Hainanese chicken stew

This is something Jen Kwok Lee's late grandma rarely made, but when she did, it was always oh so nourishing and would make her entire week. It is said that originates from British dish that was modified by the Hainanese community in Malaysia, who were known to be great chefs, with the addition of soy sauce, five spice and taucheo (fermented soybeans).

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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Ingredients

• 60 g vegetable oil
• 150 g brown onion, roughly chopped
• 60 g red eschallots, roughly chopped
• 200 g carrot, finely chopped
• 200 g button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tbsp taucheo paste (fermented soybean paste), plus extra
• 450 g potatoes, roughly chopped
• 30 g plain flour
• 1 litre water
• Salt and black pepper
• 100 g frozen baby peas, thawed
• Coriander leaves, steamed rice, Worcestershire sauce, to serve

For the chicken marinade

• 1.5 kg chicken maryland bone-in, cut into bite size pieces
• 30 g light soy sauce
• 25 g oyster sauce
• 15 g Shaoxing wine
• 10 g sesame oil
• 5 g sugar
• 2 g five spice powder
• 1 g ground white pepper (preferably Sarawak white)
• 5 g cornflour

Marinating time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients for the chicken marinade (except the cornflour) in a large bowl. Mix in one direction until the chicken absorbs the marinade, then sprinkle over the cornflour, mix and refrigerate for 1 hour before cooking.
2. When ready to cook, heat half the oil in a large wok or saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in batches, then remove to a large bowl. Return the pan to the heat with the remaining oil. Sauté the onions and shallots until softened, then stir through the carrots and mushrooms, cooking for a further 3-4 minutes. Stir through the taucheo paste and cook until lightly browned and it begins to stick at the base of the pan. Stir through the potato and sprinkle in the flour, stirring to cook for a further 1 minute. Pour in the water, scraping the base of the pan to break up any browned bits. Return the chicken to the pan and season with a little more taucheo paste, salt and pepper to your taste.
3. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables and chicken are cooked through. Stir through the peas and heat until just cooked through. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the Hainanese chicken stew with coriander and serve with rice and Worcestershire on the side.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.