Hainanese chicken rice to celebrate 2012

2012 is the year of the Water Dragon, the mightiest of all signs and as a Dragon girl myself I'd like to share this recipe with you to celebrate the new year! 

Hainanese Chicken Rice is a dish of Chinese origin based on a well-known Hainanese dish called Wenchang chicken. However, as time passed, modifications were made to the recipe to suit the preferences of the locals.

Right, here's what you need for a mouth watering super-exotic dish:

For the rice
3 cups long grain rice
2 tablespoons chicken fat , with skin (I know its terribly fattening but it makes the rice taste incredibly nice)
2 tablespoons water
2 -3 cm ginger , grated
3 -4 garlic cloves , grated or mashed
1 -2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
3 1/2 cups chicken stock , according to rice package instructions (or more, reserved from chicken that you will boil)

for the chicken
1 whole chicken preferably organic
water , enough for boiling chicken
chicken stock
1 piece thumb sized ginger , smashed
a few scallions to stuff the cavity of the chicken

Ginger sauce for dipping
75 g ginger
6 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons chicken stock (again stock from the boiled chicken)
Sauce for chicken
1 tablespoon garlic oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
5 tablespoons light soya sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
3 tablespoons chicken broth (from boiled chicken)

First of all wash the rice then place it on to a tea towel or colander to dry. Then, prepare the chicken.Bring enough water to boil in a large pot. Stuff the chicken cavity with fresh scallions and ginger pieces. Once boil, add in the stock and dip the stuffed chicken a few times in the boiling water. This trick will tighten the skin and prevent it from breaking it. Submerge the chicken in water breast down, making sure the water level just covers the extremity of the chicken: you want your chicken to poach slowly, not to boil! Lower the heat and cook chicken for about 20 - 25 minutes, uncovered. It is very important to boil the chicken very slowly over low flame.Turn of flame and cover the pot. Allow the chicken to steep inside for another 20-25 minutes. Remove chicken and immerse it into a basin of cold water for 5-6 minutes.Take chicken out and drain in a colander to drip dry before cutting it into serving pieces.

While the chicken is drip drying, prepare the rice.Heat up wok and add in the chicken fat and water.Bring to a low simmering boil until oil is released from the fat. Add in the ginger and garlic and fry well (without burning the garlic) Remove and discard the chicken fat and skin. Add in the rice that has been dried and salt and stir fry briskly about 1 - 2 minutes.Transfer rice into an electric rice cooker or pot. Add in the chicken broth from the boiled chicken together with the screwpine leaves if using. If cooking in a pot, cook over low flame stirring occasionally so as not to let the bottom of the rice burn.Boil until rice is cook.

While the rice is cooking, you can prepare the chilli garlic sauce. Just add all ingredients into a blender or food processor, and give it a good whizz, until ingredients are well blended. Adjust the seasoning with more salt or sugar to taste.The chili garlic sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days only.

To prepare the ginger sauce is the same.give the ingredients a good whiz in the blender.What gives the extra oomph for the sauces is the stock from the chicken broth -- so, do not omit this ingredient.

Lastly combine all the ingredients for the chicken sauce and pour it all over the cut up chicken. You can add more soya sauce and chicken broth to the chicken if you prefer. Just adjust the taste of the sauce with soya sauce and chicken broth.If you do not have garlic oil,you can fry a few cloves of garlic in oil for few minutes then take out oil and garlic pour it into a jar, and let the garlic steep inside the oil.

Finally, garnish the chicken with the coriander leaves, spring onions and cucumbers.










Enjoy meal with the rice and dipping sauces!

stuffed chicken: a last minute deal

presentation could have been better, but my roast was a success!

Right. I’ve got a whole bird, some veggies, dry fruit and breadcrumbs. Perhaps if I go through my pantry I will find some sauces for the glazing and I will make another scrumptious dinner out of leftovers, basically! So here’s what I have on my table so far.

ooooh curries!

Making Massaman Curry and lentil dahl (my style) 

Ooooh curries! There’s nothing better that that fragrant smell of spices in the kitchen. I tend to prefer thai-style curries to Indian ones because are more delicate and a touch sweeter, and, I am totally in love with that final touch of toasted cashews and fresh coriander right before serving a meal. Pure bliss.

Today I am making some slight variations to the recipe. I have run out of coriander so I am using basil leaves from my plant, and I have some bok choy leftovers as well: I am sweating the chunky bits together with the aromatic ginger, the onions and chillies and will be adding the softer leaves toward the end of cooking time. Whatever variations I make to curries, my kitchen always smell lovely! Right, here’s my ingredients list:

dim sum to touch your heart :)

from top left clockwise: it takes ages...but the flavour........

From the Japanese Gyoza to the Cantonese Dim Sum and their northern counterpart Baozi, Jiaozi, Tang bao…the choice is endless. Learning how to make dumplings from scratch it has been a challenge to me. Too  thin, too thick, too sticky, too big, too small – but I’ve eventually nailed it. My dumplings may not be 100% authentic but they look terrific and my friends love it, which is good enough to me. Another good reason to learn to make your own dumplings is saving money. When I checked the price of the frozen pack at my local Asian grocery I nearly hit the roof. GBP13,00 for a handful of dumplings (5 har gao + 5 xiu mai)!!  If you want to venture into the lovely world of dim sum get yourself a couple of good bamboo steamers and let’s rock the kitchen!  Today I am making some boiled pork dumplings and some fusion-style steam fried chicken gyoza. Here's what you need: 

my summer fish pie

 Inspired by a Jamie Oliver lighter version of the fish pie, I decided to experiment in the kitchen today. Did not know what to expect since this was my very first attempt to bake a savoury pie with no puff pastry, but judging by mr D’s face I’d say the experiment went well!   From the originally recipe I preferred to ditch the onions (I believe it overwhelms the fish’s flavour), and double cream (too many calories!)  And since I had some vegetarian curry leftovers I soaked the fish in that rather than the milk. Feeling inspired? Here’s my recipe for 4-6 serves. I like to cook in bulk so I can stack the freezer for those lazy days…

I Baci di Alice (Alice's kisses)

In a society that privileges adolescence over adulthood, "girls"in their thirties when feel alone adopt different techniques to cheer themselves up : Some go shopping, some chat with her girlfriends..some other bake cookies!

Ingredients : (makes about 50 bite-size cookies)
130 gr butter (a bit more than a stick)
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 small bag (10 gr) Vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons organic oats
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
In another bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt - then transfer the mix into the butter cream and keep stirring until a good consistency is reached and the vanilla-cocoa aroma will come out.
At the beginning the mix will appear too powdery but don't worry, it takes a bit of energetic stirring with a wooden spoon and the right consistency will soon come out.
Once you are done with the stirring, you can add the organic oats first and then the chocolate chips.
Pre-heat the oven at 170 degrees Celsius.
Place a baking sheet (ungreased) into a tray. Shape cookies with your hand forming small balls (size is up to you, but I prefer my cookies to be bite-size and small)

Place chocolate ball-shaped cookies into tray. As dough will flatten and spread with the heat, carefully place the cookies about 2 inches apart for each other.
Flatten the cookies slightly with fingertips and bake for about 8 minutes. Don't over-bake!
When ready, the cookies will still be very soft and fragile. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before touching.

Australian sausage rolls

A really popular Aussie fingerfood which turns up at parties.

If you are familiar with sushi, you won't have problems in rolling the puff pastry.

Ingredients (makes 24 small bite-size pieces)

6 pre-rolled puff pastry sheet (halved)

1 kg Italian seasoned sausage (ground) - Alternatively you can use minced beef.
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk

seasoning herbs

Pre-heat the oven to 220c.

Lay the puff pastry on your countertop. Pastry sheet usually come interleaved with plastic, which you will leave on at this stage.

Divide the pastry sheet in a half.

Mix together the meat, breadcrumbs, onion, milk and salt and pepper.

Whisk the egg and 2 tablespoons of milk together in a small bowl.

Using your hands, mold out a long line of meat mix down the long edge of the pastry-about 1/2 an inch in from that edge. Roll up, peeling the plastic away as you roll.

Seal the inner edge with a little of the egg mix and cut each roll in a half.

Prick each roll a couple of times with a fork and brush the tops of the rolls with the egg mix, then sprinkle some seasoning herbs on the rolls.

Place in the oven and cook for 5 minutes then reduce heat to 200c and keep cooking for other 20 mins.

Tempura king prawns with sweet chili & lime dipping sauce

There's something so sexy about pulling something warm out of the kitchen. Especially on a first date. Stilettos and frilly apron optional....

Ingredients (makes 25 praws)
vegetable oil for deep frying
25 king prawns, peeled with shells intact and deveined

For the tempura batter:
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups ice soda water (seltzer)
1 3/4 cups flour, sifted
salt and white pepper
For the dipping sauce :
fresh coriander
1 cup sweet-chili thai sauce
1 fresh lime (juice)

Using cold water (about 40F) is a must. This keeps the batter from becoming sticky.
Sticky batter results in oily tempura!

Beat the egg and mix with water gradually and stir possibly using chopsticks.
Add flour, stir briefly; that is well enough to coat but leave the lumps and bumps. Season with salt and pepper.
Dip prawns into the batter and deep fry (max 3 at a time) until they turn curl and golden. To fry, use a large pan with a half-inch oil (or more if necessary) and heat on high.
Drain on paper towels.

Magic touch :
serve the prawns on a platter folded by banana leaves (normally available in Asian grocery stores)

Pasta Sfoglia Ripiena (Stuffed puff pastry)

Easy, quick and perfect for the "carnivorous". It can be served with some crunchy steamed vegetable on a side or with mash potatos.
Ingredients:

2 pre-rolled puff pastry sheets
1 Kg ground seasoned italian sausage

olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 cup ground Provola (or gouda cheese)

1 cup ragout sauce (your own recipe)
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven 180 degrees celsius.

Golden the onion in olive oil and stir fry with the sausage, adjusting with salt and pepper.

Add ragout sauce, let the mix thicken, cool down and set aside.

Unroll the lower layer of pastry out on a baking tray (usually pastry comes interleaved with plastic, which I leave on as baking sheet.)*

Spread ground sausage mixture on pastry to form a flat rectangle, then sprinkle the ground provola cheese on top, leaving some room for the folding edges of pastry.

Unroll the upper layer of pastry and place on top of the ground sausage mixture.

Trim and seal edges carefully.

Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.

Let cool and cut in large squared portions. Best served warm

* Beware that puff pastry needs to be kept refrigerated and unrolled chilled. By doing so, you will prevent excessive softening of the texture.

Crema di ricotta al caffe' (ricotta and coffee cream)

One of the easiest desserts to make, this delicious combination of ricotta and coffee takes just minutes in the food processor. It may be made a day ahead. (In fact, it tastes even better once the flavors have mellowed.)

Ingredients : (seves 6-8)
1/4 cup very strong espresso
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sugar
1 pound high-quality whole-milk ricotta
1/3 cup sugar
unsweetened chocolate powder and coffee beans for decorations

In a food processor or blender combine the ricotta, coffee or espresso and sugar.Process for 2 minutes untill the mix appears smooth.
When done, spoon the ricotta mousse into 6-8 small glass goblets or dessert bowls, cover with cling-wrap and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours.
Before serving the cream, sprinkle with some chocolate powder and decorate each bowl with 1 or 2 coffee beans.

frittata ortolana (ovened omelette w potato and zucchini)

An easy and tasty way to use up leftover boiled potatoes, zucchini, leeks or other vegetables.

A frittata can be prepared ahead of time and is good for picnics or fingerfood. Makes a wonderful meal with crusty Italian bread and a tomato salad.

Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients: (serves 2-4)
1/2 minced onion
3 tablespoons full cream milk
1 cup peeled diced potatoes
1 medium-sized zucchini, cubed small
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
4 eggs, light beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
aromatic herbes (french-provencal mix)
Salt and pepper to taste

peel and dice the potatoes. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, and cook the potatoes until soft but firm. Drain. Or use leftover, cooked potatoes, diced.

In another pan, golden the onion, then add diced zucchini and diced potatos. Adjust with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with salt, pepper, olive oil,grated cheese and milk.

Join potatos and zucchini with the egg and transfer the mix in a squared baking tray, previously folded with baking paper. (no greasing is needed)

Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 15-20 mins.

Let cool and cut in squared dices.