Rice Wine Chicken

Ingredients:

800g free-range chicken, wash and cut into pieces

200g ginger, shredded

20g wood ear fungus, finely shredded

1 pip garlic, chopped

1-1.5 liter Chinese rice wine

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt, or to taste

¼ tsp pepper

Directions:

Heat the sesame oil in a claypot to sauté the ginger, garlic and wood ear fungus until fragrant.

Add the chicken and wine and stew over a medium flame until chicken in tender yet firm, about 20 to 30 minutes in a claypot, longer in other pots.

Season with salt and pepper.

CHAWANMUSHI

MAKE IT YOURSELF: CHAWANMUSHI

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs, about 55g each

21/2 cups of dashi (Japanese kelp stock) or chicken stock, room temperature

2 Tbs Japanese soy sauce

1 Tbs mirin or Chinese rice wine

To serve

2 tsp lumpfish caviar, ocean trout caviar, salmon roe (ikura) or flying fish roe (tobiko)

Truffle oil or sesame oil

Chives, cut about 2cm long

Lontong

Ketupat

INGREDIENTS

6 stalks young

coconut leaf

185g unpolished

rice, soaked for an

hour and drained

METHOD

1. Slice each coconut leaf in half, lengthwise, to remove the centre vein.

2. Loop each half of the leaf around the second to fourth fingers on each hand to form three coils with one end of the leaf pointing down and the other up. The free ends should be about a third of the length of the leaf in each direction, and opposing on each hand - that is, if the leaf tip points up on the left hand, it should be pointing down on the right.

3. Starting with the outermost coil on the right hand, weave it under and over the outermost two coils on the left hand.

4. Weave the second coil on the right hand over and under the outermost two coils on the left hand.

5. Weave the innermost coil on the left under and over the two outermost coils from the right.

6. Weave the innermost coil on the right under, over and under the three left coils. Then weave the loose end on the top right corner around the reverse side in an alternate pattern.

7. Weave the loose end on the bottom left corner around the reverse side in an alternate pattern.

8. The loose ends should be paired and on opposing ends. Pull the ends to tighten.

9. Snip off a portion of a pair of ends and tuck the loose ends in. Fill rice into the casing at the other end to about three-quarters-full. Tighten. Repeat.

10. Knot the loose ends of the six ketupat together and immerse in a pot of boiling water. Allow the ketupat to boil for four hours, making sure that the water level covers the ketupat.

11. Remove the ketupat from the pot when done and set aside to cool.

Lontong gravy

INGREDIENTS

6 shallots

4 cloves garlic

5cm turmeric,

coarsely chopped

30g ikan bilis

11/4 litres water

1/2 carrot, sliced

100g turnip, cut to

bite-size chunks

5 stalks long bean, cut to bite-size lengths

100g cauliflower, cut to bite-size chunks

100g cabbage, coarsely chopped

15g glass vermicelli, soaked till soft and drained

100g beancurd sheets

50g bamboo shoots, sliced

5 button mushrooms, sliced

5 pieces black fungus, soaked till soft and drained

3 stalks baby corn, cut to bite-size lengths

1 small eggplant, sliced

1 piece tempeh, cut to bite-size chunks

2 squares firm beancurd, cut into quarters

400ml evaporated milk

1 fresh red chilli, sliced

salt to taste

METHOD

1. Pound the shallots, garlic, turmeric and ikan bilis in a mortar until a coarse paste forms.

2. Bring the water to a boil and stir in the paste. Bring the mixture to a boil again on high heat.

3. Add the carrot, turnip, long beans, cauliflower, cabbage, glass vermicelli, beancurd sheets, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, black fungus, baby corn and eggplant. Bring to a boil on medium heat.

4. Pan-fry the tempeh with a little oil until crisp. Remove and set aside.

5. Pan-fry the firm beancurd using the same pan from before without adding oil, until the surface chars a little.

6. Add the tempeh, firm beancurd and evaporated milk to the stew and bring to a boil again on medium heat.

7. Stir in the fresh red chilli and salt. Mix well.

The Straits Times 26/09/2009

Nasi Lemak (Lee Wee’s recipe)

Nasi Lemak

Serves five

Ingredients

370g rice, rinsed

625ml water

10 tsp thick coconut milk

3g salt

4g ginger, sliced

3 pandan leaves, knotted

Method

1. Put rice, water, coconut milk, salt, ginger and pandan leaves in an electric rice cooker. Mix well, cover and cook.

2. When the rice is done, stir it gently with a pair of chopsticks to fluff it up.

3. Serve with roasted peanuts, fried ikan bilis and cucumber slices on the side.

Sambal chilli

Ingredients

70g fresh red chilli

1 large red onion

6 cloves garlic

3 Tbs cooking oil

80g ikan bilis, ground to a fine powder

8g salt

18g sugar

Method

1. Blend fresh red chillies, red onion and garlic to form a smooth paste.

2. To a heated wok, add cooking oil and stir-fry the ground ikan bilis for about two minutes till fragrant.

3. Add the ground chilli paste, salt and sugar and stir-fry for another 15 minutes.

The Straits Times 26/09/2009

Laksa Nyonya (Mr JollyWee’s recipe)

Serves six

Ingredients

120g shallots

5g galangal

8g turmeric

30g lemongrass

10g white belacan,

available at wet markets

30g chilli paste

15g laksa leaves, chopped

6 Tbs cooking oil

20g dried prawns, soaked till soft and drained

200ml coconut milk

200ml water

200ml fresh milk

salt to taste

1kg laksa bee hoon, blanched

30g fishcake, sliced

50g cucumber, julienned

400g bean sprouts, blanched

6 medium-sized prawns,

boiled and shelled

6 tsp sambal chilli

2 Tbs chilli oil

Method

1. Blend shallots, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, belacan, chilli paste and 5g laksa leaves until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

2. Stir fry dried prawns in a heated wok without oil until the prawns are dry and crisp. Remove, cool, then blend to a coarse powder.

3. Stir fry the powdered prawn with 3 Tbs oil in a pot until fragrant.

4. Add the remaining oil and the blended spice paste. Mix well and stir fry over medium heat until fragrant.

5. Mix coconut milk with water and add to the pot. Pour in fresh milk and 5g laksa leaves. Cook the gravy over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Add salt to taste.

6. To serve, place a portion of laksa bee hoon in a bowl and ladle the gravy over. Top with fishcake, cucumber, bean sprouts, prawn, sambal chilli, chilli oil and laksa leaves.

The Straits Times 26/09/2009

Bak Kut Teh (Ya Hua’s recipe)

Serves five

Ingredients

4 l water

400g pork bones

200g garlic, separated into small cloves but with skin intact

11/2 Tbs ground white pepper

11/2 Tbs rock sugar

21/2 Tbs salt

2kg pork ribs, washed and cut

into single ribs

1 Tbs dark soya sauce

Method

1. Bring water to a boil and add pork bones, garlic, pepper, rock sugar and salt. Bring to a boil again on high heat.

2. Add pork ribs and bring to a boil on high heat. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat to medium. Allow pork ribs to cook for between 45 and 60 minutes.

3. To test if the pork ribs are done, poke the meat with the end of a chopstick. The meat should be soft.

4. Add dark soya sauce, stir well and if necessary, adjust the seasoning to taste.

5. Serve with a dipping sauce of cut fresh red chilli mixed with dark soya sauce.

The Straits Times 26/09/2009

Chicken Rice

Serves six people

INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken, about 1kg, cleaned and with the skin removed from its neck and rear end
2Tbs Chinese cooking wine
3/4 tsp salt
4 cups rice, about 750g, rinsed and drained well
1Tbs sesame oil
8 slices ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled, kept whole
12 fresh red chillies
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cucumber, washed and sliced

METHOD
1. Steam the chicken in a steamer for about 20 minutes till cooked. Retain the chicken stock which is formed when the meat juices seep into the water used for steaming. (photo B)
2. When the chicken has cooled slightly, rub Chinese cooking wine and 1/4 tsp of salt on both the outside and inside. (photo C)
3. Allow the chicken to cool completely before cutting it up into serving slices. Set aside.
4. Add sesame oil, four slices of ginger and rice to a heated wok. Stir fry the rice for around 12 minutes until it turns translucent and the moisture has evaporated from it. (photo D)
5. Transfer the rice to a rice cooker. Add five cups of the reserved chicken stock, 1/4 tsp of salt and two cloves of garlic, and cook the rice.
6. Blend the chillies with four slices of ginger and a clove of garlic.
7. To the chilli paste, stir in sugar and 1/4 tsp of salt.
8. Serve the chicken slices with the cucumber and chilli sauce on the side.

The Straits Times 27/07/2008