We are back with a new series on eating for a good cause!
Many know by now that Drool is a community of homechefs who relish in sharing recipes and cooking tips, and showcasing culinary creations. In short, at Drool, we cook, we create and we connect.
Recently we added a fourth ‘C’ – ‘for charity – to our cause and launched “Tea for a Cause”, TFAC for short and pronounced as Tee-Fac.
TFAC brings together culinary aficionados, local celebrity chefs and passionate home chefs to cook for a good cause. Pitting time, effort, skills and passion together, they will man a total of seven food stations serving different cuisines, namely French, Hawker Fusion, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Peranakan and Desserts.
All proceeds go to CampVision, a non-profit organisation that empowers at-risk youths. Their outreach initiatives include leadership camps and a broad range of activities and customised programmes designed for youths aged 15 to 21 from various foster homes and different welfare organisations.
Each station will toss up at least four specialty dishes of its respective cuisine, giving ticket holders and donors a choice of 28 dishes, no less!
Purchase your ticket online and come join us at the inaugural TFAC – not only do you eat for a good cause, it’s getting to try out 28 dishes in one afternoon.
The menu is still shaping up but this is a sampling of what you can expect:
French: Beef cheeks in red wine and Ratatouille
Hawker Fusion: Vietnamese shaking beef with steamed rice volcanoes and Cambodian chicken, rice and pomelo
Italian: Lasagne
Japanese: Aburi salmon maki and Cha soba with sashimi
Korean: Kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake) and Jjimdak ttokpokki (rice cake in chicken stew)
Peranakan: Ngoh hiang (5-spiced fried meat) and Beef rendang (beef stew)
Desserts: Poached pear with red wine sauce and Mango passionfruit panna cotta
Over the next seven weeks, we will feature a recipe each from these 7 food stations, so watch this space!
For starters, here is a dish from the Hawker Fusion station – Singapore Fried Chicken, an interesting interpretation by Drool home chef, Tay Jin Rong of the ever popular Chicken rice.
Singaporean Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients | Makes 8-10 pieces
Chicken
– 2 whole chicken legs (drumstick + thigh)
– ¼ cup mirin
– ¼ cup dark soya sauce
– ½ teaspoon white pepper
– 3 cloves of garlic, minced
– ½ cup plain flour
– ½ cup sweet potato flour
– Sliced garlic and spring onion, to garnish
– *Additional chicken fat if you prefer to leave the skin on for frying
Galangal Chili
– 4 teaspoons chicken fat
– ½ teaspoon sesame oil
– 8 chili padi (de-seeded for less heat)
– ½ stalk lemongrass, roughly chopped
– 40g galangal, roughly chopped
– ½ cup chicken stock
– 1 Thai lime
– 1 teaspoon white sugar
Marinade
1. Heat mirin over low heat and allow all the alcohol to evaporate, then remove from heat source.
2. Mix the dark soya sauce, white pepper and minced garlic with the mirin and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
3. While waiting for the marinade to cool, remove skin from the chicken legs and debone the chicken (reserve both). Cut the chicken into 4-5 pieces per leg.
4. Submerge chicken pieces in the cooled marinade and chill in the fridge for a minimum or 4 hours.
Chili
1. Break apart the bones with a heavy cleaver and roast in an oven until lightly browned. Simmer bones in water to get a light chicken stock, approx 1 hour.
2. Lay the chicken skins on a unheated pan and keep them pressed down with a heavy pot or plate. Turn heat to low and allow fat to render from the skins.
3. Fry the chili, lemongrass and galangal in the rendered fat and sesame oil until fragrant. Add chicken stock, lime juice, lime zest and sugar to the pan and let simmer for one minute. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
4. Blend the sauce mixture until no large chunks are present, then chill in the fridge.
Frying
1. Mix the plain and sweet potato flours together, then dredge the marinated chicken pieces until evenly coated.
2. Deep fry on low heat for 2 and a half minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 72 deg C
3. Drain on paper towels and allow it to rest for 2 minutes.
4. Serve with lots of chili sauce!