Honey Mustard Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken

A while ago, we received a festive hamper that contained a large bottle of organic honey and some delicious looking mustard.  It remained in my kitchen cupboard, waiting for me to get inspired to use it in my culinary endeavours.  Well, last week was the auspicious day and I finally used the honey and the mustard extravagantly to create a memorable baked dish.

900gms skinless chicken, jointed, washed and drained; 1/4 cup prepared mustard; 1/4 cup honey; 2 tbsp curds; salt and pepper to taste; 2 cloves garlic, minced; a few basil leaves- I used Italian basil which grows in my garden, chopped; salt to taste; 1 tbsp olive oil.

Garnish: More Basil Leaves according to taste.

Whisk the honey, mustard, curds, olive oil,  salt and pepper to a smooth consistency.  Stir in the garlic and chopped basil leaves.  Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the mixture over the chicken.  Make sure all the pieces are covered.  Cover and keep aside for 20 minutes.  Bake in preheated oven at 175 degrees C for 45 minutes to 1 hour until chicken is cooked and juices run clear.  Garnish with the basil leaves.  Rest for 10 minutes. Serve with a salad for lunch or dinner. 

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Bak Kut Teh

Chinese Herbal Soup

I had this friend who used to rave about Bak Kut Teh whenever we met her.  People we met would ask us whether we had tasted this and we were quite perplexed at the excitement and eagerness involved.  Their eyes would light up, their noses twitch and we were longing to try this long awaited dish.  At long last, a friend invited us to try it out at a place well known for it.   So we tried it and tested it and enjoyed it and here is the recipe too.

Bak-kut-teh (also spelt bah-kut-teh;  is a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia and Singapore, where there is a predominant Hoklo and Teochew community, and also in neighbouring areas like the Riau Islands and Southern Thailand.

The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic) for hours. Despite its name, there is in fact no tea in the dish itself; the name refers to a strong oolong Chinese tea which is usually served alongside the soup in the belief that it dilutes or dissolves the copious amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. Source:  Wikipedia

NB:  I made it with chicken and it's a very aromatic, lip smacking dish.

The Recipe:

500 gms chicken on the bone, chopped into small pieces; 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder; salt to taste;3 tbsp olive oil I used oil; 2 cloves  garlic, crushed;1 star anise (star spice);1 piece cinnamon;1 teaspoon black peppercorns;1 teaspoon szechuan peppercorns (or ½ tsp. white pepper and ½ tsp. crushed red chillies);1 chicken stock cube; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce; 1.5 litres boiling water; light soy to taste; any vegetable of your choice- optional.  I used broccoli.

Marinate meat in pepper and salt for half an hour. Heat pan until very hot.  Add two tablespoons of oil and fry meat until well-browned. Remove and keep covered in a dish.  In a new pan heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil.  Add the garlic and  stir-fry for half a minute, then add the fried meat and everything else except the light soy.  (Can use the cooker).   Boil rapidly for ten minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for two hours until the meat is falling apart and very tender. Remove excess oil from surface before serving, and add light soy to taste.  

For a quicker version, use the cooker and pressure cook for 10 minutes so that the meat falls apart. Serve piping hot with white rice or have it as it is.

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Ruth Isaac

Family Trade Mark

Bread Mince

I drool whenever I think of this recipe.  The delicious smells wafting through the house and the scraping of the kitchen spoons against the pan filled me with anticipation of a wonderful meal cooked by my Mum or dad.  My Mum would always use this as a filling for mince patties for our birthday parties and other special ocassions and they had to be rationed out to the guests who greedily fell on them without exception.  To this day, there's no one who can cook like my Mum and whenever I make this recipe I think of long, long ago and the glorious birthday parties we had.

The Recipe:

1/2 kg mince; 2 onions, chopped; 2 spring onions, chopped; 3 flakes, garlic, minced; 1 inch ginger, minced; 2 green chillies, minced;  few coriander leaves, chopped; salt to taste; 2 tbsp oil for frying; a handful of green peas; 2 slices stale bread, crumbled; fried egg tofu - optional.

Wash and drain mince.  Heat oil and add chopped onion, spring onion, ginger, garlic, corriander leaves and minced chillies.  Stir fry on medium heat until onions are golden browm.  Add the mince and fry till brown.  Add peas and 1/4 cup water and cover and cook 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste and the crumbled bread.  The bread will soak up all the liquid.   Garnish with sliced tofu and serve hot with dhal and rice or chappathis.  This is a hot favourite and I love this recipe even today.  Enjoy.