Semarang Fried Chicken

Everywhere in the world, people make different kinds of fried chicken. In California, the most popular would be KFC-style fried chicken (chicken breaded in seasoned flour), eaten with fries. I like this style as much as I enjoy traditional Semarang fried chicken (boiled in spices, then deep fried until golden and the liquid turns into yummylicious crumbs)

Whenever we visit our hometown--Semarang, we always...always set aside some time to eat Salim fried chicken or Memet fried chicken in Mataram St. They are equally delicious and jam-packed with fried chicken lovers. Actually, there are myriads of fried-chicken eateries, from the hole-in-the-wall eateries to franchise restaurants. All offering the same type of food: fried chicken.

Today, I tried to make our favorite poultry meal using my mom's recipe that I barely remember. This recipe is actually the complete version since I use galangal powder, cumin, and bay leaves that I recently bought. In Indonesia or Singapore, I always use fresh galangal and bay leaves; in here, fresh galangal is pretty expensive and I have yet to find fresh asian bay leaves. However, I'm happy that it turns out well: yummy and authentic (though pretty laborious, especially grinding the spices).

It all begins with the chickens. I use eight chicken thighs as hubby loves dark meat. I'm contented that I can find all asian ingredients that I need in the Bay area. Americans are so blessed, they can find everything around the world from spices to clothing and cars, within few minutes of driving, or few clicks away.

All the ingredients are basically shown in the picture above.

This is not my favorite part: grinding the spices with mortar and pestle (garlic, shallot, corriander seeds, ginger, salt,candlenuts and all...) but it's actually the main sequence.


After the calorie-burning-fifteen-minutes-later, voila! I finally managed to turn everything into paste, and I add in the bay leaves, galangal powder and cumin powder (and grind 'em all again--oh gosh!)


Once the paste is smooth, heat up 2 tbs of oil in a pan, and sautee the paste until fragrant. Then add a little water bit by bit, and stir the mixture around.


Put the thighs in, add more water until the chickens are submerged. Close the pan, and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes.


There you have it! The liquid is reduced and another fifteen minutes, it's ready to pan-fried or deep-fried.


My home is a no deep-fried zone. So I guess I have to bear with pan-frying. It's still yummy, but the sinful way of cooking still makes the best fried chicken (well, it's called fried chicken after all) Pan fry 'till they're nicely brown and the liquid turns to crumbs that stuck on the pan *sigh* (but the effort to scrape them off is so worth it. I don't want to miss a single dot of crumbs; it has the additive flavor that you can just eat with plain rice)


Enjoy while it's still hot!


Rice and sambal are its best friends. Eat them together with your fingers like a caveman. A bit of sweet soy sauce complement the savory chicken and hot sambal. Your tongue will dance with joy ;p


INDONESIAN FRIED CHICKEN
Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs skin on
1/2 tsp pepper (I used black pepper)
1 tsp sweet soy sauce
Oil for pan frying ans sauteeing
water

To grind:
8 cloves of garlic
4 shallots
2 tsp corriander seeds10 candlenuts
about 1 inch of ginger
10 small dried bay leaves
1 tsp galangal powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp salt

Methods:
Clean and set aside the chicken. Grind the rest of specified ingredients using mortar and pestle or food processor until smooth and pasty.
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Put in the paste and saute for half minute until fragrant. Add water little by little. Add in sweet soy sauce and balck pepper.
Put in the chicken and add more water until all the chicken are submerged. Cover pan with lid and let it boil on medium heat for about 45 minutes. Reduce the heat, and cook for another 15 minutes.
Prepare another pan; heat and pour in 2 tbs of olive oil. Put in the chicken with liquid. You can either deep fry or pan fry until the chicken is browned and the liquid turns to delicious crumbs. Serve with rice and sambal.

Hainan Chifan (Nasi Ayam Hainan)

Everybody has their own version of Hainanese Chicken Rice. As long as the family members give their nods of approval, keep your recipe. Sometimes cooking is not about "taste like restaurant's", but individual creativity.

Well, a few years ago, I made Singapore version of Hainanese Chicken Rice that looked like the one in restaurants and tasted good too. Here's the picture:



But since nowadays I want to be as practical as I can be (not much cooking utensils and less patience ;p), I'd rather whip up the cheat recipe. Feel free to follow my "too-easy-to-do" version of Hainanese Chicken Rice. Here's the step-by-step pictures:


Chicken, garlic, ginger, and shiitake mushroom are the key elements of my Hainanese Chicken Rice. I can't do it without 'em. They're versatile too, you'll see 'em often in my cooking :)



Heat up a tbs of oil. My recipe calls for chicken oil. I harvest chicken skin, and put them in batches in the freezer. Anytime I need flavorful oil, I just throw one batch in a hot pan and let the fat melts. I know it's not healthy, but it's only a tablespoon...And I don't have any other oil in the house but this...and a can of cooking spray...So don't be mad, I don't use it often..And I always throw away the rest of the skin after I get enough oil...one tablespoon ^^



Then, into the pan the garlic and ginger..This will make your house smell like a Chinese restaurant. Stir fry until fragrant.



Next is the juicy and succulent previously dried shiitake mushroom. Please invest on good quality shiitake. Mine is "Ming Chu" brand (big, thick and fat).



You can see the color gets darker. Yes, I did put 1 tbs of sesame oil, 3 tbs of soy sauce, a dash of pepper, a tbs of honey, and 1 tbs of oyster sauce. You can put a little bit of water, and let it boil.



Next, arrange the chicken nicely on top of the mushroom (hubby love dark meat, hence the thighs), sprinkle some salt (generously) on the chicken. Cover the pan. Let the chicken cooked for about 10 to 15 minutes.



What's that??! Is that a plate of grapes?? Yes, your eyes don't fool you. I happen to have red grapes in my fridge and I like to put them in my main course instead of dessert. They work just fine...Trust me. But, this one is optional, no worries.



And what's that white thingy?? Oh, it's just sliced cabbage for extra fiber. Are you health-conscious people? Me too... And they will be very soft once the rice is done. So, you won't even feel there's a serving of vegetable here. A good trick for kids.



This happens fifteen minutes later. Everything in the pan is pretty much cooked. So they can be transferred into the rice cooker.



Hello rice! Sorry to keep you waiting...By the way, prior to cooking the rest of the ingredients, I've prepared the rice first. Take three cups of rice, wash, and put in the rice cooker pan with just enough water to cover it. Don't put too much water or your rice will be soggy later. Then throw in 1/2 tsp of salt, a dash of pepper, and 1 heap tbs of sesame oil. Put the pan in the rice cooker, and plug the cable to the socket. But don't press down the "cook" button. Just keep it warm. This will make the rice evenly cooked with a nice texture.



Transfer the mixture; stir and blend. Place the chicken on top for the last touch. Then you can press the "cook" button and wait impatiently.



It's done! It's done in fifteen minutes! Hmm, hubby will love it!



The texture of the rice resembles sticky-rice, but this one is so flavorful. Kudos to the garlic, ginger, and chicken broth...

Let's not waste our time, come join me and dig in!



Too bad the picture is bit blur. I think I need to buy SLR type camera. I wish! :)


Mrs. Loh Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients:
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 cm of ginger, cut into three
2 chicken thighs without skin
3 shiitake mushroom, soaked and then sliced
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs honey
2 tbs sesame oil
a handful of sliced cabbage (optional)
a handful of halves red grapes (optional)
3 cups of rice
salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
Heat the oil, stir fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Put in the mushroom.

Seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, pepper, and honey. Add 250 ml of water to cover them.

Place in the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt (and pepper). Cover the pan, let it cook for fifteen minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, put in the optional ingredients such as cabbage and grapes ^^ When the cabbage is tender, transfer the mixture to the rice cooker (with the rice ready).

Measure the water level in the cooker, add more water if not enough.

Wait 'till you hear the "pop" sound, and it's ready to enjoy with garlic chili sauce. Yum!

Fish Lips Soup (Sup Bibir Ikan)

Do you know that you can make something out of fish lips? Well, I didn't until my mom started to make this delicious heart-warming soup several years ago. I just have to have this dish over and over again. It's good to have it in winter months, or any day of the year! but it's best when you share its goodness with your loved ones.

Here's the cast of the characters:


The main ingredient is off course the dried fish lips as you can see at the left corner in a bowl. It's sad that I can only find this in Indonesia, not in Singapore, not in US. So I treasure my fish lips stock very much. Oh yeah, I miss the onion in the picture.


First thing first..After chopping the garlic, onion, shiitake mushroom, chicken, and pork, boil two cups of water, put a slice of ginger or two inside. Once the ginger-infused water is boiled, put in the dried fish lips. Stir gently for about 5 minutes, drained it, set aside to use later.


This is what it looks like afterward...Looks like jellyfish tentacles. It has a distinct smell that characterized the soup.


Heat a deep pan, put 1 tbs oil and 1 tbs sesame oil. Once the oil mixture is hot, stir fry the garlic, ginger and onion until fragrant and soft.


The mushroom goes next. My Mom said you need to stir fry the mushroom first, and never dump un-stir fried mushroom into the soup--there would be unpleasant earthy smell afterward. So the stir frying is to cleanse any unnecessary odor and add some flavor to the dish.


Then once the mushroom is pretty much cooked, put in the diced pork and chicken. I have to have this two combination, since both of them add robust flavor to the broth. I usually use pork tenderloin and dark chicken meat for this dish. Then, altogether, pour in 2 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tbs of oyster sauce, salt and pepper to taste. I also add 1 tsp of honey to balance the taste. It works every time. Honey is a staple in my house. Next, the napa cabbage is in.


Leave the pan closed for fifteen minutes or so, until the meat is cooked, the veggie turns soft but not mushy, and the broth starts to come out.


Add about 500 cc of water or chicken broth (until the meat and all are nicely covered) and a drizzle of sesame oil wouldn't harm too :) Cover the pan again and let it boils.


Hmm, it looks good and smells good too. But wait, don't forget the beaten egg and to taste it. Add salt or soy sauce if necessary, and the vinegar if you like. My husband loves sour and tangy dishes, so in my family the vinegar is in.


I don't take the picture of the egg, but here's how to make it. Crack and pour an egg into a bowl. Beat it until it's a little bit frothy, then using a fork, pour the mixture little by little into the boiling soup and stir the hot soup with the fork.


The end result is lace-y texture on top of the soup, and it enhances the taste and the appearance altogether. Then, mix 1 tbs of tapioca flour with water, dissolve it, and gradually pour into the hot soup. Stir the soup gently as you pour the flour mixture. Lower the heat and keep it hot for five more minutes. Then...


Voila! A warm bowl of soup is ready for your enjoyment...Beware, it's hot...and it's addictive :)


FISH LIPS SOUP ala ME

Ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 medium-size onion thinly sliced
4 dried shiitake mushroom; soaked in water overnight in the fridge; thinly sliced
1/2 lb pork tenderloin, finely diced
1/2 lb dark chicken meat, finely diced (you can use chicken bones for the broth too)
2,5 cm of ginger, divide into three
5 leaves of big napa cabbage sliced thinly
a handful of dried fish lips, quickly boiled in ginger-infused water until soft
500-750 ml of chicken broth or water
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs chicken oil
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1 egg, beaten
1 tbs of vinegar (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
Heat the chicken oil and sesame oil, stir fry the garlic and onion until fragrant and soft. Throw in the mushroom and cook them for about 5 minutes.

Put in the chicken and pork, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, salt and pepper. Stir all the ingredients until the seasonings are well blended. Close the pan and leave it for 5 minutes. Then thrown in the napa cabbage, stir and blend around. Close the pan again and leave it for a good 15 minutes.

Pour in 500-750 of water or chicken broth, let it boils for about 30 minutes. Once boils, then the fish lips can be put in. Gently stir the soup. Add the beaten egg gradually while stirring the soup. Please taste and add salt/soy sauce if necessary.

Thicken the soup with a mixture of 1 tbs of tapioca flour and water.