“Swiss” Chicken Wings

 

I had another craving for wings, so I poached wing pieces in Chinese All Purpose Marinade (“Swiss Sauce”) for more experiments with heat.

I’ve always wondered why it’s called Swiss Sauce. Rumor has it that the name of the dish is a case of lost in translation. Apparently, many years ago a tourist went to a western style Hong Kong diner called Tai Ping Koon 太平館, famous for east west fusion dishes, and ended up ordering their house special, Sweet Chicken Wings. The tourist misheard the waiter's Chinese accented "Sweet Chicken" and thought he said "Swiss Chicken!” I don’t know how true this is, but it’s a funny story.

Sweet and Spicy Wings

What Was I Thinking?

Not pictured: jeow bong

Ground Venison Over Udon

 

Another day, another experiment.

I generally like spaghetti with meat sauce, but instead of going out for Italian (which I do very often), I decided to do something just slightly different. The inspiration came from Spaghetti Bolognese and Chinese Minced Beef Over Rice.

• 1 serving size udon (any Asian noodles will work, too) cooked per instructions, rinse in cold water, drained
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 white onion, diced
• 1/4” fresh ginger, finely chopped and mashed
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• 1 lb ground venison (or bison or very lean beef)
• 1 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas
• 1 beef bouillon cube or 1 tsp beef bouillon granules
• 1 tblsp dark soy sauce
• cornstarch slurry (1 tblsp cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water)
• 1 egg
• 1 scallion stalk, thinly sliced

1. Prepare the udon and set aside.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan. Sauté the diced onion over medium heat until slightly caramelized, then add ginger, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Add a tblsp cooking wine to deglaze if necessary.
3. Turn the heat to medium high and add the venison, breaking up the meat.
4. Add the mushrooms, green peas, beef bouillon, dark soy sauce, and the rest of the cooking wine.
5. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the meat is thoroughly cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated.
6. Turn the heat to medium high and stir in the cornstarch slurry.
7. Pour boiling water over the udon in a strainer to heat through.
8. Plate the udon, then ladle the meat sauce on top, leaving a slight well in the middle. Break the raw egg into the well. Garnish with sliced scallion.
9. Mix the egg with the sauce and noodles before eating.

My Versions of Suicide Wings

 The wings were first poached in Chinese marinade and then tossed in some fiery concoction. 

Vaguely Asian

They didn’t seem unbearably hot, but it was very tasty and the heat did linger. 

It definitely looked more lethal than it was.

regular red chili flakes, jeow bong, bird’s eye chili sauce, mala spices, sambal, Chinese chili sauce

Fire and Smoke

I wanted to make a sauce that’s spicy and smoky.

It was diluted before pouring over cooked wings to sit in the fridge.

I probably should have left it as a paste, but it worked.

Imitation Cullen Skink

 

I felt like Cullen Skink, but since I can’t find smoked haddock (I don’t think it is available in the US), and I don’t have milk (I don’t drink milk, and I don’t think soy milk or oat milk would make a good substitution), I tried to approximate as much as I could. It wasn’t so much pretending to be Cullen Skink as much as taking inspiration from it.  It turned out pretty good!

• 1 smoked chub (smoked salmon doesn’t work), skinned and deboned (that was a pain in the butt), torn into small pieces
• 2 tblsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 white onion, diced
• 1 can cream of potato soup (follow instructions on how much water to add)
• 1 tblsp chopped parsley for garnish

1. Heat butter in small pan until melted. Sauté onion over medium heat until translucent. 
2. Add the can of soup plus water. Bring to a boil while stirring. 
3. Add the chub and heat through.
4. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Hotpot for a Windy Day

 

Today was a good day for hotpot. It wasn’t that cold, but it was a bit chilly and very windy. The smell of peppers while the broth is boiling!

Ordered Australian Lamb Shoulder, Kobe Beef Belly, and Bok Choy (total just under $20) from a hotpot restaurant (it’s not like they have to cook anything!), supplemented by what I have in my pantry and freezer: hot and spicy hotpot soup base (of course!), Spam (I love Spam!), frozen tofu (I froze organic extra firm tofu myself), shrimp, pork, scallop, and shrimp dumplings, shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated), Hokkien noodles (it’s actually for stir fry, but I didn’t want to boil dried noodles or instant ramen), washed down with a refreshing Wong Lo Kat

It actually costs more to do hotpot at home. One restaurant charges about $28 per person for all you can eat, and it’s definitely cheaper than ordering a la carte. It’s probably not cheaper to do it at home, since I have to supplement, but I didn’t have to go out!

Meat Alternatives/Vegan Bites

 

I was going through my vegan phase again, so here’s something different. 

The fried tofu (frozen) is sold as a hotpot ingredient. I can’t figure out what category the baked gluten (dry) is under, but it is the best for absorbing flavors. I had something similar to the soya (British English for soy) chunks (manufactured in India) in Nepal; they unfortunately look like kibbles before rehydration (but they’re good for having in the pantry for emergencies) and have a slightly strong soy aftertaste, so they do need very strong flavors to mask it. 

Curried Vegan Bites over Rice

This is as lazy as you’ll get. It was just simple Indian curry powder and salt, no oil, no onion, ginger, garlic (because I don’t have any! and I didn’t feel like frying anything, anyway). Throw the ingredients in a pot, add water, curry powder, and salt, and simmer until all the liquid is evaporated. I don’t really like my food saucy, and I was too lazy to thicken it. I had leftover rice, so I didn’t even need to cook rice.

Sweet and Sour Vegan Bites over Rice

This was pretty straightforward, too. Water, salt, sugar, white wine vinegar, and a dash of spicy ketchup. I did have to make rice.

Wings Again

 

I had purchased a couple of flats to keep in the freezer in case I had a hankering for wings and I didn’t feel like ordering in. That day came. These were simply poached in chicken broth, then drained and chilled and ready to be sauced.

Currywurst

Lao Hot Sauce

hot sauce someone has made (I have no idea what’s in it, but I think there is Carolina Reaper)

July 4, 2024 “Cookout”

 

Here’s my twist to the Independence Day Cookout.

• Currywurst
• Elote chips
• Furikake Tomato Sandwich
• Spam Sandwich
• St. Paul Sandwich
• Chapli Sandwich
• Hamburger
• Chocolate

Hainan Chicken Rice

Sorry, I forgot to include the pickle in the photo

I felt like having Hainanese Chicken Rice for dinner but I didn’t want to order for delivery. Many restaurants don’t get it right; well, I’m judging them by my dad’s recipe, which to me is the gold standard, because that’s how he would make it, considering I can claim Malaysian Chinese for my heritage, and I AM half Hainanese! 

So I decided to get the ingredients delivered and make my own. It’s really not that hard; it’s just that I don’t normally feel like cooking. This is a slightly different version from what I had previously made. This one uses chicken fat. One thing I cannot do is cut up the chicken as prettily as restaurants do since I don’t have a cleaver, but the taste is what I remember. I like basmati rice, so the rice isn't "authentic."

Ginger Scallion Dip

• 2 tblsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tblsp chopped scallion
• 2 tblsp vegetable oil
• salt, to taste

Spicy Dip

• 1/4 cup Sambal Olek (yes, it came from a jar)

Sweet Pickle

• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tblsp salt
• 1 cup white wine vinegar 

Chicken

• 1 whole chicken, uncut

Broth

• 1/2 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 1” fresh ginger, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup fresh mustard greens, roughly chopped 

Rice

• fat from chicken + vegetable oil if necessary
• 1 tblsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1 cup white basmati rice, rinsed and drained

SWEET PICKLE

1. Combine sugar and salt with vinegar until sugar has completely dissolved. Add cucumber. 
2. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

CHICKEN

1. Remove fat from chicken and set the fat aside. 
2. Put chicken in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Heat until just boiling, then turn off the heat. 
3. Take the chicken out and rinse it in cold water and throw away the liquid. 
4. Rinse the pot and put in the same amount of cold water. Add onion, ginger, carrot and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. 
5. Add the whole chicken. Cover and turn off the heat. Wait 30 minutes. 
6. Take the chicken out and heat the broth until boiling. Put the chicken in. Cover and turn off the heat. Wait 30 minutes. Take out the chicken. 
7. Shock the chicken to stop the cooking process and bring it to room temperature, then cut into small pieces. 
8. Bring remaining chicken broth to a boil. 
9. Add mustard greens to the broth and simmer covered for 15 minutes.

RICE

1. Heat chicken fat until hot until rendered.  Add enough vegetable oil to make 2 tblsp of cooking fat.
2. Sauté ginger and garlic for a couple of minutes until fragrant. 
3. Add rice and sauté until slightly translucent. Add 1 2/3 cup of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover slightly and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. 
4. Turn the heat off and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Fluff before serving.

Kedgeree

Late last night I decided I wanted kedgeree for Sunday lunch (it’s a good breakfast dish, and I don’t even normally eat breakfast), but I couldn’t find it on any menu, so I had to do a late night Instacart order for ingredients! Sigh.

Of course there were ingredients that just simply were not available in any store (like smoked haddock) or others that I would actually have to cook (like eggs), so I really had to improvise. It turned into dinner because I had to get the fish defrosted. I used soy milk because I don’t drink milk, but I do drink soy milk. I would have preferred oat milk, but the store didn’t have any oat milk.

The milkfish wasn’t very smoky and it was smishier (I know it’s not a word) than I would have liked, but that was the best I could do.

I thought I had curry powder but I only have turmeric, so I had to improvise the curry powder with turmeric, paprika, mimita, and five-spice powder. Yeah, it’s not the same, but it turned out fine.

The dish was actually quite good!

• 8 hard-boiled quail eggs, halved
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb smoked milkfish, skinned and filleted
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, sliced
• 1 tblsp curry powder
• 1½ tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tblsp fresh chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• lemon wedges to serve

1. Pour the soy milk into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer with the bay leaves.
2. Transfer the fish to the simmering milk and top up with a drop of boiling water to almost cover the fish.
3. Bring back to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, bathing the fish in the hot milk with a spoon intermittently.
4. When the fish is cooked, remove it from the pan to a plate. Set aside. Save a couple of tablespoons to add to the dish at the end for extra moisture, if preferred.
5. Using a large frying pan, heat olive oil and gently sauté the onions until soft and just beginning to color at the edges.
6. Add the curry powder and lemon juice and stir well.
7. Add the rice and chopped parsley to the pan with plenty of black pepper and salt to taste. Fold it all together until evenly mixed and piping hot.
8. Break up the fish by gently flaking into pieces with a fork and add to the pan. Fold through, continuing to heat.
9. Season to taste with salt, pepper, lemon juice, etc. Add a drop of the reserved poaching liquid for extra moisture if preferred.
10. Fold through 6 of the 8 halved quail eggs.
11. Transfer the kedgeree to a serving bowl and garnish with the remainder of the eggs, extra chopped parsley, and lemon wedges.

 

Laverbread

I love laverbread (which is just simply a paste made from seaweed), but I can’t even get it shipped, so I have to improvise. It does take a while, and the kitchen will smell like seaweed for hours.

Dried laver

Rehydrated laver

Laverbread being prepared

• 1 3-oz pack dried laver, rehydrated
• 2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
• 3 tblsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Simmer the rehydrated laver over low heat for 6 hours until it turns into a dark pulp. 
2. Combine the laverbread, olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste and stir through.

Laverbread is wonderful on toast or mixed with cockles

Easter Sunday Brunch 2024

 

As usual, I try to do something just a bit different, so I did a Welsh menu.

Snails in the Shell

I get my cooked snail meat online (comes in a package of cooked snail meat in a can and cleaned empty snail shells).

• cooked meat from 12 giant snails (drained)
• 12 empty giant snail shells (rinsed in boiling water and patted dry)
• 1 tblsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup pouring cream

1. Heat butter in a heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the snail meat and stir for a couple of minutes or until well coated. 
2. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine has reduced by half, then add the pouring cream. 
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
4. Arrange the shells on a serving plate and spoon a piece of snail meat with some sauce in each shell.

Seared Lamb Loin Chops

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tblsp seasoned salt
• 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped from the stem
• 8 bone-in lamb loin chops
• 1 oz unsalted butter

1. In a ziptop gallon bag, pour in vegetable oil and seasoned salt, and add half the rosemary. 
2. Put in the lamb chops to coat thoroughly and seal. 
3. Store in the fridge until ready to cook. 
4. Let return to room temperature before frying.
5. Take the lamb chops out and pat dry. 
6. Heat butter over high heat in a heavy-based frying pan and sear the lamb chops on both sides. Turn the heat down to medium. 
7. Cook each chop for a minute and a half on each side or until desired doneness. 
8. Remove and let rest for a few minutes and plate. 
9. Garnish with remaining rosemary.

Cockles and Laverbread with White Wine Sauce

It is impossible to get laverbread in the US, so I had to improvise. 

Laverbread is great with cockles and bacon for a Swansea Breakfast

I get fresh cockles from Hmart (via Instacart)

• 1 oz unsalted butter
• 4 strips of bacon, diced
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 1 lb cockles, purged
• 1/8 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup pouring cream
• 1/2 cup laverbread (see Swansea Breakfast)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Place butter in a heavy-based saucepan and cook over medium heat until bubbling. 
2. Add bacon and stir for 2-3 minutes or until most of the fat has rendered. 
3. Sauté onion until translucent. 
4. Add the cockles and stir for a couple of minutes or until well coated. 
5. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine has reduced by half, then add the pouring cream and laverbread. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
6. Place the lid on the pot and shake for 1-2 minutes or until the cockles have opened. 
7. Spoon into individual ramekins and pour remaining sauce on top.

Pan-fried Root Vegetables

• 1/2 lb carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 turnip, about 1 lb, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 swede or rutabaga, about 1 lb, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 strips of bacon, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Place bacon in a cold pan over low heat, and render out the fat.
2. Turn the heat to high and add the vegetables. Fry until they are cooked through and nicely browned. 
3. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.