Coca Cola Chicken Wings

I finally cooked this dish for lunch today and I must say that it tastes delicious.  Our younger son has been pestering me to cook it after watching cooking videos on YouTube.  The preparation is very simple and this dish goes well with just plain rice. Do try out the recipe!  You will be glad when you did.  This dish is perfect for a lazy day!

Ingredients (serves 2):
8 - 10 chicken wings, to be cut at the joints
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp black soy sauce (thin)
250 ml regular Coca Cola
pinch of salt
2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:
Marinate chicken wings with light soy sauce and 1 tbsp black soy sauce.  Leave aside for 10 minutes. In a medium-size pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add marinated chicken and fry for about 5 minutes or until the underside is lightly browned.  Turn the chicken pieces over to cook the other side.

Note:  I added two drumsticks as well, just to see which part of the chicken tastes better.  My verdict: Chicken Wings, of course!

Add balance of black soy sauce and Coca Cola.  Put on the lid and cook further over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes.  Increase heat to high to thicken the gravy (without lid). Add a pinch of salt, if needed.

Serve hot with rice!

Bon Appetit!

Kuih Kapit (Love Letters)

Another popular and must-bake wafer for Chinese New Year.  Also known as Love Letters, they are very crispy and delicious.

Traditionally, this wafer is "baked" in a special mould over charcoal fire.  This mould comprises of two round iron plates which are held together by thongs. These iron plates have designs on them which are transferred to the wafer. Before using, this mould is heated up over charcoal fire.  Then, it is opened and held over a bowl of batter.  Batter is poured onto one of the iron plates and at the same time, allowing excess batter to drip back into the bowl. The mould is then closed and returned to the charcoal fire.  After one minute, excess batter is removed from the circumference of mould by using a knife. Then, the mould is returned to charcoal fire for further baking until the kuih is golden brown in colour.

Hence, the name "kapit" (a Malay verb which means "to compress or press").  The next time I am in Singapore, I will buy my own traditional kuih kapit mould.  For this recipe, I used my electric kuih kapit mould which functions just as good.

Ingredients:
4 eggs (medium-size)
200 g fine sugar
200 ml coconut milk

100 g rice flour
20 g tapioca starch

Method:
In a bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add coconut milk and whisk well.  Then, add rice flour and tapioca starch a little at a time.  Whisk thoroughly and then, pour through a sieve into another bowl.

If using an electric mould, heat it up according to its instructions.  I am using an Iona electric mould as shown below.  One thing for sure, I will buy the traditional kuih kapit mould the next time I am back in Singapore.

Dab a little cooking oil onto the plates.  You need to do this only once.  There is no need to oil the mould each time you pour the batter.  By using a small sauce ladle, add a little batter to ONLY ONE of the moulds.  Move the mould maker around to evenly distribute the batter.  Don't worry, you will get the hang of it after a while. Close the mould for one minute before adding batter to the second mould. Once done, close mould and leave to bake for about 1 or 2 minutes.  Open up the lid and cut off the excess dough on the circumference, if any. Cover mould and bake until golden brown.  The baking process will take another 2 minutes.

Once golden brown, remove one kuih from mould by using a wooden chopstick, leaving the other kuih in the mould to keep warm.  Quickly fold the kuih into half and then, into quarter.  By using a meat stamper (shown below), press the kuih flat.  You have to be quick because the kuih gets hard pretty fast.

Another option is to roll the kuih into a cylindrical shape.  Be careful while rolling because the kuih is very hot to handle.  Repeat procedure until the batter is used up.

Note:  I made two portions of this recipe to fill up a medium-size plastic bottle to the brim.

Happy Baking!

Mini Spring Rolls (CNY)

Another very, very, very addictive Chinese New Year savoury snack.  The preparation is very time-consuming!  All I can say is that it is worth the effort because they taste delicious!  These mini popiahs are filled with Chicken Meat Floss which I prepared a few days ago and deep-fried until golden.  A complete guide on how to roll the popiah skins are included below.

Ingredients (yields 200 pcs):
1 packet frozen popiah skins (250 g)
chicken meat floss (click for recipe) or pork meat floss
2 tbsp flour, to be mixed with water to form an edible glue or you may use egg whites
oil for deep-frying

Method:
Thaw packet of frozen popiah skins at room temperature.

After about an hour, remove popiahs from packaging and by using a sharp knife, cut the whole stack into 4 portions as shown below.

Remove to a large plate and cover with a damp teacloth.

Prepare edible glue mixture and filling mixture in separate bowls.

Peel a layer of popiah skin and position it like a diamond on a board or plate.  Place 1 tsp of filling in the middle as shown.

By using a small pastry brush, dab a bit of edible glue on the top corner and bring the bottom corner to meet the top corner. It is much easier to use a pastry brush instead of your finger.

Fold the left and right corners inwards.

Dab the top corner with edible glue and roll over the filling upwards to form a mini spring roll.

Repeat procedure until all popiah skins are used up.  You should get around 200 pieces and the chicken meat floss quantity from my other recipe is more than sufficient.  It is enough to fill up a half-size plastic cookie container.  If you want to make more, just double or triple both recipes.

In a wok, heat enough oil for deep-frying over medium heat.  Deep-fry small portions of mini spring rolls until golden brown.  Remove to a colander which is lined with kitchen paper in order that excess oil is absorbed.  Leave aside to cool down completely before storing in an airtight container.

Psssstttt ..... I added more filling as per hubby's request!

Bon Appetit!

Kuih Baulu (CNY)

One of my favourite kuihs which is a must-bake during Chinese New Year and Eid Mubarak celebrations.  This kuih is similar to madeleines in taste and texture.  I can still recall our kampong days where I helped my mum to bake this kuih in a copper mould over charcoal fire.  Nowadays, the aluminium mould is readily available everywhere and can be used in the home oven.  The following recipe can be halved to suit your requirement.

Ingredients (yields about 100 pcs):

10 egg whites (medium-size)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla powder

400 g sugar

10 egg yolks (medium-size)

400 g plain flour, to be sifted

some butter for greasing

Method:

In a clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites with baking powder until creamy (not stiff). Add vanilla powder and sugar a little at a time.  Continue whisking until thick and creamy.  Then, add egg yolks one at a time and whisk until thick and cream.

Preheat oven (do not use the fan) to a temperature of 200° C.  Grease the baulu mould with butter and "bake" for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, scoop 1/4 of egg mixture into a separate bowl.  Fold in 1/4 of flour a little at a time, into the egg mixture. Please fold in one direction only in order that the batter is not over-mixed.

Note:  If you are using the baulu mould for the first time, please do not wash it with soap and water. Just add cooking oil to the brim and "bake" it in a hot oven at a temperature of 180° C for about 30 minutes.  Discard the oil.  The mould is now ready for use.

Remove mould from oven.  Add one tablespoon of batter just enough to fill about 3/4 of each baulu design.  Return mould to oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Do not overbake!

By using a satay stick, remove the kuih baulus from mould while they are still hot. Grease mould with butter again and heat it up in the oven for about 5 minutes before filling with batter.  Repeat procedure until batter is used up.

If you wish for a slightly crispy finish, arrange them on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper. Reduce oven temperature to 180° C and bake for 5 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and leave kuih baulus to cool down completely before storing them in a bottle.

Happy Baking!

Chicken Meat Floss (CNY)

What is Chinese New Year without meat floss?  I prepared this snack or filling beforehand because I intend to use it in my Mini Spring Rolls which I will prepare later.  So, I better hide it in a safe place now before it gets eaten up behind my back! Anyway, there are various methods to prepare this snack but I did it my own simple way, as long as the end result is satisfactory and the taste is good.

Ingredients:
4 chicken legs (with thighs) or 500 g chicken breast
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (thick)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
80 fine sugar or rock sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cloves, to be grounded

Important Note:  If you are using the chicken meat floss as a filling for your Mini Spring Rolls, add salt according to this recipe.  Otherwise, your Mini Spring Rolls will be very salty after frying.

For eating with porridge, add a little more salt to your taste.

Method:
In a large pot, add chicken meat and enough water to cover meat.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and let it simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes.  Once done, remove chicken meat to a colander and leave aside to allow them to cool down completely.  Shred the cooked meat (skin to be discarded) into a bowl.  If you do this the day before, cover bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate.

Add the rest of ingredients to shredded meat and marinate for at least an hour.

Transfer meat mixture to a clean wok and cook (without oil) over low heat until mixture is almost dry.  Remove wok from heat.  The cooking process took me about an hour and a half.

By using a blender on medium speed, blend about 4 tbsp of meat mixture at a time. This is to achieve the floss texture.

Remove to a large bowl and repeat procedure until all meat mixture is blended. Return mixture to wok and cook over low heat until completely dry.

Once dry, transfer to a baking tray and leave to cool down completely.  Store in a container.  If storing it for a longer time, it is advisable to store container in the fridge.

Bon Appetit!