Chicken Pongteh

Adapted from Mary Gomes Best Seller recipe book called "The Eurasian Cookbook". Her recipe is actually Babi Pongteh found in pg.56.

As I wasn't sure whether I bought the correct cut of "tweebak" a.k.a. Lean Pork with Skin (from hind leg)... I replaced it with whatever chicken I had in my freezer i.e chick ribs & some drummets :p INNOVATE seems to be the "IN" word since 2007.

Ingredients

700g chicken parts ~ chopped to bite size pieces

10cm cinnamon stick ~ wash

4 onions }

7 cloves of garlic } to be blended till a fine paste

350g bangkwang a.k.a "yam bean" / "jicama" ~ peeled & cut into wedges/cubes

3 medium size potatoes ~ peeled & cut into wedges/cubes

2 or 3 Tbsp Oil

2 Tbsp grounded Taucheo a.k.a. preserved & salted soya beans

2 Tbsp Dark Soya Sauce

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/2 Tbsp Salt

720ml water

Method

1. Heat oil in Wok/Pot. Fry the cinnamon, onion & garlic paste till light brown & fragrant.
2. Add the Taucheo & fry for 1 min
3. Add the chicken & sitr-fry for anther 3 mins
4. Add the dark soya sauce, sugar, salt & water.
5. When chicken is half-cooked, add the Bangkwang & cook covered for 15 mins.
6. Finally add potatoes & cook till tender, bangkwang is soft, and stew thickens.

This was a HIT with the Inlaws (most importantly my kids enjoyed the dish) though...

my MIL somehow has some sort of "phobia" against too much spices. She keeps reminding me not to follow the recipe to the dot when it comes to spices like cloves, star of anise, fennel, cardamons etc. She's not clear to her reason behind it which I suspect from a Chinese Medicinal point of view certain spices may not be too good for you if you over consume especially if you suffer from certain illnesses.

Am no Chinese Medicine expert so instead of arguing the authenticness of her belief to be factual, I've just resorted to an acknowledgement & reiterated that the Pongteh only has 1 cinnamon stick :p to which she comments the taste of spices is a bit strong... it's just garlic & onion paste! Ha! There you go.. even the experienced tongues can be mislead ;)