Chicken and Basil Hot-Pot (Three Cup Chicken 三杯雞) + SBS Featured Foodie

Do you have a dish that you like cooking that much that you remember the exact measurements of each ingredient as well as all the cooking steps?

This is it. A dish that I have cooked too many times over the years.

This chicken and basil hot pot is also called "three cup chicken" because of the use of three equal amounts of soy sauce, sesame oil and Chinese cooking wine in the recipe. Garlic, ginger, fresh red chilli and basil leaves are added to enhance the flavour and it's no doubt one of my favourite Chinese hot-pot dishes.

It was made popular in Taiwan although the origin is traced back to mainland China. Nowadays, you can order this dish at most Chinese restaurants in Sydney. Contradictory to most Chinese hot pot dishes that are ladened with sauce, this dish is gently simmered with the lid off until all the sauce has been evaporated and all the flavour has been absorbed by the chicken. It's usually served piping hot in the claypot with steamed rice.

I am one lucky woman who has a husband who loves to cook. We have our own territory. He has his outdoor barbecue and I take control of the indoor kitchen. Once in a while, and more often on days when his work is not too busy, he likes to cook some of his favourite dishes, notably the Thomas Keller's Simple Roast Chicken and Greek Style Pot Roasted Chicken. (Oh and he makes a mean roast pork with crispy crackling!)

Truth be told, I wasn't the cook behind this wonderful hot pot dish photographed in this post. He was. Surprise, surprise?!

It was his first time making this dish. He walked into the kitchen on the day I planned to cook this dish for my blog and told me that he wanted to cook it. I said, "cool!". I didn't have the recipe written down, so he cooked as I verbally gave him the instructions. The process was a little tedious and sometimes I got annoyed when he distrusted my instructions, "10 cloves of garlic! Whole? Not crushed? Not chopped? Are you sure?" but overall, it was fun.

Now that I have this recipe on my blog, he can cook this dish whenever he wants.

This is a tasty but not a very difficult dish to make. Perfect for a weekdays dinner. You can replace the chicken with spare ribs, prawns, squid or tofu and adjust the cooking time according.

On a side note, I am being featured on SBS food newsletter and their website. Click on the image to read my Q & A with them:

Chicken and Basil Hot Pot (Three Cup Chicken 三杯雞)
Serve 4

Ingredients

800 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite size piece
10 cloves garlic
2 fresh red chillis, chopped
5 slices ginger
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup shaoxing wine
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp spicy bean sauce
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, more for garnish

Method

1. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a fry pan and brown the chicken in batches.
2. Remove chicken and set aside. Discard oil.
3. Heat sesame oil in a hotpot (claypot) and fry the garlic, ginger and chilli until fragrant.
4. Add soy sauce, shaoxing wine, water, sugar and spicy bean sauce and bring to a boil.
5. Add chicken and simmer uncover until sauce is reduced & thicken and chicken is cooked, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Stir in basil leaves and mix well.
7. Garnish with more fresh basil leaves and serve immediately with steam rice.

Mini Pineapple and Rosemary Tarte Tatin with Gingery Coconut Cream

You may or may not have read this controversial article about straight Chinese parenting. I can identify with the young Lulu. Tantrums, anger, crying: protesting against a traditional Chinese upbringing. My rebellious trait carries on until today.

Chinese (Lunar) New Year is only a few days away. Whilst lots of us are keeping to the tradition of baking CNY Pineapple Tarts, I am feeling a little cheeky to go against the conventional.

Nothing can take my love away from French desserts. Creme brûlée, tarte tatin, macarons, chocolate gâteau, crepes..... I can go on and on for all day. French pineapple tart is what I wanted to make this year. So this Pineapple & Rosemary tarte tatin was born.

Like Lulu, like me, this rebellious tart is not destined to be a failure but a winner.

Mini Pineapple & Rosemary Tarte Tatin with Gingery Coconut Cream
Makes 4

Ingredients

1/2 small-medium pineapple, cored and sliced
120 g caster sugar
20 g butter
1 tbsp fresh Rosemary leaves
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry

Gingery coconut cream:
1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut cream
I piece thumb-size ginger, smashed with a meat mallet

Method

1. To make the Gingery Coconut Cream: Heat coconut cream with ginger gently under low heat until just warm. Remove from heat and let the ginger infuse in the coconut milk for 10 minutes. Discard the ginger. Filter the cream with a fine sieve if necessary. Add a pinch
   of salt and stir well. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 250C.
3. Line the base 4 round ramekins with a few pineapple pieces.
4. Heat the sugar in a frying pan under low heat. Swirl the pan from time to time until sugar is melted and turned caramel.
5. Immediately add Rosemary and butter and swirl to mix.
6. Divide and pour the sauce into the ramekins that were lined with pineapple.

   

7. Cut 4 rounds (slightly larger than the remekin) from the puff pastry.
8. Cover the puff pastry rounds over the pineapple and caramel. Tuck in the the edges.

   

9. Bake the tarts in the oven for 10 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golded brown.
10. Remove from oven turn them over on 4 serving plates.
11. Serve immediately with the gingery coconut cream.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

I have come to know about this ridiculously easy way to make sweetened condensed milk at home a long time ago, but with so many other interesting recipes to work on, it escaped my mind until now.

Not until I received a comment from Sandra Mort that prompted me to share this brilliant recipe with you.

"Have you ever made condensed milk? I've seen recipes for homemade dulce de leche but not condensed milk. I try hard to not buy Nestle's, which is the most common brand. Suggestions?"

I grew up in a typical Malaysian household and sweetened condensed milk was a daily staple. We added it to our coffee, tea, Milo and Olvatine. We drizzled it on desserts and dipped fruits in it. Everyone has their own favourite way of using sweetened condensed milk, like making a pot of condensed milk fondue. Totally sinful but nice!

Why make your own when sweetened condensed milk when it is easily available from the supermarket shelves? You may ask.

Because you can make it low-fat with skimmed milk powder. You can adjust the sweetness to your likeness. You can replace the butter with healthier alternatives or totally omit it for a fat free version. You can also control the thickness to a consistency that tickles your fancy.

4 ingredients, 5 minutes cooking time, what is there not to like?

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
Makes 1/2 litre

Ingredients

50 g butter
220 g sugar
1 cup (250 ml) water
200 g milk powder

Method

1. Add butter, sugar and water in a saucepan and gently boil under low heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Turn off the heat and whisk in milk powder, 50g at a time, until it's completely dissolved.

   

3. Let it cool and use it immediately. It doesn't store well, so makes as you need.

Tijgerbrood (Dutch Tiger Bread Rolls / Dutch Crunch)

Summer school holidays and having my parents-in-law staying with us for three months means I'm busy, busy, busy.

Busy juggling between kids activities and senior welfare means less cooking and baking. My new direction has taken a back seat as creating new recipes and sticking to only Malaysian cuisine proved to be difficult during this time of year.

Meal planning has become a chore with different preferences and dislikes. An occasional Asian meal is fine with my Dutch in-laws - but preferably not on a regular basis. Meal with bones is also a big No No for them. They also have a strict no seafood diet. They dislike the taste and smell of any sea creatures. I have been able to accommodate this request pretty well except for the occasional honest mistake, "Oops! I forgot oyster sauce is made from oyster extract!"

After seeing his mom made his favourite potato salad with Worcestershire sauce, Mr J checked the label on the bottle and whispered to me: "It actually contains ANCHOVIES!!".

A few years ago we celebrated Chinese New Year at my parents home in Seremban, Malaysia, together with my in-laws. As usual, we went to a Chinese restaurant for a CNY celebration and ordered Yee Sang (raw fish salad, a fixture in most CNY banquet) as part of the banquet.
Forever accommodating, my parents told the chef not to include the raw fish and they boldly announced to my in-laws that the dish had no seafood.

Everyone started to indulge happily. Not until half way through the meal, my father suddenly whispered to me, "Oops! I forgot that the Yee Sang dish has jelly fish!!" I then whispered to Mr J and he decided not to tell his parents what they had ingested in fear a toilet rush would follow suit.

Living in perfect harmony means compromises. We will have an evening with a spicy Asian meal and the next morning I will bake something they fancy such as these tiger bread rolls.

Tijgerbrood originates from Holland and it's translated as Tiger Bread, and sometimes it's called Dutch Crunch. It has taken the name because of the stripes and patterns on the bread rolls.

In Australia, you can buy them from Bakers Delight and they are widely available in the US and across Europe. Though I am not too sure about the availability of this bread in Asia.

The uniqueness of these rolls is in the use of sesame oil and rice flour paste that strongly suggest an Asian influence from the past of the ever adventurous Dutchmen that travelled frequently to the Far East for trade and the discovery of new lands.

The stripy crunchy crust that is created by the use of a mix of rice flour and sesame oil paste is visually and texturally stunning. It balances the soft and buttery texture of the roll. It's best eaten fresh and warm from the oven; savoury or sweet, with jam & butter or cheese and ham.

There are several recipes available on the Internet. I have based mine from this recipe. The reason? How can I resist a bread recipe with CROISSANT in it??? I did tweak the recipe to bring it a little closer to the original tiger bread. Although there is no doubt in my mind that the buttery croissant is not included in the original ingredients of making traditional tiger bread, it's a welcome addition as it adds magic to the texture of these bread rolls.

Tijgerbrood (Dutch Tiger Bread Rolls / Dutch Crunch) Recipe
Makes 12 rolls

Ingredients

1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon instant dried yeast

2 cups bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 croissants
1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant dried yeast

Paste:
1/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup white rice flour
4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon instant dried yeast

Method

1. The night before, combine the first 4 ingredients together; mix and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in room temperature room overnight or 12 - 18 hours.
2. Pour the overnight mixture into a large bowl. Add the 1 1/4 cups of lukewarm water and mix till blended.
3. Tear the croissants into small pieces and whiz them in a food processor.

   

4. Pour in the whole wheat flour and the finely processed croissants. Mix with a wooden spoon till all the flour and croissants are well mixed. Add in the salt and instant dried yeast.
5. Once everything is well mixed start to add the bread flour in. About 1/2 cup at a time.
6. When the dough becomes to hard to mix in the bowl, pour out onto a flat surface and continue to incorporate the rest of the flour. Knead the dough for about 8 - 10 minutes. Add 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil to a clean bowl.

   

7. Place the dough into the bowl and turn over a few time to lightly coat all sides of the dough. Allow to rest for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or till double in bulk.

   

8. Once the dough has rested till double; punch down the dough and pour out onto a flat surface. Cut the dough into 12 equal parts (around 100 g each).

   

9. Roll each piece into a ball and place onto a piece of parchment paper. Allow to rise for an hour.

   

10. About an half an hour before baking the bread, you can start the coating. In a small bowl combine the water, sugar, rice flour, salt, sesame oil and yeast.

    

11. Mix with a wooden spoon till the paste is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest till double. Once the bread is ready to bake, spread the paste onto the outside of the rolls.
12. Place into a preheated 180 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Turn up the heat to 200C and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until the crusts are browned.
13. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Mandu (Korean Dumplings)

Honestly, I am not too familiar with Korean food other than with the common kimchi, bibimbap, KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) and bulgogi.

A friend of us married a Korean and she has introduced us to Korean cooking many years ago. I indulged in many wonderful homemade Korean dishes, including Mandu.

Making dumplings at home couldn't be easier with the gow gee wrappers readily available in Asian grocers and selected supermarkets. The filling is usually made with pork mince, prawns, mushrooms, chestnuts and spring onions.

What attracted me to this Korean dumplings recipe is that the filling contains pork mince, tofu, kimchi and sesame salt. It is slightly different from the usual ingredients and gives you a
nice firm and slightly crunchy texture from the tofu and the kimchi. The use of sesame salt and sesame oil gives a wonderful nutty flavour to the dumplings.

If you are a dumpling lover like me, you got to give this recipe a go.

Mandu (Korean Dumplings) Recipe
Adapted from Gourmet Traveller Magazine September 2010 issue
Serves 6 (Makes about 35 dumplings)

GT - "These dumplings are similar to the Japanese gyoza – you could even fry them after steaming if you wanted the extra crunch. Sesame salt is a common seasoning in Korean cooking – make extra to have on hand for seasoning other dishes too."

Ingredients

200 gm finely minced pork
150 gm firm tofu, coarsely mashed with a fork
100 gm drained cabbage kimchi, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic chives
½ spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
35 round gow gee wrappers

Sesame salt:
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp fine salt

Dipping sauce:
60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Method

1. For sesame salt, dry-roast sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium-high heat until roasted (2-3 minutes). Cool slightly, set aside 1 tsp for dipping sauce, then pound remainder with salt in a mortar and pestle until finely ground.
   

   

2. Combine pork, tofu, kimchi, chives, spring onion, sesame oil and a large pinch of freshly ground pepper in a bowl and season to taste with sesame salt (about 1 tsp). Set aside.
   

   

3. Lay a few wrappers on a work surface, place a teaspoonful of pork mixture in centre of each, then brush edges with a little water. Fold in half to form a semicircle, then trim edges with a 7cm-diameter cutter. Pleat edges and set aside on a lightly floured tray.
   

   

4. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
   

   

5. Cook mandu in batches in boiling water over medium-high heat until cooked through (2-4 minutes). Drain and keep warm.
6. Meanwhile, for dipping sauce, combine ingredients and reserved roasted sesame seeds in a bowl. Serve with mandu, kimchi and extra sesame salt.

Crisp Fried Whole Snapper with Chilli and Coriander Sauce

I have friends that can't bear to dine at the same table with me if a fish is served whole, with head-on. Some think it's cruel, some simply can't dig in with the fish eyes staring straight back at them.

In many Western cultures, fish is usually filleted and served boneless in individual portions. This is opposite to many Asian cultures, where serving a whole fish is a grand gesture to be shared by everyone sitting at the table. Whether it's at home or at a restaurant, fish is often served with head and tail on and it is meant to be shared by all the diners.

Mr J came across quite some interesting culinary observations during his 2.5 year stay in Malaysia. Once, during a holiday on Pangkor Island, we dined in a tiny outdoor seafood restaurant at a local fisherman village. While we ordered several seafood dishes to share, we were astonished to overhear that the four Western tourists seated at the table next to us ordered four portions of sweet and sour fish.

When their dishes arrived, there were four giant serving plates, each with a huge whole fish and each weighing at least 1.5kg. The tourists were absolutely stunned and the amount of fish could easily have fed a table of 20!

Now back to this dish...

The close proximity of Malaysia and Thailand has the result that the cuisines of the two countries do influence each other. This is particularly the case for the northern part of West Malaysia which is bordering the south of Thailand.

You can find a lot of Thai restaurants in most of the big cities in Malaysia, in particularly in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Some of the dishes in these Thai restaurants have been localised and modified to suit local taste buds. You can also come across Thai influenced dishes in some of the Chinese restaurants which is quite unique.

This Crisp Fried Whole Snapper with Chilli and Coriander Sauce is a dish I have created to celebrate the colourful flavours, textures, ingredients and spices from Malaysia & Thailand.

Crisp Fried Whole Snapper with Chilli and Coriander Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 x whole red snapper (approx 1.2 kg) or 4 x red snapper fillets
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp minced ginger
2 fresh red chillis, finely chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp rice wine
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/3 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Pat dry the snapper with paper towels. Make a few slits on both sides and season the fish with sea salt.

   

2. Heat a wok full of oil to 180C. Deep-fried the fish until it's crisp, golden browned and cooked. Remove the fish and drain on paper towel.
3. Heat a small saucepan with 1 tbsp of oil, fry the ginger, garlic, spring onions and chilli until fragrant.

   

4. Add soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, rice wine and white pepper. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.
5. Place the fish on the serving plate. Scatter half of the coriander leaves and shredded carrot over the fish.

   

6. Pour over the hot sauce and scatter the remaining half of the coriander and carrot.
7. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Masak Lodeh with Nasi Impit (Malaysian Prawn and Vegetables Coconut Stew with Rice Cakes)

Do not assume all Malaysians love their spicy food. Many do not. For example, my mum is the only one among her 6 siblings who has a penchant for spicy food. Her working with many Malay colleagues is the main factor that contributed to her liking of cooking with spices and chilli. I was hooked to spicy food from a young age because of her.

She has learnt a good number of Malay dishes from her work mates and her Minangkabau style chicken rendang that she cooks every Chinese New Year is legendary.

One of the Malay dishes that she used to cook when we were young was this masak lodeh (coconut stew). It can be a vegetarian dish (Sayur lodeh) or made with prawns although she often cooked it with fish. It's traditionally served with lontong, a compressed rice wrapped and cooked in banana leaf. However, you can also pair it with nasi impit (Malaysian compressed rice cake) or simply with steamed rice.

I planned to make lontong but banana leaves are notoriously hard to find and expensive in the area I live in. I would have to get down to Chinatown to get them. Hence, I made nasi impit to go with it.

Masak lodeh is a coconut stew that is mainly flavoured by turmeric and lemongrass. Saffron is optional and gives a luxury touch to this humble dish. The vegetables used in this stew are cabbage, snake / long beans and eggplant. Tempeh (fermented soy bean cake) is a must, but for those who don't like the texture and taste of tempeh, you can replace it with fried tofu.

Masak Lodeh (Malaysian Prawn and Vegetable Coconut Stew) Recipe
Serve 4

Ingredients

8 Asian shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 piece thumb size galangal or ginger, bashed
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
A pinch of saffron
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
200 g cabbage, sliced
100 g snake / long beans or green beans, cut into 5cm length
2 Japanese eggplants, halved and cut into 5cm length
2 pieces tempeh (fermented soy bean cake) or fried tofu, cut into bite-size pieces
400 ml coconut milk
600 ml water
500 g prawns
Salt to taste

Method

1. Use a food processor or mortal and pestle to pound the shallots and garlic into a paste.
2. Heat 4 tbsp oil in a medium size pot on medium heat.
3. Add shallot & garlic paste and fry until slightly brown and fragrant.
4. Add lemongrass, galangal (or ginger), saffron, turmeric powder and chilli powder and continue to fry for a further minute.
5. Add the vegetables (cabbage, beans and eggplants) and soy bean cake (or tofu) and stir until well coated with the spice paste.
6. Add coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil and lower down the heat to a slow gentle simmer until vegetables are almost cooked. Add prawns and cook a further 2-3 minutes until prawns are just cooked.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Remove the lemongrass and galangal / ginger. Serve immediately with lontong, nasi impit or steamed rice.

Nasi Impit (Malaysian Rice Cakes)

Ingredients

2 cups medium-grain rice
Pinch of salt

Method

1. Wash and cook the rice using rice cooker. Add a pinch of salt in the water that is used to cook the rice.
2. Layer a cling wrap in a rectangular or square tray.
3. Once the rice is cooked, remove from the rice cooker when it is still hot and spread it on the tray.

   

4. Press the rice tightly with hand and cover the top with another layer of cling wrap.

   

5. Weight down the rice with canned food / drinks or heavy books.
6. Leave it compress for a few hours until it's cool to room temperature.
7. Remove the weights and slice into small squares with a knife. Wet the knife regularly for easy slicing.
8. Nasi impit is usually served at room temperature. It's a common condiment served with masak lodeh, rendang or satay in peanut sauce.

Mantou 饅頭 (Chinese Steamed Buns)

When I was younger, I often did resent my parents wanting me to learn Chinese on top of both Malay (Malaysian national language)and English.

Not until many years later, as I stand next to shelves full of cookbooks written in Chinese in the Chinese section of the Kinokuniya bookstore in Sydney, am I thankful that my parents - especially my dad - insisted that their children should learn how to read and write their mother tongue.

I have learnt many authentic traditional Asian cooking techniques from these cookbooks written in Chinese. Very rarely you see them being translated into English.

Mantou is a Chinese steamed bun. These buns, together with other wheat products such as noodles, are the daily staple for Chinese people living in the northern parts of China. Rice is the regular staple for Chinese people in the southern regions of China. A difference in climate is the reason for this: wheat grows in a colder climate while rice requires a warmer climate to grow.

Most of the Chinese immigrants into Malaysia were originally from the southern regions. This, combined with the tropical climate and the indigenous culture of Malaysia, makes rice the single most important ingredient in the Malaysian-Chinese diet.

Mantou, therefore, is not what we make at home regularly. It's often served in Chinese restaurants accompanying dishes such as the popular Singapore chilli mud crabs / prawns or braised pig trotters to soak up the sauce from these delicious dishes.

Mantou are often served freshly steamed or deep-fried. It's versatile as you can eat it on its own; as an accompaniment to savoury dishes or congee; as breakfast with a sweet (kaya, custard or azuki bean paste) or a savoury filling (pork belly, char siu or pork floss); or even as a dessert.

My favourite way to eat these steamed buns is to deep-fry them until golden and puffed and then dip them into condensed milk.

A good mantou should have a smooth and puffed surface with a soft and fluffy texture when you break it to open. A good recipe is hard to come by and I am happy that I have a fab one to share with you today.

Mantou 饅頭 (Chinese Steamed Buns) Recipe
Makes 8

Ingredients

5 g instant dried yeast
250 ml water
500 g all purpose flour
25 g caster sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Dissolve dried yeast in water in a small bowl.
2. Mix all ingredients in the bowl of electric mixer. With the dough hook attached with low speed, knead the dough until it's smooth, around 10 minutes.

   

3. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes and lay it on a slightly floured surface.
4. Roll out the dough to a 70 cm x 15 cm rectangle.

   

5. Perform a three-fold as pictured.

   

6. Roll it out again to a 45 cm x 25 cm rectangle.

   

7. Brush the surface with water with a pastry brush.

   

8. Roll out the dough tightly from the longer edge to form a log.

   

9. Use a bread knife to slice the log into 8 pieces.

   

10. Cut 8 square pieces of baking paper, slightly larger than the bun.
11. Lay the buns on the square baking papers.

    

12. Spread the buns on the steamer and pour some cold water in the bottom of the steamer. Cover the steamer, and let them rise for 20 minutes. (If you don't have a multi-layer steamer and you can't fit all the buns in your single layer steamer, cover the rest of buns in a slightly damp tea towel for them to rise.)

    

13. After the final rise, turn on the steamer and steam the buns for 20 minutes (15 minutes with preheated steamer) until it's puffed and cooked.
14. Serve immediately or deep-fry them. You can freeze the leftover once they are completely cold. You can keep them in the freezer for 3 months. You can reheat them by steaming them for 2-3 minutes after removing them from the freezer.