By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up Email: minorgan@yahoo.ca
Spicy Honey Chicken
On my numerous trips to South east Asia exploring, among other things, its myriad delicious and exotic cuisines one country stands out among the others for its amazing culinary diversity- Singapore. Due to its geographic location and its past and present importance as a major trading hub its ethnic and cultural diversity virtually guarantees a plethora of exotic foods. Its famous hawker stalls and outdoor food courts offer all manner of foods influenced by the cuisines of, among others, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, India, Thailand and The Philippines. Food in Singapore is not only varied and most certainly delicious, but it is considered crucial to its national identity and eating it is both a definitive national past time and an obsession. (1)
This week’s recipe is an example of Malaysian cuisine and comes courtesy of one the best on line proponents of South East Asian Cuisine that I have come across. Her recipes are authentic and often come with a bit of cultural background for each dish. Bee Yinn Low has created a marvelous website for those interested in the foods of South East Asia (www.rasamalaysia.com). This is one of my favourite Malaysian chicken dishes from her collection…..Enjoy!
(1) Wikipedia
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs, bone in (with skin on)
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1-2 tsp curry powder, any kind
3/4 tsp salt
Water
Cooking oil for deep frying
Method
Combine Turmeric powder, curry powder and salt with a little water to mix into a thick-ish slurry. Coat the chicken pieces with it evenly and deep fry the chicken pieces in a large wok or pan until cooked through and golden brown. Keep aside. Throw off most of the oil from the wok or pan leaving about 2-3 tablespoons behind.
Glaze
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp chilli paste
3 T tomato ketchup
11/4 T honey
4-5 T water
1 lime, juiced (optional)
1 large onion, sliced into rings
Method:
Pound or grate the garlic and ginger. Saute the paste in the 2-3 tablespoons of oil left behind in the wok or pan until fragrant. Add tomato sauce, chili paste, curry powder and honey and stir to combine. Add water to loosen up the mixture. Add salt to taste. Add the deep fried chicken pieces and stir to mix so that the chicken pieces get well coated with the sauce. Add the onion rings. Let simmer for about 5-10 minutes until the onion rings soften and the chicken pieces have absorbed some of the sauce. Add the lime juice. You may add a little more water if it gets a little dry.
(Recipe and Photo courtesy of www.rasamalaysia.com)
