Braised Chicken and Potato in Yellow Bean Sauce

I feel so guilty. I have not shown my full appreciation to the husband for gifting me the chocolate recipe book. I have not kept to my word of sharing more recipes out of that book apart from that measly chocolate chip cookie recipe. I will get round to it, I promise I will.

But chicken is so much easier to cook, and I know it's not even a fair comparison: chicken and chocolates. Anyhow. This dish that I cooked for dinner tonight - it is my kids' all-time favourite.. all FOUR of them love it. Well, I love it too. I do not follow any recipe, but kinda adopted ingredients used to make Nyonya Ayam Pongteh, mainly the yellow bean paste.


Ingredients:
One small free-range chicken, cut into pieces and marinated with a dash of soy sauce and pepper.
3 medium-sized potatoes, cut into thick chunky slices

4 slices ginger
2 cloves garlic
one tbsp yellow bean paste

2 stalks spring onion, cut into one-inch length, separating the dark green "leaves" and the lighter green "stems"
one small bunch of fresh coriander, separate the leaves and the stems
2" cinnamon stick

1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
a dash of pepper

2 cups water

To prepare:
1. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the ginger, garlic and yellow beans to form a paste.
2. Pour some oil into a wok and stir fry the yellow bean paste on low heat for a minute or two.
3. Add the chicken pieces, the spring onion stems, fresh coriander stems, and cinnamon.
4. Adjust to high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken pieces are browned.
5. Add one cup of water, and once the water starts to simmer, reduce heat to low. Cover the wok and let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes (or longer if you have chunkier cuts).
6. Add potatoes, oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauce, sugar and pepper.
7. Add more water. Cover wok and let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
8. Stir to coat the potatoes evenly with the sauces. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked.
9. Garnish with scallion (the dark green part) and fresh coriander leaves, and serve over steamy fluffy white rice.


Let me stress how important it is that you adjust the heat at the different stages of your cooking, and I know it's tedious to have to remember that, but that's the thing about Chinese cooking isn't it? Control of heat is paramount. It's almost as important as the oven temperature in cake baking.

Baked Stuffed Chicken Wing

I absolutely love this cookbook - Chinese Feasts and Festivals: A Cookbook by S.C. Moey. It is also from this book that this recipe is derived from and adapted.

6 big chicken wings
1/2 - 1 chicken breast
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper

2 tbsp oil

Instructions:
1. Create a pocket in the chicken wing, as per my demonstration HERE.
2. Debone the drummette.
3. Mince the chicken breast meat and the drummette meat.
4. Mix the sauces, sugar and pepper in a bowl.
5. Pour half into the minced chicken, and the remaining half into the wings. (The recipe called for the remaining half to be brushed onto the stuffed wings prior to baking, but I prefer to marinate the wings too.)
6. Marinate for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
7. Preheat the oven 200-210 deg C. Coat the baking tray with oil. Arrange the wings on the tray and drizzle with the remaining oil. Turning the stuffed wings over once or twice, bake for 40-45 minutes or until both sides are well browned.

Serve as is, or slice the stuffed section into medallions. This is so YUMMY, trust me, that it's worth going through the trouble!

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Here's the source of this recipe. These are extremely UNchallenging to make, and you will have just about the most scrumptious chocolate chip cookies. Bits of heaven waiting to melt in your mouth. There's nothing quite like home-made cookies - they are the ultimate comfort snack! ;)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (my own addition)
300g butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar (sugar has been reduced, recipe called for 1 cup white sugar)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

1. Sift the flour and baking soda. Mix in salt. Set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
3. Add egg one at a time, and vanilla extract.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix well.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 175degC for 10 to 15 minutes, or until brown.
7. Cool on a wire rack completely before storing.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Potato Salad

My children looked at this and exclaimed in unison, "Eeeuuw!!".

Then, after cautiously placing one cube of potato into their mouths, they widened their eyes and heads began nodding approvingly. Since then, I have been getting requests every week. My husband could not get enough of it and once a week, this will be his lunch (much to the envy of his colleagues) ;)

There is Teacher's Day celebration today at my daughter's school and the children are required to bring one food item to contribute to their class party. She INSISTED that I make potato salad.

"Are you sure your friends will take it?", I asked. And she retorted, "Yes! I'm gonna force them, and once they have one, they will want more!"

Ok, so my daughter shall act as my sales and marketing representative today, to promote my potentially-sellable potato salad. Heh!



Without further ado, I present you my recipe.

JoMel's Potato Salad

Hard boiled eggs, chopped coarsely
Boiled potatoes, cubed **
Scallions, sliced thinly
Mayonnaise **
Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper

**Potatoes are cooked to a point where there's still a "bite" to it, i.e. not too soft.
**Mayonnaise should preferably be Japanese mayonnaise, e.g. Kewpie.

This is as simple as it gets but is packed with flavours. I've been making potato salad for the longest time, but it's only recently that I've decided to experiment with the addition of mustard and the result is a sharper tangy flavour, that just makes this appetiser all the harder to resist. You could say THAT is the secret ingredient in my potato salad, and I'm generously sharing it with you... now, what do I get in return? Eh? ;) ;)

Intermission

This ad was flashing at my side bar. It reads "Why are you still fat?"

Because I've been cooking, that's why!! Gah!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Eons ago (heh!), I shared with you this recipe I found during a random search - a recipe for the most delectable strawberry cupcakes. One that you just can't help revisiting, one that won't let you forget, or move on... ;)

This time, I attempted a different frosting, and oh boy, it's a winning combo I'm telling ya! Sure you could enjoy the cupcake on it's own - it's really very delicious on it's own, or, you could make it sing with a frosting that complements, and made it sing I did. :D

Pardon the piping skill or lack of. ;P



Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

227g cream cheese at room temperature
113g butter at room temperature
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder

1. Whisk cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Mix in cocoa powder, followed by icing sugar.

Simple enough?? Now, go try it, and let me know what you think. :)

Meatball Spaghetti & Mushroom Cream Sauce

This, ladies and gentlemen, is so luxurious!!


I was inspired to create this meal, after reading a recipe for Swedish meatballs. Trust me, this is THE meatball recipe to keep!

Alton Brown's Swedish Meatballs

2 slices fresh white bread
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp butter for beef and 2 tbsp for frying
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 teaspoon salt
300g ground beef
300g pound ground pork
2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1. Tear the bread into pieces. Place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk and set aside.
2. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine ALL the ingredients and beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Heat the remaining butter in the pan over medium-low heat.
5. Shape and roll the meatballs lightly and fry meatballs until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes.

And now for the sauce. I've created this mushroom cream sauce by adapting cream of mushroom recipes that I've used before:

• Butter or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
• 1 bay leaf
• 500g button mushroom, sliced
• 1 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Chopped parsley

1. Saute onions, garlic and bay leaf with butter or olive oil.
2. Saute the sliced mushrooms.
3. Add beef stock and bring to a boil.
4. Lower heat and add the cream, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and chopped parsley. Once the sauce comes to a slow simmer, add the meatballs and bring to a slow simmer again. Do not allow the sauce to boil vigorously or the cream will separate.
5. If the sauce is too watery, you may thicken with cornflour-water mixture or mixing panko/ bread crumbs into the sauce.


Serve over al-dente spaghetti. Spice things up with chilli flakes and garnish with more chopped parsley. I beg your pardon, but I needed to repeat this...

This, ladies and gentlemen, is so luxurious!!