Southeast Asian chicken thigh recipes with new cooking tricks!
What happens when Japanese cooking methods are used to prepare popular Southeast Asian chicken thigh dishes? Let’s see how it goes!
Explore the fusion of food cultures
Yurico Aoki is a cook and an expert in researching local cuisines from around the world. After visiting over 70 countries, and experiencing local cuisines at international communities and restaurants, as well as embassies in Tokyo, she has learned various food cultures and expert cooking techniques.
This time, she brings you two new fascinating recipes. She has arranged Japanese cooking methods to create new and delightful Southeast Asian dishes!
Soy Sauce Chicken in a rich and flavorful broth
Soy Sauce Chicken is a dish originated in Guangdong, China. This is a common dish served in Hawker Centers, Singapore.
Cook the chicken with a broth containing cinnamon sticks, star anise, soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, brown sugar, and bring it to a simmer. A Japanese cooking method called “otoshibuta” (drop lid) helps the chicken soak up broth even after the heat being turned off. This method makes the chicken tastier filled with flavorful broth.
Convenient “Otoshibuta” (drop lid)
Use an otoshibuta when simmering the chicken. The otoshibuta allows the minimum amount of broth to spread throughout the pan, preventing it from evaporating. If you leave the lid on after turning the heat off, the food absorbs the flavor better. It also keeps the chicken moist. You can craft an otoshibuta by cutting up a piece of heat-resistant cooking sheet or aluminum foil with a center hole that prevents the lid from floating.
Soy Sauce Chicken
Nasi Katok with Sambal - Chicken marinated with Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Nasi Katok is a fast food from Brunei. Nasi means rice. The name ‘Katok’ is said to have originated from the act of hungry people knocking on the door of an eatery late at night (‘katok katok’ means ‘knock knock’), asking for a quick meal at a reasonable price. Nasi Katok is usually served on a plate of rice, a main dish, and sauces.
What is sambal?
Sambal is a spicy condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.It is made from tomatoes, bell peppers, and many other various ingredients, and it comes in many forms, including sauces, soups, and pastes. This wonderful spice goes well with all kinds of dishes from meat to fish, rice to noodles.
Marinating with Kikkoman Soy Sauce makes the chicken full of flavor without distinct smell.
The secret of delicious fried chicken
The fried chicken cooking starts with marinating chicken with grated ginger, garlic, turmeric, and Kikkoman Soy Sauce. If you add corn starch to the flour crust, it becomes crunchy just like the ones served in restaurants. Sambal comes in various levels of spiciness and many ready-made sauces are available. You can use any sambal sauce of your choice. The sambal sauce made from scratch this time contain bell peppers, tamarind paste, and green chili, with Kikkoman Soy Sauce added as a secret umami ingredient.
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Try this recipe
Nasi Katok with Sambal
Yurico Aoki
Culinary specialist of international and regional cuisines, and founder of the world cuisine portal called ‘e-food.jp.’. After having been trained at a restaurant in a global hotel chain, she became a licensed chef. She wrote many books, including “Exploring World Cuisines”.
Kikkoman in Southeast Asia
In the Southeast Asian region, Kikkoman Soy Sauce is produced in Singapore. Kikkoman’s technology has made it possible to produce “honjozo” (traditionally brewed) soy sauce in hot and humid areas. Please visit the website below and find a wide variety of products in Southeast Asia!
