CHICKEN RICE

This is a very popular chicken rice which are easily available in many chinese coffee shop,restaurant
and street hawker stall.They are served with white poached chicken,roasted chicken ,cucumber and chilli sauce  plus a bowl of clear soup .

CHICKEN RICE

RICE
Ingredients;
300g jasmine rice (or any rice you like)
 A few pandan leaves,cut into halved,tear into two
1 stalk lemongrass,bruised
3 tbsp vegetable oil /butter
4 slice ginger
12 cloves garlic blend finely
water 350-400ml
salt for taste

method;
wash the rice,drain .Heat a wok with 3 tbsp oil saute the ginger,lemongrass,garlic paste until fragrant,
add salt,pandan leaves and stir to mix well.Dish into a rice cooker,add water.Leave to cook until dry and fluffy.

DEEP FRY CHICKEN
Ingredients;
1/2 chicken,wash clean and pat dry
5 clove garlic ,blend
2.5 cm ginger,sliced
5 lime,halved
1 cucumber ,slicely thinly to serve with the chicken
salt to taste
1 tsp chicken stock granules
cooking oil for deep fry

method;
Blend the garlic to paste add in chicken stock granules,salt and mix togerther well combined.
Rub the blended ingredients on the chicken and marinade for 15 minutes.
heat a wok with enough oil to cover the chicken,add in the ginger slice,lime to fry till brown.
Discard the lime and ginger,add the marinade chicken to deep fry till slight brown and cook through.
(can baked the chicken in the oven )

CHILLI SAUCE
10 red chilli
5 clove garlic
1 slice ginger
5 lime juice
salt,vinegar,sugar and a tbsp of oil (adjust to your taste)

Mehtod;
Discard the chilli seed,blanch in hot water.In a food processor,blend the chilli,ginger,garlic till fine paste. Put into a serving bowl,add in salt,vingar, lime juice and sugar.mix well and serve

Clear soup
In a pot,add 800ml water,add in the chicken bone or 1/2 kg  chicken leg,bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer till the chicken leg is cooked add salt  and a pinch of msg.add a drop of sesame oil,
white pepper powder for the taste Sieve through to get a clear soup .garnish with some chop corriander leaves and crispy fried shallot.( can add chicken stock cube for more tasty flavor)

NYONYA DUMPLING

Every year when come to festive dumpling,I'm sure to make this nyonya dumpling .This dumpling,taste sweet ,slight saltiness and smell of coriander powder . The rice is quite plain goes well with the filling. dry fry the coriander seed in a wok and blend to powder ,it more fragrant than the bought powder form.I use the bunga telang/blue pea flowerr to get the indigo blue.Traditionally it use big pandan leaves to wrap,Ican't found it in the market.The pandan leaves is very long,cut into two,the top part is soft,the end is tough have to boil to soften it.both sides of the pandan leaves have torn,have to trim off both sides. And the leaves is tough and soft.Unlike the normal pandan leaves we use.the pandan plant is a person tall and the leaves is wider enough to wrap the dumpling.


NYONYA DUMPLING

Ingredients for the rice.
1 1/2 kg glutinous rice
4 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt
a few drop of blue colouring

Method;
1.wash glutinous rice for 3 to 4 time,drain.If using the flower,put in a big hanful in a small saucepan to boil until the water is dark blue colour.I use 400 g glutinous rice to soak the rice overnite.the water should be 2 inch higher than the rice. Soak the remaining rice in plain water overnite. How blue your dumpling you want,just add more flower or blue colouring.
2.drain the rice and place in a steamer,line the bottom with a piece of cloth.mix the plain rice and the blue rice and steam over high heat for an hour. In the meantime,mix the 4 tbsp water with the slat.after the rice has been steamed for 20 mniutes,lift up the lid of the steamer and sprinkle aout 1 tbsp of the water over the rice.mix well with the rice.cover the lid and repeat this twice till the water is used up.( adjust the salt water acording to your taste,I perfer my rice taste,blanch to goes well the filling).

Ingredients for filling ( the filling can be cooked a day ahead.
150g garlic,peeled and pounded till fine
300 streaky pork without skin
900 g lean shoulder of pork ( all I use pork belly)
80g dried mushroom
150g 'tang kway" preserved chinese melon in strip
300g sugar
150g coriander seeds ( I use 100g)
8 to 10 tbsp thick dark soy sauce
10 cup water
salt according to your taste
6 tbsp oil

Method;
1.bring the water to the boil and add all the pork,boil over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes till pork is tender.drain and when cold dice into small cubes (cut the pork belly in a few strip,easy to cook).
2.soak the mushroom in water till soft,drain and squeeze dry,cut off the tough stem and dice into small cubes.
3.Dice the preserved chinese melon into small cubes.
4.pick through the coriander seeds and remove all the stalk and grits. Dry fry in a wok for about 20 minutes over low heat till fragrant and slightly crispy.pound or blend till fine. sieve and discard the rough bits.
5.Heat a wok,add the oil,when is hot,add in the pound garlic and stir fry till fragrant,add the diced pork,stir fry,stir fry for about 3 minutes,add the diced mushroom,stir fry for 3 minutes,add the diced mushroom and stir fry further for 3 minutes.Add the diced melon,stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes till well cooked
6.Add the sugar and coriander powder and stir well to mix. Add enough dark soy sauce for the mixture to be deep brown.Add in water,brint to a boil,add salt to taste,keep stiring till all the mixture bind well and the pork meat is soft and the gravy is thicken.leave to cool and keep aside.

To wrap the dumpling
15 large dried bamboo leaves,put in a big pot with enough water to boil for 20minutes.drain the bamboo  leaves,.put in a big basin of water and use a pics of cloth to wash the leaves changed water a few time till  every leaves is clean and wipe dry.Put aside in a large colander or flat plate.
A roll of raffia string.

Method;
1.traditional the dumpling are formed into the shaped of a pryamid with a three sided baseYou have to pack the dumpling so that the rice will be firm.
2.trim both end of the bambbo leaves,take two leaves to overlap and form into a pocket.place 1 tbsp of glutinous rices in the pocket and spread to form a hollow.
3.fill the hollow with the filling and fold over using the other hand to push the both sides in.
4.fold the two sides of the leaf over the dumpling tie with a raffia to secure.trim off the leaves to form a neat parcel.bring a big pot of water to a boil,using hight heat, put in all the dumpling,cover and boil for 2 hours,remove the dumpling and hang to dry.eaten the same day or kept in the fridge.if you like them hot,just steam again before eating.(add more pandan leaves in the water to boil with the ready wrap dumpling).

Nyonya Dumpling

NYONYA  DUMPLINGS

As a young girl ,I do not know how to cook at all.One of my colleague she asked me whether I want the old magazine, that was in the late 70,  I accepted it. After reading  the magazine,  I put the stack of magazine aside. I can't bear to throw away. A few years later, while spring clean my room, decided  to  throw away the stack of old magazine. Before throwing away, I  goes through every pages,the recipe pages was very
attractive , I  tears out the recipes pages that I want and click into many files. All the recipe have been with me till now.  After married having children, I decided to try this recipe,to my surprise,turn very delicious,my children likes it plus my sibling.The recipes was given by a nyonya ladies. This is authenic nyonya dumpling.
Wish to share with  other who are interested  in this recipe

NYONYA DUMPLINGS

INGREDIENTS  FOR THE RICE

1 1/2 kg  glutinous rice
4 tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
Bunga telang flower a handful soaked in 6cup  of hot water to get the blue colouring

METHOD:

1.Wash the rice 2 to 3 times,  divided into 2 portion, one portion soaked in plain water  overnite.
2. The other portion soaked in blue colouring overnite.
3.  The other day,drain the rice place in a steamer, line the bottom with a piece of cloth.
4. Mix the two portion rice together.Steam over high heat for a hour.
5. In the meantime, mix the water with the salt. After the rice has been steamed for 20 min, lift up the lid of the steamer and sprinkle about 1 tbsp of salt water over the rice ,mix well with rice.
6.Cover the lid and repeat this twice till all the water is used up. after  1 hours,off the heat. Ready to use.

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING

150g garlic,peeled and pounded till fine
300g pork belly without skin
900g lean shoulder of pork
80g  dried mushroom
150g tang kway (preserved chinese melon)
300g sugar
150g coriander seeds
8 to 10 tbsp thick dark soya sauce,according to taste
10 cups water, salt to taste
6tbsp oil

METHOD

1.Bring the water to boil and add all the pork.Boil over medium heat for 30 to 40 min till pork tender.
   Drain and when cold,dice into small cubes.reserve the water,filter the water,put side for later use.
2. Soak the mushroom till soft,drain,squeeze dry,cut off the stalk and dice into small cubes.
3. Dice the preserved melon into dice.
4.Dry fry the coriander seeds in a wok for 20 min over low heat till fragrant and slightly crispy.
   Pound or process till very fine. Sieve and discard the rough bits.
5. Place a wok over medium heat, add oil.When it is hot,add the pounded garlic stir fry till fragrant.
    Add in diced pork,stir fry for about 3 min,add in the diced mushroom stir fry for 3 min,add in diced melon
   stir fry for another 3 to 4 min till well cooked.
6. Add the sugar and coriander powder and stir to mix well. Add enough soy sauce for the mixture to be a
    a deep brown.  Taste for salt, add in the reserved water. Keep on stir frying till the mixture bind well
   and the mixture is thicken.Leave  to cool and keep aside. The filling can be cooked a day ahead and in
  the fridge.

   TO WRAP THE DUMPLINGS
 Some bamboo leaves /the large pandan leaves. The dry bamboo leaves have to boil in a big pot of water
for 1/2 an hour. Drain the water,wash and wipe dry. a roll of raffia string.

Traditional the dumpling s are formed into the shaped of a pyramid with a three sided base.
When all the dumplings are formed. Boil for 2 hours,remove and dry. Consume the same day or kept in the fridge,take out and steam again before eating.

 P/S ; when cooking the filling ,the coriander smell very strong,is  o.k. the next day the smell turn to mild.
          This nyonya dumpling taste have  to be sweet and  have the smell of the coriander . The sweetness
           you  adjust to your like. It best to fry the coriander seed and process to powder than to buy the
          ready powder form.