Chicken Mee

I bought 3 chicken carcasses yesterday morning and made stock with it. And I spent a good 40 minutes picking off the bits of chicken on the bones-there was quite a lot of it. And I decided to cook a dish with it last night. I wanted something fast and simple. So I made Chicken Mee.

Mee is the Malaysian word for fat yellow noodles. Meehoon is the word we use for thin noodles, like rice vermicelli. I explained the difference to Wyld Man last night-and he said "I'll call you MEE now, and MEEHOON after the baby comes." Hrumph!

Anyways. These were the ingredients I used.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Carrots, Celery, Dark Soy Sauce, Chili Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Eggs, Shredded Chicken, Garlic, Dried yellow noodles, salt and pepper"][/caption]

First, I boiled some water with which to soften the mee.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Setting the kettle boiling"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Put the dried mee in a bowl."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Pour boiling water over the mee"][/caption]

And leave for 5 minutes till softened. Different brands will take different times to soften.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="I peel and slice my carrots lengthwise. They look like canons ready to fire!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Cut quarter lengthwise again till no more than 1 cm in width."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Turn 90 degrees and chop into squares. Like in the frozen vegies pack."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Wash anc cut the celery sticks where the stems branch out."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Cut the the bottom stems lenthwise like the carrots"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Turn 90 degrees and chop"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="By this time the mee would have been sufficiently softened. Loosen up with a fork."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Drain."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="The brand of oyster sauce that I use-Ayam Brand, which means Chicken brand in Malay."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add about 2 big tablespoons."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Dark Soy Sauce."][/caption]

Wyld  Man loves this sauce....bottle. He keeps bugging me to finish it so that he can use it for beer bottling. It's a crown seal you see. It means that the you can use a beer cap on it repeatedly. Most glass bottles are screw caps which isn't ideal for beer. But I'll blog about beer another time.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add 2 big tablespoons."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Chilli Sauce."][/caption]

Mae Ploy brand is a brand I've heard mentioned in cooking blogs. This sauce has lots and lots of chili seeds in it. But it's not really hot. Just a thick sweetness with a teeny bite.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="2 big tablespoons. Maybe I should just abbreviate this to 2BT"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Mix it up and thoroughly coat the mee with the sauces."][/caption]

Have a taste and correct whatever is missing.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Heat the wok/pan with some oil."][/caption]

As I've explaing before, I would normally use a wok. But I have electric stovetops instead of gas, and my wok is not completely flat-bottomed. So I elect to use a big pan instead. Works just as well.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="At the same time, heat some oil in a non-stick pan."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Break a couple of eggs into a bowl and..."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="...stir"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Pour it into the non-stick skillet. Leave to set at low heat."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Take a teaspoon of garlic."][/caption]

You can use freshly cut and minced garlic. But I'm lazy.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add to the oil. "][/caption]

Add the garlic before the oil gets too hot, or the garlic will get burned.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="I add my shredded chicken."][/caption]

You can substitute this with any meat-just be sure to cut it bite-sized or use a mince. Minced pork or diced chicken will do as well.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add the celery and stir."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add a dash of oyster sauce"][/caption]

Here you can add a bit of chicken stock or water-half a cup, to prevent the bottom from burning.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add the carrots, and a dash of dark soy sauce."][/caption]

Add more stock or water-another half cup and let simmer a bit with the cover on to soften the vegies.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add the mee and stir with two forks to avoide breaking the mee into small bits"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Remember the eggs from before? Break them up and add them in."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="If you want your mee a bit wet or saucy, add a bit more water/stock and cover till boiling. "][/caption]

Take off the heat and serve.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Yum!"][/caption]

Wyld Man likes MEE!!

Laksa Chook Stirfry

When I first came to Adelaide, Wyld Man educated me on some Aussie slang. A barbeque is a barbie, kangaroo is shortened to roo, afternoon gets referred to as arvo,  a biscuit is a bickie, MacDonald's is makkas and a chook is a chicken.  Other interesting slang I picked up are such as a pom or a pommie, which is a reference to a British person; being peckish means being hungry; football is footy-but means Australian Rules  football, not football as Malaysians know it, which is known to Aussies as soccer; and an ocker or yobbo is a somewhat uncultured Aussie male.

Wyld Man sometimes laughs at my take on Aussie slang, which still sounds like a Malaysian trying to talk Aussie, but I've starting calling chickens chooks. So this dish is a Laksa Chook Stirfry which I knocked up last night on the fly. It's a simple dish, with ingredients which can be sustituted quite easily with pretty much anything. I used laksa paste from a jar-it's so easy and tastes just yummy.

Before I proceed however, I should say that there are many types of Malaysian laksas as there are states in Malaysia. There's Sarawak Laksa, Johor Laksa, Penang Laksa, laksas with curry, laksas with coconut milk and without, laksas with speghetti noodles instead of the usual laksa noodles, assam laksas, and Singapore laksas. I love all kinds of laksas, loving each one I tried more than the last, although my favourite has to be Johor laksa and Penang Laksa, Johor laksa being a standalone unique dish made with fish mince sauce and speghetti and eaten dry instead of soupy. The laksas I encounter in Adelaide are more geared towards curry laksas or Singapore laksas. However, the jar of laksa that I had in my pantry was probably to make an assam laksa.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="The Ingredients"][/caption]

2 chook filets, carrots, curry leaves, celery, garlic shoots, laksa paste, constarch, oil, sugar, salt and pepper.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Thai Tonight Laksa Paste"][/caption]

This is the brand I had in my pantry-and these were the instructions on the jar...

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Instructions for laksa soup recipe"][/caption]

I wasn't in the mood for soup or noodles. So out went the instructions!

Any laksa paste should do.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="First, cut the garlic shoots in 1 inch lengths"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Peel the carrots and slice thinly"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Wash and cut the celery"][/caption]

I like my celery cubed. So chop off the ends.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Cut the stems at where they divide and look out for dirt."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Cut each stem lengthwise twice."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Slice up the stems"][/caption]

Now cube the chook.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Cut the breast filets lengthwise about 1 cm wide"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Turn the lengthwise slices 90 degrees and slice in 1cm widths to make cubes."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Heat oil in the pan on high."][/caption]

While it is heating up...

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Coat the chook with 2 heaping tablespoons cornflour"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Season with salt and pepper"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Stir the mixture and coat the chook evenly"][/caption]

This removes any excess moisture from the chook, reducing splatter when you put it into hot oil, and also makes them brown nicely. The cornflour also helps thicken the sauce.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Put the chook into the hot oil and break it up so that all the chook gets contact with the bottom of the pan."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="When the chook has lightly browned, push to one side of the pan"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add 2 heaping tablespoons of laksa paste"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add the curry leaves"][/caption]

Stir and coat the chook thoroughly with the paste.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add the garlic shoots"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add the carrots"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add the celery"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Add a cup of water and cover"][/caption]

Bring to a boil, and lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes or till the carrots are soft.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Sprinkle in a tablespoon of sugar. I use brown."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="And it's ready!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="639" caption="Serve hot with rice"][/caption]

Makes 8-10 servings.

Laksa Chook Stirfry

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breast Filets-cubed

1 bunch of garlic shoots-cut into 1 inch lengths

5 celery stalks-diced

2 medium carrots-sliced

2 heaping tablespoons Laksa paste

1 cup of water

2 tablespooons cornstarch

Salt

Sugar

Oil

Pepper

Method

Mix chicken cubes with cornstarch, salt and pepper.

Heat oil, add the chicken and brown. Push to one side, add laksa paste and curry leaves.

Coat chicken with the paste. Add carrots, celery and garlic shoots. Stir.

Add a cup of water and bring to boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes till carrots are soft.

Add a spoonful of sugar.

Serve hot.

Makes 8-10 servings.