Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Foochow Ang Chow Chicken

Thanks to the 'goods' from my Aunt (kao mo), I finally got to make this beloved dish that my Gran used to make. Altho I can't remember exactly how it tasted when they made it (since she's left for almost 10 years now and wasn't able to make it for the last 8 years of her life), the smell of the frying chicken in ang chow was enough to invoke old memories and bring tears to my eyes (literally!) This recipe is taken off the Internet and I've added mushrooms and bamboo, because that's what Gran added, and further adapted to suit personal taste..one day I shall get the original recipe from my kao mo!

Ingredients
1 kg chicken or chicken parts (I prefer using wings and drumlets as I hate chopping chicken)
1 generous knob of ginger, sliced thinly in shreds
2 tbsp sesame seed oil
1 ltr chicken broth (this makes a very soupy dish, if you want the 'dry' gravy version, halve the liquid)
5 tbsp red rice residue (ang chow)
1/2 cup Foochow red rice wine (no other cooking wine will do, this makes all the difference!)
12 dried mushrooms (soaked in water until soft, and reserve the water), sliced into halves
1 can of bamboo shoot (I used the fresh packet type)

Method
1) With a bit of cooking oil, fry the ginger strips until fragrant.
2) Add the sesame seed oil and fry the chicken until browned.
3) Add the mushrooms and bamboo and incorporate.
4) Add the red rice residue and stir well.

5) Add the chicken broth (I also pour in the water used to soak the mushrooms, just ensuring that total liquid makes up to 1 litre)
6) Leave to simmer on gentle fire until cooked (about 20 minutes).
7) Add in the red rice wine, and bring back to a boil. Turn off the flame once you get a rolling boil. (I like a less 'wine-y' taste so I add the wine earlier on, around the 15 minute mark so that some of the alcohol will burn off)
The soup will have a slightly sourish taste, that's normal and it comes from the ang chow so don't be alarmed. I added about 1 tsp of sugar to offset the taste a bit and also 1 tsp of oyster sauce (which I read on some websites) but its also fine without these 2 additions. I didn't add salt but a bit of pepper, but you can always add salt and pepper to taste.

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Buchujeon (Garlic chives pancake)