Coconut Chicken Soup

C-O-C-O-N-U-T

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 C.H.I.C.K.E.N
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H2O

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Coconut Chicken Soup

Ingredients

3 coconuts

3 drumsticks or your favorite chicken parts

3 pitted red dates

3 Chinese mushrooms (pre-soak to soften and remove stem)

Few ginger slices

1 tbsp wolfberries 

Pinch of salt

Method

1. Cut away any visible fats from the chicken parts, I kept the skin intact. Blanch chicken parts in a pot of boiling water with ginger slices and pinch of salt. Blanching purges aggregated proteins, residual blood, surface bacteria and other impurities before you cook it. Discard the water and ginger.

2. Use a chopper to chop open the top of coconut. Pour the coconut water into a jug and set aside. Scrap some coconut flesh using a metal spoon and set aside. The toughest job in this recipe is to chop open the coconut, I am not good at that so I left it to the man in the house to execute the task. I have provided some links on how to chop open the coconut at the bottom of the page, if you are keen to try ;)

3. Place chicken parts, 1 red date, 1 mushroom and some coconut flesh into each coconut. Use a sieve to pour in coconut water until 2/3 full and top with 1/3 plain water till the brim.

4. Cover the coconut with the cap and steam for 1.5-2 hours. I wrapped the base of the coconut with aluminum foil as my steamer is quite shallow preventing water seepage.

5. Half hour before serving add in wolfberries and pinch of salt (really little bit of salt only).

BON APPETIT

The above is the most straight forward method. Now if you prefer something more complex to play with, refer to the alternative method:

Alternative Method

You may realize that you have a lot more coconut water than what is required. You can either enjoy the cooling coconut water on its own or cook everything in a pot instead.

So for step 3 (above) instead of putting the ingredients inside each coconut to steam, use a pot to cook all ingredients. Coconut water vs plain water ratio is the same, 2/3 coconut water vs 1/3 plain water. After boiled, simmer for 1.5hours in pot. From here you could serve your coconut chicken soup, it has more chicken taste as compared to steaming inside the coconut. At this junction, the soup is already very flavorful. But if you are as curious as me trying to see the difference between cooking in a pot and steaming in the coconut, you could scoop the ingredients and soup into the coconut to steam for 1/2hr before serving. The coconut fragrance really make the difference ;)

Online links on how to chop open a coconut

http://youtu.be/VMeYi0IAoH4

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/cookingtipstools/ss/youngcoconut.htm

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Sauce

Italy is a paradise for quality food, we had so many good quality meals during our recent trip there. One of the dishes that impressed me a lot is the Pork Tenderloin with Grape Sauce. I took mental notes on the obvious ingredients while we were dining so that I could try to replicate it when I am back in Singapore. So here it is, my version of this sweet pork dish.

Ingredients

300g pork tenderloin/ loin (6 pieces)

30 sweet green seedless grapes

2 inches young ginger (remove skin and cut into small slices)

3 sprigs rosemary

Olive oil and butter

2-3 tbsp white cooking wine

Salt

Black pepper

1/2 cup water

1tsp corn starch

Methods

1. Pat dry and pound the pork loins using the back of a chopper. Marinate with salt and black pepper.

2. Air fry the grapes at 170 degrees for about 20mins until skin crack, soften and shriveled. Need to toss/ stir at intervals for even cooking. Set aside.

3. Add olive oil and butter in pan, fry the pork loin until just cooked. Set aside.

4. On the same pan add a bit more olive oil and fry the young ginger for a while, add the wine.

3. Add the grapes and any leftover grape juice. Rub the rosemary sprigs with both hands to release the aroma and add into pan. Fry for awhile then add in the water with corn starch.

4. Once sauce thicken, pour over the pork loins and serve.

Serve it with rice or potatoes.

Venice 2016

Travel is like dream comes true. Don't we always say things like "Someday I wish to be THERE". Here's one of my THERE:

Venice, September 2016

Bean Paste Frog Leg Japanese Porridge

What could be more comforting than a pot of hot porridge on a cold day?

Ingredients
1.25-1.5 cups of Japanese rice grain (normal grain also can)
1 handful of anchovies in stock bag
1 slice dangui
1 tomato (cut into wedges)
3 frogs

Marinade
1/2 tbsp oyster or mushroom sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp chinese wine
1/2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp Feng He Garden bean paste (tausi)
2 inch ginger (shredded)
Pepper & ginger powder

Garnish (optional)
1/2 tsp bean paste
Spring onion

Method
1. Segregate the frog bony body parts and set aside.
2. Cut the frog legs into pieces, marinate only the legs for 20-30mins.
3. Cook porridge with anchovies stock bag, dangui and the frog bony body parts until almost ready.
4. Add tomato wedges and marinated frog legs into the porridge (Do Not pour the remaining marinade into the porridge or it will be too salty. Cook for 5 mins or until the frog legs are cooked.
5. Add 1/2 tsp bean paste upon serving. The reason for adding additional bit of bean paste is personally preference so that when I eat the porridge I can still taste some fresh bean paste ;) Is really good hehehe.... Garnish with some spring onion if you like.


Highly recommend this brand of bean paste, is so fragrant. Really like what the slogan mentioned, simply heavenly. This Feng He Garden bean paste could be purchased from Song Fish.
#fenghegarden

Seafood Porridge

We missed the seafood porridge from Kaoshiung so we made a trip to Sheng Shiong to buy some fresh seafood and DIY. I didn't make the same grain texture as what we had in Kaoshiung. Kaoshiung's porridge will need to cook the rice in rice cooker and add to seafood soup whereas mine is all in a pot.

 
- Cook old cucumber, soft bones, carrot, honey date, dried scallop soup for 1.5hrs.
- Add rice grains and cook like usual porridge.
- When porridge is almost done, add crayfish and few ginger slices and cook awhile.
- Add lala then prawns the last.
- Sprinkle spring onions, pinch of salt and pepper.
- Fry some minced garlic with sesame oil until browned and crispy. Sprinkle onto porridge and serve. Don't be too generous on this although crispy garlic is very fragrance but it has a slight bitter taste.

Airfried Crispy Cod Steak with Ginger Plum Sauce

Oh mine, my anyhow humtam dish turned out to be so delicious. Must record down before I forget how to do it again. The steak was crispy and goes very well with the sauce.

INGREDIENTS

2 slices of big cod steaks

Pinch of salt, pepper

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 part Kentucky powder VS 1 part corn flour to coat

1 tbsp plum sauce

Ginger slices

METHODS
1. Pat dry cod steaks.
2. Marinate with salt, pepper, ginger powder, garlic powder and turmeric power.
3. Coat the steaks with Kentucky powder + corn flour lightly.
4. Spray mist oil on the steaks evenly.
5. Pre-heat airfryer and cook for 180 deg C for 15 mins, then 200 deg for 5 mins. Timing will vary according to the fish size.
6. In a wok, fry ginger slices until brown. Off flame and add plum sauce diluted with water.
7. Serve the cod steaks and drizzle the sauce on top.

Happy Monkey Year

Wishing All A Happy Lunar New Year!

HUAT HUAT HUAT!