Kimchi Chigae (Kimchi Stew)

Anyeonghasayo! All thanks to my recent obsession with the Korean culture, I found my kitchen fully stocked with a good variety of Korean ingredients. Packed with piquent, tangy flavours, this appetite-whetting kimchi stew is ideal for one of those cold rainy days or whenever the lazy side gets the better of you. Goes superbly with a bowl of steamed rice.

Ingredients:

100g                        pork belly, thinly sliced (I used the sukiyaki type)

1 packet                   silken tofu, cut into small pieces

1/2 medium              yellow onion, sliced

1 stalk                      scallion, cut into 1-inch long

1 cup                        chopped kimchi

1/2 tablespoon          gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

1/2 tablespoon          sugar

3 cups                       water

1 teaspoon                sesame oil

Method:

Place all ingredients except the tofu and sesame oil in a pot. Bring to boil for 10 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for another 20 minutes, adding the tofu during the last 5 minutes. Drizzle the sesame oil over and serve.

Nigella's Praised Chicken

I can never get enough of Nigella Lawson, and I meant her recipes. Inspired by her TV series on TLC with easy, fuss-free recipes, I tried cooking her mother's Praised chicken. It was as the name states, truly praised. The chicken was so moist and tender, that I finished half a chicken including the breast which I usually won't. It was certainly another hit with Nigella. Thank you!

Ingredients:

1                                chicken, with feet and neck removed
1 medium                   carrot, cut into batonettes
1 stick                        celery, sliced
1 medium                    leek, sliced
1 bunch                       flat-leaf parsley, tied with a string
1 cup                          white wine
1 teaspoon                  dried italian seasoning or any dried herbs that you have on hand
1 teaspoon                  sea salt
1 teaspoon                  freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons             garlic oil (you can fry some garlic in the oil too but be sure to remove them)

Method:

Place the chicken on the chopping board, breast side up. Press down hard on the breast until you hear a crack sound.

Heat a stock pot or dutch iron pot with 2 tablespoons of garlic oil and place in the chicken breast side down, while you prepare the vegetables.

After 5 minutes, turn the chicken oven with the breast side up. Pour in 1 cup of white wine and let it sizzle for about a minute. Toss in the prepared carrot, celery, leek and parsley.

Pour in about a litre of water until it almost covers the chicken. Add in 1 teaspoon of dried herbs and season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer covered, for 90 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice or on its own, with a good hot English mustard and sprinkling of chopped parsley leaves.

Chicken Feet and Peanut Soup

Contrary to the popular belief that good, tasty Chinese soups will usually require a lot of ingredients. This simple chicken feet and peanut soup is here to prove that wrong. What is required though, is plenty of time in order to extract that sweetness from the ingredients. According to your preference, black beans can be added to this soup for extra flavour as well. I've been told by my Mum since young that food must always look decent so I've removed the claws from the chicken feet like the way I will ,with EACH and EVERY tail end of bean sprouts.

Ingredients:

10                  chicken feet, claws removed
3/4 cup           ground nuts, washed
1 medium       dried octopus or cuttlefish
1 teaspoon     salt

Method:

Blanch the chicken feet in boiling water for a minute to remove impurities. Strain and set aside.

Bring a pot of water  (approx. 1.5 to 2 litres) to boil. When the water is boiling, add in the blanched chicken, washed ground nuts and dried octopus.

Lower heat and simmer covered for at least 2 to 3 hours. Season with a teaspoon of salt prior to serving.

Taiwan Braised Pork Rice 台式卤肉饭

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when in Taiwan, do remember to eat their fatty, cholesterol-packed but super delicious Braised Pork Rice. I had such a craving for it that I couldn't wait till my next trip to that land of fantabulous food. Some recipes I found include ingredients such as Chinese mushroom or dried shrimp but mine is just a basic, simple recipe that serves me pretty well.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

2 pieces                    pork belly, blanched and cut into small cubes
2 medium                  red onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves                    garlic, minced
1 thumbsized             ginger, minced
2                              eggs, boiled and peeled
2 tablespoons           rice wine
2 tablespoons           dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon             light soya sauce
1 tablespoon             rock sugar
1/2 teaspoon            ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon            five-spiced powder
2 tablespoons           cooking oil
2 cups                      water


Method:

Fry the sliced onion in cooking oil in a saucepan till they are golden brown. Strain the onion and set aside, keeping the oil in the pan.

Reheat the saucepan with oil and add in the minced garlic and ginger. Fry till fragrant.

Add in pork belly which has been blanched in boiling water and cubed. Fry until the pork is thoroughly cooked and its oil released.

Add in 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Fry for a minute and add in the rice wine. Stir in the ground white pepper, five-spiced powder and rock sugar. Mix well and add in 2 cups or more water, ensuring that the water is 2cm above the meat. Bring to boil.

Lower the heat, add in the pre-fried onions, boiled eggs and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

Serve with steamed rice and poached green vegetables.

Stir-Fried Asparagus and Scallop in XO Sauce

We had some gigantic hokkiado scallops at home and Mum suggested frying them with a newly bought bottle of XO sauce, and so I obliged. The trick to this tasty easy stir-fry is to make sure you fry with a wok using super high heat. The high heat seals in the flavour somehow and ensure you get crunchy delicious vegetables.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

1 clove              garlic, minced
3 slices              old ginger
10                     fresh scallops
1 packet           asparagus, cut into 3-inch long
1 packet           baby corn, cut into halves
1 small              carrot, sliced
1 teaspoon        sesame oil
1 teaspoon        cornflour
1 tablespoon     cooking oil
2 tablespoons   XO sauce
2 tablespoons   water
                        salt and white pepper to season

Method:

Marinate the scallops with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, salt, white pepper and 1 teaspoon of cornflour for 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

Heat a wok with high heat and add in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add in the minced garlic, sliced ginger and fry till fragrant.

Add in 2 tablespoons of XO sauce, the prepared vegetables, 2 tablespoons of water and fry for a minute. Add in the scallops and fry on high heat for another 3 minutes or until the scallops are 80% cooked. Serve hot.