Recipe: Prawn Paste Chicken (Har Cheong Gai)

by Mummy's Kitchen

Deep fried stuff is unhealthy, who doesn’t know that right? However, deep-fried chicken is just so good that occasionally I still enjoy it. Especially these Har Cheong Gai (in Cantonese it literally means Prawn Paste Chicken), they are crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside and the intense savoury flavour is just so irresistible!! Bet this is even better than eating KFC.

Har Cheong Gai is first marinated and then dipped into a batter or dusted with a flour mixture and left to marinade overnight before deep frying it the following day.

WARNING:  The moment you open the bottle of Shrimp Paste, the smell will “stink up” the whole house so ensure that you close all the rooms’ doors and open your windows. I kind of over exaggerated but the smell might be too overpowering for some. Once you have tasted Har Cheong Gai, it will be a different story altogether. I believe you will love it!

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Serves 4 to 5 persons

Ingredients:

1 kg mid wing and drumlets

Marinade for the chicken wings:

3 tablespoons Prawn Paste

2½ teaspoons Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

3 tablespoons Chinese Wine (Hua Tiao Chiew)

1 teaspoon white pepper

Batter:

80g Plain Flour

80g Potato Starch

1 egg

100ml water

¼ tablespoon bicarbonate of soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

Other ingredients:

Cooking Oil

1 or 2 Calamansi/small lime

Some Sambal Chillies

 

Method:

Marinating the Chicken Wings:

  1. Remove any remnant feathers on the chicken wings and drumlets. Rub the skin of the chicken pieces with some salt to remove any impurities, then wash and drain dry.
  2. Add the ingredients for the marinade on the chicken and mix well.
  3. Add all the ingredients to the batter and mix well to get a smooth batter.
  4. Coat the marinated chicken evenly with the batter.
  5. Mix well and place the chicken in a container to marinade overnight.

Deep-Frying the Chicken Wings:

  1. Heat up the wok with oil till it is moderately hot (180°C).
  2. Add 5 to 6 wings or drumlets at a time into the oil.
  3. Cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown.
  4. Once cooked, remove from the oil and transfer to a wire rack to cool down.
  5. Continue to fry the rest of the chicken wings and drumlets. Remember to turn the heat up to high again before you start to fry each subsequent batch.
  6. Transfer the chicken onto a serving dish, and garnish with some parsley.
  7. Before serving squeeze some calamansi on the chicken wings and serve with some sambal chillies.

*Adapted from ieatishootipost

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Mummy's Kitchen

Hi! My name is Josephine Go. I blog at BeyondNorm.com in a segment called Mummy’s Kitchen. I love to use fresh and natural ingredients in my cooking to promote healthy eating. Some of my recipes may not be in line with the traditional methods of cooking to the extent that some of the ingredients are different, but hopefully new recipes are being created in my style. I certainly hope that what I do will help guide kitchen first-timers on how to cook their first meal as well as further equip kitchen veterans with new recipes. My loving husband and two wonderful children are my best guinea pigs and critics. They have enjoyed (or endured) the food that has been served to them for all these years. Mind you, I did not know how to cook or ever knew that I could cook till I got married. So there is hope for everyone. If I can cook, you can cook. You will not know how good or talented you are until you put your hand in the plough.

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