Chicken rice recipe handed down from a Hakka Grandpa

QUOTE :

Granddad was at one time a company cook who whips up huge portions of meals for the employees. When he emigrated to Southeast Asia as an adult, he brought along home cooking skills he learned from the the vibrant southern province of China he was raised.

Ingredients :
Chicken fillet from whole chicken (breast and thigh meat)cut into small pieces

Dried black shitake mushroom (soaked for 2 hours, change water half way through), slice into quarters
Ginger slices
Garlic (2) cloves wash and dry, leave unpeeled & uncut
Long-grain rice : 2 1/2  cups
Cooking oil
Chicken stock or water (3 cups)
Sesame oil (1 TBS)
Lemongrass (optional) remove root, smash the white portion and cut the green stalk into segments

Method
- Marinate chicken in soy sauce & pepper. Leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Wash rice and drain.
- Fry garlic cloves, mushroom, chicken and ginger (in this order) till fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Fry uncooked rice and add chicken stock or water little by little to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
- Return chicken meat, mushroom, garlic and ginger. (Add lemongrass if available or preferred)
- Add in remaining water or stock till it covers just above the rice.
- Cover and cook in medium low heat for 15 - 20 minutes
- When ready, drizzle some sesame oil, stir and fluff the rice. 

Different recipes for rice wine making and dishes - drunken chicken soup

Chicken Rice Wine Soup is a great comfort food in cold winters and post-natal convalescence.

Unlike most soups, the meat has to be stir fried with garlic, ginger and rice wine in medium heat till fragrant and three quarters cooked. Add sesame oil and proportionate amount of water as desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes and it is ready to be served with steamed rice.

This recipe is attributed to my mother.

Please refer to an earlier post : http://hakkafood.blogspot.com/2009/03/hakka-rice-wine.html

- Copyright Reserved

A simple Hakka meal for guests

A meal served at Zheng Cheng Lou at Yongding County, South China : rice and dishes.

From top left : Mei Cai Kou Ro; fried fresh water fish; steamed fish ball; salted chicken; marrow stew with meat, fried tofu and melon soup (centre).

Link :

http://oneworldtalk.freeforums.org/hakka-cuisine-t158.html

以家常便饭待客

Deep Fried Chicken Wings in Red Fermented Tofu

This is my aunt's speciality. The wife of my maternal uncle used to whip up some traditional Hakka dishes for birthday and wedding banquets held in villages and homes of the hosts.

The chicken wings have to be cleaned and air dried. If using frozen chicken, ensure they are thoroughly thawed before you add the seasoning.

Marinate with one or two pieces of red fermented tofu (Mandarin - nan ru; Hakka - lam yuoi), a dash of pepper and pinch of sugar.

Coat lightly with all purpose flour before frying. Some like to dip into beaten egg to prevent the flour from falling off and clouding the cooking oil. It's optional.

Ensure that there is sufficient amount of oil to cover the meat and heat it up to medium high temperature before frying the meat. Ready once it's golden brown and firm.

This dish can be quite salty, so go easy on the "lam yuoi". Well, Hakka food is known to be strong in tastes and appetizing. In the old days, Hakka farmers need to eat more rice to build up their physique for manual work and ward off intruders. Salt is a natural preservative and helps to keep the food better for days as large quantities are cooked to feed an extended family.

- Copyright Reserved

Salt Baked Chicken 盐鸡

Salt Baked Chicken

Yum Gai is arguably a trademark of Hakka cuisine. The traditional recipe can be attributable to my late maternal grandma and a Malaysian chef whom I have picked up a few cooking tips.


Traditional recipe :
If possible, use free range chicken, not too big, to ensure thorough cooking.
Marinate chicken with a little fine salt, pepper, thinly sliced ginger, Hua diao wine and sesame oil. If you like herbal taste, add some sweet dang gui, wolfberries (go ji zi) and a stalk of spring onion into the cavity of the bird. Wrap the chicken in a generous amount of greaseproof paper to ensure it's properly sealed.

Line 3 kg of coarse salt on a good conducting heat proof tray. Put in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove tray from oven and scoop up some salt. Put the wrapped chicken onto the tray and cover evenly with heated salt. Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes. In the old days, granny would light an incense stick and wait till it's burnt out to gauge when the chicken is done.

Dipping sauces :

1. ginger and garlic in oil
2. sesame and soy sauce
3. celery, coriander, ginger, salt in garlic oil (use chicken fat if possible)
4. Oyster sauce

Simplified version of salt baked chicken

For the time scarce modern cooks, making salt baked chicken is a breeze without compromising very much on the taste. Prepare brine solution with 1 cup of coarse salt, 2 TBS of sugar and 12 cups of water (depending on the size of the chicken).

Marinate the chicken with wine, pepper and fine sea salt for at least 30 minutes.

When brine solution is brought to a boil, lower the chicken into the pot, holding it steadily, lifting it up and down. Keep repeating the procedure till the chicken is cooked al dante.

- Copyright Reserved