Chicken Wing Fourplay - Preamble

I've always enjoyed eating chicken wings since I was a kid. During my student days, chicken wings found a special place in my heart because they were cost-effective (read as "cheap" haha). Sure they were cheaper than other meats (as low as 1.50 to 2.00AUD per kg at times) but they still had a nice balance of fat and tender meat which made them rather delectable.

The chicken wing is also extremely versatile and can be tossed up as a dish in many ways, be it grilled, barbecued, stir-fried, boiled, curried etc. After awhile though, the generic and coventional methods of cooking the modest chicken wing eventually did become rather monotonous. Through a few months of cooking chicken wings, I realised that I had begun to scrape the bottom of the chicken wing recipe barrel. That's when I decided to conjure up new ways to jazz up this "poor man's" cut. I wasn't going to give up on my chicken wing!

As the saying goes, "Necessity is the Mother of Invention."; may I be so bold as to add, "But Desperation is the Father of Necessity." This series entitled Chicken Wing Fourplay (CWF) will consist of four posts, each focusing on a different (hopefully interesting?) style of cooking the simple and humble chicken wing.

Stay tuned...

D

Old Mother Hen, Sims Ave, Singapore

So here I was in the Geylang district looking for "Old Mother Hen". Er, no, I wasn't feeling frisky that night. I was however, (surprise surprise) feeling hungry! This place was recommended by a friend to be pretty kickass so I had to check it out.

This place is popular for some of their claypot dishes. They use a mix of old-school charcoal and gas as the heating elements here. I guess this sort of incorporates the best of both worlds.

We started off with this black herbal chicken soup. Apparently this is like a tonic and is supposedly healthy for you. I enjoy starting the meal on a healthy note, so I wouldn't feel that guilty when it goes downhill from there into sinful greasy indulgences haha.

A friend of my professed that the claypot rice here is as good, if not better than the famous one along the main Geylang strip. I haven't tried the "famous one" so I can't say if it's true. I can however, profess that this was possibly the best claypot rice I've had in Singapore. Whilst it was being stirred by the server, it exuberated this fragrance which was simply brilliant.

The stirring process mixes the oil, soy sauce and ingredients about evenly and also coats the claypot with a nice layer of crispy rice bits which is always ever so fun to scrape off and chomp down later.

This awesome flavor is made up of a concoction of sauces and the quality ingredients of Chinese pork sausage, Chinese liver sausage, chicken, salted fish and salted egg yolks.

Finally, a decent Singaporean version of salt and pepper squid. Encased in a light and crisp batter which gave way to reveal soft and tender squid flesh, this goes great with beer.

This is very similar to the egg white, crabmeat and broccoli dish from Cheng Li Yuan except this came sans the broccoli. It did start to taste a bit "heavy" after awhile, there should have been some red or black vinegar to go with this. Next time I'll ask for some.

The nam lu pork here was fried to the right texture and the cut had the right balance of fat and meat. It was a bit too salty though, nevertheless, it was great beer nibbles.

This was the toughest contender against the claypot rice for Top Dish tonight. Their home-made special beancurd was fried to a super crisp finish externally but yielded to soft, delicate beancurd. It was topped off with a gravy containing minced pork and crispy lard bits! Extremely delicious.

Another recommended dish, I thought this fried broad rice noodle tasted only ok. I mean, it was better than average but it paled in comparison to the rest of the dishes. I still prefer the beef version from Fatty Weng's. The meal was finished with some hot Chinese tea.

Yes, that's right, hot Chinese tea just melts all that grease away so you simply can't absorb it haha. The trick to eating is to start the meal healthy (herbal chicken soup) and end it healthy (Chinese tea) whatever happens in between doesn't matter haha.

I'll definitely come back here again to try out the other stuff. They did seem to have a rather decent selection of crab dishes as well. This dinner only cost us 48SGD, there is simply no reason not to try out this joint.

D

Crispy Lard Bits

The crispy lard bit is an essential condiment in Chinese coffeeshop eateries (Zi Chars). Crispy lard bits are also a tasty snack by themselves. They're extremely easy to make and the oil that's released from the pork lard is great for use in cooking later on!

Ingredients:

1. Pork fat
2. Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Chop pork fat into small pieces

2. Fry at low heat to release the oil

3. Remove the bits when they have turned golden brown
4. Cool till crisp

5. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste

Hint:
1. Do not fry the bits till they are crisp or else they will be too hard when cooled, the cooling process actually makes the bits go crunchy
2. You can buy pork fat from most butchers but I normally just use the fatty layer from a slab of belly pork (my favorite cut for pork dishes)

D

Roasted Meat, Ang Mo Kio, Singapore

It's always pleasing to find little gems in the heartlands of Singapore. In fact, some (or most) of the best grub in Singapore are found in the heartlands where people are still keeping it real. I was in the area of Ang Mo Kio and decided to stop by somewhere for lunch. This coffeeshop at Blk 332 Ave 1 had a little crowd going on, so I stopped by and had a look.

To my utter delight, I saw a whole suckling pig being hung up at this stall simply named "Roasted Meat". To make things even better, this little slab of porcine splendor wasn't reserved for anyone and they sold it in portions as well.

Turns out they only make suckling pigs for retail during the weekends, so I guess it was my lucky day. This was still fresh when I ate it, the skin was super crisp and the meat was still moist and warm. They also had the "Peking duck" sauce for dipping, not just the common dark and sickly sweet soy sauce.

The roast duck looked really good too, so I ordered half a bird for lunch and the other half to-go. Man, was this good roast duck and on promotion at only 18SGD a bird, it was almost a steal. The skin was thin and crisp but best of all, it was served mostly deboned. To top it off, their chilli sauces were good too.

D

Steak and Parmesan Yorkshire Pudding

Those who were communicating with me whilst I was at work that day would have known that I was getting a huge craving for steak and Yorkshire pudding. I'm actually not very sure as to which order to post the recipes but I guess I'll start with the Yorkshire puddings first because the batter has to be made prior and chilled before use.


*Parmesan Yorkshire Pudding*

Yorkshire pudding was originally served in England as a poor man's food because it was essentially a filler. It would normally be served with a generous pour of gravy before the roast was carved. It is essentially a savory pudding although other dessert variants which involve golden syrup are quite popular as well. Since this is my first "baked/non-meat" recipe, I thought it befitting to let a savory parmesean Yorkshire pudding have the maiden honor.

Ingredients:
1. Plain flour
2. Milk
3. Eggs
4. Salt
5. Beef dripping
6. Grated parmesan

Method:
1. Beef dripping
a. Buy some beef drippings or even better, freshly make your own

b. Beef dripping is actually the fat from a roast which has dripped down to the tray below but since I wasn't roasting meat today I requested some beef fat from my friendly butcher. The people at Butcher House were generous enough to give me some raw fat

c. Fry the beef fat till a good amount of oil is released and the initial pieces of fat become brown crisps (these are extremely tasty to snack on)
d. Pour the oil into a bowl and keep aside to cool for later

2. Making the Batter

a. Mix equal amounts of milk into plain flour i.e. one cup of milk to one cup of plain flour, and stir consistently
b. You may blend or machine mix this but I prefer the old fashion method of hand-whisking it
c. Add a very small pinch of salt and two medium sized eggs to every cup of milk and flour used, whisk till smooth
d. Hand-whisking actually prevents you from overbeating the eggs
e. Mix in grated parmesean
f. Cover batter in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes

3. Baking those Puddings

a. Place about one teaspoon of beef dripping into each cupcake orifice and smear it about
b. Bake the fat at about 220degC till it starts to "smoke" (usually after about five minutes)
c. Remove the tray from the oven and using a 1/3 cup, pour one scoop into each orifice
d. You should have enough batter for five cupcake sized Yorkshire puddings
e. Immediately place back into the oven and bake (still at 220degC) till golden brown (usually takes about 20 minutes)

f. This stuff rises heaps so it's really quite fun

g. Look at how much it has risen once it's ready! I swear I didn't pop in any magic blue diamonds to get this effect haha.


*Steaks*

Nothing really much to talk about, a good steak basically requires a good cut and a good source of heat.

Ingredients:

1. Steak - this is a closer look at the 6 week aged USDA Black Angus ribeyes that I picked up from Butcher House. Each one is about an inch thick and weighs about 435g
2. Salt and pepper

Method:
1. Heat up your steak cooking pan/stone/wok/etc

2. Cook one side first

3. Flip it only once
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste


*Steak and Parmesan Yorkshire Pudding*

The main reason why I included parmesan in my Yorkshire pudding was since I wasn't making a roast, I didn't have a good gravy to go with it, but I still wanted to give it a nice flavor. I'm actually not really fond of getting my Yorkshire puddings soggily drowned in gravy and prefer them straight, crisp on the outside and fluffy and chewy within.

I guess you could pimp up your Yorkshire pudding with more condiments such as bacon bits and cream, grilled mushrooms etc. But I wanted to dine hardcore tonight, no frilly pretty bits, just a man and his meat. Besides, just look at those golden brown and perfectly crisp Yorkshire puddings, are you sure you want to adulterate it with anything else?

As I was feeling abit of a bloodlust that night, I decided to deviate from my usual medium-rare finish and had my steak done rare plus instead.

The other steak was still done to the usual medium.

Serve both dishes hot! This is especially important for the Yorkshire puddings as they tend to go limp after awhile when cooled.

D

*This post is the second of two to be dedicated to Cin for my unco-ness =P*

Butcher House, River Valley, Singapore

Some things in life are always worth celebrating. A close friend getting married, a family member having a baby, a grandpa reaching 100 years. Not too far from the rest on that list is, "a new butchery being opened" haha! I received the flyer informing me that a new gourmet butchery had just opened at 464 River Valley Road and decided to pay them a visit.

Anyway this place is called "Butcher House"; that's it, nothing more fancy. I really appreciated that smack-in-the-face-lack-of-subtlety name. "Butcher House", sounds like some B-grade slasher flick or a secret level in Diablo haha. Their selection is quite wide but since they had only opened on 1st November 2006, some of their suppliers had not delivered some stock- namely the wagyus! Nonetheless, their range of sausages and hams was rather impressive. In fact, they had the snail sausage (it's a rolled sausage, not a sausage made from snails. Hmm I wouldn't mind some snails right now...) that I used to get from Swiss Butchery. Even bigger suprise! The people running this place were ex-Swiss Butchery staff! So I gleefully proceeded to choose an assortment of things just to suss out their quality and took my little bundle of joy home.

So I came home with some sausages, ham and two good-sized steaks for dinner. The great thing about a new place is that they are always ever so polite and allowed tastings for all their cured meats. That's how I decided what to buy this round.

I liked this alot more than the veal bratwursts because it had a chunkier bite and stronger flavor. Veal has never been a favorite meat of mine because its flavor is usually too light and subtle.

Anything with a spicy variant is worth trying. This tasted pretty good too, like a less herby chorizo.

Had to get some good old honey glazed ham in anticipation of Christmas. This was really quite good, not too salty and extremely fragrant and most importantly; it tasted fresh.

Since they didn't have any cuts of wagyu, I couldn't have a fair comparison against Espirito Santo's or Swiss butchery's wagyu. A notch below wagyu came the USDA Black Angus ribeye, which did look very nice though, so into the basket it went.

Which opening celebration is without some nice freebies? My flyer entitled me to some free vacuum packed mini frankfurters and a 10% discount membership card. Way Cool!

So far, things at "Butcher House" seem rather promising and they said they'll email me when the wagyu's in. Till then, I'll just enjoy their hams and sausages.

D

*This post is the first of two to be dedicated to Cin for my unco-ness =P*

Picnic by the Swan

Singapore's a great place with good food, it's very centralized and is great as a travel hub to other countries with great food as well. However, there are still some things I miss about Perth, Western Australia (besides family and friends of course haha). One of those things is just a simple lunch picnic in the park just besides my abode overlooking the Swan River.

Grab a tasty breadroll from any European deli. I normally go for the mixed meat with extra butter, salad and a dash of salt and pepper.

Since this deli I get my breadrolls from is rather generous with the salad, I usually order a 200g side-serve of spicy salami to supplement my lunch and in a way, just to balance things out a little hehe.

Wash it all down with a cold Chinotto (Italian soda) whilst watching the boats go by on the clear blue waters of the Swan. Chinotto is a drink for those with an acquired taste. It tastes sweet at first but has a slightly bitter aftertaste; I love the stuff.

Singapore is great for many things but somehow I can never replicate this experience here.

D

p.s: If anyone knows where I can get Bisleri Chinotto in Singapore, please let me know? I'm not fond of the more popular San Pellegrino brand.

Roast Pork D Chinese Style

Roast pork is one of those things I very seldom order at a Chinese BBQ joint unless I have a ridiculous craving for it. I don't order roast pork because I can make a wicked one at home and I feel it's rather meaningless to order something that you can do as good or if not, even better. I do however, order BBQ pork (char siew) or BBQ pork ribs despite being to make them as well because they tend to require a little more effort in my kitchen. That being said, Chinese roast pork is so easy to do that once you start making it at home, I think you may share my sentiments. Although I'm never secretive about my recipes, I don't tend to slut them around either. This is one from my family vault of classics and is always very welcomed at potluck parties.

Ingredients:
1. A good slab of belly pork
2. Salt, five-spice powder, Chinese salt, preserved red fermented beancurd, pepper, oyster sauce
3. Sesame oil

Method:
1. Season the ventral surfact of the pork belly (i.e. the meat side) with salt, pepper, five-spice powder, Chinese salt, oyster sauce, preserved red fermented beancurd and sesame oil

2. Put the slab(s) on a rack and roast in the oven, meat side up for about 40 minutes at 160degC (non-fan-forced)
3. Remove from oven and flip it over so that the skin side faces up

4. Score the surface with a sharp knife to form a grid (as you can see, the blades in my kitchen don't get early retirement haha)

5. Generously rub salt into the skin (you may use a brush or a similar utensil to do this because it's really hot but I am the man with the iron fingers. I am now however, the man with the burnt and painful iron fingers)
6. Place the slab(s) back in the oven for another 20mins at 160degC, skin side up

7. Turn the heat up high (about 200 to 250degC) to start the crackling process

8. You can actually hear the skin go "pop" like popcorn when it's crackling. *Pop*, *pop*, *pop*... music to my ears. You can even get a sheet of bubble wrap and join in the chorus

Hint:
1. Marinate the slabs for at least a day, this gives it a much better flavor
2. Do not score too deep into the skin such that you penetrate the meat, the juices from the meat will make it difficult for the skin to crackle

Behold! Home-made roast pork with super crunchy crackling. Is there anymore reason to order this outside now?

Slice and serve hot!

D