ROASTED BEAN PASTE CHICKEN THIGHS

I have been rather lazy for the past months, just preparing simple dishes for the family.  The simpler, the better and luckily there were no complaints from the house master.  They finished up all the dishes laid on the dinner table.  

Today, I was in the mood to make something better.  While browsing through this month's selected cookbook Yum Yum Magazine No. 82, I found this recipe.  Looks easy and good to try.  It has been also awhile I didn't make any meat dishes by roasting. 

This roasted chicken whole legs are yummy, yummy.  It's tasty, not too savoury but aromatic.  The peanut butter and preserved soy bean paste do blend well.  Tastes rather unique.  I believe this marinade would be lovely for other types of meat. 

Recipe adapted from Yum Yum Magazine No. 82 with modifications

Ingredients

3 chicken whole legs with skin but fats removed

Marinade [blend together into a paste]

5 shallots

1 red chilli

2 small chilli

2 cloves garlic

2  tbsp preserved soy bean paste [taucheong]

2 tbsp peanut butter

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1. Marinate chicken thighs with marinade for at least an hour or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees C.
3. Place marinated chicken whole legs on a baking tray, then bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or well cooked.
4. Remove and serve immediately.
   
   
   
   

I am sharing this post with Cookbook Countdown Event #18 hosted by Joyce and Emily of Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking [Makan2] Foray respectively

STEWED ROASTED PORK RIBS

In Penang,  Chinese New Year to the Hokkiens of Taoist faith is incomplete without the ‘Pai Thni Kong’ [Jade Emperor God’s Birthday prayers].     At my paternal home, it has been 5  years, we did not celebrate this occasion because of the passing of my father [2011] and youngest brother [2013].   According to traditional, the family does not observe this practice for 3 years when someone in the family passed away.

It is only this year, the family celebrated this occasion in a rather elaborate way complete with almost all the necessary items as offerings to the God of Heaven.  One of the items was one whole roasted pig.  After prayers,  it was chopped up into pieces and distributed to relatives, friends and neighbours.  I asked my mum for the rib part [pai kut] which I like very much to make a stew or the popular Chai Boey.

This is the roasted ribs which I prepared.  It is aromatic and tasty, so good to go with rice or porridge. I can just say the flavor is something like canned stewed meat.

Ingredients

900 gm roasted pork ribs or trotter – cut into chunky pieces

500 ml water

5 cm piece cinnamon, 2 star anise, 2 cloves,2 bay leaves

1 big garlic – with skin

Seasoning

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp each wine and oyster sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce

30 gm rock sugar

½ tsp each of pepper and salt to taste

1. Place all the ingredients in a heavy based pot.  Bring to boil for 5-10 minutes.
2. Lower heat and continue to simmer for about 45 minutes or until meat is tender and sauce reduced to thick or consistency preferred.
3. Dish up to serve.  You can thicken the sauce lightly with some cornstarch water before serving.
   
   
   
   
   
   

JAPANESE STYLE BAKED SESAME CHICKEN

When was the last time I prepared roast chicken?  Can't remember but should be quite awhile, probably months, since the time my hubby was away from home to care for my mother in-law after her surgery.

Back to this dish,  it is an easy baked chicken with tasty marinade sauce that you can easily concoct.  Tastes savoury, sweet and sourish.  You can increase the marinade portion if you like to have more sauce to go with this baked chicken. Very tasty and appetising flavoured baked chicken.  The chicken meat is tender and juicy.

This was served with boiled potatoes, French beans and carrots.  Simple easy meal for the family, yet awesome.

Ingredients

[serves 3]

3 chicken whole legs - skin intact with fats removed - make a few slits

some toasted black and white sesame seeds

Marinade [combined]

10 pips garlic - grated

2 tbsp wine

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp each of dark brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and sesame seed oil

1. Clean chicken and pat dry, make a few slits.  Marinate with marinade for several hours or overnight in the fridge.
2. Arrange chicken pieces on a baking tray lined with foil.
3. Baked in preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 20 minutes or cooked through, then grill for 10 minutes to brown the chicken.
4. Either sprinkle some sesame seeds before or after baking as garnishing.
5. While the chicken is baking, bring marinade to boil in a saucepan until thick, baste chicken with sauce or serve separately with other ingredients [boiled potatoes, blanched vegetables or fresh tomatoes].
   
   
   
   
   
   

MARMALADE SWEET CHILLI WINGS

This is another lovely roast chicken wings recipe from a long kept food magazine. The ingredients seem to be a long list but in fact they are easily found in any kitchen. Read carefully at it, you would notice that it is just the marinade and the chicken wings, that requires combining and mixing.

The method of cooking can be baking or pan fry. I chose pan fry this time but I would recommend baking, this way I need no extra oil to cook the wings.

These wings are fragrant, very tasty coated with sweet and a little spicy sauce from the chilli sauce and black pepper. It is finger licking good to snack or serve with rice.

Recipe from this month's selected cookbook for Cookbook Countdown #3 - Home Cooking Magazine [January 2001] - modified 

Ingredients
6-8 large chicken wings – cleaned
Marinade Ingredients [Combine]
2 tsp grated ginger
4 cloves garlic – grated
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt to taste
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp each sweet chilli sauce, light soy sauce and white vinegar 

1. Trim chicken off excess fats and sinews. Remove the tip part and cut into 2 pieces or keep the wing whole.
2. Combine marinade in a big bowl and add in chicken. Mix well until wings are well coated with marinade.
3. Cover and refrigerate in the fridge for several hours or overnight.  
4. Drain the chicken pieces and reserve the marinade. Place wings on a roasting rack or oven tray or place them in a deep baking dish.  You can skewered the wings with bamboo sticks, too.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 15 minutes, turn over and continue baking for 15 minutes. Baste with extra marinade in between baking time.  This time I pan fried the wings.
6. Change oven mode to grill and grill chicken for about 10 minutes or until chicken is crisp and cooked through.
7. Serve immediately.
   
   
   

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

BAKED TUMERIC BLACK PEPPER SOFT RIBS

After enjoying the awesome Oven Roasted Black Pepper Chicken and Baked Soft Ribs With Nam Yee, this is another roast meat dish that I tried  using freshly ground black pepper and tumeric powder.  Instead of chicken, I switch to soft pork ribs. 
This is a very meaty part of the pork ribs, not bony at all except for a strip of soft bone.  It is the part of meat just above the bony ribs and pork belly which is not fatty too. There is only 2 pieces of it from the left and right ribs.
The meat is very tasty and tender if well marinated and roasted.  No necessity to use meat tenderiser or cooking soda.

Recipe Source - Cooking Pleasure
Ingredients 

[serves 3]

1 piece meaty soft ribs 
some broccoli and sliced carrots - blanched before serving
Marinade [combined]
1 tbsp tumeric powder
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper [I used 1 1/2 tbsp]
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp wine
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp sugar
some salt or according to taste

1. Wash soft ribs with some salt and cornflour.  Knead well and rinse with running tap water until clean, then make a few slits in the meat [this helps the marinade flavour to the inner meat].
2. Mix together marinade ingredients and spread all over meat piece.  Massage it to coat well.
3. Leave to marinate in the fridge for several hours, best overnight in an airtight container.
4. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C and arrange the soft ribs on a baking tray lined with foil.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes [middle rack].  Meanwhile, bring marinade sauce to boil with some water until thick and aromatic.
6. Turn oven function to grill [top heat] after 25 minutes, pour thick sauce over ribs and continue to bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and serve hot with freshly blanched veggies.
   
   
   
   

I'm submitting this post to the event Little Thumbs Up [March 2015 Event: Honey] organized by Zoe [Bake for Happy Kids] and Doreen [My Little Favourite DIY] and hosted by Joyce [joycescapade.com]