Lemon Coke Chicken Wings

What's better than fried chicken wings? STICKY fried chicken wings! I don't think I've ever met any sticky food I don't like (natto isn't food unless you're Japanese). I've certainly never met chicken wings I don't like. And coke is tasty, so why not put the two together? Chicken and coke make a natural pair. When chicken meets coke is kinda like when Harry met Sally. It's so obvious they should be together. (If you're too young to know what When Harry Met Sally is, click here.)

Is Sticky Lemon Coke Chicken Wings as good as the sandwich Meg Ryan ate in 'the restaurant scene'?

No, it's better! It's not gonna give you a you-know-what though, but neither would a sandwich no matter how good. That restaurant scene is still funny, btw, after . . . good grief, 23 years!

Gosh, time flies! *lick fingers* Better eat more chicken wings whilst I still have my teeth, eh? *reach for another chicken wing, the one with the most sesame seeds*

STICKY LEMON COKE CHICKEN WINGS (Recipe for 4 persons) 500 g chicken mid-joint wings, rinse and drain Marinade 2 tsp grated lemon zest, optional 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine 2 tbsp light soya sauce 2 cloves garlic, pounded ¼ ground white pepper ¼ tsp salt 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 cup regular coke 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp sugar Garnishing ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds or grated lemon zest Thoroughly mix chicken with all marinade ingredients except white sesame oil, in a dish that can hold the wings in a single layer. Drizzle with sesame oil and mix again. Cover and refrigerate 24-48 hours. Turn chicken over once mid-way, or more often if you're diligent. Drain chicken, removing garlic if any. Bring to room temperature. Pan-fry in hot vegetable oil till golden brown, in 2 batches if necessary. Remove chicken to a plate. Remove oil as well. Put coke and marinade in the wok. Boil on high heat till reduced to about one-quarter. Add sugar and lemon juice. Continue reducing till dark and thick. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add chicken wings and toss till well coated. Garnish with white sesame seeds or lemon zest. Eat with hands, please. That's the proper thing to do.

Ikan Tempera (Nyonya Sweet & Sour Fish)

Previously on Kitchen Tigress, in the episode on Kueh Bengka Ubi in 90 Seconds, Mac wanted to eat fish.

Ikan, which means fish in Malay, is Mac's favourite food. 'Wai doesn't shee kook ikan?' she wondered wistfully.

Suddenly, there was something in the air. *sniff sniff* 'Fee-fi-fo-fum . . . feesh! I smell the blood of . . . feesh! Ikaaaaan!'

Is KT cooking fish? Oh yes, she is! Mac waited anxiously. 'Wai is shee taking so 'ong? 'urry up!'

Finally, KT was done. 'Do you want some fish, Mac?' 'Ai wan! Yes, yes! Ai wan feesh!' Mac nodded her head so fast it was a blur.

'There you go, Mac, your all-time favourite.' .... .... . . . ..... ..... .... ... .. .... .... ...

'Oh boo hoo hoo, ai don't eat chilli!' ..... ..... ... ........ .. . . .. . . . . .. . ... ..

IKAN TEMPERA (NYONYA SWEET & SOUR FISH) Source: Adapted from Cooking for the President (Recipe for 4 persons) 500 g fish parang (wolf herring), cut crosswise 8 cm wide; or tinggiri (batang or Spanish mackerel), cut crosswise 3 cm thick; or 2 small pomfret ¼ tsp salt 5 tbsp vegetable oil 150 g shallots, peel, wash and cut lengthwise 3 mm thick 1 red chilli, wash and cut diagonally 4 mm thick 1 green chilli, wash and cut diagonally 4 mm thick 150 g tomato (1 medium size), wash and cut into wedges 1½ cm thick 3 tbsp light soya sauce 3 tbsp Chinese white rice vinegar ½ tsp dark soya sauce 5 tsp sugar stir with vinegar, light and dark soya sauce till dissolved 300 ml water Wash fish and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Pan-fry in hot oil over medium-high heat till golden brown. Transfer to a plate. Remove oil, leaving about 2½ tbsp. Stir-fry shallots till light brown. Add chillies and tomato. Stir-fry till soft. Return fried fish to the pan/wok. Drizzle with half of soya sauce mixture. Let fish sizzle for a few seconds. Flip over. Repeat drizzling and sizzling. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, drizzling top of fish with the sauce from time to time, till fish is saturated and flavourful, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sauce should be full-bodied, mildly sour and subtly sweet. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Har Lok (干煎虾碌, Dry-Fried Prawns)

Remember har lok? It was the prawn dish that ruled the scene before (relative) newbies like cereal prawns and butter prawns usurped its throne.

Back when every household cooked practically everyday and eating out was a rare occasion, har lok was the centrepiece for festive occasions. It's fallen by the wayside a bit, which is not necessarily a bad thing because that makes room for new dishes. But let's not totally forget the Cantonese classic, shall we?


Strictly speaking, har lok shouldn't be made with whole prawns. It should be made with chopped up pieces because 'har lok ' means just that, prawn pieces. But the chopped up pieces would be really small unless I have huge – read expensive – prawns. The scrooge in me forbids paying for big prawns, only to chop 'em up. So please excuse me for making har lok which isn't true to its name, with smaller, cheaper whole prawns.

Chopped up or not, har lok is delicious so long as the prawns are succulent and fragrant. And I always say "Hello, har lok!" to each and every prawn I eat. So childish, yah?

HAR LOK (干煎虾碌; DRY-FRIED PRAWNS) (Recipe for 4 persons) 600 g prawns, 16 pieces, trim, devein, rinse and dry with paper towels ½ tbsp dark soya sauce ½ tbsp salt 2 tbsp tomato ketchup 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 tbsp vegetable oil ⅛ tsp white sesame oil Marinate prawns with dark soya sauce and salt for 15 minutes. In a bowl, stir Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup and sugar till thoroughly mixed. Set aside. In a wok or pan, fry prawns in stonking hot oil over high heat till 70-80% cooked, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Transfer to a plate. Drizzle 2 tbsp water around the pan/wok. Swirl to deglaze. Add Worcestershire sauce mixture. Reduce till sauce is slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add prawns and toss till well coated and fully cooked. Sprinkle with a few drops of white sesame oil. Plate and serve.

Brain Food – For the Brave

Pig brains used to be a popular food for Chinese. The practice has died out more or less, but I thought it would be nice to have a record of how traditional Double-Boiled Pig Brain Soup is made. And also Pig Brain Omelette, which is the photo on the left. Doesn't look too bad, does it? The other photos, however, are a bit gruesome, to be honest. So, if you're squeamish, you should not read this post. Did you get that? Repeat:

GO AWAY IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH!

This post is for those who are brave, or those who have a bit of Hannibal in them. If you think you're one of them, please continue reading. Or come back later if you just ate.

Don't blame me if you're going 'Aaaaargh!' or 'Eeeeew!' I did warn you. This is what a pig's raw brain looks like. What did you expect? See the bit of bone fragment on the left? Nice, eh?

I don't know if other tribes eat the membrane surrounding the brain but my tribe – 'Ooonga oonga!' – doesn't. To remove the blood vessels, you stick a toothpick into the web, then twirl. All the red stuff would wind itself around the toothpick.

This is what it looks like after it's done. The twirling takes a couple of minutes.

After a thorough rinse, the brain is ready for the pot. Yes, it's soft, and slimy after it's washed.

Make a double-boiled soup with some lean pork and Chinese herbs such as ginseng, dang gui or cordyceps. Add a couple of Chinese dried dates for sweetness.

Or make an omelette, which doesn't look scary at all. No one would know what's in it unless you tell them. The brain doesn't taste nasty, just soft and creamy. If you say it's beancurd, it's totally plausible.

Judging from the price – 50 cents each – I guess the brain isn't the most treasured part of the pig now. In the old days, they were extremely popular around exam time. My mother had to go to the market early in the morning to make sure she got one. Like many other Chinese mothers, she believed pig brains improved intelligence, and ginseng provided an energy boost. So, I had double-boiled brain and ginseng soup faithfully waiting for me once or twice a week, just before going to bed. Only when school exams loomed, mind you, to make sure I scored well. Rest of the time, we had Pig Brain Omelette occasionally on Sundays. It was a treat, believe it or not, and the 'brainy' bits were the most coveted. Ah yes, those were the days . . . .

DOUBLED-BOILED PIG BRAIN SOUP (Recipe for 1 person) 8 slices dang gui, or 15 slices American ginseng 1 pig brain, cleaned as described above 100 g lean pork, rinsed 2 Chinese dried red dates, rinsed Put all ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin that can hold 300 ml (1¼ cups). Add ½ cup water. Cover the bowl or ramekin, with aluminium foil if it doesn't have a proper cover. Double-boil with gently simmering water for 3 hours. If you like, remove the herbs and dates, which are not eaten. Serve hot. Typically, pig brain soup is taken just before going to bed so that it's not eaten with other stuff that might negate the benefits of the brain and herbs. Anything acidic such as oranges is a big no-no till the soup is digested and absorbed! As are salt and pepper in the soup for the same reason. PIG BRAIN OMELETTE (Recipe for 4 persons) 1 pig brain, cleaned as described above, and cut into small, bite size pieces 2 eggs 2 tsp light soya sauce couple of dashes ground white pepper ½ tsp Shaoxing wine small pinch of sugar 3 tsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp roughly chopped Chinese parsley I like to add 1 tbsp milk/water/stock per egg when making omelettes but not for a 'brainy omelette' because there's quite a bit of water in the crevices. Beat all ingredients except oil and Chinese parsley till thoroughly combined. Heat wok or frying pan (18 cm would be just right) till very hot. Add 2 tsp oil and heat till almost smoking. Add egg mixture. Fry over medium heat till bottom is lightly golden, pushing edges to the middle so that the omelette cooks evenly. When eggs are 75% set, cut omelette into 4 pieces with a spatula. Turn each piece over. Add Chinese parsley. Drizzle with 1 tsp oil. Fry till the second side is also lightly golden brown. Plate and serve

Spring Onion Pancakes (葱油饼)

Spring onion pancakes – 葱油饼 – are a common street food in China and Taiwan. Available any time of the day, they're particularly popular for breakfast.

Contrary to its name, spring onion pancakes are an unleavened, fried bread, not pancakes. And "葱油饼", strictly speaking, means spring onion oil pancake. But I guess it's good marketing to omit the word "oil"!

A good 葱油饼, best enjoyed hot from the pan, is crispy and flakey outside whilst the inside is chewy, interspersed layers of dough and spring onions.

There're only four ingredients – flour, spring onions, oil and salt – but when done well, freshly fried spring onion pancakes are absolutely delicious, especially when they're washed down with sweet soya bean milk or teh halia.

SPRING ONION PANCAKES (葱油饼) (Recipe for 8 pieces) 350 g plain flour (2½ cups) 2 tsp salt 6 tbsp vegetable oil 120 g thinly sliced spring onions (aka scallions and green onions) (1 cup) The quality of spring onions is crucial. If you can't get good spring onions, don't bother making 葱油饼! The small, thin ones (leaves about ½ cm wide or less) with purple stems are my favourite. Rarely find these in supermarkets, btw. Place flour in a big mixing bowl. Dissolve 1 tsp salt in ½ cup (120 ml) just boiled water. Drizzle over flour. Stir till well mixed. Add ¼ cup room temperature water. Knead till smooth, 10 minutes or so. Dough should be tacky but not enough to stick to hands. If too dry, wet hands once or twice whilst kneading. If sticky, sprinkle with some flour. When dough is smooth, roll into a ball with edges tucked underneath. Cover and set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Dust work surface with flour, sparingly. Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Flatten with palm. Roll out as thinly as possible. Any shape is ok. If you want it thinner, stretch carefully after rolling. Not too much though, or the dough would break when it's rolled out with spring onions. Brush dough surface with about ½ tsp vegetable oil, leaving ½ cm  margin around edges. Sprinkle with fine salt to taste, a large pinch or about 1/8 tsp. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp spring onions, to the edges. Roll up like a Swiss roll, tightly. Pinch edges to seal. Twirl dough so that it looks like a snake coiled up. Flatten top down with palm. Roll out gently into a thin layer, pressing the middle harder and the edges more gently. This allows the edges to puff up more when fried, thus making the inside layers more distinct and flakey. Try not to break the dough. A few small leaks are ok but everything inside spilling out isn't. Repeat with remaining dough, redusting work surface sparingly when necessary. When all 8 pieces are ready, pan-fry in hot oil over medium heat till golden brown on both sides. Whilst frying, press middle of pancakes gently to increase contact between dough and pan. Lower heat if oil starts to smoke. There should be a bit of oil floating in the pan at all times. Otherwise, pancakes are toasted, not fried. Do not put too much oil in the pan in one go. Drizzle more as you fry, especially after turning pancakes over. Drain pancakes on paper towels after frying. Crush between palms to break up layers before serving. Scrumptious when piping hot. To eat, tear a small piece with your hands or a fork and pop it in your mouth. If you bite into the whole pancake, you'd flatten the layers of dough and destroy the flakiness. The mouthfeel wouldn't be good, and all your hard work would be wasted. I'm serious, not kidding.

.

Assam Prawns

I love prawns every which way. All the way from live (!), to raw, steamed, poached, stir fried, pan fried, deep fried, grilled and baked. Not forgetting dried prawns, which I can't live without. Stinky and fermented shrimp paste? Pickled cincalok? Bring it on!

Honestly, there's no such thing as bad prawns, so long as they're fresh and not overcooked. Yup, even dried, fermented and pickled prawns must be made with the freshest catch if you want quality stuff.

I really can't say assam prawns is my favourite way of eating prawns, 'cause I love 'em done whatever way. But, as I write this post (Saturday, 4 pm), I'm drooling as I think about the assam prawns I just had for lunch. The tangy sweetness of the tamarind sauce, the succulence of the prawns, the aroma from pan-frying the prawns in their shells . . . . Oh boy, that's the killer! Assam prawns must have shells, ok? It just ain't the same without shells!

I think I'm hungry again. Oh dear, I wish the photos were edible! Om nom nom nom . . . .

Sadly, I have no more prawns in the fridge. Otherwise, I would have Assam Prawns again for dinner. Dang! Too bad I can't eat the photos. Dang again!



Note to self: Set the alarm clock, get up early tomorrow morning – Sunday! – and buy the freshest prawns at the market. Meanwhile, stop drooling!

ASSAM (TAMARIND) PRAWNS (亚参虾) (Recipe for 4 persons) 50 g tamarind (assam) paste 16 prawns (600 g) 1½ tsp dark soya sauce 1½ tsp salt 2 tbsp vegetable oil 5 shallots, thinly sliced 3 tbsp sugar, or to taste ⅛ tsp ground white pepper, or to taste In a bowl, add 5 tbsp hot water to tamarind. Steep till cool enough to handle. Mash paste and water till evenly mixed. Drain liquid into a separate bowl. Discard pulp. To prepare prawns, trim legs and feelers. Cut through shell on the back. Remove veins. Rinse and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Marinate with salt and dark soya sauce for 15 minutes. Heat pan/wok, non-stick if possible, till very hot. Add vegetable oil and heat till just smoking. Fry prawns over high heat till 70-80% cooked, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Transfer prawns to a plate. Add 2 tbsp water to the wok/pan. Swirl to deglaze. Add shallots and tamarind liquid. Simmer, uncovered, till sauce is reduced and shallots are soft. Add sugar and ground white pepper to taste. When the sauce is thick, taste and adjust the balance of sourness and sweetness if necessary. Add prawns to the wok. Toss till well coated. Plate and serve.

Hakka Yong Tau Foo

What makes Hakka yong tau foo Hakka?

It's the pork. Hakka yong tau foo is always made with minced pork, not fish.

It's also the salted fish, added to give the minced pork a salty fragrance.

Yong tau foo may be cooked in the broth, or deep-fried or pan-fried.

YTF may be served in a broth, or drizzled with chilli sauce and sweet sauce. A gravy made with oyster sauce and a good, strong stock is a good option too.

Eaten with rice or noodles, YTF can be a complete meal. Of course, it can still be a complete meal sans carb.

I love YTF very much whether it's made with pork or fish. I don't mind if it sits in a broth, sauce or gravy. I like it best with bee hoon but don't mind rice or other types of noodle. Anything would do so long as the YTF isn't factory made.

HAKKA YONG TAU FOO (客家釀豆腐) (Recipe for 32 pieces) 500 g chicken breast, rinse and blanch in boiling water 40 g dried anchovies, without heads and bones, rinse 70 g dried soya beans, rinse 4 pieces tau pok ½ bitter gourd, about 12 cm long 8 red chillies 4 small pieces firm beancurd (450 g), slice diagonally into 2 pieces 400 g minced pork 20 g salted mackerel, pan-fry till brown and mince finely to yield 2 rounded tbsp – replace with deep-fried sliced shallots and 1 tsp light soya sauce if not available 4 tsp light soya sauce 1/8 tsp ground white pepper ½ tbsp cornflour, plus more for dusting 2 tsp white sesame oil oil for pan-frying 250 g xiao bai cai (bok choy), rinsed and cut bite size 200 g dried rice vermicelli, soaked till soft To make stock, place chicken, anchovies and soya beans in 2.5 litres boiling water. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to very low. Simmer gently, covered, for 2 hours. Strain to get a clear soup. Blanch beancurd puffs in boiling water to remove excess oil. Squeeze dry. Rinse, then squeeze dry again. Cook in simmering stock till almost soft, about 30 minutes. Remove and squeeze dry. When cool enough to handle, slice diagonally into 2 pieces. To fill with minced pork, make a pocket by separating cut side with fingers. Rinse bitter gourd. Cut into rings 1.5 cm thick. Remove pulp and seeds. Dust inside ring with corn flour just before filling. Slit chillies lengthwise. Remove seeds without breaking chillies. Rinse. Dust inside with corn flour just before filling. Rinse beancurd. Cut each piece into 2 halves diagonally. Make slit in cut side without cutting through. To prepare filling, place pork in a big bowl. Grab with one hand and slap back into bowl. Repeat till pork is sticky, about 5 minutes. Add soya sauce, white pepper, salted fish and sesame oil. Mix till even. Fill bitter gourd, beancurd, chillies and beancurd puffs with about 1 tbsp pork each. Smooth top of filling with back of spoon, smearing edges a bit (which helps the filling stick better). Pan-fry bitter gourd, beancurd and chillies over high heat till browned. Or you could leave 'em unfried, or have have a mix. To serve, simmer beancurd puffs and unfried bitter gourd in the stock till soft, about 10 minutes. Add xiao bai cai, beancurd, chillies, fried bitter gourd and noodles if using. Taste and add salt or light soya sauce if necessary. Bring everything back to a boil. Add some deep-fried shallots, garlic, spring onions or dash of white pepper just before serving.