Temperature's Rising

Many years back, the Swallow's young ones were watching a children's documentary about the desert.  The programme started with a song...It's hot, hot, a melting pot, temperature's rising, it's hot, hot, hot!

The weather in Singapore, although it is nothing like the deserts', has lately been hotter than usual (to the Swallow anyway!).  The Swallow's plants needed more waterings, her young ones bathe more often, even Singapore's newspapers have reports of bush fires sprouting up in the eastern side of Singapore.  No wonder then that the words of the song from the children's documentary have been popping into the Swallow's head these past few days!

The Swallow hopes that cooler days will come again soon.

Hakka Salted Chicken

What does the Swallow do with leftover cooked chicken when eating chicken rice?  She uses it for another dish!

For a twist to the chicken served for chicken rice...

HAKKA SALTED CHICKEN (leftover version)

Hakka Salted Chicken

Ingredients

• Leftover cooked chicken from Hainanese Chicken Rice
• a little salt
• a little brandy
• dash of pepper

Method

1. Add the salt and brandy to the chicken.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. Take out and serve.  It may be eaten hot (steam back until heated through) or cold (the Swallow's mate loves the jelly-like parts).

Sometimes, the Swallow will serve this dish fresh.

HAKKA SALTED CHICKEN (fresh version) (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 chicken
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 1 thumb-size piece of ginger
• Dash of pepper

Method

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Rub it, inside out, with a pinch of salt.
2. Cut the chicken into 2 halves and place it on a steaming plate.
3. Cut the ginger into slices and place them under the chicken halves.
4. Steam the chicken for 20 minutes on high heat, or until cooked.
5. Cool the chicken.
6. Add the balance salt and brandy.
7. Follow Steps 2 and 3 of the Leftover version of the recipe.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Previously, the Swallow shared the recipe for 'Garlic Chilli Sauce'.  The Swallow mentioned that the chilli sauce can also be used as a dipping sauce whenever Steamboat is served.  But that is only a secondary usage.  So what is the first?

For chicken rice of course!

There will always be a time when the whole family craves for Chicken Rice, and when this happens, the Swallow will cook Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Hainanese Chicken Rice Set

Although it is called Hainanese Chicken Rice, apparently it did not originate there. Anyway, the recipe used here consists of 3 parts:

• the Chicken
• the Rice
• the Chilli sauce

HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE (serves 4 - 6)

The Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, about 1.5kg
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 pieces ginger
• boiling water
• 2 tsp salt
• sesame oil
• 1 Japanese cucumber
• Coriander & parsley, if desired

Method

1. Clean the chicken.  Place the garlic and the ginger inside the chicken.
2. Pour enough boiling water into a pot to cover the chicken.  Bring the water to a boil again at high heat, lower the fire to medium heat and simmer the chicken on for about 20 minutes.  DO NOT COVER THE POT as the chicken may be tough.  Turn the chicken over occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, halve the cucumber and slice it diagonally.
4. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat but leave the chicken in the boiling water for another 5 minutes.  Then remove the chicken and season it with salt and sesame oil (just enough to make the chicken glisten).  Use the remaining stock to cook the rice.
5. Cut the chicken into pieces and arrange it on the bed of cucumber slices.  Garnish with the coriander and parsley, if desired.

The Rice

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp onion, chopped
• 3 cups rice
• 2 tsp salt
• 6 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
• 1/2 chicken stock cube, if desired
• chicken stock from cooking the chicken

Method

1. Wash and drain the rice.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan.  Fry the chopped onions until light golden brown.
3. Add the rice and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
4. Put the rice in the rice pot.  Add the salt, the knotted screwpine leaves, chicken stock cube (if desired), and stir well.
5. Add enough chicken stock to cover it, and set the rice pot to cook.
6. When the rice is ready, remove the screwpine leaves and fluff the rice.
7. Serve hot with the cut chicken and chilli sauce.

Notes

• If the chicken is not fully consumed, the Swallow uses the remaining cooked chicken for another dish 'Hakka Salted Chicken'.

Wok-Stewed Chicken

When the Swallow was younger, chicken was a delicacy served only on special occasions.  The Swallow remembers times when almost everyone (the Swallow did anyway!) would look at the juicy and succulent drumsticks, wondering who would be the special two to get them.

Nowadays, chicken is a common dish on the dining table, and chicken parts can be easily found in the fresh in the markets, or both fresh and frozen section of the supermarkets.

If you love chicken drumsticks....

Wok-Stewed Chicken

WOK-STEWED CHICKEN (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken drumsticks
• 3 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour
• dash of white pepper
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 piece cinnamon stick, about 2 inches long
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large onion, sliced into rings, divide into 2 portions
• 1 tsp sugar

Method

1. Rinse chicken drumsticks and pat dry with kitchen towels.
2. Marinate with light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, cornflour and pepper for 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil on medium heat in a wok.  Add cinnamon stick and 1 portion of onion slices, and fry them until fragrant.
4. Remove the chicken drumsticks from the marinade and slide them into the onion mixture. Set marinade aside for later use. Keep frying for about 5 minutes.
5. Add water to the marinade. Mix well and pour this diluted marinade onto the chicken to make a sauce.. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and leave to simmer over a slow fire for about 20 minutes. Turn chicken drumsticks occasionally. When cooked, remove the chicken drumsticks and plate them.
6. Add Worcestershire sauce and remaining onion slices to the sauce mixture, and bring it back to a boil. Cook until the onion slices are transparent.
7. Season with sugar.
8. Dish out the onion and sauce over the chicken drumsticks.  Serve hot.

Chicken Drumsticks, Yum Yum!

Wok-Stewed Chicken

Click here for the recipe.

With Wings Like Eagles

Have you ever seen an eagle fly?

The Swallow had such an opportunity a few days ago, and not just one eagle!  Her mate had pointed out a pair of eagles he had spotted flying in the sky.

It was a magnificent sight!  Their wings were out-stretched and you could imagine the wind beneath their wings, bearing them up higher and higher in the sky.

Just last week, the Swallow shared in 'The Art of Listening' about a game she had played with her young ones.  A verse she had highlighted, from Isaiah 40 : 31, was given in her devotion material today.  As the Swallow believes there is a reason for anything that happens, there must be a lesson for the Swallow to learn...
 
So she did some research and found out that eagles were described as large birds of prey with the following characteristics

• a powerful build
• a large size
• a heavy head
• keen eyesight – to spot potential prey from a very long distance
• a hooked beak – used for tearing flesh from their prey
• long & broad wings – for direct & faster flight
• strong muscular legs
• powerful talons

This time of the year is usually a busy time for the Swallow.  Besides her regular nest-cleaning duties, she has the demand of several ad hoc projects which need to be completed before the second quarter of the year.  So much to do, so little time, so tired...sounds familiar?

Well, the Swallow can take heart that when she waits on her Lord, He will give her strength.

Psalm 27 : 14 (NKJV)
Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Not only that, her strength is renewed each time she waits on Him!  Thus, like the eagle with its long and broad wings, the Swallow will be able to fly in a direct and faster manner.

So amidst the hustle and bustle of her busy schedule, the Swallow will strive to wait on the Lord, cause 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' Philippians 4 : 13 (NKJV).

Apple Cider Vinegar

The Swallow was introduced to apple cider vinegar several years back when someone mentioned that taking a little bit of it with some lemon juice on a regular basis will help reduce one's weight.  In the name of science and discovery, the Swallow and her mate tried it out.

The Swallow is sorry to say that they were unable to prove that as a fact as they didn't drink it regularly.  The only thing they could prove was drinking the vinegar will cause you to pucker up your face, not to mention when smelling it!

Anyway, what will the Swallow do with the balance vinegar?  Cook it!

The Swallow has found that she can quickly use up apple cider vinegar in a recipe called 'Tangy Hot & Sweet Ribs'.

24/7 Process

Taking care of children is a 24/7 process. The Swallow and her mate testify that although it is a challenging task, yet it is rewarding too when they see their young ones grow well physically, mentally, socially and (most important of all to them) spiritually. Any tears or sorrow along the way of training will be quickly forgotten, when they focus on the hope that their young ones will also acknowledge the Lord God as their own Saviour, Lord and King.

Our goal:

Deuteronomy 6 : 5 - 7 (NKJV)
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Our hope:

Proverbs 22 : 6 (NKJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

The Creator & His Creation

When the Swallow was young, she had many opportunities to be near the coasts of Malaysia.

In the day, she would get up before the sun rose, and make her way to the beach. She would listen to the waves hitting themselves against the sand. She would feel the gentle breeze on her face. She would watch the sun rise and show its face in the horizon. She would smell the salt in the air.

In the night, she would cast her eyes onto the night sky, and behold the glories of the heavens (when it was not cloudy!). She would try to count the stars. She would try to spot constellations known to her.

All in all, she would marvel at how the Lord God, who made the heavens and the earth, should choose to love her!

BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE by Bob Farrell & Billy Smiley

You spoke the words, and all the worlds came into order,
You waved Your hand, and planets filled celestial skies,
You placed the woman and the man inside the garden,
And though they fell, they found compassion in Your eyes,
O Lord, I stand in awe of the wonder of Your deeds,
Yet a greater wonder brings me to my knees...

Lord, I praise You because of who You are,
Not because of all the mighty things You've done,
Lord, I worship You because of who You are,
You're all the reason that I need to voice my praise,
Because of who You are.

One holy night You brought Your Promise from a virgin,
And Promise grew as He revealed to us Your heart,
Enduring love displayed throughout His crucifixion,
And in the dark You tore the grave and death apart,
O Lord, I stand in awe of the wonder of Your deeds,
Yet a greater wonder brings me to my knees...

Lord, I praise You because of who You are,
Not because of all the mighty things You've done,
Lord, I worship You because of who You are,
You're all the reason that I need to voice my praise,
Because of who You are.

Are the Eggs Fresh?

Before you cook an egg to eat, have you ever wondered if the egg is fresh?  To test the freshness of an egg, place it in a bowl of water.  If it sinks and lays flat, it is fresh.

Place the eggs in the egg tray with the pointed ends downward.  Apparently, the air cell at the rounded end acts as a buffer to help keep the eggs fresh for a longer period of time.