Roast Chicken with Russian Salad {Best Ever}

 

This is the most amazing and easy roast chicken ever. I'm dreaming of having this chicken again as I write this. I actually ate this three days in a row and never got tired of it. In fact, it tasted even better the following days, with the flavours from the marinade (and the pan juices) having absorbed into the chicken. I was a little sceptical about the Russian salad

(although it was really the "exotic" reference to "Russian" that enticed me to try out this recipe) as I don't usually have cold creamy salads with roast chicken. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that they complemented each other really well and I just kept going back for more (and more, and more). I made sure the egg was cooked just right, with a jellied yolk centre, because that's the best way to have 'em!

 

Roast Chicken with Russian Salad
Adapted from Gourmet Traveller (July 2013)

Ingredients

2.4 kg chicken marylands (whole chicken leg)
2 lemons, quartered

Spice rub:
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Russian salad
4 eggs
3-4 potatoes (about 500g)
2 carrots, halved horizontally
200 g frozen peas, defrosted
250 g (1 cup) mayonnaise
60 ml (¼ cup)
cider vinegar
4 golden shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with deep fried shallots)
1 cup loosely packed chopped dill (optional)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

For spice rub, combine ingredients in a bowl. Rub over chicken, place in a non-reactive container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or at least 24 hours) to marinate.

For Russian salad, cook eggs in a saucepan of boiling water until soft-boiled (6-7 minutes). Cool under running water, peel, quarter and set aside. Peel and dice potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, place in a saucepan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook until tender. Drain and set aside. Cook carrot in a saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender (10-12 minutes), cool and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Blanch peas in a saucepan of boiling salted water until bright green (1 minute), refresh and drain. Combine mayonnaise and vinegar in a large bowl, season to taste and stir until smooth. Add all ingredients and toss to combine.

Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Arrange on a large baking tray and roast until cooked through (45-55 minutes). Cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Cut each chicken into quarters, season to taste, squeeze over lemon and serve with warm salad.

Note: You'll need to begin this recipe a day ahead to marinate the chicken.

 

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Pork Ribs with Black Bean and Bitter Gourd

Now that the summer holidays are over and the kids are back in school, things are getting busy again. It's not only the homework, but birthday parties, shopping for birthday presents, ironing the summer uniforms (it's much easier in winter when they just have to wear their skivvies and pullovers!), planning meals and packing lunchboxes. The only time I cook is usually on the weekends, and even then, I try to spend more time with the kids and less in the kitchen.

Like most braises and stews, this dish of black bean pork ribs with bitter gourd is a relatively easy dish to prepare - a one pot wonder with meat and veggies included. The bitterness of the gourd complements the rest of the dish really well - the tender pork and that delicious thick gravy. I've never been a fan of bitter gourd, but cooked this way, I love. One big plate of rice this way please.

Pork Ribs with Black Bean and Bitter Gourd

Ingredients

1 large bitter gourd
700g pork ribs, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 tbsp dark soy (Cheong Chan thick caramel)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tbsp salted soy beans (brown), mashed
1 1/2 tbsp salted black beans, roughly chopped
1-2 chillies, chopped (optional)
1 1/4 cups water

Seasoning:
1/2 tbsp dark soy (Cheong Chan thick caramel)
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine
2-3 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp chicken stock powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Method

Slice the bittergourd length-wise into half. Use a spoon to scoop out the spongy white centre and seeds, and discard them. Rinse the bittergourd and sprinkle with some salt to remove some of the bitterness. Leave for 20 minutes, then rinse off the salt. Cut into thick slices (about 3/4 inch).

Rub the pork ribs with 1 tbsp dark soy. Heat vegetable oil in a pot and fry the garlic, soy beans, black beans and chillies. Once fragrant (about 3 minutes), add the pork ribs and fry until all the pieces are seared and coated in the sauce. Add water and seasoning ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes until meat is tender, then add the bittergourd and simmer for another 20 minutes. Let the sauce reduce until it turns into a thick gravy. Remove the lid to speed up the process. Mix the pork and bittergourd around in the sauce so that every piece is nicely coated in the yummy sauce. Dish out and serve with steamed white rice.

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Spicy Chicken (Vindaloo)

 

Here's a hot and spicy chicken dish that's quick and easy to prepare, and will have you going back for more! This tastes even better the next day or two, so double the batch if you want to save some leftovers for a busy weeknight dinner.


Spicy Chicken (Vindaloo)

Ingredients

500g (1/2 lb) chicken thigh fillets, cubed
Vegetable oil, for frying
3-4 medium-sized onions, peeled and sliced into rings
1/2 tsp mustard seeds, coarsely ground with mortar and pestle
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch ginger, grated
1 tsp cumin
2-3 tbsp chilli paste (made from ground dried chillies)
1/2 cup water
2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp vinegar (or to taste)

Method

Heat up 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan or wok. Fry the onions for 5-10 minutes until softened and slightly browned.  Remove the onions and transfer to a plate, leaving the remaining oil in the pan.

In the same wok, add the mustard seeds and fry until they start to pop. Add the minced garlic and ginger, cumin and chilli paste. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the chicken. Brown the chicken in the pan, then add the onions (that was fried earlier) and approximately 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and let the chicken simmer until fully cooked (about 10 minutes), and the sauce reduced to a gravy consistency. Add sugar, salt and vinegar to taste.  Dish up and serve with steamed basmati or other white rice.

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Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice ("Lu Rou Fan")

I was inspired to cook this after trying something similar at Lai Lai Casual Dining, a Taiwanese restaurant in Singapore. It's Taiwanese style braised pork belly with a thick, sweet and salty gravy that is full of  umami flavours. If you're far away from family and feeling homesick, this comforting bowl of braised pork over steamed white rice is just what you need! I usually make a big pot of this and freeze the leftovers for days when I have no time to cook.

Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice ("Lu Rou Fan")

Ingredients

1kg (2 lbs) pork belly, skin-on
1 tbsp vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 star anise
2 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
1/2 cup light soy sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee Superior Light Soy)
1 tsp thick dark soy sauce (I used Cheong Chan Thick Caramel)
1/3 cup chinese cooking wine
3 cups water
1/4 tsp pepper
2/3 cup crispy fried shallots (I used the prepacked store-bought ones)
3 tbsp (about the size of a ping pong ball) rock sugar
6 hard boiled eggs

Method

1. Blanch the pork belly in a pot of salted boiling water for 5-10 minutes to get rid of the scum. Remove, rinse the pork. Then, slice into 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) pieces.
2. In a large pan/pot, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry garlic, star anise and cinnamon stick for 5 minutes. Add the pork and dark soy and fry until pork is lightly browned all over.
3. Add the five-spice, light soy, chinese cooking wine and stir through until it starts to simmer. Add the water, crispy shallots and pepper and bring everything to a boil. Add the rock sugar (use more or less to taste).
4. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer on low-medium heat for 1-2 hours until pork is tender and sauce is slightly thickened. About half an hour before the dish is ready, add in the hard boiled eggs and submerge them in the sauce to simmer. Adjust to taste by adding more water if it's too salty or too thick, Stir the gravy occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom of the pot.
5. When pork is tender and eggs are lightly browned, dish out and serve on top of steamed white rice with some blanched greens or pickled vegetables.

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Almond Crisps (Almond Brittle)

 

Chinese New Year is less than two weeks away and I haven't started baking anything yet this year. Well, not until now, if you'd call throwing sugar and nuts together and melting them in the oven baking. I recently bought a packet of Bienetta Florentine Mix, which comes in powdered form. The simplest way to use it is to mix it with almonds, bake them and it miraculously turns into a crisp layer of caramelized almonds. Alternatively, you could substitute the Bienetta by using a Florentine recipe, which you can find in my previous post "Almond and Pretzel Butterscotch Brittle".

 

Almond Crisps Recipe

 

Ingredients

 

60g (2.5 oz) Bienetta Florentine Mix

80g (3.5 oz) thinly sliced / flaked almonds

1/4 tsp salt

 

Method

 

Preheat oven to 160C (320F).

 

Line a baking tray (10in x 13in) with non-stick baking paper.

 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into the tray. Spread the almonds to form a thin and even layer.

 

Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer it almond crisp from the tray to a chopping board. Use a long sharp knife to slice into bite sized pieces while it's still hot. It will harden and crisp up once cool. Store in an airtight container.

 

 

 

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The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe!

While most people are baking Christmas puddings, fruit cakes and gingerbread men at this time of the year, I baked a chocolate cake instead. The kids had a birthday recently and my options are usually a vanilla sponge cake, mud cake or red velvet. I've never really made chocolate cake before (really!) other than chocolate mud cake (I prefer to distinguish the two). It wasn't until I brought Miss H to her friend's birthday party that I tried the most amazing chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, that I was determined to solve the mystery of the best chocolate cake ever. Simply, the cake was so light and moist and the frosting was just awesome. For a while, it did remind me of the chocolate cream buns that I used to enjoy during my childhood days.

So, I googled pictures of chocolate cake with frosting and finally found what I was looking for. Aptly, it was called The Best Chocolate Cake Ever. No joke. And indeed it was true to its name. Note that the cake uses vegetable oil instead of butter, hence giving the cake a lighter texture and flavour. What? No butter you say? Well, you will find all that butter in the divinely rich chocolate frosting that you can't get enough of.

This will be my final post for the year, and I will see you back here in 2014! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Adapted from Add A Pinch

Ingredients

 

Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups plain or all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Frosting

• 1½ cups butter (375g), softened
• 1 cup cocoa
• 4-5 cups confectioner’s sugar
• ½ cup milk (approx)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
2. For the cake:
3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
4. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Whisk on low to combine the mixture, and then increase to high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
5. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely. Trim off the top of the cake if you prefer it to be level.
7. Frost cake with Chocolate Frosting.

 

For the Chocolate Frosting:

1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar has been added. You may not use up all the milk if the consistency is right i.e. not too runny.
4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

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Grilled Miso Chicken Don

 

There's been a lot of chicken going on in the TFWL household lately. We've been having Grilled Miso Chicken, Roast chicken, Hainanese chicken rice, air-fried soy honey chicken wings and as of last night, Chicken Katsu. As I'm typing, Mr G is preparing chicken rice for tonight's dinner, by popular demand from the three little fussy eaters. I was wondering what to post this week, as we've been busy with Christmas shopping, cleaning and planning for our Christmas party.

Remember my post on miso-grilled chicken a couple of weeks back? I've made it twice since, and decided to use it in my Oyakodon recipe where I substituted the chicken with this grilled one instead. It's a great way to use up any leftover grilled chicken to make a simple one-bowl meal.

 

Click here and here for the Oyakodon and Grilled Miso Chicken recipe.

 

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