MALAYSIA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Celebrity chef Amy Beh shares three recipes featuring chicken that are cooked in three delicious ways.

1. HERBAL SALTED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

1 kampung chicken, approximately 1 1/2 kg
10g dong kwai
10g pak kei
20g kei chi
10g tong sum
4 red dates
1 tbsp white peppercorns
1.8 litres water
1 tbsp salt, or to taste
20g rock sugar
1 tbsp Shaoxing Chinese rice wine (optional)
fresh coriander leaves to garnish.

METHOD

1. Clean chicken and set aside.

2. Combine all the herbs in a deep saucepan, pour the water over and place saucepan over high heat.

3. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, to allow the flavour of the herbs to infuse.

4. Increase the heat and bring the liquid up to a rolling boil again, then immerse the whole chicken in the herbal stock.

5. Turn the heat down to low, and cover the pan with a lid.

6. Simmer the chicken for 35 minutes.

7. Stir in the seasoning.

8. Turn off the heat, but leave the chicken in the stock for another 30 to 40 minutes, until cooked through.

9. Remove the chicken from the saucepan and cut into pieces for serving. Serve with the stock poured over.

2. CHICKEN IN SPICY SICHUAN SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

For the chilli oil
100g chilli powder
2 cardamoms
3cm cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
500ml cooking oil

For the marinade
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
3 chicken drumsticks

For the seasoning
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper powder
salt and sugar, to taste
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
Chopped spring onions to garnish

METHOD

1. For the chilli oil, combine all ingredients except the oil in a big glass bowl. Stir to mix well. Heat the oil in a saucepan until just warm but not boiling. Pour the oil straight into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir to mix, then set aside to cool.

2. To prepare the chicken, mix the marinade ingredients and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken and mix well, making sure each drumstick is well-coated. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Steam chicken for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the steamer and shred the meat.

4. To serve, arrange the chicken meat on a serving plate. Place 4 tablespoons of the chilli oil into a small bowl, mix in the seasoning ingredients. Drizzle the chilli oil sauce over the shredded chicken and garnish with chopped spring onions.

Note: The rest of the chilli oil can be kept in an air-tight bottle, and served with steamed prawns, crab or squid.

3. ASIAN FRIED CHICKEN WINGS

INGREDIENTS

5 chicken wings

For the marinade
1 tbsp ginger juice
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
oil, for deep-frying

For the sauce
80g butter
100ml evaporated milk
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
150ml chilli sauce
1 tbsp tomato sauce
2 stalks curry leaves

METHOD

1. Cut off the tips of chicken wings. Rinse and drain well.

2. Combine the marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Place chicken wings in the bag and marinate in the fridge overnight.

3. Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry chicken wings until golden brown. Dish out and drain well on paper towels.

4. Place butter in a non-stick saucepan over medium low heat, and allow to melt. Then add the evaporated milk and bring to a boil over low heat.

5. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, and cook till the sauce is thick.

6. Add the chicken wings to the pan and toss to coat them in the sauce. Dish out and serve hot.