Three Cup Chicken

Three Cup Chicken

Three cup chicken is one of the most classic Taiwanese recipes, one that I never miss out whenever I eat out at Taiwanese restaurants. I love Taiwanese food unpretentious, humble, and homey dishes that score high on yum-o-meter. Taiwanese food is basically Chinese food with local influences, slightly different cooking methods, local adaptations and variations. Many Taiwanese dishes remind me of Chinese-Malaysian food, not due to proximity but the origin of such dishes from Fujian province where many early immigrants settled in Taiwan and Malaysia/Singapore.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken drumsticks

1 tablespoon baking soda, to tenderize the chicken, optional

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil or toasted sesame oil

2-inch piece old ginger, peeled and cut into thin pieces

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons dark sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine

A big bunch Thai basil leaves

Method:

Cut the chicken into pieces and rub them with the baking soda. Set aside for 10 minutes before rinsing the chicken off with water. Make sure the baking soda is completely rinsed off. Pat dry the chicken pieces and set aside.

Heat up a claypot on high heat and add the dark sesame oil. Add the ginger, garlic, and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in the chicken and do a few quick stirs. Add the soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and continue to stir-fry the chicken. Cover the chicken and lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add the basil leaves and stir well with the chicken, dish out and serve immediately.

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Steamed Mussels with Fennel and Tomato

Steamed Mussels with Fennel and Tomato

Cooking with liqueurs brings unique flavors and flair to dishes. Adding Pernod, the famed 200-year-old Italian liqueur flavored with star anise and herbs, to traditional Italian steamed mussels gives them a lovely soft, sweet licorice flavor. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the aromatic broth. And have a soup spoon handy. No one can resist slurping up every last bit of the juices.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

1 bulb fennel (with some fronds), halved and thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, very thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine

1 28 -ounce can San Marzano plum tomatoes, crushed lightly by hand

2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon

2 pounds mussels (preferably cultivated), scrubbed well and beards pulled off

Method:

1.Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and fennel; cook until just soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and season with salt and pepper; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are just soft, about 4 minutes. Add the vermouth and boil to reduce slightly. Add the tomatoes and tarragon, then cover the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

2.Stir in 1/2 cup water and the mussels. Raise the heat to high, cover and cook until the mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes. (Check halfway through and transfer any open mussels to a serving bowl.) Transfer all the mussels to a serving bowl, discarding any that do not open. Season the sauce with pepper and, if needed, salt, and pour over the mussels. Serve with the bread.

Per serving: Calories 425; Fat 19 g (Sat. 3 g; Mono. 11 g; Poly. 3 g); Cholesterol 65 mg; Sodium 1,220 mg; Carbohydrate 30 g; Fiber 6 g; Protein 30 g

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Cardamom Honey Chicken

Cardamom Honey Chicken

On a trip to U.S, my hosts sent me home with a wonderful cookbook from Bees Online, a local café and honey factory right outside Auckland. The Cardamom and Honey-Glazed Chicken recipe caught our eye and we made it a few days ago. I’ve never thought to use cardamom as a spice for chicken before; the result was quite fragrant and delicious. The leftovers made for a flavourful chicken salad the next day.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp sherry

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground

1 teaspoon peppercorns, ground

Chicken

6 chicken breasts, or one whole chicken, cut into parts

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 390°F. Warm the honey, stir in the sherry, cardamom and peppercorns. Place marinade and chicken in a large bowl, coat chicken with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2.Heat olive oil in a large frying pan at medium high heat. Sear the chicken, skin side down, until golden.

3.Place lemon slices in a roasting pan. Lay the chicken pieces on top. Brush with the marinade. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake until done, approximately 15 minutes for breasts, 20 minutes for thighs, wings, and drumsticks. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Pour out drippings from the pan into a gravy boat for gravy.

4.Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or couscous.

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Dakgangjeong

Dakgangjeong

Many of you probably know that I posted it once already, years ago, but the version I’m showing you today is a little easier than the last one, and will be faster to make: I don’t mix a batter, I just coat the chicken in potato starch powder. I also skipped the ginger slices so we can cook the sauce faster.

In this recipe, both the peanuts and the chilis are optional. Both versions are delicious in their own way, and both of them are authentically Korean, they’re just two ways of making the same dish, kind of like there are many ways to make pizza. Take this chicken to a party and everyone will give you compliment.

Ingredients:

3½ pounds chicken wings (about 1.6 kg), washed and drained

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon minced ginger

2/3 cup potato starch or corn starch

1/3 cup peanuts (optional)

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 to 4 large dried red chili peppers, seeded, cut crosswise into ⅓ inch pieces (optional)

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup rice syrup or corn syrup

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon mustard (optional)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil, peanut oil)

Method:

1.Cut off the tip of each wing and chop the wing in half. After this is done you should have about 3 pounds of chicken, with 24 to 26 pieces.

2.Put the chicken in a bowl and mix with salt, ginger, and ground black pepper by hand.

3.Put 2/3 cup potato starch in a bowl and dip each wing in the powder to coat it, one by one. Squeeze each wing to press the coating to it tightly.

4. Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons cooking oil, minced garlic, and the dried red chili pepper.

5. Stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant for about 30 seconds.

6.Add soy sauce, rice syrup, vinegar, and mustard sauce (optional). Stir with a wooden spoon and let it bubble for a few minutes.

7.Add the brown sugar and continue stirring. Remove from the heat. Set aside.

8. Put 4 cups of cooking oil in a frying pan or pot and heat it up for 7 to 8 minutes over  high heat.

9.See if the oil’s ready by dipping a test wing into it. If the oil bubbles, it’s hot enough to start frying. Slide the coated wings one by one into the hot oil and cook for about 12 to 13 minutes, turning over a few times with tongs.

10.  Take the wings out of the oil and shake them off in a strainer. Turn off the heat, and let the wings sit for a few minutes. Reheat the oil and fry the wings again for another 12 to 15 minutes until they all look golden brown and feel super crunchy through the tongs. If your frying pan or pot is not large enough to fry all the chicken at once, divide it into batches like I do in the video. If you use a larger frying pot to cook them all at once, you’ll have to use more cooking oil.

11.  When the chicken is done, reheat the sauce until it bubbles.

12.  Add the hot chicken and mix well with a wooden spoon to coat.

13.  Remove from the heat and transfer the coated chicken to a large platter. Sprinkle  some sesame seeds over top and serve immediately. This chicken won’t lose its crunchiness, even by the next day. You don’t need any dipping sauce, but it goes well with Baek-kimchi.

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Beef Kebabs

Beef Kebabs

A few tips that will help ensure your kebabs turn out well. Marinate the meat, the longer the better. Use double skewers to make them easier to turn. Use bamboo or wooden skewers so that the inside of the steak pieces stay nice and pink. Keep a little space between the items (more space than shown in the photo above, I sort of forgot that part when I did the batch pictured), so that the food grills versus steams. And most important, keep an eye on them! Do a finger test for doneness, or if the grill is too hot, tap the meat with the end of your tongs to see how much its giving. The meat and veggies will continue to cook a little once you’ve taken them off the grill and they are resting, so keep that in mind.

Ingredients:

Marinade Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Kebab Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 large bell pepper

1-2 medium red onions

1/2 to a pound button mushrooms

About 20 bamboo or wooden skewers

Method:

1.Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and add the meat. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours or even overnight. (Heck, I've kept the meat marinating for a couple days, still great.)

2. Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. This will help prevent them from completely burning up on the grill.

3.Cut the vegetables into chunks roughly the width of the beef pieces. Taking care not to poke yourself, thread the meat and vegetables onto double bamboo skewers. One way to do this safely is to put the piece that you are trying to pierce on a cutting board, and then push the skewers through the piece to the board. Using double skewers will help you turn the kebabs on the grill. If you keep a little space between the pieces, they will grill more evenly. Paint the kebabs with some of the remaining marinade.

4.Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is, and how done you would like your meat, turning occasionally. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Satay And Peas Curry

Satay And Peas Curry

Sate (Satay old spelling) is a type of food that is pierced with skewers. In particular, the satay is made from pieces of meat on a skewer inserted / bamboo and burned using charcoal fire. 

Sate created by traders who sell grilled meat bred by the roadside in the 19th century in Malaysia satay reliable introduced by Haji Tasmin bin Ferris in the center of Addis Ababa around 1900. He sold the houses and along the streets, he would stop if called. So his business is the business of moving or dealer drive. This refers to the two containers dikandar by dealers. Overview of the sate dealer carrying his wares can be seen in the film Pontianak Gua Musang.

Ingredients:

SATAY

1 kg of beef / lamb / chicken (discard the tissue, wash and drain. Cut the meat thin and elongated).

2 tablespoons brown sugar / cane / melaka / palm.

2 teaspoons of salt.

Adequately sate skewers, soak in water overnight.

For spinning:

2 tablespoons chopped fennel

1 tablespoon white pepper

3 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 inches of ginger

2 inches of ginger

1 inch turmeric

4 stalks of lemongrass

6 cloves of garlic

for grilling

1 cup peanut oil / cooking oil

4 tablespoons brown sugar / sand

Air excess marinade (which fall within the former tu lah)

4 stalks lemongrass, bruised and tied to create a variety of brush

Mix 13, 14 and 15 (after this called oil mixture)

Method:

1.      Blend the ingredients mentioned but not too fine.

2.      Mix ingredients in meat blended with sugar, salt and marinate for 2 hours

3.      Insert the skewers on a stick.

4.      Store in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least 5 hours).

5.      Prepare coals for grilling areas

6.      Arrange the skewers on the grill burner.

7.      During the burn spot / brush oil mixture on the skewers.

8.      Turning, and bake until cooked.

9.      Serve with peanut sauce, cucumber, onion and rice cake.

Ingredients:

Peas Curry

5 cups peanut oil, for frying without oil and crushed.

15 dried chillies, boiled and cleaned.

10 shallots, sliced ​​rude.

5 cloves garlic, tap it with a knife.

1 inch ginger, sliced ​​rude.

5 stalks of lemongrass.

half a cup of cooking oil.

2-3 teaspoons of salt.

1 square inch of belacan Melaka, burned.

1 cup sugar (or sugar).

Water, enough to concentrations required

Optional - soak the chopped squid / octopus dry soaked and chopped / shredded beef - approximately 2 cups. - It's hard to eat with rice cake, not as a satay sauce.

Optional - gelugor acid (5-6 pieces).

Method:

.

1.      Blend ingredients no. 2, 3, 4, 5 & 9.

2.      Gorang oil in a frying pan and a little thicker in the Saute ingredients already in the blend, stirring frequently, fry up dry.

3.      Add water and lemon, stir, let simmer until

4.      Put the beans and mix well.

5.      Enter squid (if using) and acid gelugor (if used)

6.      Reduce heat and let cook until the oil out.

7.      Enter the flesh peel (if using)

8.      Add sugar, stir well and leave again on fire for more about 15 minutes.

9.      Adjust taste with salt and sugar.

10.  Chill before serving.

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African Chicken Peanut Stew

African Chicken Peanut Stew 

Chicken, sweet potatoes and peanuts are one of those magical flavor combinations that make me feel all warm and happy, especially because I never would have thought to do this 20 years ago, when I met some fellow University of Wisconsin students from Ghana who made this stew at their apartment. Chicken groundnut stew is, in various forms, common all over West Africa, and this is my version, inspired by my colleagues at UW.

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large yellow or white onion, sliced

A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly

2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

Salt and black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Method:

1.      Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.

2.      Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.

3.      Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.

4.      Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.

5.      Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

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