watercress

Stir Fry Watercress with Shredded Chicken

image

Stir Fry Watercress with Shredded Chicken

This is a recommendation from one of the home cooks from this cooking Facebook group that I am part of – a savoury version of watercress instead of the usual soup that I would always cook.

Watercress is my second favourite vegetable, second to bitter gourd of course. But I usually would cook it in a soup with fish balls. So this is my first time stir frying the watercress with shredded chicken and wolfberries. The final result is a nice confluence of flavours. The nuttiness of the watercress blends really well with the marinated chicken drum meat and the wolfberries adds a little sweetness to the dish.

Very easy to cook and tastes delicious. Even the wife loves it (and she hates watercress cooked in soup).

Recipe

Ingredients

1 bunch Watercress (the wet market usually sells fresh watercress although NTUC surprises me from time to time)
1 Chicken Drum (I usually get the chicken butcher to de-bone the chicken drum for me. The meat from the chicken drum is more tender and delicious when cooked)
Handful of Wolfberries (these are the dried reddish fruits that is usually available from any chinese medicine shop or NTUC)
4 tbsp Olive Oil (for frying)
1 tbsp Rice Wine (shao xing hua tiao jiu)
2 tsp Oyster Sauce
4 cloves Garlic (rough chop will do)
2 tbsp Kikkoman Soya Sauce
1/2 tsp White Pepper

Method

1. Soak the watercress in water to remove any dirt or debris. Clean out the discolored leaves. Chop the watercress into half after removing the end of the stems.

2. Chop the meat from the chicken drum into small slices. Marinate with white pepper and soya sauce for about 5 minutes.

3. Rough chop the garlic pieces. Then throw them into a heat wok with the oil. Stir fry the garlic pieces until they start to brown. Then add the marinated shredded chicken slices and wolfberries. Stir fry until the chicken starts to change colour.

4. Add the washed watercress into the wok and add a little water. Turn up the heat to high and then cover the lid to allow the vegetable to cook a little more. After about 3 minutes, they should be sufficiently whithered but still bright green (You generally don’t want to overcook the watercress because You want to retain the vitamins in the vegetable).

5. Add the oyster sauce and rice wine mix into the dish and continue to give it a stir fry. After that you may serve.

Bon Appetit!

image

Watercress and wolfberries

image

Shredded chicken drum slices

image

Stir fry the garlic pieces

Watercress and Fish Ball Soup

image

Watercress and Fish Ball Soup

People say watercress soup is good for this and that. Some say can even prevent cancer. All I know is when it is boiled as a soup, it tastes great. It is one of my go-to soups whenever I eat out at the food court.

I cooked the watercress by boiling it in the water as opposed to boiling the water then putting it in. I like the taste of the soup to be stronger. Instead of using pork ribs like I always do, I am opting to use chicken bones instead for a lighter flavour.

Add a few red dates to balance the sweetness against the bitter peppery taste and finish it off with non-spicy fish balls. Fish balls and watercress are unlikely travel buddies that have become great friends.

I also added a handful of mini-scallops (dried) to strengthen the flavour and a pinch of sea salt. The soup is sure to taste delicious by tonight. I am boiling the ingredients in water for about 10 minutes at high heat and then allowing it to cook further in the thermal cooker for about 12 hours.

Recipe

Ingredients

One bunch of Watercress (I always buy them fresh from the wet market)
A handful of mini-scallops (dried)
Chicken Bones for boiling the stock
A pinch of Sea Salt
A few Red Dates
A packet of non-spicy fresh Fish Balls

Method

1. Boil a kettle of hot water. While it is boiling. Place the chicken bones or carcass into the thermal cooker. Soak the watercress and remove dirt and debris.

2. Pour the hot water into the pot and boil the chicken bones. Add the mini-scallops and a pinch of salt. Then add the rinsed watercress and red dates. Boil at high heat for about 10 minutes with lid on.

3. Once the flavour of the watercress soup starts to emit from the lid, you know the soup is about ready. Add the fish balls and place the entire pot into the thermal cooker.

4. Come back 12 hours later and boil the soup again for dinner. East recipe.

Bon Appetit!

Watercress Chicken Soup (Stock for Infants)

image

image

Watercress Chicken Soup (Stock for Infants)

This is another all-time classic soup stock for infants who are ready to eat watery rice porridge.

However it is an acquired taste for my boy, maybe it would have been more palatable if I added red dates.
But this is a super easy two ingredient soup stock. It’s really a no-brainer.

 

Recipe

Ingredients

Watercress

Chicken carcass

 

Method

1. Place chicken bones in the pot. Then place watercress on top of chicken. Add 1.5 litres of water. Turn up the heat until boiling and then slow down to a simmer.

2. When you smell the flavour of the soup and see the fat of the chicken on the surface of the broth it is ready.