A Picture of Blessedness - Kuppersbusch Kitchen and Giant Bananas

This is my friend's beautiful kitchen equipped with state-of-the-art Kuppersbusch ovens. I should say, this is only part of her kitchen. She is blessed with a showcase kitchen but alas, she hardly uses it! So this morning's mission was to show her how easy it is to make Jamie Oliver's baked chicken legs in her own oven. Her son in particular loved the recipe, and this is enough motivation for her to try to make it on her own the next time. Mission accomplished.

Very even heat distribution noticed in the browning of the chicken meat.

Look at this picture of summer! It even comes with a hot stone in front! I so want to get my hands on this to try some recipes!

 And what about this cute, sexy trolley induction grill. The top panel can be removed to serve directly on the table. How cool and awesome is that. It would be totally impressive to serve a chunk of Angus beef on this!

I was at the right time at the right place as they also harvested their giant bananas that morning, and she blessed me with some to go.

Bigger and chunkier than a cucumber!

Yellowing and browning after a few days, perfect for a snack or a bake!

A picture of abundance! This is the time to test Marcus Wareing's Banana Bread Pudding!

Everyday Crispy Baked Chicken with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes

I have strongly recommended this Jamie Oliver recipe many times and I want to do so one more time.

Easy. Healthy. Tasty. Impressive. Practical. No exotic, expensive or inaccessible ingredients. Little preparation time. Only one dish to wash. It passes all these criteria with flying colours.

Five ingredients: Chicken legs (6-8), garlic (as much or as little as you like), cherry tomatoes (8), basil (a handful), fresh red chillies (2).
Preparation time: FIVE WHOLE MINUTES!
Marination time: Zero
Oven time: 90 minutes

1. Rub chicken skin on with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Cut cherry tomatoes into half.
3. Crush garlic with skin on. (No mincing needed)
4. Wash basil. Pluck leaves and cut stalk into small pieces.
5. Place everything in a dish to go into a preheated oven. Arrange chicken in one single layer. Tuck all other ingredients underneath or in between chicken. Give it 2-3 good lugs of quality extra virgin olive oil.
6. Bake for 90 minutes at 180C. No need to check, turn, baste. Just get yourself ready for dinner in 90 minutes.
7. Serve with salad or rice.

End result you're looking for:
- Chicken with crispy skin and meat so tender they fall off the bones.
- Garlic will not be pungent but soft to the bite, with texture like mashed potatoes.
- Tomatoes will be sweet and lip-smacking sticky.
- An added bonus is that the olive oil mixed with all the nutrients from the various ingredients becomes a gravy that my kids love to pour into their rice.
- If there are any leftovers, toss them with pasta the next day.

Tips:
- Select the fan circulation button on your oven.
- Don't turn the chicken or you'll lose the crisp on the skin.
- Don't be tempted to cut short the cooking time even though chicken is already cooked after 60 minutes. Slow cooking gives food more flavour.

See my first attempt in June 2011. 

Hainanese Chicken Rice, in 5 Terrifyingly Easy Steps. No fuss. No kidding.

THIS RECIPE HAS NOW BEEN POSTED ON ASIAN FOOD CHANNEL OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE.


I'm a fan of Jamie Oliver and totally support his Food Revolution Day which happens to be today. But he put out this strange recipe on Daily Mail just 10 days ago on Singapore's iconic Hainanese Chicken Rice - here's the link to the article. I suspect you may end up with porridge instead of rice if you follow the recipe.

I have a much simpler solution for you. Here's calling all busy executives, lazy cooks, virgin cooks, and students living overseas who miss our beloved dish. I have combed the internet and found a short-cut way to make this fuss-free. But it gets better. My version is a short-cut of the short-cut I found. You can't find a shorter short-cut than this. It's called Extra Virgin Super Short-Cut, with very little compromise on authenticity and taste. The bonus is it's also a healthier version. Done in five terrifyingly easy steps. Check this out.

Step One: Prick chicken thighs with a fork and rub salt all over. Set aside.  

Step Two: Heat up empty rice cooker. Pour 2 Tbsp oil into cooker.

Step Three: Saute minced shallot, garlic and ginger in cooker till fragrant.

Step Four: Add rice and water as you would normally cook your rice.

Step Five: Place chicken thighs in a single layer on top of uncooked rice. Cover lid, and don't open till 10 minutes after rice is cooked. Done!

Recipe (heavily adapted from Lydia)
Serves 3


Ingredients
3 Free-range Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks
2 Cups Jasmine Rice with 2 Cups Water
1/2 tsp Salt to rub on meat
1-2 tsp each of Minced Shallot, Garlic and Ginger
2 Tbsp Oil
A Pinch of Turmeric Powder for colour (optional)

Method in more detail
1. Prick chicken with a fork and rub salt all over. Set aside for half an hour.
2. Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.
3. Heat up empty cooker, pour oil in and saute minced shallot, garlic and ginger till fragrant.
4. Add rice and water. If you're using turmeric powder, mix it into the water.
5. Place chicken on top of uncooked rice in a single layer. Cover lid.
6. Don't open the lid so heat and moisture will not escape. Wait another 10 minutes after rice is cooked.
7. Remove chicken and fluff up rice gently so as not to break each grain.

Each grain is maintained whole here - gorgeous. Animal fat is released into the rice as the chicken cooks, giving it a deep flavour and aroma.

Chicken are cooked through and they taste soft and moist as if they are poached or steamed.

Serve this with a vegetable dish for more nutritional balance.

A must-try for anyone who can't cook or want to use only one pot for everything. It's much healthier than those on the streets since there is no MSG or other suspicious ingredients, and it may be the only free-range chicken rice you get.

Between Jamie Oliver and I on this dish, who will you choose to trust? Try both and tell me. Remember to give credit to my post if you like this.


P/S: I blogged about this before - check out the slightly longer version here. Some day, I'll post the super long very traditional and authentic full monty version.

See also how we learned to steam chicken leg, Chinese-style, in the culinary school.

(J)amie (O)liver

Look what happened to my Jamie Oliver baking stone after just a couple of months! I complied with everything in the instruction pamphlet and always kept it dry, so I cannot understand how it could have broken in the midst of baking a pizza. My pizzas always tasted better using this baking stone. I'm back to using my garden terracotta tile as a substitute. And I have a whole pile of them!

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