black chicken

Black Chicken Curry

Black Chicken Curry

Yes, you didn’t read wrongly and neither did you hear it wrongly. I just made Black Chicken Curry, and it is damn good. The Silkie Chicken is such a tiny little fella that the whole chicken would nicely feed one person. Of course I said that because my Wife didn’t want to even taste it, and therefore I had the entire chicken to myself. It was shiok!

The thought of cooking it in anything else other than Chinese medicinal herbs is already in and of itself sacrilegious to many. But, I am an irreverent servant-less home cook, who is always willing to test and try something different. I am almost always ready to challenge the norm. I see it as my tribute to the many who love black chicken dishes, an ode of sorts if you like to black chicken lovers worldwide.

The taste was succulent, juicy, flesh was tender and delicious. The curry blended in very nicely into the relatively skinny poultry and in just 30 minutes, even the gelatinous chicken feet were nicely cooked through.

The curry powder mix was from my mother’s favourite Indian spices lady at CCWM that she would always buy from when she wanted to make her own style of curry chicken. Add coconut milk from freshly grated coconut flesh, and basically you will have a very delicious curry chicken.

Recipe

Ingredients

Black Chicken – 1 whole (also known as a Silkie due to its silk like skin texture)

Curry Powder Mix – $2 mix enough for chicken about 500 grams (I usually get this from my mum’s favourite Indian spices aunty at CCWM)

Coconut Milk – $2 of freshly grated coconut flesh or about 500 grams (you can get this at almost any vegetable shop in the market or any provision shop that sells a mixture of dry provisions and fresh groceries)

Method

1. In a claypot, pour in 3 tablespoons of olive oil (do add more if you need) you generally want to fry the powder into a paste-like state, so the quantity of oil you would need to adjust visually. Fry until fragrant.

2. Add the black chicken pieces to combine with the paste until it is more of less covered.

3. With a cloth bag or metal sift bowl, add the freshly grated coconut flakes. Pour about 2 bowls of water and proceed to press out the coconut milk into a bowl. Then pour the milk into the claypot until it covers the chicken pieces and turn up the heat to high. Cover the lid and let it boil with steam fuming for about 10 minutes. Lower the fire to a simmer for another 15 minutes or when you begin to smell the fragrance of curry chicken.

4. Add a teaspoon of sea salt or adjust the portion until it is reasonably salted. Serve hot with steam rice.

Bon Appetit!

Black chicken pieces, cut into four pieces with skin taken off

Fry the chicken pieces and combine with curry paste

Delicious Black Chicken Curry

Huai Shan Black Chicken Soup

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Huai Shan Black Chicken Soup

The weather has been erratic lately with temperatures ranging into the mid 30s. At the rate of goes, it wont be long before we become feverish just by walking into the sun.

So I thought I would make this delicious chinese yam soup to counter the heatwave. Even if it doesn’t, it is still a good bowl of nutritious soup for the family. The best part about this soup is the fact that it doesn’t need too many other condiments to make it great.

A half a black chicken and a slender tube of huai shan is sufficient to make a great tasting soup. Add a tablespoon of wolfberries and the soup takes on a character of its own. The best part is, it is so easy to make, even if the ingredients are frozen (see picture).

Recipe

Ingredients

Half a Black Chicken (if you have more people in the family then you can cook the entire chicken)
A tube of Huai Shan (local chinese yam that is nutritious and fantastic for making soups)
1 tbsp of Wolfberries (add more if you like, it sweetens the soup)
Sea Salt (just enough to taste)

Method

1. Boil a kettle of water. While waiting for the water to boil, you can peel and wash the Huai Shan and cut them into 2 inch pieces. The yam tends to break into pieces if you boil for too long. I use a thermal cooker, so it works just right. The yam is intact and doesnt disintegrate.

2. Place the frozen black chicken into the pot. The water should be boiling by now. Add the Huai Shan into the pot and the tablespoon of Wolfberries and then pour the hot water into the pot. Add a little salt and then turn on a big fire and boil the soup for 15 minutes.

3. Once the soup is boiled. Place the pot into the thermal cooker and let it slow cook till you come back in the evening 12 hours later. The soup should be delicious and the chicken tender and huai shan firm and softened.

Bon Appetit!

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Huai Shan Black Chicken Soup

Black Chicken Burdock Soup

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Black Chicken Burdock Soup

I have always wanted to make this soup and I can already imagine how delicious this soup would taste like even before cooking. The burdock soup with pork ribs was already delicious so with the addition of the black chicken, needless to say, this soup is gonna rock and roll.

The recipe is very much like the Burdock Soup 牛蒡汤 that I made recently, but except that now the recipe is complete. No more reliance on pre-packed herbal remedies. I have found the perfect confluence of ingredients for this soup.

Every ingredient brings to the table a slew of medicinal benefits. Otherwise it really makes for a great tasting soup. Try it!

Recipe

Ingredients

Half a Black Chicken (chopped into two parts)
80-90 cm length of Burdock Root 牛蒡
Bunch of Wolfberries
Bunch of Dried Red Dates
Salt

Method

1. Boil a kettle of water. Clean and peel off bark of Burdock Root. Then slice thinly (see picture below). You may soak it in hot water for 10 minutes if you like. Otherwise if you prefer a stronger earthy taste, then just drop it into the pot.

2. Place the half a chicken into the pot. As you can see my black chicken is frozen. My intention is always to simplify the process. So frozen black chicken is fine, no need to thaw. Just drop it into the pot. Add Wolfberries, add dried red dates and a pinch of salt. Then add the hot boiling water and boil at high heat (with lid on) for 20 minutes.

3. Place it in thermal cooker after that for 12 hours (which is when I get home) and the soup would be delicious. Black chicken tender. Soup rich with flavour.

Bon Appetit!

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Sliced Burdock Root 牛蒡

Ginseng Black Chicken Soup

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Ginseng Black Chicken Soup

My wife and I love ginseng flavored black chicken soup,  especially the one bought by my dad from this stall at Jalan Bersih Hawker Centre. They also sell the best turtle soup I believe in Singapore.

Black chicken soup is also very nutritious and good for new mothers during confinement month. It is generally regarded as a delicacy. Very easy to cook and best if you double-boil it. Of course double boiling just means that it will take a while longer.

I usually buy the black chicken fresh from the chicken butcher at the wet market. He will help chop the chicken into pieces really fast and neatly. I usually get him to chop into four pieces but you get him to chop into six parts.

The herbal mix of ginseng and other berries and roots I usually get the pre-packed ones from NTUC supermarkets. The items there are sufficient for what I need to do and it is fairly fuss free. Alternatively you can also buy the herbs from shops like Hock Hua as they would carry the entire range or grades of herbs.

Preparation time for this soup took just 30 minutes to prepare but if you have more time it would be good to simmer the chicken till the meat falls off the bones. Try it.

Recipe – serving for two

Ingredients

Black chicken

Pre-packed ginseng herbal chicken mix

Sea salt

Method

1. Place the chopped chicken in a large pot. Add the herbs into the pot. Add a litre of water. Add quarter teaspoon of salt. Boil high heat until the flavor of the chicken and the herbs comes through.

2. Then turn down the heat and slow cook till the meat is just tender.

3. Serve with steamed rice.

Bon Appetit!

OTS: How To Chop Chicken (Video)

OTS: How To Chop Chicken

I am also starting OTS aka “one take sessions” on anything that might be remotely useful for people that stumble upon this blog. Also, it is more for me because I really really want to know how to chop chickens properly.

I got to admit it, I am bad at chopping chickens. I don’t know where to pull or where to chop. Sometimes the simplest of cuts can become a massacre of epic proportions. I wish I have the wisdom of the chicken butcher when it comes to cuts and then a brilliant idea popped into my mind.

Ask the chicken butcher at the market to do a demonstration. It’s not the most exciting of videos, but it’s a great “how-to” video. A fantastic OTS. Enjoy.