Pak Lo Ngap ~ Teochew Braised Duck

A very scrumptious duck. This teochew braised duck called Pak Lo Ngap in cantonese, is sweet tasting from the use of rock sugar and is contrasted sharply by the vinegary dipping sauce. You get that mouth watering sweet sour sensation.

In this instance I have used the pressure cooker to cook half a duck which only took less than a third of the time. The duck was well braised and the meat literally falling off the bones.

Ingredients
½ duck (1kg)
½ Tbsp five spice powder
3/4 tsp salt

20 gm galangal, finely sliced
4 pip garlic, finely sliced
½ Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp sugar
100 ml soy sauce
1¼ - 2 cup water

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Chocolate Brandy Muffins

Alcoholic muffin anyone! Nice soft texture with a distinct brandy taste. Make them into mini sizes and these chocolate brandy muffins will be a great accompaniment with after dinner coffee. Freezes well too.

Makes 12 muffins or 24 minis

Ingredients
160 gm flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp cocoa
75 gm sugar
¼ cup or 35 gm chocolate chips
75 gm melted butter
125 ml milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp brandy

choc chip for topping (optional)

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Ayam Tempra ~ Tarty Spicy Chicken

A delicious nonya chicken dish that is spiced with chillies, sweetened with palm sugar and made slightly tarty with lime juice.

I prefer to cook dishes like these a few hours before the meal to let the meat absorb in more of the flavour.

Ingredients
1.4 kg chicken pieces, cut to bite size

Marinate
1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste)
1½ Tbsp palm sugar
3 Tbsp kicap manis
1 Tbsp water

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Savoury Coated Peanuts

Another moreish temptation which I daresay is high in calories. Definitely not for one on a diet.

These savoury coated nuts was another nibble I used to make for Chinese New Year. A crunchy nut, the flavour of which is enhanced with 5-spice, pepper and garlic. They are not salty and if cooked right should not leave a greasy feel to the fingers.

Ingredients
300 gm raw peanuts
1 egg
3/4 - 1 tsp salt
1½ Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
4 pip garlic, mashed
½ Tbsp five spice powder
75 gm flour

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Apricot Vodka Jam

There was an abundance of apricots from the fruit tree in January and since I don't eat apricots I made it into jam instead for Mr Redneck.

To a lot of people making jam seems like a lot of work but surprisingly it is not. The final reward and satisfaction in eating your own flavoursome jam justify the small amount of time and effort required.

By making your own jam, you have the flexibility of adjusting the sweetness, have it chunky or smooth or in this case we added some alcohol to our homemade apricot jam giving it an extra kick.

Makes 4 x 300ml jars

Ingredients

850 gm apricots
¼ cup water
800 gm sugar
1½ Tbsp vodka (optional)

Method
1. Put 2 saucers into the freezer for use later to check the jams's setting point.

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