Meg's Pastry Studio - 2017 3rd Q Orders

We've come to the end of 2017 3rd quarter and now into the 4th quarter.

For the past few months, I've turned down quite a number of orders, because I've been focusing a lot on cooking projects, and also due to some upcoming changes in the family. Hence will not be taking any more orders for the time being.

Here were the two orders I took up.

Ordered by a mummy for her girl's 2nd birthday. Theme is flora and mermaid so tried my best to design the cake with simple rosette piping with some "corals" and "shells". Added some turquoise sugar pearls as well. Love how sweet and romantic the cake turned out.

This is a petite cake but I made the genoise sponge taller. Dreamy and cutesy-looking for a 3 year-old girl's birthday.

Curry Potato Stuffed Chicken Wings

After attempting the Thai-style Stuffed Chicken Wings back in August, it is now a hot favourite at home!

I was thinking to myself, Thailand got Thai-style Stuffed Chicken Wings, so maybe Singapore also can have our very own Sing-style Stuffed Chicken Wings?

Chicken curry is one of the favourite food of Singaporeans, and I believe a common dish to serve during family gatherings and parties. Personally it's a must-prepare dish for me when I organise any gatherings. How about converting it into a party snack, by stuffing curry potato into chicken wings?

Yep, so I set myself to work on it. With Prima Taste Nonya Curry Paste, it actually saves me from a lot of extra work like preparing and frying the rempah. That leaves me to debone the chicken wings, fry the curry potato, stuff the wings, marinate them, air-fry and lastly prepare the sauce, all using just one packet of the curry paste :)

Curry Potato Stuffed Chicken Wings
(makes 8 pieces)

Ingredients

• 8 pcs chicken wings, mid-joint or winglet section only
• 1 packet Prima Taste Nonya Curry Paste
• 1 Russet potato, cut into small cubes
• 4-5 shallots, finely slices
• Cooking oil (for frying and brushing)
• 1 packet of coconut milk (there will be leftover)
• 50g Gula Melaka
• Sea salt

Steps

1. Debone the chicken wing mid-joint portion. Twist the mid-joint and wing tip to break up the bones. Insert a small knife into the mid-joint front and back to cut the meat, if need be use the fingers to ease the meat off the small bone and twist it out. Use the knife to scrape the meat away from the bigger bone, folding down the skin and slowly twist/cut it out. Set aside.
2. Prepare curry potato filling. In a frying pan, add 1 tbsp cooking oil, fry the sliced shallots till fragrant, then add the cubed potato. Fry for 1-2 mins. Add 1 tbsp of the curry paste, fry with the ingredients to mix well. Next add 1 tbsp of coconut milk, mix well and cook the curry potato till slightly softened, season with a pinch of sea salt, to taste. Set aside to cool down slightly.
3. Prepare stuffed chicken wings. Take a piece of mid-joint, open up and stuff a few pieces of curry potato inside. Repeat for remaining wings.
4. Marinate the chicken wings. In a small bowl, mix remaining curry paste with 8 tbsp of coconut milk. Coat the stuffed chicken wings thoroughly. Chill the wings in fridge overnight, preferably 12 hours. *there will be leftover marinate, reserve them for dipping sauce the next day (chill in fridge).
5. Prepare the curry dipping sauce: Add the reserved marinate with 2 tbsp of coconut milk and 50g of gula melaka and bring to boil till gula melaka melts. Transfer to serving bowl.
6. Cook the stuffed wings. Before cooking, remove the wings from fridge to bring to room temperature. Arrange the stuffed wings in the air-fryer. Brush the wings with some cooking oil. Air-fry the wings at 160 degree celsius for 16 mins, turning over after 8 mins. Then turn up temperature to 200 degree celsius and air-fry the wings for another 5-6 mins, turning over after 2-3 mins. The stuffed wings are golden brown and ready, transfer to serving plate and enjoy hot with curry dipping sauce.

I'm really pleased about how the stuffed wings turn out! They are sooooo yummy, with flavourful curry taste (because of the overnight marinating) and different textures of crispy skin outside, succulent meat & soft potato inside. It's good to eat on its own but even better with the curry dipping sauce. In fact, the curry sauce bears a resemblance to the one at McDonald's, maybe just additional nuance of spices.
 
In case you are wondering, my recipe states 8 pieces, but there are only 7 pieces of wings in the photo. Actually I air-fried one to test the timing and temperature first.

Super love love love this local version of Stuffed Chicken Wings, and it's going to be a staple in my menu from now onwards.

Anyways, I'm submitting this as my second entry for the "Prima Taste Authentic Asia Cooking Sauces Contest" organised by Prima Taste and Singapore Home Cooks.

#MyPrimaTaste

Wish me luck!!

Chicken Rice Burger

Rice burger has been on my to-make list for a long time! Initially I have plans to make Teriyaki Rice Burger this week, but after knowing that Prima Taste is organising a "Prima Taste Authentic Asia Cooking Sauces Contest" (in collaboration with Singapore Home Cooks), I decided to make a different Rice Burger instead.

Yep, a Chicken Rice Burger using Prima Taste "Fragrant Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste".

Actually I twisted my wrist last week and have barely recovered. Luckily the paste is really convenient and easy to use and it's so flavourful on its own that I don't have to prepare additional seasonings. In fact, I already have most of the ingredients at home :)

Preparation is quite easy. I already have boneless skinless chicken thighs at home (courtesy of Sasha's Fine Foods), so I just cut the chicken thighs to the size I want and marinated them using a packet of the Chicken Rice Paste overnight. The next day, coat the chicken generously with potato starch then pan-fry till golden brown.

For the rice, I use Japanese short-grain rice as it's more sticky and easier mould into rice patties. To make the rice burger more healthy, I added some ten-grain rice. After washing the rice, mix a packet of chicken rice paste and water to the rice and cook in the rice cooker. After the rice is done, mould them into rice patties.


I reckoned it might be too dry with the rice and chicken alone, so made some chicken rice chilli as well. What's chicken rice without chilli right? 

Finally assemble the chicken rice burger  with rice patty, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, chicken thigh, some chicken rice chilli, dark or sweet soy sauce and top with another rice patty.

I've put together a short video-clip of the process below as well.

Chicken Rice Burger
(makes 4 burgers)

Ingredients

Chicken

• 250g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 pieces (about 7cmx7cm)
• 1 packet of Prima Taste Fragrant Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste
• Potato Starch

Chicken Rice

• 1 cup Japanese short-grain rice 
• 25g ten-grain rice
• 1 packet of Prima Taste Fragrant Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste

 Chicken rice chilli

• 3 large chilli
  
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 slices ginger
• 1 tbsp chicken stock
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar, to taste
• Juice from 1 lime

Additional

• 4 slices tomato
• 4 slices cucumber
• 4 leaves lettuce
• Kecap manis or dark soy sauce
• Coriander, spring onion (garnish)

Steps

1. Marinate the chicken thighs with chicken rice paste and store in fridge overnight. Before cooking, remove the thighs from the fridge to bring to room temperature.
2. Cook chicken rice: Wash and rinse short-grain rice and ten-grain rice a few times, drain and add the rice into a rice pot. Add a packet of chicken rice paste to the rice and mix well. Add water to about 1 and 1/4 marking on the rice pot, place rice pot into cooker and set to cook. After rice is cooked, let it rest for 15 mins before sitrring the rice.
3. Make rice patties: Place a piece of clingwrap over a 7cm ring mould, add about 2-3 tbsp of chicken rice into the mould, press hard to compress, wrap up the rice and set aside. Repeat till all the rice are used up.
4. Cook the chicken: Coat the chicken thighs with potato starch. Add cooking oil to frying pan on medium heat. Pan-fry the chicken till golden brown on both sides.
5. Make chicken rice chilli: Blend all the ingredients into a watery paste.
6. Assemble: Remove clingwrap from one rice patty, place lettuce leaves on the rice patty, follow by tomato, cucumber and chicken thigh. Add desired amount of chilli sauce and kecap manis/dark soy sauce (optional) and top with another piece of rice patty. Best eaten warm.

When the chicken rice was in the midst of cooking in the rice cooker, the whole house was filled with an intoxicating aroma! After the rice was cooked, I couldn't resist stealing mouthfuls of it!

Likewise when I was frying the chicken thighs, they looked and smelled so fragrant that I wanted to bite into them immediately! Well, actually I prepared two extra pieces (just in case) so I could taste test first. They tasted soooooo yummy! Crispy on the outside with very flavourful meat texture as the meat was marinated in the paste overnight and absorbed all the wonderful seasonings.

The chicken rice burger was totally yummy! Aromatic rice patties, crispy and juicy chicken, crunchy and refreshing vegetables and tantalising chilli sauce with sweet soy sauce. Very satisfying indeed.

So happy that I managed to make this Chicken Rice Burger, wish me luck for the contest!