Chicken Rice

Last weekend my old time classmate, Cheah Ngah Mooi came and visit me from Teluk Intan , she brought me a real kampong chicken. Now aday is quit difficult to buy this type of chicken unless we go into villages to look for them.  Those so called kampong chicken in the markets were from chicken farms that were kept in the cages or long chicken house.  They were not allow to roam around unlike the kampong chickens, they were free to run and chasing around among their friends.  Thus, their meat were really though and sweet compare with those in the farms.

This is the well cleaned kampong male chicken

I will turn this chicken into (pak cham kai) and the chicken  stock to cook chicken rice and herbal soup.

ingredients

for the chicken

1 whole chicken

enough water for boiling

1 thumb sized piece of young ginger(crushed)

5 cloves garlic(peeled and crushed)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp light soy sauce

for the rice

2 cups of rice,washed and drained

2 tbsp of butter

2 cm piece of young ginger, (crushed)

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

salt to taste

3 pandan leaves

2 stalk of lemon grass

3 cups of chicken stock

for chili garlic sauce

8 fresh red chili

2 cm piece of young ginger

5 cloves of garlic

dash of salt

juice of 3 calamansi limes

3 tbsp of chicken stock

In a deep pot, boil the water with the ginger, garlic and salt, put in the chicken and cook for about 15 minutes in medium fire without the cover. Change the position of the chicken in between the cooking time . Turn off the fire and put on the cover of the pot and let the chicken cook in the hot water for 20 to 25 minutes.. Remember to change the position of the chicken again.

Use chopsticks to poke into the tight area of the chicken, the chicken is cooked when there is no more blood flow out from it.  With the help of the chopsticks, poke under the wings area and put the chicken into a cold basin of water for cold bath for 10 minutes.

The chicken is having a cold spa after the hot water bath

The next step is to hang the chicken dry by the strings under the wings.

Brush the mixture of light soy sauce and sesame oil on the whole of the chicken and let dry.

Next is to prepare the rice.  In a wok, heat up the butter, fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant.  Put in the rice and stir fry for 2 minutes.  Transfer all into electric rice cooker.  Pour in the chicken stalk, salt, the pandan leaves and lemon grass and cook the rice.

While waiting for the rice to be cooked and the chicken to be dried, I prepare my chili garlic sauce for dipping.

By using the blender to blend all the ingredients , the chili sauce is ready in just minutes.

The rice is cooked.  Once open the rice pot cover, the aroma of both of the pandan leaves and lemon grass was so pleasant.

Chop the chicken into serving sizes, decorate with some cucumber slices and garnish with spring onion and coriander.

THE LITTLE ABACUS

Last two days went to SS2, Petaling Jaya wet market with Judy.
We found a  small lorry selling his own grown vegetables, fruits,
sweet potatoes and yams. Judy was so happy to see "the little
abacus" that were hanging at one of the corner of the lorry. I was
wondering what was that that can make her so happy.  She told
me that those little abacus was one of the Hakka dish and she has
been looking for them for quite a long time, The little abacus is
made with a mixture of glutinous  rice flour and yam. Judy bought
two packets of them,some bean sprouts, minced meat, Chinese
chives. dried prawns and ready to cook for lunch.

The ingredients
300 g little abacus
150 g minced meat
50 g dried prawns- washed and drained
150 bean sprouts - washed and drained
150 g Chinese chives (kow choy) washed and cut into 2 inches long
2 red chillies- sliced
3 pips garlic- chopped
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
dash of pepper
1/2 tsp corn flour
3 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoned the minced meat with sesame oil, light soy sauce and
corn flour, leave a side for later use.
Heat up the cooking oil, fry the dried prawns till fragrant, add in
chopped garlics and fry for a while.  Put in the seasoned meat
and continue frying . Pour in the bean sprouts, kow choy and
chillies, mix well. Lastly add in the main ingredient, the little
abacus and follow by the oyster sauce and salt to taste.
Serve hot with samble. Em.....smell go and yummy!!

YAM RICE

   Sometimes when we go to the market and wonder around and do
not know what to prepare for dinner.

  Here is a simple one dish dinner YAM RICE

2 cups of rice ,washed and drained,

300 grams of yam, cubed,

4 tbsp of cooking oil

4 onions, chopped

4 dried mushrooms, soaked and chopped,

30 grams dried prawns, washed and drained,

200 grams roast port, chopped (optional)

300grams Chinese mustard green, washed, boiled and chopped,

3 cups water.

1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce,

1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce,

1 tbsp sesame oil and salt to taste.

Heat the oil, fry onions till light brown, dish out for later use.

Add in dried prawns, fry till fragrant, next add in the roast pork, yam

and mushrooms. Stir fry well. Transfer the rice mixture into rice cooker,

pour in the water and cook rice as usual. Put in the vegetables when the

rice is cooked, mix well. Let the rice stand for 10 minutes.

Serve rice with sprinkling of fried onions, chopped spring onions and

coriander.

Yummy Yam Rice is ready