Get ready to dish up happiness with these delicious recipes thanks to our amazing Starlight Ambassador Benjamin Cooper and the team at Queen Victoria Market.
This year Queen Victoria Market are supporting Starlight’s Christmas Appeal and we’re so thankful to everyone involved for helping to bring happiness to sick kids. Inspired by the amazing produce at the market, Executive Chef at Chin Chin and bestselling author Benjamin Cooper has created two super tasty, family-friendly dishes for you to master in no time at all.
One that’s great to get the kids involved > Apple snack treat (shh it’s healthy)
and
A family favourite for the holidays> Sticky Soy Wings
Bon Appetit!
INGREDIENTS
1.5 litres Master Stock (see recipe below)
1/4 bunch spring onions, plus extra, diagonally sliced, to garnish
2 knobs of ginger, grated
1/2 head garlic, halved
2kg chicken wings, jointed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
lime wedges, to serve
STICKY SOY GLAZE
1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce
1/4 cup (60ml) kecap manis
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, grated
pinch of black pepper
handful of yellow rock sugar (available
from Asian grocers)
small knob of ginger, grated
2 tbsp caster sugar
Instructions
1. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a deep pot over high heat and bring to the
boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sauce
coats the back of a spoon. Be careful not to boil for too long as this can result in
bitterness. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, keeping in mind that the sauce
will continue to thicken.
2. In a deep, heavy-based pot, bring the master stock to a boil. Add spring onions,
ginger and garlic. Drop in the chicken wings, return to the boil, then turn off the heat,
allowing the wings to sit in the stock as it cools.
3. Once the stock reaches room temperature, remove the wings, transfer them to a
container and refrigerate until needed. Leave the wings uncovered to start with, only
adding a lid once the meat is fully chilled.
4. Meanwhile, return the master stock to the boil. Skim off any surface scum, strain
the liquid and return this to its storage container. You can refreeze until needed (see
Basics, page 246).
5. When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat a barbecue hotplate to medium-
hot. Brush the hotplate with oil and barbecue the wings (in batches if necessary) for
8–10 minutes or until they become golden.
6. Brush each wing liberally with glaze, then cook for an additional 2–3 minutes or
until the chicken is cooked through and the glaze is sticky. Once the glaze is nicely
caramelised, transfer the wings to a serving plate. Garnish with spring onion and
serve with lime wedges.
Master Stock
INGREDIENTS
Makes 2.5 litres
1/2 cup (125ml) Mekong whisky (or any whisky)
1/2 cup (125ml) shaoxing
1/3 cup (80ml) dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
80g yellow rock sugar
2 garlic cloves
2 large heads garlic
1/3 bunch spring onions, roughly chopped
1 tsp cardamom pods
3 star anise
1 piece cassia bark
1 piece of meat to be braised
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all the ingredients (except the meat) with 2 litres water in a large pot and bring to the boil, allowing the sugar to dissolve. Add the meat to be braised and turn the heat to a simmer. How master stock works is that once you’ve finished braising your beef/pork/chicken/duck in the master stock, you strain it, re-boil it and then freeze it for next time.
When you come to braise that same type of meat again (don’t mix your master stocks), defrost the frozen stock, top it up with a little water and add some sliced ginger, garlic and spring onions. If it looks a bit too dark, add some more water. Master stock can and should be used over and over again in this way, becoming richer and more complex with each use. There are master stocks in China that have been around for hundreds of years, passed on from one generation of chefs to the next.
