Steamed Chicken With Ginseng (Jjim Dak - 찜닭) Using Happy Call Pan

Hi there, hope everyone has a great weekend. Sorry for the lack of post(s) these few weeks because; firstly I was away for vacation and secondly it is also the mid-year school holiday in Singapore so eventually I am spending more time with my kid rather than updating my blog.

Here to continue with my Korean Cooking Project, I would like to share with you another recipe similar to Ginseng Chicken Soup(Samgyetang) with a sightly different ingredients plus using "steaming method".

STEAMED CHICKEN WITH GINSENG
(Jjim Dak - 찜닭)

Jjim Dak(찜닭) or Dak Jjim which also known as "Korean Steamed Chicken" is something similar to our Chinese Steamed Herbal Chicken. But in this recipe the only herbs used are Dried Ginseng and Red Dates which after all bring up the flavorsome taste of the chicken which infused from the ginseng. This dish is prepared using Happy Call Pan(HCP) which acts as a pressure cooker to gently simmer the chicken till tender and as the same time trap the flavour of all the ingredients used. (don't worry if you don't have any HCP you can always used a normal steamer for this dish)

Recipe adapted from "the food of Korea" by Injoo Chun, Jaewoon Lee and etc

(Serves: 2-3         | Preparation: 10 minutes |           Cooking: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
1/2 Portion of Chicken, about 600g
300ml of Water
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
2 - 3 Pieces of Dried Ginseng
8 Fresh Peeled Chestnuts
2 Medium Potato, cut into chunks
4 Big Red Dates
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Slices Ginger
3 Stalks Spring Onion, cut into sections

Method:-

1. Rinse dried ginseng with water before soaking it in a bowl of warm water for about 20 - 30 till it is slightly soften. Cut it into 2 - 3 sections.

2. Trim and rinse the chicken, pat dry with paper towels and rub 1/2 teaspoon of salt all over it and set aside.

3. Arrange some spring onion and ginseng on the HCP (around the middle area), place the prepared chicken(skin side facing upwards) on top and scatter the rest of the dry ingredients around the chicken, add water and salt.

4. Close and LOCK the HCP and simmer the chicken on low heat for about 30 - 40 minutes or till meat is tender when using chopsticks to poke through the thigh area.

5. During the cooking process you can open the HCP and check the water level every 10 - 15 minutes if you are worried about the sauce being evaporated. (for me I opened it twice on the 15 and 25 minutes, you can also add in a little more water if the sauce evaporates)

6. Serve chicken on the HCP or cut it into serving pieces.

So if you like the taste of ginseng and you are looking for some comfort food to nourish our body systems, perhaps you would like to try this 1 Pot Dish which consists of quiet a number of nutritious ingredients for your body. And moreover adding potato in this herbal chicken helps to give it a starchy gravy and it could also be served as a meal itself without having extra cooked rice too.

Crystal Jade Jiang Nan @ Vivo City

Recently Crystal Jade Jiang Nan (翡翠江南) has returned as a casual eatery in VivoCity (facing Tung Lok Signatures - 同乐经典) at Level 1, #01-52 featuring simple Shanghai, Sichuan, Wu Xi and Guangdong dishes such as homemade noodles, xiao long bao and etc.

And since Aunt's Birthday is approaching in mid-June, I suggest to have an early celebration for her over at Crystal Jade Jiang Nan as well to try out their new menu.

APPETIZERS

餐前小吃

For appetizers Mum and Aunty both suggested to order this "Deep-fried White Bait "Wu Xi" Style (无锡小鱼儿)" where the crispy white baits are tossed with fried garlic, salt and pepper together with a layer of caramelized sugar coating. Indeed this is a wonderful snack to start off while waiting for the main dish to be served.
Price: S$9.80/plate(small)

For something adventure, I decided to try their "Marinated Pig’s Ear with Cucumber (湘江红油顺风)" which is a common appetizer in Zhejiang. These slices of crunchy pig’s ears are spiced with chilli oil, together with fresh cucumbers and sesame oil which helps to further enhance its flavour and texture.
Price: S$8.50/plate (small)

Just a note this "Steamed Beancurd with Egg Yolk, French Bean, Carrot, Black Fungus Served in a Cup (五彩拌豆腐)" is kind of a cold appetizer which is tasteless on it's own. So in order to flavour this dish, you have to adjust the taste using the provided condiments such as chilli oil, shallot oil, extra virgin olive oil and black vinegar.

As you can see from the above, it is such a vibrant appetizer with tofu, egg yolk, carrots and etc added to achieve the colour, fibre and nutrition. Although I have tried to add a bit here and there of the provided condiments but we still find this appetizer not very suitable for my liking but mum said it taste great together with the Deep-fried White Bait.
Price: S$8.00/cup

MAIN DISH

主菜

All along, the traditional Xiao Long Bao from Crystal Jade taste quiet decent with it's juicy filling of minced pork and soft dumpling skin so without hesitate I decided to order their new "Crystal Jade Multi-flavoured Xiao Long Bao (翡翠水晶八式小笼包)" for Aunt's Birthday to create some atmosphere.

Each tray comes with Crystal Jade’s Original Xiao Long Bao, Prawn Xiao Long Bao, Vegetable And Dried Beancurd Xiao Long Bao, Spicy Beef and Spicy Chicken Xiao Long Bao for an authentic Sichuan experience or western flavour such as Foie Gras, Cheese and Black Truffle Xiao Long Bao. To start with try those with a lighter taste(original) before moving on to the stronger flavour such as spicy beef and remember to eat them immediately or else the outer skin will be harden.
Price: S$14.50/serving tray

Another "must try" dish is their "La Mian with Spicy Chicken, Preserved Egg And Cucumber in “Sichuan” Style (重庆口水鸡拉面)" where the springy handmade noodle is served together with cold spicy chicken which makes it a refreshing dish for a change.

Although the "ma la" spicy sauce was a bit too strong(spicy) rather than numbing(ma la) to our taste but overall it still blends well with the cold noodles and tender chicken that leaves us crave for more helpings.
Price: S$11.80/plate(small)

Since their "Not Fried Rice (不是炒饭)" is sold out by the time we arrived (around 1.00pm), we have to sort for another alternative. So from the service staff recommendation, we ordered the "Fried Five Grain Rice With Anchovies" which served in a Korean style stone pot.

The 4 of us simple love this fried rice which is full of nutritious and vibrant colours from the ingredients used such as brown rice, preserved pickles, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, sweetcorn kernel and etc served together with some crispy anchovies on top. 
Price: S$13.00/serving

BEVERAGE AND DESSERT

饮料与甜品

We are amazed by the presentation of this "Hong Kong Style Cold Milk Tea" as it is served in a tall glass flask together with some dry ice flowing from the center of the flask. The overall taste of the milk tea is quiet smooth and fragrant but it could be better if it slightly colder.
Price: S$4.50/serving

To end the lunch, we ordered 3 different types of dessert such as "Pumpkin Cake with Red Bean Paste And Salted Egg Yolk (南瓜饼)" (i made something similar before, HERE) and "Japanese Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Fruit And Cream (白雪红梅)". So if you can't decide on which one to choice, you can order what I did with the combination plate of 2 items each.
Price: S$5.40/plate

They have a few choices on their shaved ice dessert but Aunt prefer this "Green Tea Snow Ice" with toppings such as colourful jelly, kidney beans and etc.
Price: S$4.50/serving

At the end of our meal, we are given a complimentary voucher of "8 pieces of Original Xiao Long Bao" for next return visit. (voucher is given with purchase from any basket of Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao). Shall return again to try their "Not Fried Rice (不是炒饭)" since we didn't get to try it this round plus to enjoy our complimentary Xiao Long Bao.

CRYSTAL JADE JIANG NAN

1 Harbour Front Walk
#01-52 VivoCity
Reservation: +65 6221 1830

Opening Hours:-
Monday to Friday: 11.30am - 10.30pm
Saturday, Sundays and Public Holidays: 11.00am - 10.30pm

World’s First Angry Birds Cable Car Ride

On 1st June 2012, Singapore Cable Car(SCC) hosts celebration to kickoff the world's first Angry Birds Cable Car Ride with themed activities for families, tourists and at Mount Faber. The debut of these one-of-a-kind cable cars is one of the main attractions surrounding "Angry Birds Adventure Atop Mount Faber", running from June to December 2012.

Crystal Jade Dumpling Festival 2012

For this Dumpling Festival(端午节), Crystal Jade offers a range of traditional rice dumplings together with their new "Brown Rice Dumpling(红糙米八宝肉粽)" and "Cool Dessert Dumplings(冰冻甜品粽)" which are chilled puddings in the shape of dumplings.

Brown Rice Dumpling(红糙米八宝肉粽)is a hearty, savoury combination of steamed red brown rice, glutinous rice, chestnut, lotus seeds, peanuts, black eyed peas, pork and salted egg yolk. And this is definitely something worth trying for those who love brown rice as well as "beans and nuts".
Price: S$5.20 per dumpling

Rice Dumpling With Pork And Spicy Shrimp Paste(香辣虾米肉粽)is another sweet and savoury combination of pork, chestnut, dried shrimp paste, green bean(split green bean), black-eyed pea and glutinous rice which similar to the Cantonese style green bean dumpling.

Personally I would prefer this compared to the above because of the added green bean which makes it sweet and savoury taste.
Price: S$4.50 per dumpling

For something sweet and meatless, you can go for either this Red Bean Paste Dumpling(红豆沙咸水粽) or the Cooling Dessert Dumpling. This is a very simple traditional steamed “Kee Zhang” that is wrapped with generous amount of  smooth and fragrant red bean fillings.
Price: S$4.00 per dumpling

The NEW Crystal Jade Cooling Dessert Dumpling(冰冻甜品粽) is available in 3 different flavour such as:-

~ Petite Cheese And Peach Cool Dumpling(一口芝士蜜桃青凉粽)
Pudding made with cream cheese and canned peaches for those who like a hint of saltiness in their sweet.

~ Petite Black Glutinous Rice And Sago Cool Dumpling(一口黑糯米青凉粽)
Black glutinous rice which is said to be high in fire and antioxidants is cooked to tender stickiness with fragrant coconut milk.

~ Petite Sweetcorn Cool Dumpling(一口粟米青凉粽)
Delicious sweet corn mixed with evaporated milk based on the local dessert taste

Price: S$2.70 for 3 pieces; or S$5.00 for 6pieces


All dumplings are available from 04 - 23 June 2012 at Crystal Jade My Bread outlets. And savoury dumplings are also available at selected Crystal Jade restaurant. For your information, this year Dumpling Festival falls on Saturday, 23 June 2012.

Chicken With Mushroom & Cordyceps Militaris Soup

Blogging world is full of excitement and fun where flow of inspirations are always being circulated around through all kinds of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and etc. Recently while I am on holiday mood and feel so "lost" on what to prepare for our daily meals, I managed to pick up some really good ideas from friends' photos over at instagram. And without hesitate I tried this Cordyceps Militaris Soup shared by Julia, Aromacookery photo (link here).

Although this was not my first time using Cordyceps Militaris in soup but after seeing Julia's post, I decided to try out her version by adding in some dried shiitake mushrooms to enhance the taste of this nourishing soup.

{With Recipe} Eat With Your Family Day!

As most of us has read from newspapers or online media(s), the Singapore government has designated last Friday, May 25, as Eat With Your Family Day. This is to urge people to strengthen family ties through the "simple act of sitting down and taking a meal together" more frequently despite of each other busy schedules.

The annual "Eat With Your Family Day", is always falls on a Friday before the start of the mid-year school break for students. And this event is not only about food and eating but it also about relationship building and enjoying relationship as 'a family that eats together stays together’. In order to show supports to this annual event, some of the participated companies also allows their employees to leave work at 5pm on the last Friday on school term in May to have dinner with their family in order to promote strong family ties.

STEAMED EGG WITH HUAI SHAN AND LOTUS ROOT

Although our family often eats together during most of the mealtime, but in order to support and promote this event, I have made a new "Steamed Egg" dish using Huai Shan And Lotus Root instead of the usual minced meat, seafood or century egg.

(Serves: 2-3        | Preparation: 5 minutes       | Cooking: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
100g of Fresh Huai Shan, grated/jubilee
50g Fresh Lotus Roots, thinly sliced
2 Egg(55g) Each,
50ml Drinking Water
1/2 Tablespoon Wolfberries
Dash of Sesame Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Method:-

1. Remove the outer skin of the huai shan, rinse and pat dry. Using a grater to either grate or shred it like what shown on the above picture. (squeeze off any liquid from the grated huai shan and set aside)

2. Next repeat the same procedure using a slice grater to cut thin slices off from the lotus root. (If you don't have any slice grater, you can use knife to cut thin slices from the lotus root too)

3. First arrange half the amount of huai shan in the steaming bowl, cover it with a layer of lotus root then top with the remaining huai shan before arrange the rest of the louts root on it.

4.Whisk the egg in another bowl together with dash of sesame oil and salt plus 50ml of water till combined.

5. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve gently over the prepared steaming bowl with huai shan and lotus roots.

6. Arrange the wolfberries on the lotus root, cover the dish with cling wrap or aluminum foil. Steam the egg custard over medium high heat for about 15 minutes.

7. To test if the egg mixture is cooked, insert a chopstick or skewer into the mixture, if clear liquid flows out means it is cooked. Remove and serve with steamed rice.

This is how my "Steamed Egg With Huai Shan and Lotus Root" look when scoop out from the dish. It has a combination of soft custard like egg plus a bit of crunch from the lotus root and huai shan. Perhaps if you prefer a more thicker egg like dish, you can increase the number of egg to 3 and water to 70ml to have a firm steamed egg dish.

This is one of our family favourite vegetable dish, "Stir-fry Broccoli And Cauliflower with Walnuts". As each of us have our own preference, I decided to combine both broccoli and cauliflower together so that we could pick up what we like. Adding of either walnuts of pine nuts for this dish gives it a nutty flavour and as well as enhance the texture of the dish with some crunchy bites.

Hope you would like my quick and simple homecook dishes. Remember even a simple dish makes a happy family when everyone gets to sit and eat together at least once or twice a week. If proper mealtime is impossible, try to start off with breakfast, tea-break or even supper.

Sweet And Savoury Rice Dumplings From Din Tai Fung

To celebrate the coming Dragon Boat Festival(端午节), Din Tai Fung(鼎泰丰) has introduce a new fragrant and succulent Rice Dumpling with Flavoured Pork(五香肉粽) as well as their popular Red Bean Rice Dumpling(豆沙粽) which will be available at all Din Tai Fung restaurants from 04 - 23 June 2012.

With just pork and Taiwan pearl rice as it's main ingredients, this new Din Tai Fung's "Rice Dumpling with Flavoured Pork" has do away with our local dumpling fillings such as "salted egg, mushroom, chestnuts and etc", emphasising the taste and texture of only two simple ingredients.

The flavoured pork is marinated for 2 hours using their secrete marinade before wrapping together with the pearl rice using Taiwan bamboo leaves which allowing the rice to adsorb the fragrance of the leaves and tender pork in order to create heavenly aroma and flavour in each bite.

Price:

~ S$5.50 per dumpling at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa;
~ S$5.30 per dumpling at all other Din Tai Fung outlets.

For your information, their popular Red Bean Rice Dumpling(豆沙粽) is specially air-flown from Taiwan. It is made using top grade Taiwan pearl rice together with generous filling of fragrant red bean paste in a pillow-shaped. As someone with sweet-tooth this is definitely one of the dessert to order for tea-time snack.

Price:

~ S$5.00 per dumpling at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa;
~ S$4.80 per dumpling at all other Din Tai Fung outlets.

DBS/POSB Card Members' Special

Between 04 - 30 June 2012, DBS/POSB Credit and Debit Cardmembers can enjoy a complimentary Red Bean Rice Dumpling with a minimum spending of S$70.00, while members of the public can enjoy a complimentary Red Bean Rice Dumpling with a minimum spending of S$80.00

Lastly I would like to thank Din Tai Fung and Leen from Touch Communications for the above.

The Good Life iPhone App From Standard Chartered Bank

As one of the cardholders from Standard Chartered Bank, I am delighted to know that they have offers "The Good Life" exclusively to its credit and debit cardholders, with over 1,000 great deals, ranging from dining to shopping, travel and lifestyle, island-wide every day.

Simply locate the "The Good Life" iPhone Apps by Standard Chartered Bank from the App Store by doing a search through the search menu or look under the "Finance" Category. For your information this Apps is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with iOS 4.0 or later.

From the App "Home" screen, you can browse in five different categories such as "Coupon, Deal, Nearest To Me(meaning deals or discounts nearest to your current location), Categories(dining, rest and relax, retail) and Search" according to your preference.

As you can see from the above, Coupons are valid for certain numbers of days shown on each link. And since it is only for one-time usage, redeem only when you are ready to use it together with your Standard Chartered Credit or Debit Card.

The Good Life iPhone app also makes it easy for cardholders to locate ongoing promotions at their favourite dining, retail and lifestyle establishments through their mobile phone instead of the monthly information booklet in hard-copy form.

Here with the new iPhone app, cardholders like me can search for deals which is available near my location or through category, merchant name or keyword as well as favourite the "stores or deals" by adding them to into my “Favourites” tab.

Cardholders can also share the deals and coupons with friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, Email or SMS(short message send).

On top of the above, the app’s new “I Free Monday” coupons also allow cardholders to receive a free item from outlets such as McDonalds where a Free a la carte Filet-O-Fish can be redeemed. Other partners include Swensen’s, Starbucks and Marble Slab Creamery – that’s 32 Happy Mondays till the end of the year. So keep a look out every "Monday" for the special deal.

Note:-
~ Some of the related photos used are credited to Standard Chartered Bank.