Chicken lickin’ Asian style
Team Asian flavours with succulent chicken and the results are lip-smackingly good, says NZ House & Garden Food Editor Sally Butters.
Pad krapao gai (Thai basil chicken)
Presentation-wise, this dish might not look up to fine dining standards, but if you are after something quick, easy and delicious, this is the one to go for. Holy basil is traditionally used in this dish for its peppery flavour but it is seldom available, so use purple-stemmed Thai sweet basil (bai horapa) instead.
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
(kecap manis)
2 tbsp oil for frying
(not olive oil)
2 eggs
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1-2 bird’s eye chillies, chopped 400g chicken breast,
cut into small pieces 2 handfuls Thai basil 2 servings of steamed rice
Combine oyster sauce, fish sauce and sweet soy sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Heat a wok on medium high heat and add oil. Crack eggs into wok and fry, spooning some oil on top to cook the surface as well. Remove from wok.
Add garlic and chilli to wok and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and turn up the heat to caramelise. When the sauce has slightly thickened, add basil and give it a quick toss. Serve with steamed rice and the fried eggs on top.
Serves 2
Chicken nibbles with Korean spicy sauce
For those who love to try new flavours and enjoy just a little bit of heat, you must give this recipe a test run – you’ll be licking your fingers afterwards.
1kg chicken nibbles
Oil for deep-frying
1 spring onion, chopped, for garnish
For the coating
100g plain flour
11⁄2 tsp garlic powder
11⁄2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp ground white pepper
Korean spicy sauce 3 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp gochujang* 2 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup) 1 tbsp white sesame seeds 100g white sugar
Mix all the spicy sauce ingredients in a small pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Take off heat and set aside.
Heat oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 180C. Dust chicken nibbles with the coating mixture and deep-fry for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. Place chicken nibbles on paper towels to drain then transfer to a large bowl. Pour over the spicy sauce to coat the chicken, then arrange the nibbles on a serving plate.
Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve while hot.
Serves 3-4
*Gochujang is a Korean chilli paste, widely available from stores that stock Asian foods.
Roast chicken with Asian slaw
Marinating the whole chicken for at least 24 hours allows the meat to fully absorb all the flavours. For this slaw you can also add Chinese cabbage (hakusai), roasted peanuts or cashew nuts, if desired.
Roast chicken
3 spring onions 5 slices (about 1 thumb) ginger 1.5kg whole chicken
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
for garnish (optional)
Marinade
6 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp shaoxing wine*
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds tsp ground star anise tsp ground white pepper -1 fresh red chilli, chopped
Asian slaw
2 handfuls (130g) purple cabbage,
shredded
2 handfuls (130g) green cabbage,
shredded
2 carrots (130g), shredded Half handful fresh coriander,
chopped
50g dry bean vermicelli,
soaked in hot water for 5 minutes, rinsed under cold
water and drained
10g fried shallots (from Asian food
stores), for garnish
Dressing
3 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar 11⁄2 tsp sesame oil
Put spring onion and sliced ginger in the chicken cavity and tie the legs together with kitchen string.
Place chicken in a large zip-lock bag.
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and pour into the bag.
Coat chicken with marinade then place in the fridge for at least 8 hours (preferably at least 24 hours.) Turn the chicken over halfway through the marinating time.
Heat oven to 180C. Remove chicken from marinade and place in a lined roasting tray.
Roast for 90 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Put leftover marinade in a small pot and bring to the boil.
Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium high heat until slightly thickened. You can serve this on the side or drizzle it over the chicken just before you serve.
Asian slaw
Toss all the slaw ingredients together in a bowl
(apart from the shallots) and dress with the combined dressing ingredients.
Garnish with fried shallots and serve with the chicken.
Serves 3-4
* Shaoxing wine, also called Chinese cooking wine or rice wine, is available from supermarkets and Asian food stores.