Turmeric And Honey Chicken Stir Fry 黃薑蜜糖雞 － "Malaysian Monday 82"

I am going to start the week with a Malaysian Monday post before I continue with more tasty Japanese treats.... thought I might set a good example as a host and spruik for some much needed entries before the roundup next Monday.

While there are many more Malaysian classics that I have yet to share with you, I decided on this brightly coloured childhood favourite of mine instead. The origin of the dish is a little unclear but It is  believed to be invented by my aunt using some leftover satay marinade in a stir fry.

Often sliced wing beans are added to the dish to encourage the consumption of vegetables among the young. Here I have replaced the elusive wing bean with some snow peas for some extra colour and texture, I think Thai baby eggplants will be a great substitute too. Adjust the amount of chilies in the spice mix to suit your family's taste, they are often left out when I cook it for non chili lovers or children.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 4 as part of a Malaysian meal
you'll need;
oil for cooking
500 g of skinless chicken thighs, cut into manageable pieces
1 tbs of spice mix (see below)
1 tbs of turmeric powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 an onion, peeled and cut into chunks
a handful of snow peas, topped and tailed and each sliced into 3 crosswise
1 cup of stock
2 tbs of honey or brown sugar
5 whole bird chilies

for the spice mix;
3 large shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 lemongrass (white part only) chopped
5 cm piece of ginger, chopped
5 candlenuts, chopped
3 bird chilies (optional)
1.5 tbs of turmeric powder
1/2 tbs of cumin powder
1/2 tbs of coriander powder
1/2 tbs of salt

First prepare the spice mix but putting all wet spices in a blender and process until you get a fine paste, mix in the dry spices and set aside.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and marinate with a little salt and a tbs each of the spice mix and turmeric powder. Let chicken to marinate for at least an hour.

Prepare the onion and snow peas.

Brown chicken with a little oil until golden all over, remove and set aside.

Add 3 tbs of cooking oil to a hot wok and saute the spice mix on medium heat until the oil separate (~5 to 8 minutes).

Add the chicken and onion to the wok and stir fry in the spice mix for a minute before adding the stock and honey, continue to cook for a further 30 seconds.

Finally add in the snow peas and chilies and cook for a further 30 seconds, check for seasonings.

Serve with plenty of steamed rice or as a side dish for nasi lemak (coconut rice)

I am hosting this month's event so please send all your entries to sureshchong@yahoo.com

To find out more about the event and on how to enter please click here.