Chinese Red Glutinous Rice Wine Stewed Chicken

Sigh …. I’m in heaven ….

Thank you, Pris!

It’s been too long since Priscilla’s grandmother fed me my first taste of this very traditional Foo Chow (Hock Chew) dish. Stewed Red Wine Chicken. At the first look of it, I was a little scared. But after the first bite ….. I made the little old lady happy by asking for a second helping. Or maybe she just thought I was such a greedy girl.

She’d passed away two years ago. Bless her soul. 

There goes my chance of having more of this wonderful dish, or so I thought. 

I did give the commercial ones a try and they have never been up to par. It’s either too sweet or too sour. Seriously, I thought this was a difficult dish to make. 

Another friend made some for me when she’d got a homemade batch of the wine and lees. And I went off to heaven again. Sigh … will I ever be able to make this myself?

Then Priscilla came for a visit and brought me a bottle of homemade red wine and lees (made by her niece), recipe handed down from grandma! Gosh … I didn’t know if I could pull this off. 

Well waddaya know? I did. I know it doesn’t look like the real thing. Hey, it’s my first attempt but the taste is just as heavenly as I remembered it. And you know, it isn’t rocket science. In fact, I took the lazy way out and just dumped everything in the slow cooker.

You’re suppose to sauté some ginger for garnish and brown the chicken pieces before stewing. Oh what the heck. 

By the way, this isn’t red wine made from grapes. It’s made from red glutinous rice. So, basically, it’s a rice wine with a glaringly vibrant deep red. That’s why it’s so scary looking. 

INGREDIENTS

Half a chicken, cut into large chunks

1 heaped tbs Chinese glutinous red wine lees

1 cup Chinese red wine

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs finely grated ginger or ginger juice

5 - 6 pieces thick sliced old ginger

METHOD

(Like I said I did the lazy easy way)

Marinade chicken pieces with the lees, sesame oil and grated ginger. 

Leave for 30 mins to an hour

Plonk chicken into slow cooker.

Add sliced ginger, Chinese red wine and soy sauce.

Set slow cooker to High and cook for about 2 - 3 hours or until chicken is cooked. 

(You don’t want to overcook the chicken or it’ll fall off the bone)

Serve as is with fluffy white rice or the traditional way, over cooked rice vermicelli.

*What I’d learnt from this dish. It isn’t in the cooking. It’s in the wine making. Good wine makes good stew.

The commercial stuff …. yuk. Chinese glutinous red wine making is an art.

Penang Style Indian Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles)

You gotta do what you gotta do.

Especially when you’re desperate.

I’ve been having a craving for the Penang style Indian Mee Goreng for the longest time. Actually, come to think of it, I’m forever craving this. It’s a life long, constant crave. 

It’s addictive.

There’s a ton of carbs in here … but who cares. Malaysian food is all about carbs anyway. 

And I don’t get this anywhere in the big city, nothing that can compare to the ones on the island.

And when you’ve had one too many bad ones, you kinda give up and get all hot and bothered and then decide to just make it yourself.

I must say it isn’t bad at all …. can’t get up to par to the island masters but it’s as close as I can get without the sweet potato spiced gravy or the chilly squid curry/sambal that is such a secret to each individual stall. It’s enough to satisfy my crave …. for now.

INGREDIENTS

Oil for frying

5 large garlic cloves (chopped)

4 tbs chilli paste

500g yellow noodles (blanched and drained)

2 pieces firm tofu (fried and cut into cubes)

1 large waxy potato (boiled, peeled and diced)

1 tomato (diced)

dough  and shrimp fritters (I got these from the rojak man), cut into bite sized pieces

2 large handfuls beansprouts

1/2 cup coarsely ground peanuts (optional)

Sliced chinese lettuce for garnish

Sliced green chillies for garnish

Sugar and salt to taste

Lime or calamansi

Sauce: mix together

3 tbs soy sauce

3 tbs thick dark caramel soy 

3 tbs thick tamarind juice

1 tbs white vinegar

3 tbs tomato ketchup

METHOD

Heat a deep pan or wok with a few tbs of cooking oil. Fry chopped garlic and chilly paste.

Add cut potatoes and tomatoes.

Stir in drained noodles and sauce mix.

Stir until noodles are slightly dry. Then add in the tofu, fritters and bean sprouts. 

Turn off heat. You don’t want to overcook the beansprouts. 

Stir in ground peanuts or just sprinkle over the top when you wanna eat. 

Garnish with sliced lettuce and sliced green chillies.

Eat with a squeeze of lime and get transported to the lovely Pearl of the Orient. 

I’m so satisfied right now …. burp …. squeeze me.