Chicken in Milk

Since the time when we had Cook Like A Star with Jamie Oliver, this recipe had been tried by many others who gave it excellent reviews. 

I finally got down to making it after I got some sage from the supermarket. It seems a little odd to bake chicken in milk but somehow the combination of ingredients makes the entire dish work perfectly. Sage and cinnamon adds a distinctive flavour to the rich creamy milk gravy infused with zesty lemon aromas.  

The chicken was pan fried and then baked to a crisp perfection. The meat was tender and flavourful soaked in the gravy. Writing about it makes me want to do this easy peasy one-dish again. 

Chicken in Milk (Serves 4)
Jamie Oliver's recipe

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg higher-welfare chicken (I used 2 chicken halves)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• ½ stick cinnamon
• 1 good handful fresh sage, leaves picked
• zest of 2 lemons
• 10 cloves garlic, skin left on
• 565 ml milk

 Method

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5, and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even colour all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramel flavour later on.
• Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce which is absolutely fantastic.
• To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it onto your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Mich of Piece of Cake.

Basil, Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken

Cook Like A Star is back and these two months, we are not just cooking along with one celebrity chef but any of the previous chefs! So now you can choose recipes from Donna Hay, Barefoot Contessa, Jamie Oliver, Martha Stewart, Delia Smith, Curtis Stone, Ree Drummond and Bill Granger recipes! 

ALL Stars Anniversary Cooking / Baking for Cook like a Star March and April 2014 celebrates  Cook like a Star's 2nd year anniversary and is hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours. These past two years sure have gone by quickly!

As I did not take part in the Donna Hay event, the first thing I did was to go through her website to check out which recipes I would like to do. The first thing that caught my eye was this roasted chicken which turned out easy to make and flavourful from the aromatic mix of basil, lemon and garlic. 

I think another chicken part would probably work well too, say chicken thighs or drumsticks as I felt that the chicken breasts (though healthier) tend to be more dry when baked. This is a great one-dish meal!

Basil, Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken (Serves 2)

Recipe by Donna Hay

Ingredients

• ¼ cup chopped basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
• 2 x 250g chicken breast fillets, skin on and wingtip attached, trimmed
• 2 zucchini (courgettes), sliced
• 250g cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup basil leaves, extra
• lemon wedges, to serve

Method

• Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). 
• Place the basil, lemon zest, garlic and oil in a bowl and stir to combine. 
• Place the chicken and zucchini on a baking tray and spoon over the basil mixture. (I marinated the chicken in the basil mixture for 1 hour).
• Roast for 10 minutes. 
• Add the tomatoes and roast for a further 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Top with extra basil leaves and serve with lemon wedges.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Lemongrass Curry Chicken

It's been raining every day since about two weeks back - and according to the weather forecast, this cloudy and rainy session is here to stay till January!

With such chilly weather, I'm into warm food or anything that would drive the cold away. This Lemongrass Curry Chicken is really perfect for such days. I don't normally see Curry Chicken with lemongrass added - but Bill Granger's idea is really good as the aroma of the lemon grass really accentuates the taste of the curry. 

I couldn't resist dipping some bread into the hot curry!

Lemongrass Curry Chicken (Serves 4)
A Bill Granger Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 skinless chicken thighs, cut into quarters (or 1 whole chicken)
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped (deseeded first, if you like)
• 1 lemongrass stalk, crushed with the back of a knife and split
• 5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 500g potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 400ml chicken stock
• 250ml coconut milk

Method

• Put the chicken and curry powder in a bowl and toss to coat well. Season with sea salt.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the onions and chilli and fry for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until sealed and browned all over.
• Add the lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, potatoes and stock to the pan.
• Bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to medium–low. Simmer for 15–
• 20 minutes.
• Stir in the coconut milk, then cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Scatter with red chilli to taste and serve with steamed rice.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Thai Chilli Roast Chicken with Coconut Gravy

I was looking for a Thai recipe from among Bill Granger's collection and this Thai Chilli Roasted Chicken immediately caught my eye. I love to roast chicken with stuffing as the aroma of the stuffing somehow permeates the chicken flesh from inside out, making it extra delicious. 

The filling is made of a chilli paste consisting of garlic, chilli, coriander and coconut which is stuffed inside the chicken as well as smeared all over the skin. When I was grinding the paste, I could already tell how delicious this dish was going to be. 

The chicken goes along well with a sauce made of Thai green curry paste and coconut milk. My kids love the dish and they kept asking for more of the sauce. 

Thai Chilli Roasted Chicken (Serves 4)

A Bill Granger Recipe found on Baby Mac

Ingredients

• 1.6kg chicken

For the Chicken Stuffing

• 1 bunch coriander
• 2 red chillis
• 50 g desiccated coconut
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 large limes (juiced) - I stuffed the juiced limes inside the chicken as well
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar 

For the Coconut Gravy

• 1 tablespoon green curry paste
• 250 ml coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce

Method

• In a food processor throw in the ingredients for the stuffing and chop finely
• Take half of the stuffing and place under the chicken skin and the other half inside the chicken cavity.
• Rub a little oil, salt & pepper over it’s back and into a 180 degree oven for 1.5 hrs  or till its cooked through.
• Take the pan with all the juices in it, add in the curry paste scraping the cooked bits off the bottom.
• Add in the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and simmer away whilst carving
• Serve up and drown in that delicious gravy over it’s back.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest ( Thailand ) November 2013 hosted by frozen wings

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Honey Lemon Chicken Wings

There's a particular hawker centre in Singapore near Serangoon which is famous for their grilled chicken wings. Whenever we eat there, we'll order those perfectly BBQ and grilled wings and eat them dipped in chilli and with lime juice squeezed all over it. This Bill Granger recipe for Honey Lemon Chicken Wings reminded me that I don't have to specially go all the way there to enjoy some delicious wings. 

This recipe is the type of those easy peasy ones which I love for a quick dinner - where a simple marinade with readily available ingredients is all the preparation that is required. Half an hour later, a plate of piping hot wings is ready for dinner. 

The combination of honey, lemon juice and spicy garlic makes these wings finger licking good - a must try for those who like their food a little sweet and a little sour. 

Honey Lemon Chicken Wing (16 pieces)
Recipe by Bill Granger

Ingredients

• 1.5 teaspoons sea salt
• 16 free range chicken wings tips removed and jointed
• 125 ml Lemon Juice
• 5 Garlic Cloves if you are serving this for children, use 1 garlic clove
• 90 g Honey
• Lemon wedges to serve (optonal)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF/Gas 6).
• Place the chicken wings in a baking dish, sprinkle with the salt then roast for 30 minutes.
• Place the lemon juice, garlic and honey in a small bowl and stir until the honey has dissolved.
• Pour over the chicken wings and stir until well coated.
• Cook for another 20 minutes.
• Serve with lemon wedges.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Soya Sauce Chicken (酱油鸡)

The post for Little Thumbs Up October: Soya Beans is here. Please go to this link to submit your posting. Thank you!

Soya Sauce Chicken is a local favourite - we find it in many eateries in Singapore and its typically served with rice or egg noodles which makes an extremely satisfying lunch. During Chinese New Year, my mother in law would also typically buy soya sauce chicken for the reunion dinner. 

I've read that it isn't easy to braise a whole chicken in soya sauce, so this recipe with chicken legs is great for not so expert cooks like me. Besides I don't exactly relish the idea of chopping up a whole chicken so I'd much rather cook chicken parts where possible

It turned out to be really easy to make and I simply love how flavourful this chicken is after being stewed in the mixture of soya sauce, spices, herbs and rock sugar. The sauce was so good that we couldn't bear to throw it away so it was used for marinating and cooking tau pok and eggs the next day. 

Soy Sauce Chicken (3 servings)

Recipe from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

•  3 chicken legs
• 2-inch ginger (skin peeled and lightly pounded)
• 4 cloves garlic (lightly pounded)
• 2 stalks scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths)
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch length)
• 1 dried honey date
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rose wine (preferred) or Shaoxing wine
• 3 dashes white pepper powder
• 4 oz. (113 g) rock sugar
• 4 cups water

Method

• Add all ingredients (except the chicken) into a deep pot and bring it to boil on high heat for 15 minutes. Add the chicken quarters into the pot and boil over high heat for about 10 minutes. 
• Lower the heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off heat and let the chicken steeped in the soy sauce mixture for a few hours to soak in the flavor. 
• Dish out the chicken quarters, chop into pieces and serve immediately (Soy sauce chicken is usually served cold or at room temperature.)

Note: The soya sauce mix is great for braising hard boiled eggs and tofu the next day, after all the chicken is gone!

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake at this post.

Hot and Sweet Drumsticks

This Hot and Sweet Drumsticks recipe is one I simply love - fuss free yet so delicious! I'd have to call it a cheat recipe because one doesn't really need good cooking skills to get this right  as long as the correct amount of ingredients is measured for the marinade. 

The thick goo-ey marinade looked thick and rich and coated the drum sticks beautifully. Though the recipe doesn't call for any marinating time, I let the chicken sit inside the jam mixture for a few hours so that it can absorb the flavours better.  

The result is tender baked drumsticks in a finger-licking sauce that is a mix of sweet and a hint of spiciness - ooh so delicious!

Hot and Sweet Drumsticks (Serves 6)

From Pioneer Woman website

Ingredients

• 1 cup Apricot Preserves (Apricot Jam)
• ½ cups Ketchup
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
• 2 teaspoons Hot Pepper Sauce (Tobasco or Sriracha)
• 3 pounds Drumsticks (about 12)

Method 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small saucepan, combine preserves, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until preserves are melted.
• Arrange drumsticks in a single layer on a 13 x 9″ baking pan. Pour sauce over drumsticks, turning to coat. (I marinaded for a few hours before baking)
• Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is done, spooning sauce over drumsticks while baking. 

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Maple Chicken 'n' Ribs

For weekends when my father comes to dinner, I'm always on the look out for easy baking recipes where I can simply marinate the meat and let the oven do the cooking. Here's a recipe I saw on Nigella's website which caught my eye - maple, spices and apple juice sound like a lovely combination for meats. 

This chicken and ribs combo also reminds me of eating at Tony Romas and I used to enjoy this combo very much. 

The chicken and ribs turned out to be flavourful - a lovely combination of the sweetness of maple syrup, aroma of the spices and tartness of the apple juice. I'm happy to have discovered another delicious and simple marinade recipe.

Maple Chicken 'n' Ribs (Serves 8)

Recipe by Nigella

Ingredients

• 12 pork spare ribs
• 12 chicken thighs with skin and bone still on (I used skinless thighs)

Marinade ingredients

• 250 ml apple juice (as sharp as possible)
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup*
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used 1 tbsp)
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (halved)
• 6 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
• 4 cloves (my own addition)

Method

• Put the ribs and chicken pieces in a couple of large freezer bags or into a dish.
• Add the remaining ingredients, squelching everything together well, before sealing the bag or covering the dish.
• Leave to marinate in the fridge overnight or up to two days.
• When the marinating time is up, take the dish out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6/400ºF.
• Pour the contents of the freezer bag into one or two large roasting tins (making sure the chicken is skin-side up), place in the oven and cook for about an hour and a quarter, by which time everything should be sticky and glossed conker-brown.
• Additional information - for gluten free use tamari instead of soy sauce.

Note: I used half the marinade recipe with 8 pieces of chicken and ribs

* I used Grade B Organic Maple syrup from www.iherb.com. They deliver all over the world - use NAD207 to get US$10 off your first order.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Anuja from Simple Baking. 

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

I was looking for a easy yet delicious ginger recipe to take part in Little Thumbs Up when I came across this Indonesian Ginger Chicken recipe by Ina Garten. Hmm... an Indonesia recipe from a western chef? I was seriously in doubt. Yet the reviews of this recipe were so good that I decided to take a risk and give it a try. 

The first hint that this was going to be a great recipe showed when I mixed the marinade - the mixture of soy sauce, ginger and honey was amazingly aromatic. The chicken is marinated in this sauce overnight (or at least 6 hours if overnight is not possible) - each time I opened the refrigerator I could smell the aroma. I already knew this chicken was going to be delicious. 

The final product was a tender baked chicken coated with a sweet and aromatic sauce. One would expect the sauce to be slightly spicy from the ginger (I was actually worried my kids would not like the strong taste) but there was hardly a hint of ginger on the chicken. I made this for my father who visits for dinner weekly. He liked it and so did my kids - it's still hard to believe this amazing dish was made only using four ingredients.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken (Serves 6)
Recipe by Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 3/4 cup soy sauce (Reduced to 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
• 1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
• 1 large (3 1/2 pounds or about 1.5 kg) chicken, cut into pieces (or 6 chicken thighs)

Method

• Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 
• Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown (You may want to reduce the sauce further to a thickness of your liking on the stove)

This is for Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and hosted by Alvin of Chef and Sommerlier at this post. 

Satay Ayam Goreng / Food Panda Vouchers Giveaway

Even as a mum who cooks all the time, there are times I really don’t want to and neither do I want to go out for dinner. In such cases, food delivery options can be limited very much to fast food and pizzas delivery, which is definitely not ideal.

I’ve recently come to know about a food delivery service called Food Panda where you order and get food delivered from a large number of eateries and restaurants. And the choices of cuisine is mind boggling – from India, Italian, Chinese to Mexican!  All you have to do is to enter your postal code, choose the restaurant, and browse through the menu and order. It is that simple.

Food Panda is now giving two food vouchers worth S$25/RM$60 each to two readers residing in Singapore and/or Malaysia. With these vouchers, you’ll be able to try out their service for yourself!

Here’s how it works:

1. Enter the following line in the comment box of this  below: I would like to try (Indonesia, Thai, Mexican, or whatever your choice of cuisine is) food through Food Panda! 
2. You can find out what cuisine is offered through Food Panda on www.foodpanda.sg and www.foodpanda.my.
3. Giveaway runs from June 5, 2013 to June 14, 2013. The lucky winners will be picked at 10pm on June 14, 2013. (Contest is now closed - winners will be notified on week of June 24 as my contact in Food Panda is away on vacation at the moment, sorry for the delay!)
4. How winners will be notified: If you are a blogger, I'll leave a comment on your blog. If you are not a blogger, please ensure that you leave your email address in the comment box so that I can contact you easily. 
5. The Food Panda Giveway is open to all residents of Singapore and Malaysia.

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And now for the curry recipe that I want to share. Since I went for Violet Oon's cooking class, I've been wanting to try out her easy and delicious Satay Ayam Goreng at home. I've been busy cooking many other things and did not find time to do so till last week when I was looking for recipes to match Little Thumb's Up curry related theme. 

When I tried this dish at the cooking class, I fell in love with the aromatic gravy served with the chicken. Quite unlike other curry chicken recipes where there is a large amount of sauce, this recipe calls for the gravy to be cooked till it is thickened and reduced such that what's left is the wholesome goodness of the spices and fresh ingredients used in the sauce.  

What I really like about this recipe is that I didn't use any oil, or salt and sugar and it turned out really delicious. The dried chillies, fresh chillis, candlenuts and shallots form an amazingly fragrant spice mix which is then gently stewed in the coconut milk with an infusion of lime leaves and lemon grass. 

The result is a tender chicken pieces that is moist and flavourful and coated with that oh-so-good gravy. Perfect to serve with rice or bread. 

Satay Ayam Goreng (Serves 4 to 6)

Recipe by Violet Oon

Ingredients

• 1 chicken cut into pieces of 1.2 kg of cut up thighs and breast of a chicken
• 3 cups of thick coconut cream or freshly squeezed coconut cream from 2 coconuts
• 1 - 1.5 tsp salt (I omitted)
• 2 - 4 tsp sugar (I omitted)
• 1 stalk lemongrass smashed, to allow flavours to infuse curry
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, broken up, to allow flavours to infuse the gravy
• 1 tbsp coriander powder* (I used ready-made coriander powder)

Spice/Curry Mixture

• 5 dried chillies or 1 tbsp dried chilli paste
• 5 candlenuts, washed and drained
• 3 red chillies, sliced roughly
• 150 g shallots, peeled, sliced roughly
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste) 

*Dry fry coriander seeds in frying pan till light fragrant. Grind in a coffee grinder and sieve to get dine powder. Discard the rough bits. Alternatively, buy ready-made coriander powder. 

Method

1. Wash dried chillies, soak in hot water for about 1 to 2 hours till softened. Cut the stalks off and cut the chillies into small pieces.

2. Pound the candlenuts till semi-fine. Add the fresh chillies and pound till semi-fine. Add the dried chillies and pound for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp paste and pound well. The last ingredient to add is shallots. Pound till the mixture is very fine. Alternatively, you can grind the ingredients in a food processor till you get a smooth paste. Grind all the other ingredients first before adding the shallots for further grinding.

3. Mix all the ingredients (spice mix, coconut milk, lemongrass, lime leaves, chicken) in the sauce pan and bring to boil. Sprinkle the coriander powder into the pan and then add salt and sugar to taste. Simmer till the liquid is reduced and the gravy is thick. 

4. If the chicken is cooked (45 mins to 1 hour) and can be easily pierced with a fork, remove the chicken and further thicken the gravy till desired consistency.

5. Serve with rice, first removing the lemongrass and lime leaves.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Miss B from Everybody Eats Well in Flanders, at this post.

Glutinous Rice with Chicken in Lotus Leaf (荷香糯米鸡)

Whenever I go for Chinese Dim Sum, the Lotus Leaf Rice is one of the items I will definitely have. I simply love the glutinous rice enclosing a heap of ingredients such as chicken and mushrooms and wrapped in a huge Lotus Leaf (see picture below). 

In some recipes, the glutinous rice with chicken is steamed in a bowl and not wrapped in a Lotus Leaf. That is still very delicious, but nothing beats opening the Lotus Leaf parcel and smelling the wonderful scent imparted by the Lotus Leaf as you tuck into the rice. 

A friend of mine passed me her recipe for Glutinous rice with chicken and I decided to improvise and make my own version of this dim sum delight in a lotus leaf. I was a little worried about how this would turn out as I not very successful at wrapping dumplings for the Dumpling Festival and wrapping a Lotus Leaf parcel sounds about as challenging. Fortunately, this turned out easier because it wasn't cone-shaped. Rectangular parcels are quite straight forward, sort of like wrapping presents (see my picture right the bottom for the steps).

So here's my Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice with Chicken - soft, moist and sticky glutinous rice encasing a delicious mix of chicken, mushrooms and dried prawns, infused with the aroma of the Lotus Leaf.

Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice 
6 to 8 servings depending on how large you want each parcel

Chicken and Mushroom Filling

Ingredients

• 4 Boneless chicken drumstick (cut into small pieces)
• 6-8 black  whole mushrooms (soak to soften)
• 3 teaspoons Sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Hua Diao wine
• 2 tablespoons Light sauce
• 1/2  teaspoon Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon corn flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch of salt

For frying:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp dried prawns (soaked to soften)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• Chinese sausage (optional - I didn't use)

Method

• Put in the mushroom and chicken in the mixing bowl and marinate with all the ingredients (except dried prawns and chopped garlic).  Leave it in in the fridge for  4-5 hours to marinate.
• Heat up the oil. Stir fry garlic, dried prawns and Chinese sausage till fragrant and add the chicken and mushrooms. Stir fry till the chicken and mushrooms are cooked. Set aside.

Glutinous Rice

Ingredients

• 600 gm glutinous rice (soak for 3-4 hours)
• 1/2 tsp salt (increase to 1 tsp if you prefer it more salty - I prefer a less salty version)
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• 1 tbsp light sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil 
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 1/2 cup of water

Method

• Wash the rice and soak it for 3 hours.
• Mix in the sauce with the water and cover the rice.
• Steam on high heat for about 35 minutes till its cooked.
• Fluff up the rice with a dash more of sesame oil.

Lotus Leaves

Ingredients

• 3-4 pieces depending on whether you want to make 6 or 8 parcels

Method

• Cut lotus leaves into half.
• Soak each piece in boiling water for 2-3 minutes till its softened. Set aside till ready to use.

Assemble the package (see picture below)

1. Lay one half piece of lotus leaf on a flat surface. Cut off a small part of the hard stem at the bottom of the leaf.
2. Place a layer of glutinous rice on the centre of the leaf. Put the chicken and mushroom filling on the layer of rice and then cover the filling with more rice.
3. Fold up the bottom flap.
4/5. Fold in the right side, and then left side. 
6. Tuck in the flap on top
7. Steam parcels on high heat for about 20 mins.

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up event, organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen for my little favourite D.I.Y., and hosted by Joyce, kitchen flavours.