small town, known as Kampar which is nearer to Ipoh is also famous for their thin and crispy version of Kai Chai Paeng. However, I'm not too sure which town is the originator of these 'chickenless', unique but absolutely aromatic 'Little chicken biscuit'.

Read on for the Recipe

Braised Pork Ribs with Yam & Wood ear fungus

I bought this yam/taro from a wet market and the lady assured me that her yams are creamy when cooked. She cut off a very small piece to justify her statement and true enough I saw some powdery substance on the knife. It can be very frustrating when you end up getting a yam that's firm even when cooked for yams have a hardy taste with a minimal amount of sweetness. But if you pair it up with some meat and fermented bean curd, the dish will be transformed into a tasty delicacy. Recipe for Braised Pork Ribs with Yam & Wood Ear Fungus Ingredients 750 gm Yam/Taro, peeled and cut into chunks 450 gm pork ribs, marinated with some seasalt 30 gm wood ear fungus, soaked, stemmed and cut into strips 2 pieces fermented beancurd (Nam Yue), mashed with some water 1 small knob ginger, smashed 5 cups water or more 1/2 tsp dark soya sauce Salt and sugar to taste 2 tsp Shaoxing wine Method In a wok, saute th...

No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

Search This Blog