Cooking with "Dancing Chef" : Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste and Laksa Paste

Thanks again Singapore Homecooks and Dancing Chef for the free sampling of their delicious Chicken Rice Paste and Laksa Paste! No I'm not cooking the traditional Hainanese chicken rice or the usual laksa! Its actually really easy to incorporate these paste into your daily cooking. Check out below on how I've created 2 dishes using the Chicken Rice Paste and Laksa Paste now!

Hainanese Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken rice flavour meat fillings without rice added...hahaha....Really love the combination of this savoury and creamy chicken filling top with golden crisp puff pastry! Do give it a try to this Chinese style chicken pot pie if you want a change from the usual western version one. ^0^ 

Hainanese Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredient

• 500gm boneless & skinless chicken thigh meat
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp ginger juice
• 1 tbsp Chinese wine
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 stalk lemongrass, used lower section, lightly bruised
• 2 pandan leaves, knotted
• 1 stalk spring onion, sliced
• 1 packet Dancing Chef Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste
• 350ml water
• 2 tbsp corn flour + 1 tbsp
• pepper to taste
• 1 sheet frozen pastry puff
• 1 egg, lightly beaten for glazing

Chilli Garlic Sauce (blend till smooth)

• 100gm fresh red chillies, deseeded
• 40gm garlic
• 40gm ginger
• 5 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt

Method

1. Cut chicken thigh meat into small cube and marinate with salt, ginger juice, wine, sesame oil for at least 30 mins. 
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add onion, lemongrass and pandan leaves and saute till fragrant.
3. Add in chicken cubes and fry over medium high heat till meat turn white.
4. Add in carrot and celery and mix well. Stir in Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste and mix well for a minute. 
5. Add in water and bring to a boil. Cover pan and simmer on low heat for 15 mins. Add in cornflour solution to thicken the gravy. Stir in spring onion. Remove from fire and set aside while preparing the puff pastry.
6. Prepare 4 ramekins. Lightly grease the edge of the ramekins with some butter. Cut the puff pastry into 4 rounds, slightly larger than the circumference of the ramekins.
7. Ladle chicken pie mixture into individual ramekins. Place puff pastry over and press down the edge to adhere. Glaze the pastry with beaten egg. Bake in preheated oven at 220 deg for 20 mins until golden brown.

Asian Cucumber Salad

Ingredient

• butterhead lettuce, shredded
• Japanese cucumber, cut into rounds
• cherry tomatoes, cut into half
• coriander leaves
• red chilli

Salad dressing

• 5 calamansi juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp low sodium light soy sauce
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Method

1. Mix salad dressing till well incorporated. Set aside for 15 mins for the flavour to develop.
2. Place lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomato, coriander leaves and chilli in a mixing bowl. Drizzle salad dressing and toss well. Cover and place in fridge till serve.

Baked Seabass with Laksa Paste....this dish is so easy to whip up and tasted equally delicious! I hate frying fish hahaha...so it is a good idea to bake it. I've added some roughly chopped dried shrimps and fresh laksa leaves to the laksa paste for some texture and extra flavours. The spice paste is kind of spicy, to mellow down the heat I've added some sugar and coconut milk. Believe me, this baked fish is so tender and sweet, goes well with this exotic laksa paste! 

Ingredient

• 1 whole seabass approx. 800gm
• 1 packet "Dancing Chef" Laksa Paste
• 2 heap tbsp dried shrimp, softened and coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• banana leaves 

Method

1. Clean seabass thoroughly and pat dry. Make 3 diagonal slits on both sides of the fish. Rub 1 tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp salt all over the fish.
2. Combine laksa paste, dried shrimp, sugar and coconut milk together.
3. Place fish on a baking tray lined with banana leaves. Spread the paste all over the fish, including its cavity. 
4. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 25 mins, depending on the size of the fish or until the meat cooks and flakes easily.

Celebrate this National Day with the local favourites that Singaporeans grew up with. Tantalise taste buds with two dishes: chicken rice and laksa, which you can prepare in just a few easy steps with Dancing Chef™ pastes. Dancing Chef™ pastes contain no MSG, preservatives or artificial colouring, making them a natural product. 

From 1 July to 31 August 2017, get more bang for your buck when you purchase Dancing Chef™ products. Purchase three packets of Dancing Chef™ pastes at just S$7.45 (UP: S$2.85/packet). Exclusively available at NTUC Fair Price supermarkets.