Sesame Ginger Grilled Chicken

Periplus Mini Cookbook Korean Favorites by Yu-kyoung Moon and Jonathan Hopfner is another one of my favorite Korean cookbooks containing 36 simple recipes from condiments & pickles, to snacks & appetizers, to soups & stews, to meat & poultry dishes, to seafood dishes, to rice & noodles, and to desserts.

Picking out a dish under the poultry section this week is, 'Sesame Ginger Grilled Chicken'. The simple marinade used in this dish leaves the meat deliciously tender, as it is infused with the flavor of fresh garlic, ginger and sesame.

What You'll Need:

8 chicken legs or wings

Marinade

1 spring onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup (90ml) light soy sauce

4 tbsp rice wine

4 tsp fresh ginger juice, squeezed from grated fresh ginger root

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Using a sharp knife, make 4 - 5 shallow incisions in the sides of each chicken leg. Set aside.

2. Prepare the Marinade by mixing the ingredients in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the Marinade over the chicken, and rub the Marinade into all sides of the chicken until well coated. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Preheat a pan grill or broiler over medium heat until hot. Grill the marinated chicken in batches, basting with the Marinade, until crispy and cooked, 5 - 10 mins on each side. Serve immediately.

Good Luck & have fun!

Stir-Fried Tofu with Vegetables and XO Sauce

The third tofu dish I picked out from Betty Saw's Mini Cookbook was Stir-Fried Tofu with Vegetables and XO Sauce. For a healthier choice, deep-frying of the tofu cubes can be omitted. I figured it would taste just as good by skipping Step 2 and stir-frying it together with the vegetables.

(Adapted from Betty Saw's Mini Cookbook)

What You'll Need:

1 1/2 pcs firm tofu, diced into cubes

Cooking oil for deep-frying

1/2 tbsp of cooking oil for stir-frying

160g celery stalk, cut into 1x2.5cm fingers

130g carrot, peeled and cut into 1x2.5cm fingers, parboiled

1 1/2 tbsp XO sauce

1-2 spring onion stalk, cut into 2.5cm lengths

Seasoning:

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp ginger juice

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

Method:

1. Mix tofu cubes with the seasoning and set aside for 15mins.

2. Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry the tofu cubes until light golden. Drain. (skip this step for a healthier choice!)

3. Heat 1/2 tbsp of cooking in a clean wok and stir-fry celery and carrot until soft.

4. Toss in the tofu cubes to the wok, mix well and stir in XO sauce and spring onions. Serve hot.

*Note: You may wish to add a couple of red chillies for a fiery taste!

Good Luck and have fun!

Honey Marmite Chicken

If your favorite type of meat is Chicken, here's one more recipe you can try cooking this simple Honey Marmite Chicken dish. If Tricia and I succeeded on our first try, we are certain you will too!

(Adapted from Appetite Recipes Annual Book 2012)

What You'll Need:

1 Whole Sakura Chicken (w/o backbone)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp Hua Tiao Chiew

Oil, for deep-frying

Gravy:

1 tbsp oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp Marmite Yeast extract

4 tbsp runny honey

2 tbsp water

2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

1/2 tbsp Hua Tuao Chiew

Garnish:

Handful of coriander leaves

1 red chili, sliced into strips

1 tbsp almond slices, toasted

Method:

1. Chop chicken into pieces (I got 14/15 pieces) and toss in soy sauce and Hua Tiao Chiew. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Heat oil in fryer and deep-fry chicken pieces till they turn golden brown and skin is crispy. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

3. Prepare gravy. Heat oil and saute garlic till fragrant and light brown. Add remaining gravy ingredients and cook till gravy becomes glossy. Turn off heat and toss fried chicken in gravy to coat well.

4. Add a splash of Hua Tiao Chiew over  chicken pieces just before dishing up. Garnish and serve with hot steamed rice.

Have fun!

Crisp Fried Tofu Balls

This second tofu dish that Tricia and I tried is extremely easy and we had lots of fun making them. We were like fish ball makers that day. This would not only make a quick and great snack especially for parties but also a good bonding session with your kids; a good exposure for your kids to experiment making/cooking simple dishes.

(Adapted from Betty Saw's Mini Cookbook)
What You'll Need:
1 1/2 long/big firm tofu
3/4tbsp tapioca flour
1/2tsp water
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 big and fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 thin slices turkey bacon/ham, chopped (optional)
3 red chili, deseeded and chopped
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
1 stalk coriander leaves, chopped
1/4tsp salt

Method:
1. Press tofu through a sieve into a mixing bowl.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to bowl and mix well.

3. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop up some mixture and shape into balls.

4. Deep-fry them in hot oil at 175deg for 5-6mins or until golden brown. Drain well.

Have fun!

Sesame Tofu

Having always had a thing for tofus/beancurds, Tricia and I got a mini cookboook some time back which contains 35 easy-to-follow tofu recipes by Betty Saw. You'll be able to find a copy of this mini cookbook at Popular or Kino.

The first tofu dish I picked out which indeed makes a good side dish was this deep-fried sesame tofu .

(Adapted from Betty Saw's Mini Cookbook)

What You'll Need:

3 firm tofu (used 3 big/long square tau kua instead; tastier and cut them to give 9pcs in total)

1 egg, lightly beaten and mixed with 1tbsp milk/water

60g (2oz) sesame seeds

50g (1 2/3oz) plain flour, sifted and mixed with 1/4tsp salt and 1/4tsp ground white pepper

cooking oil for deep-frying

What You'll Need for Marination of Tofu:

2 red chilli, seeded and ground

16 garlic cloves, peeled and ground

1 stalk spring onion, finely chopped

2tbsp light soy sauce

5tbsp chinese rice wine (Hua Tiao)

1tsp sugar

1/4tsp salt

1/4 ground white pepper

*Note: Vary the amount of sesame seed used according to your preference.

Method:

1. Arrange tofu slices in a single layer on a flat dish.

2. Combine marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour over tofu. Leave to marinade for a least 15 minutes, turning the tofu slices over occasionally (leaving it overnight or half a day is better so as to get the flavor soaked in).

3. Dip the tofu slices, one at a time, into egg and milk or water mixture. Coat with sesame seeds and flour mixture.

4. Deep-fry the coated tofu slices in hot oil until golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper, and serve with chilli sauce (Thai sweet chili sauce goes best).

Have fun!

Poached Chicken with Warm Fragrant Ginger Sauce

If you think Chicken Rice is a little too oily for you, try this mouth-watering, no oil/fat required yet succulent, flavorful low-fat Poached Chicken with warm fragrant Ginger Sauce recipe. It's definitely one of the easiest recipes I've cooked.

(Adapted from Neeble Neeble)
What You'll Need: Chicken

1 Chicken (approx. 1.5kg)

2 stalk of spring onions
4 slices of ginger

12 cloves of garlic, with skin on

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

What You'll Need: Ginger Sauce
1 tbsp oil
100g ginger, peeled and grated
1-2 stalk spring onion, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Hua Tiao)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup chicken stock

Method:

1. Rinse chicken and drain well.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat and add the ginger, spring onion, garlic, salt and sugar. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and let chicken cook for 10 minutes.

3. Lift chicken up to drain the water from the chicken back to the pot. Return the chicken to the pot and continue cooking over low heat for another 15 minutes.

4. Remove the chicken and drain it. Soak the whole chicken in cold water for 20 minutes until it is cooled. Drain the chicken, debone, chop it up and set aside.

5. While waiting for the chicken to cool, cook rice using the water from cooking the chicken. This imparts a nice subtle fragrance to the rice and is not oily like the regular chicken rice.

6. At the same time, prepare the ginger sauce. Heat 1 tsp of oil in wok over low heat. Add spring onion and ginger and stir fly till fragrant. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

7. Ladle warm ginger sauce over chicken and serve.

Don't forget to dip it in some kick-ass chili sauce.

Have fun!

Recipes To Share

Was re-organizing all my files in my external hard drive last evening when I stumbled upon photographs of several other dishes I've whipped up in the year 2011 besides the Korean ones. And, would love to share these great and simple dishes with you, so stay tuned! :)