THERMAL COOKER BRAISED SOY SAUCE CHICKEN WITH EGGS

If you don’t eat pork but love the flavours of Braised Soy Sauce Pork [Tau Eu Bak], then this may be an alternative recipe for you.  For this recipe, chicken whole legs are used but the sauce is not that thick and dark looking type like the Nyonya Tau Eu Bak. It is the watery type but you can make it thick by reducing the water and seasoning ingredients.
After 9 days of strict vegetarian diet, this dish serve  on the dinner table is most welcome by family members.

For this dish, I used my Thermal Cooker to prepare it – saves time over the stove and energy.  If using normal pot, do increase the water by about ¼ - ½  cup.  The eggs are braised with the shells on to get a marbled effect [I didn’t manage to get a nice marbled effect], you can shell it before braising, too.

I served this aromatic braised soy sauce chicken and eggs with pickled preserved salted vegetable [kiam chye], sliced cucumber and sambal belacan.  An easy and simple meal for dinner. 

Recipe inspired and adapted from Amy Beh’s recipe [Braised Soy Sauce Chicken With Marbled Eggs] – slightly modified

Ingredients

[serves 2-3]

2 large chicken whole legs – skin removed and cut bit size pieces

3 hard boiled eggs [see pictures below on how I cook the hard boiled eggs] – lightly tapped but do not peel

6 dried mushrooms – soaked and stems removed

Seasoning A

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tbsp light soy sauce

Dash of chicken granules or msg

Seasoning B

2 star anise

4 cloves

a  3 cm piece cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

a  4 cm piece old ginger – lightly smashed or sliced

4 stalks spring onions – use only the end portion

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

2-3 tbsp light soy sauce

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

1 ½ cups water

1. Season chicken with A for at least an hour.
2. Caramelise brown sugar with sesame oil in the inner pot, then add in B ingredients together with water. Bring to boil and simmer over low heat until fragrant.
3. Add in the chicken, mushrooms and eggs into the stock, ensuring all ingredients are submerged.  Bring to boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Transfer to outer pot, close the lid and leave to cook for about 1 hour or long until serving time.
5. Remove the eggs from stock, shell and serve with the rest of the ingredients with rice.  Reheat before serving if preferred.
   
   
   
   
   Notes:The eggs are boiled together with an timer/indicator [this is a gift from a Japanese friend].  When the portion with the word 'soft' turns white, this means the egg is soft boiled.  See how easy it is?

When you see pink, the eggs are not even soft boiled.

When all turned white, this means the eggs are hard-boiled