Hong Kong swiss chicken wings

 

 

 

I discovered this while watching Hong Kong drama. The title of the show is "Best Selling Secrets"  The characters in this drama made it  sound really special and tasty. When my family and I went to Hong Kong for a holiday, we went to this very old and established restaurant called Tai Ping Koon whose speciality is swiss chicken wings.

Basically it is soya sauce chicken wings and there's a story  as to why it is known as swiss chicken wings.  Apparently a German customer who tried it liked it very much and would keep going back for it.  As there was a bit of difficulty on his part communicating with the cantonese speaking waiter, he would just say "sweet chicken wings".  The waiter translated it into cantonese and called out to the kitchen " 瑞士鷄翼 and that's how it got its name.

Ingredients

10 chicken wings

200ml superior black soya sauce

200ml knor swiss chicken broth

2 pcs anise, 2 pcs clove, 2 sticks cinnamon

200 gms rock sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 slices ginger

1 stalk spring onion

ice and water

Method

Boil water with ginger and spring onion

Blanch chicken wings to remove blood

Remove and soak in ice water till the skin plumps up.

This step is important as the skin is plumped up and will not tear during braising

Must use lots of ice

Preparing sauce

Pour soya sauce, chicken broth, spices, rock sugar, salt ina pot

Boil till sugar is dissolved

Lower fire and simmer for 10 mins

Place wings skin side down and cook for 5 mins

Turn off fire and leave in pot covered for 15 mins

Do a taste test first before serving

Make sure wings are evenly coated with sauce

Arrange wings nicely on plate and serve without sauce

P.S. At Tai Ping Koon, the wings are served without sauce but if you like, you can always serve the sauce with the wings You can also freeze the leftover sauce for cooking pork or chicken on another day.



Li Lup

 

The name li lup is passed down by my late mother-in-law.  It is a traditional dish that is everyone's favourite. It is often eaten with rice or plain porridge.

My second daughter, Janice and my son- in- law Calvin are big fans.

Ingredients

 

3 pcs of tau kwa (the firmer bean curd)

6 strings of bean stalk

4  pcs of preserved radish (Chye Po )

3 green chillies

A handful of toasted peanuts (optional)

2 tbsp of bean paste (tau cheong) chopped

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp chilli paste (optional)

2 garlic (minced)

Oil for deep frying

Method

Cut  all ingredients into cubes.

Heat oil and when very hot, deep fry each ingredient separately.

Remove from pan

Remove oil leaving about one tbsp

Fry garlic till fragrant

Add bean paste, fry till fragrant

Add all ingredients, stir fry, add sugar, a little water and simmer for about 3 mins.

Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and stir into the gravy

Only a little gravy is required

This will help to make the dish look shiny and appetizing.

Add peanuts and its ready

Serve with hot rice or plain porridge

Try it, you won’t regret it.

Ngau Lum (Beef Brisket stew)

 

This is a very easy to prepare one dish meal.  You can eat it with rice and all kinds of noodles.

Ingredients

1 kg beef brisket ( ask for a little fat)

1 small white radish

2 carrots

3 pcs star aniseed

1 cinnamon stick

2 tbsp chu hou sauce (from chinatown grocer) If you cannot find, substitute with mixture of oyster and hoisin sauce

1 tbsp black sauce

1 tbsp crushed rock sugar

3 slices of ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

cornflour mixed with a little water

oil for frying

water

Method

Blanch beef in boiling water

Heat oil in pot, fry ginger and garlic

Add rock sugar and fry till dissolved

Add chu hou sauce, black sauce, star anise, cinnamon stick and fry till fragrant

Add beef and fry till evenly coated

Add water just enough to cover beef and bring to a boil

At boiling point, lower heat to medium and simmer till beef is 90% tender

Add radish and carrot and turn off heat when soft

During cooking, if water dries up, add more to prevent beef from burning

Add cornflour mixture to thicken gravy

salt and pepper to taste

Chee Pow Kai (paper wrapped chicken)

Hubby said that he was yearning for chee pow kai (paper wrapped chicken). We used to go the Union Farm at Clementi but they have since closed after more than 50 years in the business.

When we first started going there in the 70’s, we had only one daughter.  Over the years, our family expanded to 3 daughters, 2 sons-in-law and 2 grandkids.  Hopefully next year, we will round up to 10.

How about that Sandy and Simon?

During those years, the menu consisted of only the paper wrapped chicken, fried noodles and fried beehoon.  You order the chicken by the catties. One catty  would get you about 7 or 8 pcs. For those very young who've never heard of this form of measurement, we used to weigh foodstuff by the catties.  Its equivalent to 500 grams. The fried noodles and beehoon servings were very small.  I remember on one visit my family repeated orders so many times that the table next to ours offered us some of theirs.  Many years later, the restaurant (actually it was a farmhouse) expanded their menu to include many other dishes and the order for chicken was changed to number of pieces.  Prices went up and up but we still went anyway as the chicken was still good (although standard dropped)

AUNTIE DOLLY’S CHEE POW KAI (PAPER WRAPPED CHICKEN)

Ingredients

 

6 pcs each of fresh chicken thighs and wings  (can make 24 packets)

4 sheets wax or greaseproof paper

 

Marinade

4 pieces shallot – minced

pieces small red onions – minced  

4 slices ginger – minced for the juice (to be added only 1 hour before frying)

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

½ teaspoon black soya sauce ( for the colour)

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon sesame oil – (to be added ½ hour before frying)

Oil for oiling paper

Oil for deep frying

METHOD

Season chicken with marinade except ginger juice, sesame oil

Best to leave it in fridge overnight.

Make sure chicken is brought down to room temperature before wrapping and frying

Cut paper into 6 pieces per sheet

Oil the individual pieces and wrap chicken pieces one at a time

Wrap it like a purse, make sure it is properly folded in

Heat enough oil for deep frying

when oil is 80 per cent hot, fry chicken packets on medium fire.

Do not overcrowd the pan. Do not overfry otherwise chicken will be dry and hard

Drain the oil on kitchen paper, let it cool slightly before serving otherwise paper will stick to chicken

 

Auntie Dolly's Simple Fried Noodle (or Beehoon if you prefer)

 

Ingredients

 

2 packets of egg noodles (blanched in boiling water till firmly soft)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 kg choysum (blanched)

 

Ingredients for the sauce

 

3 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp black soya sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

1 ricebowl water

Combine all the above and boil till sugar dissolves

Do a taste test as as the above measurements is just a guide

 

Method for noodle

 

Heat oil, fry garlic and toss noodles in oil till cooked

Dish out and pour sauce over sparingly. If you want more gravy, add accordingly.

Top with blanched choysum

 

The noodle is served with the chee pow kai

 

 

Auntie Dolly's Curry Chicken with Fish Ball

This curry was taught to me by my peranakan mother and is a typical nonya dish. When my cantonese mother-in-law cooked curry her style, she added fish balls. I believe we are the only people who add fish balls to curry. Nowadays, when I don't add fish balls, I get asked "why no fishballs ah" You can eat with bread, roti prata or rice.

Ingredients

5 chicken drumsticks chopped into 4 pcs, 5 chicken wings

1 small piece ginger

5 buah keras (candlenut)

10 red small onions

6 potatoes (cut into 4 and soaked in salt water)

20 fish balls

Rempah paste (refer to earlier post)

How much paste to use depends on the quantity of chicken

1 packet of Zara coconut milk 500ml

Oil for frying

 

Method

 

Pound ginger, candlenuts and red onion till coarsely fine

Heat oil in kuali, fry the above till fragrant

Add rempah paste and fry on medium fire till oil oozes out

Add chicken and fry till evenly coated with rempah

Add 100 ml water to 400ml coconut milk and mix well

Add coconut milk and boil on medium heat till chicken is 3/4 cooked.

Add potatoes and boil till soft.

Add fishballs and boil till cooked

Add salt to taste

If gravy is too thick add water, too thin add coconut milk

 

Note: Chicken must be fully defrosted to room temperature

          otherwise gravy will be watery.

          This is enough to feed 4 to 5 persons. Adjust

           accordingly if you have more or less people

 

Lo Mai Kai (glutinous rice)

Again this was my mum's recipe.  I still have the small yellow enamel bowls passed down to me. You can buy the bowls from the chinese shops selling crockery but you can never get the yellow enamel ones anymore.

When you buy lo mai kai, the ingredients are very little but if you make it yourself, you can have chock-a-block of ingredients and it can be a meal by itself.  My dear hubby can devour three bowls at one go.

Ingredients for rice

1 kg glutinous rice soaked overnight

2 or 3 chicken drumsticks deboned and cut into bite size

200 gms thinly sliced pork

chinese mushrooms soaked and sliced thinly

chinese sausages sliced thinly

4 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp black soya sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

water for sprinkling

Marinade for chicken and pork

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp black soya sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger salt (only add in before cooking)

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp minced garlic (for frying only)

Use half portion of each of the above to season chicken and pork separately

Method for rice

Strain rice and discard water

Use non stick pan and heat oil, fry garlic

Add half portion of rice and fry till even coated with oil

Add half portion of soya sauce, oyster sauce, salt

Keep stirring and sprinkle a little  water. After about 5 mins,

remove from pan and steam till rice is 90% cooked

Do the same for the other half of rice

Method for chicken and pork

Heat oil and fry sausage till fragrant, dish out

Heat oil, fry garlic, add mushrooms and fry

Add the mushroom water from the soaking

Cook till soft. remove from pan

Heat oil, fry minced garlic and fry chicken and pork individually, add a little water for gravy

Remove and get ready to assemble

Place a little of everything in bowl and top up with rice

Gently press down rice, add a little of the gravy from chicken and pork

Steam for 10 mins and its ready

Always remember to do a taste test

 

fried fish with chilli filling

This is my childhood favourite.  Eaten with piping hot rice, it was not necessary to have any other dish. It is not easily found nowadays except if you learn how to make it yourself.

Ingredients

3 pcs ikan kembong, if not available selar fish
rempah chilli (refer to previous post)
dried shrimp soaked in water and pounded
Salt
oil for frying

Method

Rub salt inside and outside of fish
Slit a pocket along side of fish
Fry pounded shrimp then add rempah chilli and fry till  fragrant
fill the pocket with the rempah chilli mixture
Heat oil in frying pan
Fry fish on medium heat till all sides are well browned
Its ready to be served