RECIPE: CHICKEN AND BUK CHOY COOKED IN COCONUT CREAM WITH CHILLIES AND TURMERIC (AYAM DAN SAYUR MASAK LEMAK CILI API DENGAN KUNYIT)

A really simple dish to cook and goes beautifully with any sambals or fried fresh or dried fish. I was so impressed with the GOLDEN FRAGRANT CRABS that I decided to make GOLDEN FRAGRANT FRIED EGGS to serve with this dish. The recipe for the eggs is in the next post.


Ingredients – serves 6

1 bunch buk choy – cut to desired length (see my GLOSSARY post on BUK CHOY)
500 g chicken thighs or breast – cut into large cubes
3 cloves garlic – minced
1 large onion – sliced
5 to 8 bird’s eye chillies – sliced or pounded
½ tsp turmeric powder or half inch fresh turmeric pounded
½ tin coconut milk (see my GLOSSARY post on COCONUT MILK and also my post on COCONUT SCRAPER in GADGETS AND UTENSILS)
½ to 1 tin of water (measure using the coconut tin)
Salt to taste

Method

Heat some oil in a pot and saute the garlic for 30 secs. Next add in the chicken and the onions and saute until the chicken is nearly cooked. This should take around 4 to 5 mins. Add in the chillies and cook for a min.

Next add in the vegetables and cook for another min. Add in the coconut milk, water and turmeric. Stir constantly over medium low heat until the coconut milk starts to boil. Simmer for a min, add seasoning, lift and serve hot with rice and side dishes such fried fish, sambals such as SQUID SAMBAL or GOLDEN FRAGRANT FRIED EGGS.

RECIPE: GOLDEN FRAGRANT (KAM HEONG) FRIED EGGS

Using the GOLDEN FRAGRANT CRABS recipe, I decided to serve the sauce with fried eggs. The results? Just as Yummo. It is a great alternative to chilli sauce, especially when used with fried rice.

Ingredients – I halved the measurements of my GOLDEN FRAGRANT CRABS.

* 100 gm shallots

* 1/2 large head of garlic

* 10 Serrano chillies - depending on how hot you want your dish

* Small handful dried shrimps - soaked in warm water to soften then drained

* Small handful dried red chillies – de-seeded and soaked in boiling water to soften. Drain before using

1 stalk lemongrass - thinly sliced

1 tbsp of fish curry powder (I used Baba Brand)

1 tbsp oyster sauce (see my GLOSSARY post on OYSTER SAUCE)

1 stalk curry leaves

Salt and sugar to taste

50 ml water

Method

Blend all the * ingredients in a blender with minimal water.

Heat oil in a large wok and add the curry leaves. Fry for 10 secs and add the blended ingredients. Fry till fragrant and until the paste has slightly thickened.

Add in the curry powder and oyster sauce. Fry till the oils seeps through the paste.

Add in the water and lemon grass . Gently simmer for 2 to 3 mins. Next add in salt and sugar to taste. Turn off the heat.

Now, prepare the eggs. You may either serve the eggs hard boiled (see my tip on HOW TO COOK PERFECT HARD BOILED EGGS) or deep fried.

To deep fry the eggs, heat about 1 cup of oil in a wok until very hot.

Carefully crack the egg into the oil, making sure you that do not break the yolk in the process. Season with a few shakes of salt and using a slotted egg slide, carefully flick the hot oil over the top of the egg. Turn the fire down to medium heat at this stage. DO NOT at any stage, turn/flip the egg over.

If you like your yolk runny, lift when all the translucent egg white has turned true white (if it is translucent, the whites are not yet cooked) but the yolk is still wobbly in the middle. If you like your yolk well cooked, keep on ‘bathing’ the egg with the oil until the yolk has hardened.

Lift, drain on paper towels and place on a plate. Spoon the GOLDEN FRAGRANT sauce over the eggs and serve as desired.

GLOSSARY: COCONUT MILK

COCONUT MILK is extracted from the white flesh of a mature coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content and sugars. In Malaysia (and Malay speaking countries), coconut milk is called SANTAN. COCONUT MILK should not be confused with coconut water (coconut juice), which is the naturally-occurring liquid found inside a coconut. It makes a refreshing drink.

Two grades of COCONUT MILK exist: thick and thin. Thick coconut milk is prepared by directly squeezing grated coconut meat through a muslin or cheesecloth. This first extraction is your THICK COCONUT MILK. Next, warm water is added to the meat and squeezed a second or third time for THIN COCONUT MILK. Thick milk is used mainly to make desserts and rich, dry curries. Thin milk is used for normal curries or the famous tom yum soups and general cooking. Canned coconut milk typically combine the thin and thick squeezes, with the addition of water as a filler. If a recipe calls for thick COCONUT MILK, try using coconut cream which comes in small tetra packs or COCONUT MILK in powder form which will enable you to adjust the thickness of the milk.

Cans of COCONUT MILK must be refrigerated once opened, and are usually only good for a few days. COCONUT MILK should never be left at room temperature, as the milk can sour and spoil easily. I always freeze any leftover COCONUT MILK in a tupperware and thaw it in the microwave for a minute on medium.

In essence, COCONUT MILK is the South and South-East Asian non-dairy counterpart of the dairy cream.

See my post on GADGETS AND UTENSILS: COCONUT SCRAPER/GRATER on how to obtain grated coconut.

GADGETS AND UTENSILS: COCONUT SCRAPER/GRATER

This gadget for scraping coconut flesh from its kernel is usually found in most South and South-East Asian traditional kitchens. The ones that my grandmother and mum had were similar but it had a seat with it. However, in the advent of the tinned coconut milk and the availability of frozen grated coconut flesh, its usage is somewhat obsolete. I however prefer to use freshly grated coconut to make my chutneys or Asian desserts such as Kuih Ketayap or to have with my STRING HOPPERS. I find this gadget indispensable and it produces finely grated coconut every time.


To obtain this product in Canberra, you can place an order with:

Spice World
28 Colbee Court
Phillip 2606 ACT
Tel: 02 6281 6995

The owner will obtain one for you. I believe my scraper cost me around AUD$15.00.


Another way to obtain grated coconut is to use a conventional grater. You however have to remove the flesh from the kernel (using a butter knife to prise the flesh off) and using a sharp knife, scrape the brown covering in order to obtain white coconut flesh. Grate as you would a carrot…..while watching out for your knuckles. I can’t remember how many times I have grated my knuckles because of this :(