POPCORN CHICKEN

Popcorn chicken is hard to resist.  It's bite sized finger or fork food that adults and kids will love to crunch through.  Heap all the cooked Popcorn chicken in to a bowl and place the dipping sauce next to it and watch everyone happily munching away.

Serves 4-6 as an entree or as a snack

Ingredients:

3 large chicken thighs
3 cups of vegetable oil for deep frying

Flour mixture:
3/4 cup tapioca starch
2 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp ground paprika

2 eggs
1 red shallot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped and deseeded
1 tsp ginger, finely grated
coriander to garnish

Final Seasoning:
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp ground paprika

Dipping Sauce:
40 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
50 ml hot water
1 tsp salt
Pinch of finely ground pepper
1 tsp white sugar


1.  Cut the fat off the chicken and discard the fat.  Cut the chicken in to 2cm pieces (bite sized).

2.  Crack the eggs in to a bowl and whisk thoroughly with a fork until very well mixed.

3.  In a separate bowl combine the flour mixture (tapioca starch, Chinese five spice, celery salt, paprika). Stir until well combined.

4.  Dip the chicken pieces into the egg and then coat in the flour mixture (making sure they are evenly coated).

5.  Heat the vegetable oil in a wok.  To test if the oil temperature is ready for cooking drop a small cube of bread into the oil.  If the bread sizzles immediately this means the oil is ready for cooking. If you have a deep fryer you would use this instead.

6.  Deep fry the chicken in batches for 3-5 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Turn chicken with long tongs during the cooking process to make sure they are cooked evenly and to ensure that the chicken pieces don't stick together. Remove chicken pieces and drain on paper towelling.

7.  Once all the chicken is cooked discard the vegetable oil and clean the wok.

8.  Heat the wok again and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.  Add the shallot, garlic, chilli and ginger and cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes. 

9.  Add all the cooked chicken pieces to the wok and stir gently.  Add the final seasoning (Chinese five spice and paprika) and stir in well.

10.  Place all the chicken into a serving bowl and top with coriander.

11. To make the dipping sauce combine all the dipping sauce ingredients (lemon juice, hot water, salt, pepper and sugar) and mix well until sugar dissolves.

Your Popcorn Chicken and dipping sauce is now ready for the hungry crowds!

KOREAN CORN TEA

I always enjoy sipping on hot Korean corn tea when dining out in Korean restaurants.  I decided it was time l had my own supply at home.  The owner of my local Korean supermarket was most helpful and advised that using corn tea bags cannot be compared to the 'real thing'.  The 'real thing' according to her is corn tea made with roasted corn kernels (see photo above).  Under this advice I purchased a bag of roasted corn kernels and headed home to make tea.

To make the tea simply place about 3 tablespoons of the roasted corn kernels into 10 cups of water and boil in a saucepan for 5-20 minutes (depending on how strong you like your tea). Then discard the corn kernels and the tea is ready for drinking. No sugar is needed.

I highly recommend giving corn tea a shot if you haven't already. 

Happy tea drinking!

CHILLI CRAB

There is nothing better than  having a few friends over and sitting around the kitchen table and chatting away whilst cracking crab shells and sucking out the succulent flesh.  It's messy and its painfully slow to eat but all this just seems to add to the experience. Conversations just flow as everyone happily munches away.

When cooking crab l always bring the completed dish to the table in the wok.  This way all your friends can help themselves and you can reheat the crab in between the munching sessions.  Individual finger bowls are essential.  I add a slice of lemon and hot water to each bowl.  A nut cracker per person is also a must, along with serviettes.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 blue swimmer crabs
2 tablespoons of Vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
3 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger
2 small red chillies, finely chopped
400g can, peeled whole tomatoes in tomatoe juice
1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
2 teaspoons of rice vinegar
50 gms thin Vermicelli noodles

1.  If your crabs are alive place them in the freezer for a few hours as this is the most humane way to "put them to sleep".  Once thawed scrub the crabs with a firm scrubbing brush.  Using your hands pull off all the claws / legs. Crack the claws with a meat tenderizer (makes them easier to eat later on).  Lift the apron (small flap on underside of crab) and pull off the top hard shell.  Remove the intestines and gills. Using a cleaver cut the body in quarters.  Rinse under water.

2.  Cook Vermicelli noodles in a saucepan as per packet instructions.
 
3.  Heat the wok and then add the vegetable oil.  Stir fry the crab in batches for 3 minutes or so, or until bright red, and then remove and set aside.  Add the garlic, ginger and chilli to wok and cook on low heat for a few minutes. Add in the whole can of tomatoes and juice, soy sauce, vinegar and water.  Stir and bring to the boil.

4.  Return crab to the wok. Cook on a medium heat for a further 6 minutes, stirring gently and regularly, making sure all the crab is coated in the sauce.  Add  vermicelli noodles to the wok and stir again and serve.

Serve with a bowl of steaming Jasmine rice and stir fried green vegetables as a side dish.

I hope you enjoy this crab feast!