To Cook
Bring 5L water to the simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat, plunge in chicken, cook for 10-20 seconds, then rinse under cold running water (discard water).
Transfer chicken to a clean saucepan and add Shaoxing wine, ginger, ½ tsp sea salt and top up with enough cold water to cover generously.
Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to low-medium and gently simmer until chicken is cooked through for 1-1¼ hours.
Remove from heat and let chicken cool completely in liquid for about 3-4 hours.
Coarsely shred meat (discard skin, bones and sinew) and transfer to a bowl.
While the chicken is cooling, make the dressing. Combine ginger, garlic and 120ml hot water in a bowl and stand to infuse (20 min).
Pass through a fine sieve (discard solids) into a clean bowl, add remaining ingredients and set aside.
Blanch bean sprouts in a saucepan of simmering water until just wilted for about 5 secs.
Refresh in iced water, drain well and place over a serving platter.
Top the chicken, drizzle the dressing, garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds and serve at room temperature.
Vegetables
Meat-Free Sushi in a Jar
To Prep
Add sushi rice seasoning to rice and mix well.
Gather all the ingredients and prepare clean jars. Depending on the size of the jars, this recipe makes about 2-3 meals.
Start by adding 3-4 tbsp rice to the bottom of the jar, then layer on the omelette, edamame, carrot, red cabbage, cucumber, and top with seaweed salad. Repeat with another clean jar, or until all ingredients are used.
Seal and refrigerate up to 3 days. Drizzle 2-3 tbsp teriyaki sauce before digging in.
Instant Noodles in a Jar
To Cook
Prepare noodles according to instructions on package, then set aside to cool.
Add soy sauce, miso, red curry paste, chicken bouillon and ginger to the bottom of the jar. Stir to mix well.
Then, layer with carrot, broccoli, enoki mushrooms, edamame, noodles, shiitake mushroom, and garnish with coriander and spring onions.
Seal the jar and refrigerate up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat, fill jar with boiling hot water and set aside to warm up for 30 secs. Then, squeeze lime over and enjoy!
Suki Dry Noodles (Suki Haeng)
To Cook
In a frying pan, heat sesame oil over medium heat and add the meat. Pan-fry until done.
Move the meat to a side and add the egg onto the empty side, scramble until done. Move the egg to the meat section.
Add in the bean thread noodles and ¼ cup water to cook. Add more water until noodles are soft and pliable.
Add suki sauce to the noodles and mix until even. Stir-fry the noodles with the meat and egg. Move to side.
Add mushrooms to the empty side and add 1-2 tbsp water at a time until almost cooked. Add bok choy and Chinese cabbage, cook until just wilted.
Toss everything together and serve with suki sauce for additional flavour.
Kerabu Kacang Kelisa
To Cook
Cut winged beans into ½ cm.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the anchovies, shallots and chilies for 3 mins.
In the mortar, pound the fried ingredients, and then add some salt and the shredded coconut.
Transfer them to a bowl and mix with winged beans and beansprout. Ready to serve with rice.
Kung Pao Lotus Root
To Cook
Heat up oil in wok or pan and fry peanuts until crispy.
Fry the lotus root slices for 2-3 minutes until soft and slightly browned on the edges. Transfer out and keep the oi in wok.
Heat oil in wok and stir-fry garlic, ginger, dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorn and half of the spring onions over medium heat until aromatic.
Place cooked lotus root pieces in and add in stir-fry sauce. Mix well.
Simmer for 1 or 2 minutes over low heat and add water starch and continue to cook until the sauce is well thickened.
Add toasted peanuts and give a big stir-fry to mix everything well.
Garnish chopped springs onions and serve hot with steamed rice.
Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga Bap Cai)
To Cook
Rub the chicken with salt and smashed ginger to remove the strong smell, then clean the chicken inside out with water.
To cook the chicken, bring water to a boil and add chicken. And add 1 tsp salt and half a peeled onion for about 15 – 20 mins until it’s cooked through.
Cut the onion into thin slices and soak into cold water. Cut the cabbage in quarters, then cut off the core at the 45 degree angle to create a base, to keep the cabbage piece stable when we shred it into strips.
When the chicken is cooked through, take it out and let it cool completely before shredding the chicken into pieces.
To make the salad dressing, in a bowl, mix together 2 tbsp sugar with 3 tbsp fish sauce. Also squeeze in 1-2 tbsp lime juice. Give it a good stir and then add minced garlic and chili.
To assemble the salad, combine 1 cup shredded chicken with 3 tbsp dressings, some cracked pepper and lime leaves. Mix well and add 1 cup of shredded carrots, 1 cup of sliced onion and 2 cups of shredded cabbage. Add more dressing. Give it a good toss.
Add 1 cup of the chopped Vietnamese mint at the last step. Transfer it to a serving plate, top with some fried shallots, cracked pepper and some chillies.
Japanese Beef Hot Pot (Shabu Shabu)
To Prep
Fill a clay pot or large pot two-thirds full with water. Add kombu in the water and let it soak for at least 30 mins.
Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Clean and cut vegetables.
Arrange all the ingredients on a serving plate. Set a portable gas burner and place ingredient plate on a table. Give each guest a bowl of rice, an empty bowl for cooked food, and a sauce dish for the shabu shabu dipping sauce.
To Cook
Bring the broth with the soaked kombu to a boil. Add stem part of napa cabbage and shungiku, leek, carrots, some mushrooms, and tofu. You want to start with the ingredients that take the longest to cook.
Now bring the pot of boiling broth to the table. Each person cooks their beef by dipping a slice of beef in the boiling broth with chopsticks. Swish it gently back and forth until the meat changes colour, about 10 secs will do.
Enjoy the meat by dipping in the sauce.
Add remaining ingredients as necessary in the boiling broth and simmer for a few minutes.
End the meal with udon noodle. When most or all of the ingredients are taken out from the broth, add udon noodles in the pot and cook for a few minutes. Flavour udon with just bit of salt and white pepper.
Stir-fry Lotus Root with Mixed Vegetables (Chap Chai)
To Cook
Heat up wok, add oil and stir fry garlic until fragrant.
Add in lotus root and carrots and stir-fry for 2-3 min.
Stir in black fungus and sugar snap peas and fry for another 1-2 mins.
Stir in soy sauce, chicken stock and Shaoxing wine. Add in scallops and stir-fry for a further 2 mins. Do not overcook the scallops as they cook very fast.
Dish out and serve with steamed rice.
Green Papaya Salad with Dried Shrimp (Som Tum)
To Prep
Place the garlic and chilli in a mortar and use the pestle to crush.
Add the shrimp and long beans and pound a few times to bruise the beans.
Add the peanuts and pound a few more times.
Add the palm sugar and lightly grind until it has dissolved, then add the lime juice and fish sauce.
Add the cherry tomatoes and pound lightly.
Add the papaya and pound lightly, then mix well with a spoon.
Dish out and serve.
Simmered Chicken and Vegetables (Chikuzenni)
To Cook
Mix and marinate chicken with spices.
Cut carrots and lotus root and marinate in 2 cups water with ½ tsp vinegar for 10 mins.
Prepare taro and wash with cold water. Remove the stringy edge from the snow peas. Boil them for a few mins.
Pull the burdock root’s skin with the back of knife and slice finely. Then, make an incision in the center of the konnyaku and turn inside out.
In a pot, sauté chicken for 2 mins. Then, add carrot, taro, lotus root, shiitake, burdock root, and the combination of mixed spices for chikuzenni. Boil for 40 mins.
Garnish with snow peas and serve.
Sweetened Black Beans (Kuromame)
To Cook
Rinse kuromame, then drain and set aside.
In a large pot, add water, soy sauce, salt and sugar and bring to boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat and add kuromame to the pot. Make sure the beans well immersed in the liquid and that they are added to hot liquid so that the beans will not wrinkle while cooking later on.
Cover the pot and leave to soak overnight.
Next day, bring the pot to boil, then reduce to low heat. White bubbles will appear on the surface. Skim the scum as the beans start cooking. This will help to remove any bitterness.
Add a round piece of parchment paper to the pot to ensure the beans are submerged. Continue to simmer the beans on low heat for 5-6 hours, or until beans are tender. If liquid level is low, add some water.
Strain the beans and remove from heat. Continue to boil the syrup until it thickens to a glossy texture and black colour. Pour syrup over beans and refrigerate overnight before serving.