Lemongrass Roast Chicken

It's has been a while since I posted a savoury recipe. I have just made this roast chicken for dinner and couldn't wait to share it with you. I saw this recipe from here a few weeks back but didn't get a chance to try it till this evening.

Lemongrass Roast Chicken (serves 4)
1 free range chicken (about 1 kg)
2 stalks lemongrass (use the white part only, sliced thinly)
5 cloves of garlic
2 cilantro roots
a few dash of white pepper
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar

1) Put the lemongrass, garlic, cilantro root, white pepper, oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar into a food processor or mini chopper.  Chopped and mix into a paste.
2) Rub the paste on the chicken especially under the skin.
3) Let the chicken sit in the marinade for 3-4 hours in the fridge.
4) Pre-heat oven at 200 deg C. Take the chicken out and let it come to room temperature.
5) Put the chicken on a tray and cover with foil
6) Roast for 30 minutes.
7) Remove the foil and turn the heat up to 230 deg C.
8) Continue roasting for another 20 minutes till golden brown.
9) Serve with rice or salad.

This is my first time using Cilantro root (Chinese Parsley root) and I love the fragrance. I am looking forward to make the Thai style Chicken Rice which also uses Cilantro roots.

If you like this Lemongrass roast chicken, you can also try Roast Chicken with Tom Yum herbs.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe

Easy 3 ingredient dessert: Steamed milk custard (original flavour)

Last Thursday, I went to Ah Chew's in Bugis for dessert. I had steamed milk custard, one of my favourite Hong Kong desserts. I was first introduced to the dessert about 10 years back by a Hong Konger. I love the creamy milk taste and always had steamed milk custard at Australian Dairy Company whenever I visit Hong Kong.

I was still thinking about the steamed milk custard after I got home. I have not tried making my own before as I thought I needed little bowls with covers similar to that for Chawamushi (Japanese steamed egg). My sis who was with me thought we could just use bowls or ramkeins. I tried making it for after dinner dessert that evening and was so surprised that it was so easy. It takes just 3 ingredients and about 10 minutes! I have made this dessert 3 times since Thursday.

Steamed milk custard (makes 2 rice bowls sizes)

350ml milk

half tbsp rock sugar cubes

2 egg whites

1) Heat 300ml of milk with the rock sugar. Stir the milk till the sugar melts. Leave the mixture to cool.

2) Whisk the egg whites with 50ml of milk.

3) Pour (2) into (1).

4) Sieve the mixture to remove any lumps

5) Divide the sieved mixture into 2 bowls

6) Steam the mixture for 6-7 minutes.

7) Serve either warm or cold. 

The recipe is very easy right? Do have a try. You may grate some ginger and squeeze the juice and serve it with the custard.

You may heat the milk and sugar with some lemongrass for a lemongrass steamed milk custard.

PS: You may use caster sugar in place of rock sugar

Happy Easter! Hot Cross Buns (tangzhong method)

Happy Easter Monday! How was your Easter weekend? I had a good weekend gathering with friends as a friend living in Sydney came back to celebrate her birthday. I took this chance to try making Baileys cream cheese frosting for the Guinness Chocolate Cake. As I only had Chocolate Baileys, I used that for the frosting. We loved the cake! Hope you have a chance to try it too.

While waiting for the Guinness cake to be baked, I also made some hot cross buns for Easter. My friend, K was curious how to draw the cross on the buns and popped by while I was baking these buns. She was amazed that the crosses stayed white while the rest of the buns turn golden brown.

Hot Cross Buns (recipe adapted from here)
Tangzhong - 25g bread flour and 125ml milk
350g bread flour
45g sugar
56g egg lightly whisked
125ml milk
6g instant yeast
30g softened butter
100g raisins
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1) Make the tangzhong by mixing the 25g bread flour with 125ml milk. Heat the mixture over low fire till the mixture thickens. Cool before use.

2) Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl except the raisins and butter. Using a dough hook, mix  the ingredients into a dough.

3) Add the butter and raisins and mix well.

4) Continue kneading the dough till elastic and stretchable. It took about 10 minutes on my Kenwood Chef.

5) Cover the mixing bowl with a damp cloth and leave it to double in a warm place (I left the mixing bowl on the door of my oven with the oven set to the lowest temperature). It took about 40 minutes.

6) Flour your hands and work surface. Shape the dough into small buns (I divided the dough into 60g balls) and leave them to rise on a lined cookie tray for 30 mins.

7) Mix 4 tbsp flour with 2 tbsp water to make a flour paste.

8) Brush some milk or egg on each buns and pipe a cross using the flour paste.

9) Bake the buns at 190 deg C for about 20-25 mins till golden brown.

The buns stayed soft for 4 days in a ziplock bag in room temperature. You may serve them with butter or marmalade if you like.

Happy Easter!