Tastes of Hong Kong
Recipes bring the magic of food lover’s paradise Hong Kong into your own home
Hong Kong is an explorer’s dream and a foodlover’s paradise. And Hong Kong Local allows you to indulge in this magic from your own home. The book brings you 70 recipes for the dishes that define the city.
Hong Kong-born chef Chan Archan developed her love for food from a young age, watching her grandmother prepare each meal bursting with flavours and most importantly a desire to nurture, connect and share precious moments with her family over food. After relocating to Melbourne, Australia, Archan worked in the kitchens of the city’s most iconic restaurants, before being appointed head chef at Ricky & Pinky’s. Archan is currently heading the kitchen at Singapore’s LEVEL 33.
Following is a recipe from her book:
HONG KONG-STYLE POACHED CHICKEN WITH SAND GINGER
This is another simple and clean-tasting way to prepare chicken, this time poached in a fragrant stock flavoured with sand ginger.
Ingredients
100g fine sea salt
1.2kg whole chicken, well washed
2 litres iced water
1 tsp sand ginger powder (see Notes)
Spring onion and ginger sauce (recipe below), to serve steamed rice, to serve (optional)
Sand ginger poaching stock:
180g sand ginger powder (see Notes)
250ml (1 cup) fish sauce
2 star anise
2 whole cloves
10 white peppercorns
2 dried bay leaves
4cm piece ginger, sliced
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 spring onion, roughly chopped (or use any trimmings you have)
Method
Dissolve the salt in 2 litres water. Add the chicken and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
In a saucepan large enough to fit the chicken, bring 2 litres water to the boil. Prepare the iced water in a similar-sized container.
Put the chicken in the boiling water for 1 minute, then put it straight into the iced water. This step will tighten the skin.
To make the poaching stock, pour 2 litres water into a saucepan that will fit the chicken. Bring to the boil over high heat. Blend the sand ginger powder and fish sauce to a paste and stir into the boiling water. Add the remaining ingredients and return to the boil, then reduce the heat to low.
Holding the neck of the chicken, lower the body into the water until fully submerged. Lift the chicken out of the liquid, then lower it back in again. Repeat the process five times. The purpose of this is to raise the internal temperature of the chicken to a similar temperature to the poaching liquid.
Leave the chicken in the pan and bring the poaching liquid to a simmer (around 80-85C), then
turn the heat off. Let the chicken sit in the liquid for 20 minutes.
Take the chicken out. Bring the stock to a simmer again, then return the chicken to the pan and poach for another 20 minutes.
Take the chicken out of the poaching liquid, transfer to a plate and cool to room temperature in the fridge before chopping.
Meanwhile, stir the sand ginger powder through the spring onion and ginger sauce. Serve with the chopped chicken, and some steamed rice (if you like).
NOTES
SAND GINGER POWDER — Sand ginger powder is made from dried Kaempferia galangal, which is a little closer to galangal than it is to ginger. Confusingly it is, however, sometimes labelled as ginger powder. Ask the staff at your Asian supermarket if they can help you find the right one. You can substitute galangal or ginger powder, but the flavour won’t quite be the same.
Another way to serve this is to put the chopped chicken in a heatproof shallow bowl. Bring the poaching liquid back to the boil, ladle it over the chicken, then pour the liquid back into the pan. Repeat this about 10 times to warm up the chicken. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.
SPRING ONION AND GINGER SAUCE
This is the best thing to serve with chicken, especially white cut chicken. It’s funny, if you’ve grown up with this sauce (as I have) it feels like you’re eating chicken even if the sauce is being served with other meat!
Or is that just me?
Makes 125ml ( 1⁄ cup)
2
60g ( 1⁄ cup) grated ginger
3
1⁄2 bunch spring onion, white parts finely chopped, green parts thinly sliced
2 tsp fine sea salt
80ml ( 1⁄ cup) vegetable oil
3
Mix together the ginger, spring onion whites and salt in a small heatproof bowl.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan until smoking hot, then pour over the ginger mixture and stir to combine. Mix in the spring onion greens and serve.
This sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.