The other day, Superhero S decided to cook one of her old-time favourite dishes, Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd - the way she likes it to be. At home, Superhero Mum would usually slice the bitter gourd thickly - which I don't really fancy because the bitterness would be amplified then. Haha. Knowing that Superhero W would naturally be turned off by the bitterness from the bitter gourd, so I decided to soak it just a little longer in water, and cooked the dish with some carrots for the sweetness. *wink*
Since it was actually the first time I was trying my hand at cooking this dish, I could only hope that whatever little theory I know would prove sufficient to produce a successful effort! So first of all, heat up the oil in the wok. Then throw in some finely-chopped garlic. Give it a little stir and add the chicken pieces, after which I added the bittergourd and carrot slices. Stir fry everything, add a dash of water before letting the dish settle. Add enough water to cover the chicken and everything else, put in a nice generous splash of oyster sauce, some thick soy sauce and salt to taste - and then bring everything to slow boil. To thicken the sauce, just add a little mixture of corn starch and water.
And here's my Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd...
Yes, I know...zero points for presentation but well, haha.. as long as it tastes good, I'm sure Superhero W wouldn't mind. The outcome was a less bitter than I thought, but it still wasn't enough to entice Superhero W to take a single bite on the bitter gourd. Haha. Yes, even with the bitterness being reduced and with the carrots to give a hint of sweetness. But he loved the sauce and the super tender chicken though. Downed everything till the last bit! :p
And to complement the dish, I decided to cook Superhero W's favourite Kangkung Sambal Belacan...
Along with one of my favourite soups, the Old Cucumber Soup...
So this concludes just another combination of our the two superheroes' daily dinner menu. Haha. Simple yet deliciously home-cooked! With the foodie price outside soaring sky high, it's really a great feeling to be saving some hard-earned money at times and opting to eat-in instead. :p
Friday, October 17, 2008
Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
i love this dish too! reminds me of my mom. :D
OoOoh...eh lets plan for a potluck in at work during the holidays ??? what you think ???
will run this idea by the others too....
btw; i love old cucumber soup too!!!
Wow! Nice dish you whipped up! Next time you must cook for me cos my cooking sucks! : )
Btw, is the soup really called Old Cucumber Soup or you simply translate from Cantonese? : )
Haha..jelly, it reminded me of my Superhero Mum too. She used to cook this often until she got lazy... :p
Wah, potluck eh, narrator! I want curry devil!! Muahahahah... :p
No lah, foong.. This dish is very simple only. Nothing fancy. Erm, the Old Cucumber Soup IS translated from Cantonese, but I think that has always been the name for the soup lah... Haha. :p
braised chicken with bitter gourd is one of my fav homecooked dishes. mmm i have not cooked that in a long time as I am still not too sure how to get rid of the bitterness from the bitter gourd :(..sometimes ok, but sometimes the bitterness is still quite distinct..*sigh
well, dear Y..I suppose it depends a little on the bitter gourd itself. Some tend to be more bitter than others. Haha. But I try to slice them thinner to reduce the bite size.. :p
Post a Comment