Glutinous rice wine chicken. — Photos: TEOH KAR YEONG
The dreary days of lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic years had me scratching my head for new recipes. As it turned out, I discovered that cooking one to two meals a day was pretty hard work, especially since I’m the kind of person who values variety.
Inevitably, I ended up looking at recipes for confinement food (as my wife was pregnant at that time).
A simple yet deliciously wholesome dish, the traditional glutinous rice wine chicken is a firm favourite in my household.
Getting all the ingredients ready.
This dish has two key ingredients that are deemed very good for postpartum recovery – ginger and sesame oil. Added to chicken, with alcohol to boot, everyone should be able to enjoy this one-pot goodness, regardless whether it’s the new mother or the men in the family who appreciate good food.
One thing to clarify, this dish is different from Fuchow wine chicken. I haven’t gotten around to trying my hand at that as I’ve yet to get hold of a bottle of Fuchow red wine. — Contributed by TEOH KAR YEONG
Pour in enough rice wine to cover the chicken.
Ingredients
5cm ginger (older one preferred), cut into thin strips
Yellow rice wine (also known as glutinous rice wine)
4-5 pieces black fungus, soak in water
Shiitake mushroom (optional)
2 chicken quarters (or half a chicken), cut into bite size
2-3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Heat up the sesame oil, preferably in a clay pot.
2. Fry the ginger until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken and brown all sides.
4. Add the mushroom and black fungus, then pour in about a cap full of rice wine to let chicken absorb the wine while pot is hot. Stir for half a minute.
5. Add enough rice wine to cover the meat. Close the lid and simmer for about 30-40mins.
6. Serve while hot.
