Chicken Rice Chili Sauce

This chili sauce is amazing on just about everything! I love it best with the Chicken Rice but it works fantastically with any stir fry or noodle dish.

It can't get any simpler than this recipe for a delicious result!

Ingredients:
Red chilies
Lime
Sugar
Salt
Ginger

Instructions:
Blend all the ingredients together. Keep tasting to determine what ingredient you want to be most pronounced. I always put lots of lime in mine!

** If you have leftover broth from the Chicken Rice recipe, add some of the broth into the mix. About a tablespoon or 2 should do it!

**If you love garlic, add in a clove or two to the blend

Chicken Rice

Chicken rice is one of my all time favourite dish! Growing up, you could buy it at the hawker stall for about RM3.00 (which, believe or not, is less than C$1.00). You would get hot steamy rice, cooked in homemade chicken broth, tender pieces of steamed or roast chicken and a couple slices of cucumber. I would sometimes change it up by getting it with BBQ and roast pork, but nothing is as good as the chicken!

I have attempted this recipe time and time again but as tasty as it was, I could never get the chicken right. It wasn't as tender or 'smooth' and it would frustrate the heck out of me. After some internet research, I finally found a way to get it just as good as the hawker stalls I used to go to!!!

Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients:
A 3 lb to 4 lb chicken (You can use a bigger one if there are more people eating)
5 pieces of thumb sized ginger
6-8 stalks of green onions
A whole cucumber
Cilantro
Salt
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
3 cups of long grain rice

Instructions:
1. Wash and rub the chicken with coarse salt.
2. Stuff the chicken cavity with as much ginger and green onions as you can (!)
3. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and gently lower the chicken into the pot. Immediately turn the heat down and poach the chicken for about 45 minutes (For a 3 pound chicken). Remember to salt the water generously. Add in more ginger into the poaching liquid.
4. After 45 minutes, lift the chicken out and dunk it into a large bowl of iced water. This tightens up the chicken and gives you the smoothest, most tender meat!

5. Set the chicken aside and get started on the rice. For this recipe, we used about 3 cups of long grain rice. Boil the rice with the poaching liquid instead of plain water. For an added kick, I used a couple teaspoons of a store bought chicken rice mix. You can find it at most Asian grocery stores. If you can't find it, it is okay to just use the poaching liquid!
6. After about 15-20 minutes, you can remove the chicken from the ice bath and start carving.
7. Once the rice is done, serve with the chicken and sliced cucumber. I garnished the dish with lots of cilantro to brighten up the taste.

** A good tip is to mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce with a half a cup of broth. Add in a couple drops of sesame oil and pour it all over the chicken and cucumber before eating. YUM!

Garlic and Wine Shrimp

There's really few things better than delicious, succulent shrimp! It is hard to get white shrimp with the heads and shell still attached around where we live so when we took a trip to an Asian supermarket in Mississauga and I spotted them, I made a beeline to the seafood counter. I am still amazed at how accurate the old 'uncles' behind the counter are when it comes to scooping up the perfect pound! Maybe with time and practice, I can one day achieve that!

I decided to make Garlic and Wine Shrimp. It was super fast and extremely easy to cook. You can also use any type of shrimp.

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:
1 lb of shrimp (preferably with shell on)
4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing)
Salt and sugar to taste
2 stalks of green onion (only the green part)
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of olive or canola oil

Instructions:
1. Wash and pat the shrimp dry, set aside.
2. In a wok or pan, heat up about 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil. The oil will ensure that the butter does not burn quickly.
3. Mince the garlic and fry till it turns a light golden brown.
4. Add in the shrimp and stir
5. Add in the wine
6. Stir around for 6-8 minutes and season to taste with salt and sugar.
7. Chop up the green onions and add it to the shrimp.
7. Serve and eat immediately while still pipping hot!

** I added in a tiny bit of chili flakes at the end for an added kick. You don't have to if you do not like spicy food.