Name: Poached chicken and coconut salad with smoked quail’s eggs and Asian herbs
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 1 chicken (about 1.1kg); 10 quail’s eggs, at room temperature; 150 gm hickory woodchips; 425 ml coconut milk; 50 gm soft light palm sugar; 45 ml fish sauce; 25 ml coconut vinegar (see note); 25 ml lime juice; 150 gm shaved fresh coconut (1 cup); 160 gm bean sprouts, trimmed (2 cups); 2 long red chillies, thinly sliced; 2 red shallots, thinly sliced; 1 cup each (loosely packed) Thai basil, Vietnamese mint and coriander; 35 gm (¼ cup) peanuts, coarsely chopped; ¼ cup fried shallots; To serve: thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves; Master stock; 3 litres (12 cups) chicken stock; 300 ml Shaoxing wine; 150 gm yellow rock sugar (see note); 150 ml light soy sauce; 75 ml dark soy sauce; 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 6 star anise; 4 spring onions, coarsely chopped; 3 pieces dried mandarin peel (see note); 3 pieces cassia bark; 2 cm piece of ginger, thinly sliced

Poached chicken and coconut salad with smoked quail’s eggs and Asian herbs

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for poached chicken and coconut salad with smoked quail’s eggs and Asian herbs.

Serves 10

Prep

40M

Cook

1H 30M

Total

2H 10M

Ingredients

1 chicken (about 1.1kg)

10 quail’s eggs, at room temperature

150 gm hickory woodchips

425 ml coconut milk

50 gm soft light palm sugar

45 ml fish sauce

25 ml coconut vinegar (see note)

25 ml lime juice

150 gm shaved fresh coconut (1 cup)

160 gm bean sprouts, trimmed (2 cups)

2 long red chillies, thinly sliced

2 red shallots, thinly sliced

1 cup each (loosely packed) Thai basil, Vietnamese mint and coriander

35 gm (¼ cup) peanuts, coarsely chopped

¼ cup fried shallots

To serve: thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves

Master stock

3 litres (12 cups) chicken stock

300 ml Shaoxing wine

150 gm yellow rock sugar (see note)

150 ml light soy sauce

75 ml dark soy sauce

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

6 star anise

4 spring onions, coarsely chopped

3 pieces dried mandarin peel (see note)

3 pieces cassia bark

2 cm piece of ginger, thinly sliced

Method

Main

1.For master stock, simmer ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat for 30 minutes to combine flavours. Set aside to infuse (30 minutes), strain (discard solids) and bring to the simmer in a large saucepan or small stockpot over medium heat.

2.Add chicken to master stock, weight with a small plate, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool chicken completely in master stock, then remove from stock (discard stock or reserve for another use), coarsely shred meat (discard skin, bones and sinew) and set aside.

3.Meanwhile, cook quail’s eggs in a saucepan of simmering water for 2 minutes, refresh and peel. Double-line a wok with foil, place woodchips in wok and heat over medium-high heat until smoking (6-8 minutes). Place quail’s eggs on a wire rack small enough to fit in wok. Cover wok completely with foil to enclose and smoke eggs until light brown (6-8 minutes), then set aside. Halve eggs just before serving.

4.Stir coconut milk, palm sugar and fish sauce in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, bring to the boil, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer until reduced by two-thirds (20-25 minutes). Cool, add vinegar and lime juice, season to taste and set aside.

5.Preheat oven to 180C. Scatter coconut on an oven tray and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden (10-12 minutes), then set aside to cool.

6.Combine remaining ingredients (except lime leaves) in a large bowl with chicken and toasted coconut, drizzle with coconut milk dressing, toss to combine and serve scattered with smoked’s quail eggs and kaffir lime leaves.

Coconut vinegar, yellow rock sugar and dried mandarin peel are available from select Asian grocers.
This recipe is from the April 2013 issue of
.
Notes