|
Because Australia is very cosmopolitan and so close to South-East Asia we are able to travel up there quite often. We often bring back ideas and use them in our family kitchen.
Poultry is so versatile and really takes to South-East Asian flavourings. Wings, thighs and drumsticks are generally slashed so deeply so the flavourings and heat can penetrate the flesh more easily. As breast meat tends to be dry, be careful not to overcook it when stir-frying. The meat should be just opaque and feel bouncy when prodded with a fingertip, and make sure any juices that run are clear rather than pink.
The recipes here for whole chickens usually call for a small bird about 1.25 kgs, more suited to light fowl and larger bantams.
Cutting Up a Chicken Asian Style
Usually in Western cooking a chicken is cut up into 2 breast fillets, the wings and the two legs to produce 6 pieces in all, or the legs are divided into thighs or drumsticks to give 8 pieces.
To get 10 or 12 pieces simply divide each breast fillet into 2 or 3 pieces.
For 14 or 16, chop the thighs and drumsticks into 2 pieces each and then divide the breast inmto 2 or three pieces.
For 18 to 20, divide each of the wings into 2 and cut th4 breast into 3 or 4 pieces.
Big sturdy kitchen scissors or poultry shears are best for the job, or just a good sharp heavy knife.
Remember to keep the carcass and all the trimmings for stock.
Use a Wok, Get some Asian Spices and Sauces from your local Asian or general supermarket, and it's so easy. If I can cook up gourmet Asian meals, anyone can! Chicken and Coconut Soup (Kai Tom Ka) 150 grams skinless chicken breast
1 stalk of lemon grass
2.5 cm piece of galangal (similar to a very strong ginger)
4 lime leaves
600 ml of chicken stock
1 level teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar
juice of 1 whole lime
10 sprigs of basil
60 grams of button (champignon) mushrooms
125 mls coconut milk
1 small chillie, thinly sliced, for garnish
Preparation:
Slice the chicken breast thinly across the grain.
Slice the mushrooms.
Bash the lemon grass and galangal until flattened.
Remove the hard central parts of the lime leaves. then layer the leaves on top of one another, roll them and slice the roll across to shred the leaves as finely as you can.
COOKING:
In a large pan, bring the stock to the boil. Add salt, lemon grass, galangal, sugar, lime juice, chicken, mushrooms, lime leaves and most of the basil.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Just before serving, remove lemon grass and galangal and stir in the coconut milk.
Serve garnished with chillie and remaining basil.
Bar-B-Q Chicken with Coriander Root
4 medium skinless chicken breasts
small bunch of coriander, with stalks and roots
4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, chopped
teaspoon salt
Preparation: Clean the chicken and trim off any excess fat.
Wash the coriander, including the roots (rinse these well, with lots of water), and the stalks.
Pure the coriander leaves, roots and stalks, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Add the fish sauce, sugar, black pepper, garlic and salt.
Put the chicken in a large bowl and add the blended flavourings.
Toss well to coat and leave for 2 hours or more to marinate.
COOKING:
Cook the chicken under a pre-heated hot grill over better over a hot Bar-B-Q.
Slice the cooked chicken with a sharp knife or scissors and serve garnished with the reserved leaves. Serve with stir fried veges and boiled rice Chicken Hot-and-Sour Chillie 500 grams boneless chicken meat
2 teaspoons cornflour
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Palm Sugar (if not raw sugar)
2 tablesppons sesame oil
2 tablespoons of black rice vinegar (if not 1 tablespoon of a dark vinegar and 1 tablespoon of dry sherry)
2.5 cm piece of ginger, peeled
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
30 grams dried red chillies
2 tablespoons oil
2 heads of Star Anise (if not 1 teaspoon star anise powder)
Preparation
Cut the chicken into small cubes.
In a bowl, mix the cornflour, soy sauce, palm sugar, sesame oil and vinegar. Toss the chicken in this mixture and season it.
Chop the garlic.
Chop the red chillies and remove the seeds.
COOKING:
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan or WOK and fry the chillies, crushed peppercorns, star anise and garlic until aromatic.
Remove it from the pan and set aside.
Add the seasoned chicken to the pan and stir-fry for 10 minutes.
Return the fried spices to the pan and stir-fry for 5 minutes more.
Serve with boiled rice, and a fresh salad.
Chicken with Bantam Eggs 2 skinless chicken breasts
12 small bantam eggs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons cornflour
1 potato
1 carrot
1 lettuce
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons of rice wine or dry sherry
2 spring onions,chopped,for garnish
2 sprigs of coriander,for garnish
Preparation:
Dice the chicken breasts.
Hard-boil the bantam eggs (about 2 minutes), allow to cool and shell.
In a bowl, mix the soy sauce and cornflour. Toss the chicken in this mixture to season.
Dice the potato. Cut the carrot into matchstick strips. Shred the lettuce finely.
COOKING:
Heat the oil in a WOK or frying pan and fry the garlic, chicken and potato for 15 minutes.
Add the bantam eggs, 5 tablespoons of water and the rice wine.
Stir well.
Meantime, arrange the lettuce and carrot around the edge of a large platter so that the centre is empty.
Pour the contents of your WOK or pan into the centre of the platter (keeping the bantam eggs back to scatter over the top) ans serve, garnished with spring onions and coriander.
Chicken with Ginger and Oyster Sauce Without question, my wife's favourite dish that we serve in our kitchen.
400 grams skinless chicken breast
7.5 cm of ginger, peeled
2 tablespoons oil
1 teasponns cornflour
125 ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 handfuls of your favourite fresh greens, such as broccoli, broccolini, zuchhini, beans, snow peas, capsicum, red onion and carrots 
Preparation:
Cut the chicken across the grain into slices about 1 cm thick.
Slice the ginger into matchstick stips.
Slice the greens and carrots into thin strips.
COOKING:
Heat the oil in the WOK or frying pan and stir-fry the ginger until aromatic.
Add the chicken and stir-fry for about 10 minutes.
Add the cornflour and keep on stirring for about another minute or two.
Stir in the chicken stock and the oyster sauce.
Stir in the greens and stir for a further 2 minutes. we still want the greens crisp.
Lastly stir in the wine over a high heat for one minute and serve with boiled rice or fresh cooked pasta.
Spicy Chicken with Basil Leaves
300 grams skinless chicken breast
20-30 basil leaves
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 garlic clove
1 small red onion
2 red chillies
1 stalk of lemon grass ( if not, prepared lemon grass in a jar)
2 tablespoons oil
125 mls coconut milk
teaspoon black pepper
Preparation:
Slice the chicken thinly across the grain.
Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry with paper towels.
In a large bowl, mix the cornflour with the fish sauce and toss the chicken in the mixture.
Finely chop the garlic, onions and chillies.
Cut of the end stalk of the lemon grass, peel off the hard outer layers and finely chop the soft interior. Reserve this and the whole top end of the stalk.
COOKING:
Heat the oil in a WOK or frying pan and add the garlic, onion and chillies. Stir-fry for a minute until aromatic.
Add the chicken and continue to stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
Add the coconut milk, basil leaves, black pepper and chopped and whole lemon grass. Bring to the boil briefly and serve with boiled rice.
Steamed Chicken in Red Wine 1 small chicken, about 1.25 kg
2 teaspoons salt
5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and cut into matchstick shreds
1 cup of red wine
2 spring onions, chopped, for garnish
2 sprigs of coriander, chopped, for garnish 
Preparation:
Clean the chicken and remove the skin and any excess fat.
Rub 1 teaspoon of salt all over the chicken and then rinse off.
Cut the chicken into 10-14 pieces. Cut deep slits on all the pieces to let the heat and flavour into the flesh.
Sprinkle the reamining salt and ginger ovewr the chicken pieces.
COOKING:
Steam the chicken in a bamboo steamer over a high heat for 20 minutes.
Add the red wine and steam for a further 5 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the steamer, transfer to a plate and garnish with spring onions and coriander.
Serve very hot
Bon Apetit
Most of these dishes go down very well with a glass of good local Australian dry white wine.
|
