Mama Chicken

Mama chicken marks my first recipe post, essentially because I cooked it based on ingredient-combinations I grew to know and love, with no recipe reference in sight. For someone who’s just learning how to cook, I rate its difficulty level 1/5. This is a homely dish that could have a place on any typical Singaporean family’s dining table, in addition to a couple other dishes. For that dinner menu, accompaniments include Shanghai Bok Choy with oyster sauce, Sichuan-inspired wontons, and a hearty soup of pear, fig, and white fungus. My dining companion had nothing but praise, and requested I cook this on a regular basis. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we did.


Chicken Marinade:

- 10 pieces chicken drumlets
- 5 tbs mirin
- 1 tbs oyster sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 5 tbs light soy sauce

Marinate chicken overnight or at least 5 hours.

Mise en place:

- Cooking oil (I’m using rice bran oil)
- 1 knob of ginger, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 carrot, cut in chunks
- 1 tbs sweet bean paste (I’m using Yeo’s)
- 1 tbs oyster sauce
- 1 tbs cornflour mixed with half cup of cold water to form a slurry
- Light sauce to taste

Method

1) Heat wok with a tiny drizzle of oil, about a teaspoon.
2) Stir-fry carrot till slightly browned on both sides. I pre-cooked the carrot to ensure that it is nice and soft by the end of the cooking process. Remove from wok and set aside.
3) Stir-fry ginger for about 30 seconds till aromatic.
4) Add garlic bits and stir-fry till aromatic without browning.
5) Add carrot and stir-fry for a bit.
6) Add sweet bean paste and oyster sauce before adding the marinated chicken pieces. Reserve the marinated liquid for later.
7) Stir-fry till chicken is slightly browned on the sides before adding the marinated liquid.
8) Add some water (about half a cup) and simmer over very low heat with a lid.
9) After simmering for about 20 minutes, add cornflour slurry to thicken the liquid.
10) Simmer for another 10 minutes and it’s ready to serve.