Steamed Chicken Bao (Chicken Buns)

Chicken Bao.  Fluffy, white bun encasing juicy, tender chicken pieces... just the thought of it is enough to make me salivate.  I could easily eat more than my fair share of these buns if I didn't exercise any self control!

My favourite steamed chicken bao would have to be from Tai Tong in Penang, Malaysia. One bite into the soft bun and the juice would gush out, dribbling down my chin as I struggle to make sure I try not waste any of the tasty filling. Nothing like the authentic tasty Penang chicken bao to get the juices flowing (get it? lol)

Recently a friend asked if I could share the steamed chicken bao recipe as she wanted to make for her son. So here is the recipe I have concocted, my dear friend. I'm glad to share it with you and I hope your boy enjoy this recipe too!

Chicken Chop

Living in a different country can open you up to different cultures and experiences. Most importantly for me, it opens up a new arena of different ingredients that translates into new dishes to sample.  However, at the end of the day, there is no place like home, and home means the food that I grew up with.  

Spending the latter days of my teenage years and early twenties in New Zealand was a blessing in disguise.  Although it was difficult finding authentic food resembling that of those I had left behind, being such a melting pot of cultures, it wasn't too difficult to find ingredients to adapt recipes to those that I missed.  Coming to Queensland, it was even easier to put together Malaysian dishes, with temperatures and weather conditions similar to those back in Malaysia, allowing us to grow ingredients such as pandan in our backyard.

As you can gather, my passion for cooking started at a very young age, and while I absolutely enjoyed eating all the food from the hawker stalls, there was always a part of me observing the little tricks of the trade so that I could recreate these later down the track.

This Chicken Chop recipe is no ordinary Chicken Chop. This is a version resembling the famous Penang Bee Hooi Chicken Chop.  Due to my frequent visit to this kopi-tiam (literal translation coffee shop), I have learned a few tricks on a few of their dishes, including this one.  Even though our family no longer resides in Penang, I think it is so important for my children to know their culture and the foods that I grew up enjoying. And to be honest, I hear no complaints from them as they enjoy the local food with enthusiasm.

Kung pou chicken

Chinese food is one of those things that can either be done really well, and you keep coming back for more, or it can be done terribly, where you end up spending the rest of the night drinking your weight in water to offset the amount of salt or MSG the restaurant has used in the dish.  I've had my share of bad experiences (cockroach scurrying across the entrance as you're walking through the door anyone?) where it gets to the point that I am resigned to just doing it at home.  At least I know for sure the ingredients and the amount of seasoning that goes into it (and hopefully no 'extra' additions that make it into the dish!).

This winning combination of spicy and sour, Kung Pou chicken is one of those typically popular dishes that you can find in most Chinese restaurants. What most people don't realise is how easy it is to whip up, requiring very little preparation beforehand.

Finger-licking Good Grilled Chicken

It's school holidays here in Australia and with beautifully warm weather (26 degrees, blue skies), what better way to spend it then to have a picnic in the park with friends. So what do I make to bring to the park which is easy to make, yet healthy and delicious for the boys?  One thing that came to mind is the surefire winner of finger-licking good grilled chicken.

I usually serve this on a bed of rice for dinner, so normally marinating it for 30 minutes would be sufficient. But because we are going to leave the house in the early hours, I will have to marinate these overnight, making it taste even finger-lickin' better!