[Recipes] Sesame Chicken Mee Suah - 麻油鸡面线

Sesame oil and ginger are two of my favourite ingredients used in my daily cooking. As a huge fan of Sesame Oil Chicken; a popular confinement dish, I am also in love with the soup version by adding mee suah (mian xian - 面线) into it. All the while this dish has become one of my comfort food whenever I need to warm up or drive out the wind in my body.

There are a few ways in preparing Sesame Chicken Mee Suah depending on individual preference. Some might use full portion of rice wine instead of water (or mixture of water and rice wine) for the soup base. Below is a quick recipe for our version.

Recipes Using D.O.M Benedictine (法国廊酒)

D.O.M Benedictine is a herbal liqueur beverage which is commonly consumed or used as an cooking ingredients by Asian woman who is on confinement during the 1st month of labor. But even on normal days this herbal liqueur can also act as a beneficial health beverage for members in the family too. In this post I am sharing two quick dishes using D.O.M which might come in handy for those who has a bottle of two idling at home.

Between don't worry about the "strong" liquor taste of D.O.M because after cooking most of the alcohol content will be evaporated leaving it with a mild "sweet" taste and fragrance gravy that is great for rice or just on it's own.

Chicken With Red Glutinous Rice Wine Lees (Hong Zao Ji - 红槽鸡)

Hong Zao Ji (红槽鸡) is one of the common dishes that most confinement lady would cook for the new mum to consume during the first 30 days after childbirth. Usually Old Ginger, Wine and Black Vinegar are the main ingredients used during confinement period. But nowadays you can easily purchase or cook similar confinement dishes with access of those ingredients.

A few days back, I happen to view on "Noob Cook" site that she had whipped up this lovely Hong Zao Ji dish using her homemade wine lees, which makes me drooling over the luxury gravy. And since I have a bottled of this Red Glutinous Rice Lees in the fridge, I decided to try out her recipe and it turns out wonder.

Ginger is to enhance the fragrance of this dish as well it posses warm and healthy properties which can “expel winds” in the body. Whereas wine is helpful in warming and nourishing the body, which promotes blood circulation.

(Recipe adapted from Noobcook, HERE)
Ingredients: (serves 2)
½ Chicken, chopped to smaller pieces
* 250ml Glutinous Rice Wine (红槽酒)
1½ Tablespoon Red Glutinous Wine Lees (红槽)
4 Slices Ginger, cut to thin strips
2 Slices Ginger
I Packet of Shimeiji Mushroom
2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
½ Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
¼ Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
2 Small Cubes Rock Sugar (about 3 - 5g)

Garnish:
1 Tablespoon of Hua Diao Jiu (花雕酒 )
Splash of Sesame Oil
Some Coriander

Note:-

* I replace Red Glutinous Rice Wine with normal glutinous rice wine since I have some leftover in the fridge.

Method:-

1. Heat up a wok or claypot with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add ginger strips and fry them until crisp and set aside the ginger strips for garnishing.

2. Using the remaining sesame oil in the wok, add ginger slices, chicken pieces and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked on the surface.

3. Add in glutinous wine, wine less, mushrooms, light and dark soy sauce. Stir well. Cover with lid and let it simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.

4. Using spatula to flip the chicken pieces over so that they can absorb the sauce evenly.

5. Next add rock sugar for sweetness as well as enhance a beautiful glazed finish. Simmer with lid closed for another 5 - 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

6. Turn off heat, drizzle one tablespoons of Hua Diao Jiu and splash of sesame oil for extra fragrance and taste.

7. Garnish with fried ginger, coriander and serve with steamed white rice.


Chicken With Red Glutinous Rice Wine Lees (Hong Zao Ji - 红槽鸡)



Although there are many different way of methods in preparing this confinement dish but like what "Noob Cook" has shared the key factors still lies on that good quality of wine leer which makes a great different in taste for this dish. But if you can’t get hold these homemade red glutinous wine lees, you can easily purchase those bottled wine lees in any leading supermarkets or Asian grocery stalls. You can take a look at another simple recipe of mine with a photo of the bottled wine lees shown, HERE.

Ginger Vinegar Trotter - 猪脚姜醋

Hello to all the Asian mums! I am sure you are familiar with this dish which brings back memories during your “Confinement - 坐月” days? Ginger Vinegar Trotter (猪脚姜醋) is one of the traditional "must have" confinement dish that is good for expelling the wind from the stomach, the calcium in the trotter plus the heat from the ginger  which helps to revitalize and replenish nutrients in the mother's body.

To prepare this dish, the two key ingredients are matured (old) ginger and black vinegar. Matured ginger is used because it imparts a stronger and more intense flavour for the dish and most of the folks also believe that Black Vinegar purifies blood and cleanses the arteries of stale blood while Old ginger drives out the wind in the body. And in order to prevent the vinegar for being too acidic and weakening the stomach; glutinous ligaments and collagen of the pig's trotters are added to serve as a lubricant.

Ingredients: (serves 2 -3)
1 Pig's Trotter, ask for the front trotter and cut into big pieces
2 Big Piece Of Old Ginger (老姜), about 500g
1 Small Bottle (375ml) Of Black Rice Vinegar (黑甜醋)
1 1/2 Bottle Of Water, use the same vinegar bottle
1 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
50g Rock Sugar/Brown Sugar
4 Hard Boiled Eggs

Method:
1. Scrap, wash and cut the old ginger into big pieces then flatten slightly.

2. Heat up sesame oil in a large claypot and saute old ginger till fragrant.

3. Pour in vinegar and water, covered and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, remove from heat and leave it to stand over night.(alternatively you can transfer the mixture to a slow cooker and cooker for AUTO for about 3 hours then switch it off and let it stand over night)

4. Trim the pig's trotter, rinse and blanch into boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove, rinse again and drain well.

5. Preheat frying pan with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, saute the prepare trotter for a few seconds to seal the meat.

6. Next bring the vinegar mixture to boil, add in the pig trotter and cooked for 30 minutes on low heat then add in the hard boiled eggs. (or you can transfer the mixture back to the slower cooker and cook over AUTO for another 2 hours before adding in the egg and cook for another 30 minutes or so).

7. Continue to simmer for another 20 - 30 minutes till the trotter is soften to bite then add in sugar to taste.

8. Remove from heat and serve hot or you can prepare this in the morning and let the mixture stand till the adsorb the flavour from the vinegar broth. and serve in the evening.

Note:
~ Cooking in Slow Cooker prevent the soup from drying out when compare to simmer it over the stove on low heat.

~ Ask for front trotter from the butcher as it contains more meat than bones or replace it with pork belly for more meaty dish.

Although this dish might seems a bit time consuming to prepared but you can always prepare the vinegar broth a day ahead and add in the trotter on the second day. Between this dish taste better after one or two days and you can store the unfinished portion in the fridge too but remember not to use plastic container for this dish due to the vinegar reaction to the plastic.

Rice Wine Chicken - 黄酒鸡

Yo!!! All the Precious Mummies who read this post, do you still remember this Rice Wine Chicken dish that you used to have during the 30 days of Confinement? I guess most of the Asia Mummies do love this dish due to it's special fragrance of the sesame oil and shredded ginger. It is a very nutritious dish which contain Woodears, Mushroom, Chicken and lot of Ginger and Rice Wine.


I love this dish especially with a lot of the shredded ginger and sesame oil. I just simply love the fragrance of this dish when saute the ginger with the sesame oil. The purpose of eating this dish during confinement time is to expel the wind from the stomach as well as clear the blood clot in the womb.

This dish goes well with either steam white rice or Mee Suan(面线) as you can use the gravy as a soup base. I love the crunchiness of the Chinese mushroom and smooth and sticky woodear after being stew in the sauce. But for those who has not being a mother yet, you still can try cooking this dish by either retain the rice wine as the main ingredients or replace it with water.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
4 Chicken Wings, cut at the joint
1 Tablespoon of Grated Ginger
4 - 6 Dried Chinese Mushroom, soaked till soft
1 or 2 Cluster of Fresh Woodear(木耳), washed and cut into thick section
8 Slices of Ginger, thinly shredded
1 1/2 Tablespoons Of Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon of Wolfberries(枸杞子)
3/4 - 1 Cup of Glutinous Rice Wine
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce, optional
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon of Cornstarch mixture

Methods:
1. Marinate the chicken wings with 1 tablespoon of grated ginger for about 20 - 30 minutes to enhance the favour.
2. Heat a craypot or frying pan with sesame oil and saute the shredded ginger until fragrant and almost golden colour then add in the marinated chicken wing.
3. Stir-fry the chicken until it turn white on the surface(sealed the surface of the meat) then add in the Woodears, Mushrooms and oyster sauce.
4. Continue to stir-fry for about 30 seconds to let it absorb the sesame oil fragrant.
5. Next pour in the rice wine and wolfberries and let it simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes or so. (If you prefer more gravy, you can add in more rice wine according to your preference)
6. When the chicken and mushroom is cooked through, stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce a bit and give it a glossy texture.
7. Serve it with white rice or mee suan(面线) as prefer.

Notes:
a) You can replace chicken wings with chicken pieces or meat.
b) You can omit the dried mushroom and woodear for different texture of this dish.
c) It's optional that you must add in cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
d) You can either season it with Oyster sauce or salt depend on your preference.

Steam Herbal Chicken With BRAND’S® Chicken Essence

Since I had a few bottles of BRAND’S^® Essence of Chicken left in the cabinet, I thought of giving this dish a try. The original dish used Frog and Chicken Essence while I replace it with Chicken and some extra herbs to boost the favour as well as the fragrant.

Ingredients:
1/2 portion of a medium chicken
3 Slices Of Ginger, shredded
1 Bottle Of BRAND’S Chicken Essence
3-4 Slices Of Dang Gui(当归)
4 Red Dates(红枣)
1/2 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(杞子)
Marinade:
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Cooking/Rice Wine
10g Finely Grated Ginger

Methods:
1. Rinse the chicken, pat-fry and season with marinade for at least 30 minutes or more.
2. Arrange the marinated chicken on the plate together with the herbs, cover with foil and steam for about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the steamer, pour in the chicken essence over the chicken, cover the foil and steam for another 15 to 20 minutes until the thicker part of the chicken is tender.
4. Remove the chicken, braised it with the chicken essence sauce and serve immediately.

Notes:
a) You can used any favour of the Chicken Essence.
b) You may omit the extra herbs if you find it too heaty.

Steam Cod Fish & Double Boil Frog Soup

This is another way of eating cod fish which can enhance it's origin favour as well as giving supplement to the body. Because of the grated ginger to expel wind, black fungi to increase the fluidity of the blood and improving circulation while rice wine kept the body warm.


Ingredients:
1 Piece Of Cod Fish(250g - 300g),雪鱼
5g Black Fungi(云耳), soaked till soft
1/2 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(枸杞子), rinse
1 Tablespoon Grated Ginger
3 Tablespoons Glutinous Rice Wine(黄酒,糯米酒)
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce

Methods:
1. Saute the ginger over a low heat with 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil in a preheated pan until golden browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Washed and trim the soften black fungi and set aside.
3. Rinse the fish and pat-fry, season with glutinous rice wine and soy sauce then arrange on a heatproof plate.
4. Arrange the black fungi and gou qi on the side of the fish, top with pre-fried ginger and drizzle some ginger sesame oil on the fish.
5. Steam over high heat for 10 - 15 minutes until cooked through depend on the thickness of the fish.
6. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

This soup was abit uncommon, as we usually eat Frog that is Stir-fry with spring onion and ginger(姜葱田鸡), Stir-fry Frog in Gong Bao Sauce(宫保田鸡) or Frog Porridge(田鸡粥). So this Double boil frog with herbs is a rather new combination that using pork ribs or chicken.

Ingredients:
2 - 3 Whole Frog(田鸡)
50g Black Beans(黑豆)
6 - 8 Red Dates(红枣)
4 Slices Of Dang Gui(当归)
1/2 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(枸杞子)
5g Dried Longan(龙眼干)
800ml - 900ml Boiling Water

Methods:
1. Soak the black beans into water for at least 2 hour, remove and drained then set aside.
2. Rinse the frogs and blanch into boiling water for a while, remove and place into a double boiler, add in black beans and the rest of the ingredients(remember to rinse the herbs before using).
3. Pour in boiling water, covered and double-boiled over a low heat for about 2 hours.
4. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Notes:
a) This soup is abit sweet due to the Dried Longan, so if you don't prefer it to be sweet omit the adding the dried longan.
b) If you don't have a double boiler, you can put all the ingredients into a pot and place it in the slower cooker to double-boil over slow/auto heat for about 3 - 4 hours.

A Day Into Confinement Dish

Today I am in mood of cooking some confinement dishes because I had this craving of eating this Black Vinegar Trotter which I had never eaten during my Confinement period. I started this craving when I saw this dish on my best friend Beechoo's baby full month celebration. I was tempting to give it a try but then I was afraid of the vinegar fragrant and taste.

But after much struggle and convince from my best pal Tracy I decided to give it a go... Wow.. and it really turns out great, thanks Tracy for introducing me to try cooking on this wonderful dish. I knew there are a lot of different ways to cook this dish depending on individual. Some just add sweeten black vinegar, some use both sweet and black vinegar while other add water and rock sugar/brown sugar. But no matter what are the ways that you choose to cook this dish, I believed it sure turns out great. And old folks believed that Black Vinegar purifies blood and cleanses the arteries of stale blood while Old ginger drives out the wind in the body. In order to prevent the vinegar being too acidic & therefore weakening the stomach, the glutinous ligaments and collagen of the pig's trotters are to serve as a lubricant.

Ingredients:
1 Pig's Trotter(ask for the front trotter)
1 Big Piece Of Old Ginger(about 300g)
1 Handful Of Black Bean
1 Small Bottle Of Black Vinegar, 375ml
1 1/2 Bottle Of Water(use the same vinegar bottle)
2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
1 - 2 Tablespoon Rock Sugar/Brown Sugar
2 - 3 Hard Boiled Eggs

Methods:
1. Peel, wash and cut the old ginger into big pieces then flatten slightly.
2. Rinse the black beans and pat dry then set aside.
3. Heat up sesame oil in the preheated large claypot to saute old ginger till fragrant then add in the black beans and stir for a few minutes.
4. Pour in vinegar and water, covered and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cook for about 1 hour remove from heat and soak the rest for over night.
5. Rinse the pig's trotter and cut into convenient pieces, wash and blanch into boiling water.
6. Remove, rinsed and stir-fry with some sesame oil in a preheated dry wok for a while.
7. Lastly bring the soaked vinegar soup back to boil, add in pre-fried trotter pieces and cooked for 20 minutes then add in the hard boiled eggs.
8. Continue to simmer for another 20 minutes then add in sugar to taste.
9. Remove from heat, soak the trotter pieces until tenders and the flavour has be absorbed. Serve hot.

Notes:
a) You can choose to add in more or less Ginger depend on your preference.
b) You can choose to cook the Black Vinegar Soup 1 day ahead before adding the Pig trotter or you can cook all the ingredients together and eat on the day itself or next day.
c) The amount of sugar added also depend on individual taste, you can omit it as well.

This is another famous and must dish during the confinement, Chicken With Rice Wine Residue. The aroma was great and it goes well with white rice.

Ingredients:
4-5 Chicken Wings, cut into half
1 Tablespoon Of Shredded Ginger
2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon of Red Grain Rice Wine Residue
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Glutinous Rice Wine
Marinade:
1 Tablespoon Red Grain Rice Wine Reside
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Glutinous Rice Wine/Cooking Wine

Methods:
1. Rinse chicken wings and cut into pieces. Season with the marinade well and marinated for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat up 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil then add in shredded ginger and fry till fragrant then add in the wine residue.
3. Add in the marinated chicken pieces, stir-fry till well combined and aromatic then pour in the glutinous rice wine and stir well.
4. Then simmer with cover over low heat for 5 minutes or till cooked through. Remove and serve hot.

Stir-fry Pork Liver With Rice Wine

Today is a lazy Sunday morning while my son slept an hour and the half more than his usual wake up time. So while he is still in dreamland, I continue peeling the outer skin of the dried walnuts which I am going to use it for cooking his porridge. Our lunch menu for today will be "Vegetable Pork with Minced Pork and Walnut" serve together with Stir-fry Pork Liver With Rice Wine.