Ayam Sioh (Chicken in Spicy Tamarind Sauce) is a variant of Duck Sioh (Itik Sioh). This dish is essentially a sour and sweet based stew with a strong hint of tamarind juice (asam jawa) and ketumbar (coriander) spice. I have a feeling that this dish is a Baba-Nyonya Peranakan dish but I stand corrected. Anyway, I was introduced to this dish by my mother-in-law a couple of years back and took a liking to it due to its appetizing taste.

Thankfully, my lovely wife has inherited her mother’s recipe and over the weekend, decided to cook up this dish for Father’s Day lunch. We could not finish the dish as we used 1 whole chicken but we are not complaining because the longer this dish keeps, the tastier it gets. For better results, duck is preferred as the meat is “tougher” to withstand the marinate using tamarind juice. If you can’t find duck, try using “village / kampong” chicken or free-range chicken. Read the rest of this entry »

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Once in a while when I eat out at “mixed-rice” stalls (stalls which sell white rice with a mind-boggling choice of side dishes which you can choose and be priced accordingly), I will eat this dish - Ginger Sauced Chicken. Well, I confess that I don’t actually know the real name of this dish but since it is a ginger sauce based dish with chicken, I reckoned it should be called Ginger Sauced Chicken.

After a few tries outside, I attempted this dish and it turned out quite okay. Only thing is I haven’t actually perfected the art of having the chicken nicely fried without having too thick a batter. Whilst the picture above was as a result of what I cooked, I am modifying the recipe a bit into what I think would be better. You can actually fry the chicken pieces beforehand or don’t. It is up to you really. But the highlight is the ginger sauce. Give it a try.

This is my recipe for Ginger Sauced Chicken Read the rest of this entry »

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I am back at work after a couple of days’ leave attending a Church Camp. I was in Court this morning and will have to be back there again after lunch, so I’ll have to put up a quickie post. Whilst I have one new recipe to share, I don’t have enough time to get it up today. So, I’ll take you on a journey to Segambut, Kuala Lumpur for an excellent fried chicken rice. No, the rice is not fried. The chicken is. This is again, a review which I previously did in my personal blog and I hope you’ll start drooling when you read on. Get your tissues ready!

What can be so interesting about some Fried Chicken Rice that is drawing the crowds? How can the business be so good that the proprietor can afford to only sell the Fried Chicken Rice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays? Have a look at the crowd and taste the fried chicken for all your questions answered.

Fried Chicken Rice at Segambut

Take a drive to the Segambut roundabout and head towards the direction of Total Office and GBH on your left. You will see a traffic light in front of you. Take a right turn and you shall see a well-known restaurant on your left called Yu Ai (which sells the famous Segambut Tom Yam Noodles). Take a right turn into Persiaran Segambut Tengah 1. This Fried Chicken Rice stall is upon the first right hand turn. If you are lost, just ask any of the people in the vicinity.

Lady at the Stall

I did not name the stall because the stall has no name. When I asked the proprietor about it, he just mentioned “Under the Big Tree”. Thank you very much! That was very helpful. Anyway, where good food is concerned, the name is not important. Foodlovers will find you in any event.

So good you can even eat it on its own

So, we (3 of us) had a plate of rice each. The rice, which is very fragrant and fluffy, was probably cooked in chicken stock with plenty of garlic, shallots and pandan leaves. Borrowing what Gardenia said “You can even eat it on its own!”. Quite a generous portion is given but don’t worry. You will finish it in no time.

Give me more!!!

The highlight here is of course, the Fried Chicken which has made this stall so famous in the Klang Valley and now, worldwide thanks to the Internet. The Fried Chicken is very crispy on the outside. I would call it fried to perfection and would love to learn that skill one day. It must have to do with the skill of the person frying the chicken to have the skin fried till crisp (but not oily) whilst the meat is thoroughly cooked and retaining its tenderness and juice. The marinade is a closely guarded secret which renders the chicken really tasty. Most tables we see have extra servings of rice and chicken which is a testimony of how good it really is. The chilli sauce has a generous amount of garlic and compliments the Fried Chicken Rice really well. Unfortunately, the picture did not turn out well as I was getting impatient to sink my teeth into the rice whilst clicking away.

The Fried Chicken Rice is sold at RM3.20 for drumstick / thigh with rice. For a whole leg (drumstick + thigh), that will cost RM5.00. Not overly expensive considering that the chicken portion is quite big (unlike KFC).

Give it a try. Do remember that it is only sold on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10.30am till after lunch. Be early to get a seat or drool while you stand and wait for your turn.

Technorati Tags : Review , Malaysian Food , Chicken Rice , Gourmet

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Mee Suah Kueh is my wife’s recipe. In fact, many have not heard let alone seen this “cake” which is made using Mee Suah. The mee suah used in this recipe is the one manufactured in Muar, Johor which comes in little packets with red banner. There are about 4 pieces of mee suah in each packet.

This recipe comes in 3 stages. Firstly, to cook the mee suah in a wok, followed by quick steaming and then, cooling it overnight before frying it the next day. Despite the complexity it sounds, it is actually very simple to cook.

It is great for tea time and can also be eaten with rice. Dip it into chilli sauce for added oomph!

This is my wife’s recipe for Mee Suah Kueh

Ingredients

• 2 packets mee suah (8 pieces)
• 50 to 100 grammes lean pork / chicken meat (chopped roughly)
• 50 to 100 grammes prawns (chopped roughly)
• 1 whole bulb garlic (chopped finely)
• spring onions (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons palm oil
• 2 soup bowls of hot water

Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder

Method

Heat oil in wok and fry garlic till beginning to brown. Add meat and continue to stir fry till meat changed colour. Next, add prawns and stir well for 15 seconds.

Add water and bring to boil. Add mee suah and stir well to evenly coat with other ingredients. Sprinkle the spring onions at this stage.

Add more water to just cover the mee suah so that it cooks in a thick and sticky soup (not runny). Once the mee suah is evenly coated, remove onto a stainless steel plate or pan.

Steam it for 3 minutes. Allow to cool overnight.

Cut into squares, dip into beaten egg and deep fry till golden brown. Remove and place onto kitchen napkin to absorb excess oil prior to serving.

Technorati Tags: Recipe, Cake, Mee Suah, Chinese, Asian

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