Air Fryer Recipe - Lemongrass Chicken Wings

I love air frying my chicken wings because the skin always turned out crispy and the meat tender and juicy. I don't know how the hot air circulating in the machine did this but this beats deep frying chicken wings anytime, in my own opinion that is. 

Drawing inspiration from some nice Thai food I had a week ago, I decided to experiment using some common ingredients found in Thai cuisine - lemongrass and fish sauce. I was pleasantly surprised by the results given the little ingredients this dish requires! The hubs loved it so much that he requested that I marinate a kilogram of these in the fridge so that he can air fry it himself whenever he wants. 

Serves 2, or 3 

Ingredients:

6                       chicken wings 

3 stalks             lemon grass

3 cloves            garlic

2 tablespoon     fish sauce

1 tablespoon     honey 

                         ground white pepper 

Method: 

- Remove the outer skin of the lemongrass. Bruise it using the back of a knife or a pestle. Chop the lemongrass and garlic roughly. 

- Place all ingredients together in a ziplock bag and marinate overnight. 

- Take the chicken wings out from the bag, removing any excess aromatics that may be stuck on it. 

- Air fry for 15 - 20 minutes at 160 degree celsius, turning the wings once half way. 

- Serve with some Thai chilli sauce, if preferred. 

Cincalok Omelette

 

My brother has recently returned from a short getaway to Malacca, Malaysia with a bottle of cincalok - fermented small shrimp. Usually served as a condiment, the pungent salty pink little shrimps can also be fried with dishes. One of the easiest way to showcase that unique gorgeous flavour, is to fry it with an omelette. Absolutely delicious, if you ask me.

Ingredients:

2                              eggs
1/2                           white onion or 4 shallots, sliced
1                              red chilli or 2 small chilli padi (if you like it spicier), sliced
1 tablespoon            cincalok or more if you prefer
2 tablespoons          cooking oil

Method:

Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add in the sliced onion and chilli and fry until it is fragrant.

Beat the eggs with the cincalok and add into the frying pan.

Fry each side of the omelette on high heat for about 30 seconds and serve.

Shrimp Paste Chicken (Har Cheong Gai)

Shrimp Paste Chicken is one of the most popular dishes ordered in Tze Char stalls or Cantonese restaurants. I was invited for a potluck session recently and couldn't think of a better food to bring than a box of crispy fried chicken.  I've made 25 of them in total but only managed to bring 20 over (my sister couldn't keep her hands off them!). The trick to achieving that awesome crispiness is to fry the wings a second time on a super high heat before serving.

Ingredients:

20                           chicken mid wings
1 tablespoon           fermented red bean curd sauce (nan ru)
2 tablespoons         shrimp paste
1/2 tablespoon        sugar
2 tablespoons         Chinese wine
1 tablespoon           oyster sauce
1 tablespoon           ginger juice
3                             shallots, sliced
1/2 teaspoon           ground white pepper
                               corn flour or tapioca flour
                               Oil for frying

Method:

Mix all the ingredients ogether except for the flour. Set aside in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the oil to a frying temperature. I will usually test the oil with a wooden chopstick. If bubbles are formed on the chopstick when you dip it in, the oil is ready to be used. Switch to medium heat.

Coat the marinated wings with corn or tapioca flour, pat off the excess and fry till light golden brown. Remove and set aside. Reheat the oil on high heat for another 1 to 2 minutes. Re fry the chicken wings on high heat for another minute or so to achieve that ultra cripsy texture.

Wasabi Mayo Prawn

 

Did I not mention that I have about 10kg of prawns in the refrigerator? After our yearly BBQ steamboat affair on New Year's Eve and the cereal prawn, I'm still left with more than a dozen numbers of giant-sized red legged prawns. And so, after several requests from my brother, I finally whipped up his favourite dish - Wasabi Mayo Prawns. I was taught the recipe by my Chinese chef back in the hotel years ago and I am pretty glad that my memory still serves me well.

 

Ingredients:

 

8                              large sized prawn, shelled and deveined

3 tablespoons          cornflour

1 tablespoon            wasabi

1 tablespoon            sweetened condensed milk

3 tablespoons          Japanese mayonnaise

1 tablespoon            lemon juice

 

Method:

 

Dry the cleaned prawns with a paper towel. Coat the prawns with cornflour and deep fry until cooked. Set aside.

 

Mix the remaining ingredients together and toss with the fried prawns.

 

 

 



Cereal Prawn

 





Prawns are one of the many auspicious food that are served during the Lunar New Year. Its Cantonese pronounciation - Har, sounds like laughter and it symbolises a year of happiness and joy ahead.

 

I believe that my dearest Mum would like the family to experience more happiness during the year of the snake. That's probably the reason why she bought a good 10kg worth of prawns back from the fishing port. There are only five of us at home by the way. Needless to say, I was given the task to create some different prawn dishes over the next few days. Here's one.

 

Serves 5

Ingredients:

 

10 large                   prawns, washed and trimmed slightly

2 stalk                     curry leaves, plucked from the stem and washed

4                              chill padi, sliced thinly (reduced to 2 stalks if you can't take too spicy)

2 tablespoons          butter

2 packets                 instant cereal with milk powder and sugar

                                ground white pepper

                                salt

 

Method:

Deep fry the prawn with the shell intact, till 80% cooked. Set aside.

 

Heat butter in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add in the curry leaves and chopped chilli padi. Fry till fragrant.

 

Add in the instant cereal, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

 

Add in the fried prawns and stir fry for another minute.

Serve immediately.

 

 

 

Mum's Famed Ngoh Hiang

Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone! The Chinese Lunar New Year is the only time of the year where my fridge will be overstocked with so much food that it could probably last us for an entire month. No, I am not kidding. This is especially so with my Mother who will always insist on having an abundance of food at home, signifying abundance for the year ahead.

Today's recipe is a well-kept recipe that has been passed down from my maternal grandmother. Friends and relatives who have tried this have swore that this may just be the best Ngoh Hiang they have ever tasted. It is supposed to be a family recipe but then again, good things are meant to be shared. Especially when it comes to such good food.

Makes about 5 to 8 pieces depending on the size of the beancurd skin
Ingredients:

400g                   minced pork (choose those contains more fat)
10                       medium shrimp, flatten into a paste using the back of a knife
3 stalks               spring onion, chopped
5                         water chestnut, skinned and chopped
1/2                      large yellow onion, minced
2 cloves              garlic, minced
1 piece                small salted fish (2 inches long), fried and crushed into a powder form
3 tablespoons     fish paste
3 tablespoons     cornflour
1/2 teaspoon       salt
dash                    ground white pepper
1 tablespoon       light soy sauce
1 packet              dried beancurd skin, cut into 10cm long

Method:

Mix all the ingredients except the beancurd skin together by hand. Form the mixture into a ball and hold it up with your hand. Toss it back into the bowl. Repeat for another 3 to 4 times.

Lay the beancurd skin onto a dry surface. Spoon the prepare mixture onto the beancurd skin and wrap gently, using the same technique likewise to wrapping a maki roll.

Steam the prepared ngoh hiang for 8 minutes and leave aside to cool.

The ngoh hiang can now be kept in the freezer for future consumption. Deep fry and slice before serving.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi Fried Rice just sounds like the ideal way of getting rid of the two big boxes of kimchi that have been sitting in the refrigerator for the past couple of months. Just in case you wonder, these were handmade by yours truly during my trip to Korea back in September. I've read somewhere online that sour kimchi made for a better fried rice but sour or not, this still tasted pretty neat I must say.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups                       cooked rice, overnight and left in the refrigerator covered
1/2 cup                      kimchi, chopped
1/2                            onion, chopped
2 cloves                     garlic, minced
2 tablespoons            cooking oil
2                               fresh eggs
1 teaspoon                light soy sauce
2 stalk                       green onion, chopped
pinch                         sea salt

Method:

Heat the wok on medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Saute the onions with a pinch of salt till it turns translucent.

Add in the minced garlic and fry till fragrant.

Stir in the chopped kimchi and fry for about 3 minutes.

Add in the rice and 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce. Break the rice using the back of your spatula and fry on high heat for about 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and mix in the chopped green onions.

Serve with a sunny side up per person, mixing the runny yolk into the rice while eating.

Happy Call Pan Recipe - Pan-Fried Fish with Soy Sauce

I give in to desire and temptation easily, and today's dish was no exception. While strolling down the aisle at the supermarket today, I had a sudden craving for a simple pan fried fish. Needless to say, I turned my shopping trolley around and headed towards some fresh fish marketing. I wanted to buy a red snapper initially but today's threadfin fillet was just too fresh to resist. Be it a whole fish that you prefer or a simple fish fillet, this recipe works wonders for either. The fish can be fried in a normal frying pan but I'm using the happy call pan today just so that I'll have that little lesser mess to clear up thereafter.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

1                            fish fillet or medium sized whole fish
2 tablespoon         cooking oil
1 stalk                   chilli, seeded and thinly shred
2 stalks                  spring onion, thinly shred
5 slices                  old ginger, thinly shred

Sauce mixure:     
2 tablespoons      light soy sauce
1 tablespoon       dark soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon    sugar
dash                    sesame oil
1 tablespoon       chinese wine
4 tablespoons     water

Method:

Heat the frying pan or happy call pan. Add in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and the fish.

If using happy call pan, close the cover but do not lock it. Fry it for 3 minutes each side or until crispy. Lock the pan only when turning the fish. Always unlock the pan as the steam created in it will prevent the fish from being crispy.

Remove the fried fish onto a clean plate, leaving the oil behind in the pan.

Add in the shredded ginger and fry till golden brown. Add in the sliced chilli and fry for another 30 seconds before pouring in the sauce mixture. Bring to boil and reduce slightly.

Pour the sauce over the prepared fish and top with the spring onion.

红糟肉

After tasting these unforgettable treats in Taiwan last year, I have been dying to try them in my own kitchen. I googled a little, watched a few Taiwanese cooking programs and tweaked the recipes accordingly, based on instinct. LOL. It was surprisingly good although you may prefer to slice the pork before marinating if you prefer stronger flavours.

Ingredients:

2 pieces               pork belly or pork fillet
2 tablespoons      red wine dregs
1 tablespoon        rice wine
1 tablespoon        minced ginger
1 clove                garlic, minced
2 tablespoons      corn or tapioca flour
1 cup                  cooking oil

Method:

Marinate the pork (sliced or unsliced) with all the seasonings and refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Heat the wok with the oil. Before frying, coat the pork with corn or tapioca flour, shaking off the excess.

Depending on the size of the pork, fry them in the hot oil until it turns light brown in colour. Drain them on kitchen towel and serve.

Fried Pomfret with Ginger

While clearing out the fridge of my CNY leftovers, I found a lot of fresh ingredients lying at the back of the freezer compartment. Mum obviously bought all these for her dear daughter to feed herself while she is away. Among the galore of fresh food, I found a nice firm white pomfret. Ideally, I should be steaming this but since it has been in the freezer for a good two weeks, I ain't taking any chances. Frying can sometimes, in this instance, be doing the fish more justice.

Ingredients:

1                              medium sized pomfret, clean and gutted
1 whole                    old ginger, sliced into thin shreds
1 teaspoon               salt
2 tablespoons           light soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon         white sugar
1/4 cup                    water
2 cups                     cooking oil


Method:

Heat a frying pan or wok with 2 cups of cooking oil. Dry the fish with a kitchen towel and rub salt over it.

When the oil is hot, place in the fish carefully and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. When cooked, remove the fish and place it on a serving plate.

With the same oil, add in the shredded ginger and fry on low heat till they are dry and golden brown in colour. Remove the ginger and set aside for later use.

Remove the oil in the wok, leaving 1 tablespoon behind. On low heat, add in 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of white sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to boil and pour over the fried fish on the serving plate. Garnish with the fried ginger and serve.