Pork crackling guaranteed crispy

Pork crackling should be crispy. If it's chewy, that's not what it's supposed to be and it's an immediate turn off.

After many moons of experimenting and humbly consulting with those who have succeeded, the recipe is now failed proof.

Get good quality piece of pork belly, preferably free range, and pungent free.

Nowadays, some grocers or butchers would score the rind. If not, it is easy to make superficial parallel cuts.

Give yourself at least 3 hours from prep to dining table. Take the chilled meat out of the fridge about 30 minutes before preparation.

1. Pour hot water on the skin. Drain.
2. Measure 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and pour on the skin evenly.
3. Pat dry with towel. Sprinkle pepper and spread evenly all round.
4. Rub the skin (not the meat) with a teaspoon of fine salt.

Grill in preheated 250 C oven for at least 60 mins and check if it's almost crackling.
Lower heat to 200 C and bake for another 30 mins.

Rest for 10 mins and cut into slices.
Serve with gravy, sliced shallot and ground garlic chilli.

Indonesian Ayam Kalasan (twice cooked - grill or fried chicken with coconut juice spice marinade)

There are many versions for this Indonesian dish. I believe this one has a good balance of spices and is not too difficult to make.

Ingredients
Whole chicken (or 6 to 8 chicken drumsticks)
Coconut juice (yes, not coconut milk)

Spice & Seasoning 
Ground coriander
Ground cumin (a pinch)
Ground turmeric (a pinch)
Nutmeg (a tiny pinch)
Bashed lemongrass (2 stalks)
Galanga (2 slices)
Garlic
Red shallot
Salt
Pepper

Fresh dipping salsa sauce:
Tomatoes, Chilli, Dark Soy sauce, spring onions.
Chop finely and mix well.

Side salad:
Lettuce (buttercut or Italian cos)
Cucumber sliced thinly

Method:

1. Heat oil in frying pan. Fry garlic, shallot, galangal and lemongrass till fragrant.
2. Add dry ground spices. Turn down the heat.
3. Pour in coconut juice (fresh or packed) and bring to the boil.
4. Put in chicken (whole or pieces). Cover and turn down the heat.
5. After 10 minutes, remove chicken from the pot and drain excess stock.
6. Rest the meat for at least 5 - 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, heat up the grill. Alternatively, you may pan fry or deep fry the meat.
8. Fry or grill on both sides till golden brown.
9. Serve with steamed rice (coconut, pandan or saffron), salsa dip and salad (ingredients as above) and spicy soup. Yes!




* Bonus dish: drain the spices from the marinade/chicken stock.
Add cubed carrots, potatoes and onions and bring to the boil. Viola!

* Note: this is the "reverse" process of the Vietnamese coconut juice chicken which I will be sharing with you soon.

Grill Chicken Wings - full flavoured and real hot

This is a favourite of young and old. It's really finger licking good. Preparing this delicious dish at home for guys' sports on TV night, teens party, ladies' meeting, family gatherings or simply breaking the monotony of working week night meals.

This could mean huge savings from ordering takeaway or delivery from suburban restaurants.

This never fail family recipe always work miracles. From humble chicken wing to the centrepiece of the dining table. No kidding!

Marinate 1/2 kg of chicken wings with lemon juice (1/4), soy sauce (2 TBS), oyster sauce (2 tsp), Chinese shaoxing wine (2 tsp), pepper (1/2 tsp), sugar (1/4 tsp).

Keep meat in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Bring to room temperature at least 30 mins before cooking.

Preheat oven fan forced at 220 degrees C or set to Grill No. 1.

As the wings contain some fat beneath the skin, there is really no necessity to grease the pan or meat before grilling. Line a metal pan with aluminium foil or use a heat proof good quality tempered glassware.

There is no hard and fast rule on how well you wish to grill the chicken wings. As long as the meat is cooked through to the bone, it is fine. Some like it slightly burnt and that's fine as long as you don't ingest too much charcoal which can be carcinogenic in the long term.

Check the meat after grilling for 20 minutes. If it's slightly brown, it's ready to turn over the other side for grilling for 15 - 20 mins. If too much liquid is collecting at the bottom of the pan, either drain the liquid or transfer the meat to another lined pan to continue cooking.

You could turn two to four times so that the meat turns out evenly grilled. The result should be glossy golden brown wings.

Nem Nuong: Vietnamese meat balls in bamboo skewer

This is another version of skewered meat which hails from Southeast Asia. We're not sure if this has Middle Eastern or Malayan-Indonesian influence. Nevertheless, since there is a very similar Vietnamese dish which is sugar-cane prawn which is also skewered but deep fried, we assume that "nem nuong" is probably quite an authentic Vietnamese dish.

Firstly, marinate pork mince (70% lean) and a little roughly chopped prawn meat to give it a reddish tinge (instead of using red colouring).

The seasoning include : chopped garlic and shallot bulb, pepper, fish sauce, brown sugar, ground toasted glutinous rice (to bind the meat).

Use sparingly as mince meat tends to absorb more flavours readily.

Wet your hands with water or oil. Round meatballs in your palm as you skewer them in a row on bamboo chopstick or thick satay stick.

Unless using direct fire over a BBQ, you might want to steam or microwave a little while before baking in the oven to ensure that the pork is thoroughly cooked.

Alternatively, the easy way is to use premixed seasoning. They are available from manufacturers in Thailand and Vietnam. If you're not allergic to MSG, it is a good option. Use more meat or less seasoning if you don't like it to be too salty.

Ways to eat nem nuong:
1. Serve with steamed rice and fresh vegetables
2. Mix with salad, rice vermicelli, chilli, mint leaves and toss in lime juice-fish sauce-sugar mixture.
2. Roll within softened rice paper with rice vermicelli, pickled carrot and dip in hoisin chilli sauce.
3. Sandwich between a bun with salad greens and cut chilli

Satay - Grill Meat Skewer

The word "satay" has an Indonesian-Malayan origin. As a significant population comprises Muslim, chicken has become the most common meat use in making Southeast Asian skewer. Chicken is also acceptable to the Hindu Indians and Balinese in this region who are prohibited to eat beef. This recipe is quite similar to the southern Thai "sate".

For a serving of 5 to 6, use 300 - 500 g of chicken fillet, preferably thigh meat (which has more bite and is juicier and doesn't dry out easily compared to breast meat). Cut into rectangular bite size. Marinate for at least 2 hours.

Marinade
Pepper powder 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Tamarind juice - 1 tsp ready made from the bottle or make from soaking 2 cm of tamarind & strain
* Tip : must have, to tenderise and infuse a complex tangy taste to the meat before cooking
Tumeric powder 1/4 tsp (* Tip : go easy on this spice - it can overwhelm the whole dish)
Lemongrass (1 piece from the white portion - pound finely)
Galangal (1/2 cm slice, pound finely)
Garlic (1 clove, pounded finely)
Salt 3/4 tsp
Dark soy sauce (runny type)

Peanut Sauce
Thick caramel dark soy sauce (ketchup manis)  2 TBS
Peanut (roughly pounded)  1 cup

Sugar 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Garlic clove (1 pound with chilli and shallot)
Shallot bulb (1 small onion)
Dried chilli - 2 pieces (soaked, cut, deseed and grind into paste with the above shallot and garlic)
Shrimp paste (toasted Malaysian type or soft Thai version straight from the tub) - only 1/2 tsp is needed
Coconut milk (thick) 400 g or dilute 300 g of cream - from experience, only Ayam and Kara made the cut

Method
1. Soak bamboo sticks in water to reduce burning
2. Skewer the meat in an elongated fashion to ensure easy grilling.
3. Only a little oil goes a long way because the meat has some fat (peanut, palm or rice) or any with high boiling point. Enough oil just to prevent the meat from becoming dark and burnt.
4. Grill over open fire on the BBQ or in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
5. Turn the skewer and ensure that the meat is cooked evenly on both sides.
6. Meanwhile, boil all the ingredients for peanut sauce.

Traditional satay is served with another dipping sauce. Another secret to give away.

Relish / Sauce : Mix pineapple cube and Spanish onion with a bit of salt, sugar and rice vinegar.

When the satay is cooked, arrange on a large dish.

Serve with cut cucumber and all the sauces mentioned.

Rice cubes (compressed rice traditionally wrapped in leaves "basket" is good to have. This is as authentic as it can get.

Teriyaki Chicken - the original Japanese soy sauce pan-fried chicken

Only the Japanese can lay claim on being the best cooks of teriyaki chicken.  Others are faux or pseudo or copycats. Nothing beats the original Japanese recipe.

This is one of my family's all-time favourite. Even when I am away from home or no longer be able to cook for them, they still have this recipe.

I have consolidated ideas from two masterchefs - a hotel/fine dining true blue Japanese chef, and another is an international acclaimed culinary instructor.

Ingredients
Chicken fillet - preferably thigh (400 - 500 g)
Pepper (2 tsp)
Mirin (1 TBS)
Soy Sauce  (2 -3 TBS)
Brown Sugar - 2 TBS

Steps :
1. Take chicken out from the fridge 20 minutes prior to preparation for cooking.
2.  Remove fat, skin and sinews. Hammer and butterfly meat.
3.  Marinate chicken with light soy sauce and mirin for 20 minutes or more.
4.  Heat up skillet, preferably non-stick. Nowadays, I use Korean stone coated frying pan which cooks the meat using its own juices, i.e., oil-free cooking.
5. When hot (but before it smokes), put in chicken meat about 2 pieces at a time.
6. Fry each side for 5 minutes or till well cooked.  Note : chicken must be thoroughly cooked and is not safe to be eaten semi-cooked, unlike beef.
7. Turn down the heat and cook a little longer if it looks like the meat is browning too quickly.
8. Remove from heat the first batch of cooking.
9. Cook the rest of the meat in the same way.
10. Rest the meat for at least 3 minutes.
11. Glaze the sauce on the pan with a little mirin, water and sugar mixture. Bring to a light boil.
12. Slice cooked chicken into bite size.
13. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
14. Serve with cucumber and tomato.

Reference - Adobo chicken :
http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com.au/2009/12/philippine-adobo-chicken-and-pork.html

Rack of Lamb

Lamb is a good way of warming up for the winter chill.

This is an easy recipe. Remove meat from chiller or refrigerator before preparing the marinade.
Try to use fresh chilled instead of frozen meat which doesn't taste as good even after it has been thawed.

Marinate with lemon juice, red wine, pepper, sea salt.

Return to fridge. Take out to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.

Lamb chops are more costly and dries out faster during cooking process compared to the rack.

Place a few sprigs of rosemary around, on top and beneath the lamb on an oven proof dish

High heat grill for 10 minutes (or sear on the stove pan quickly).  Lower heat after 15 minutes. Slow cook for 50 minutes.

Reserve the liquid and reduce.

Sauces to serve with : red wine sauce and mint jelly.