【盐酥鸡】Taiwanese popcorn chicken

 

前不久我家附近开了一家米线馆，就去尝尝鲜，吃饭的时候被告知如果给他们家在谷歌上留个评语，就可以免费获得一份盐酥鸡。

想着店子比较新，就上网留了个言。后来随餐送的盐酥鸡味道比较咸，也不是在台湾时吃的盐酥鸡口味。虽然盐酥鸡在台湾本土做法调味也各有不同，但是这家米线店做的盐酥鸡对我而言只能叫做炸鸡块。

回家后我就一直想着自己做一次盐酥鸡，这几天刚好家里有鸡腿肉，就来做个好吃的盐酥鸡吧！

A restaurant recently opened near my home, so I went to try it out.  As I was ordering, I was told by the waitress that if I leave a review for the restaurant on Google, the restaurant will serve a plate of Taiwanese popcord chicken for free.

So I left a review online and get served a small plate of popcorn chicken. The popcorn chicken that came with my meal was rather salty, and tasted nothing like the popcorn chicken I'd had in Taiwan. 

Since I've been wanting to make popcorn chicken at home. And I happened to have some chicken thighs at home, so I decided to make some delicious popcorn chicken at home!

【仁当咖喱】Beef Rendang / Rendang Daging

 

这道印尼/马来西亚风味的仁当牛肉咖喱曾被某杂志评为世上最美味的食物，也是我做过的味道最丰富的菜之一。

这道咖喱最主要的除了香料之外，还有火候。

肉类、香料和椰浆经过长时间慢火烹煮，逐渐浓缩成浓郁的酱汁，软烂的牛肉在浓郁的酱汁包裹之下真是人间美味。

This Indonesian/Malaysian-style beef rendang curry was once voted the world's most delicious food and is one of the most flavorful dishes I've ever made.

The keys to making a good rendang is of course the spices and the long simmering time. The meat, spices, and coconut milk are slowly cooked and concentrated into a rich flavor curry sauce that coats the tender beef. It is truly a beautiful orchestra of different flavors.

【竹笋红烧肉】Bamboo Shoots Braised Pork Belly

 

春天来了，雨后朋友的后院长出好多的春笋，她把春笋收获之后还细心地把笋子都处理好了再送给我。

这么有心的礼物，不做一顿红烧肉都对不起这份心意啊！

Spring is here again. A friend harvested a lot of bamboo shoots from her back yard. She carefully prepared the bamboo shoots before giving them to me.

It would be a shame not to make a good dish out of such a thoughtful gift!

【香肠炒马铃薯丁】Sausage and Potato Stir-fry

 

家里有小孩的都知道，偶尔还是需要做一次孩子喜欢的孩子菜，这道香肠炒马铃薯丁就是我们家的其中一道孩子菜，材料用的都是家里常备的，既快手又方便。

Having kids at home means it is inevitably that you have to cook children’s favorite dishes sometimes. 

This dish of sausage and diced potatoes is one of my son's favorite dishes at our home. The ingredients used are easily available at home, a quick and convenient dish when I am short on time.

【黄瓜凤梨泡菜】Acar Timun Nenas

 

前几天去附近的农夫市场买菜的时候看见凤梨正在打折，刚好我这两天打算做牛肉仁当咖喱吃吃，买个凤梨回来做这个清爽的黄瓜凤梨泡菜，吃着解腻又营养。

Pineapple was on sales a few days ago, when I went to the nearby farmer’s market for groceries. 

I happened to be planning to make beef rendang curry in the next two days, so I bought a pineapple and made this refreshing Acar, which is both refreshing and nutritious.

【潮州蚝面】Teochew Oyster Noodle

这道面食是回乡每次去潮州餐厅必点的一道面，潮州人喜海鲜入菜，尤其是营养美味的生蚝，潮州蚝煎/蚝烙也是一道非常有名的小吃。

This noodle dish is something I must order every time I go to a Teochew restaurant. The Teochew clan use a lot of seafood in their dishes, especially nutritious and delicious oysters. 

Teochew oyster omelette/Or Chien is also a very famous snack.

【客家算盘子】Hakka Abacus Seeds

算盘子，是东南亚和广东省大埔县颇负盛名的传统客家小吃。它是用蒸熟的芋头与淀粉搓成一一颗颗中间凹陷的丸子，看起来就像是古时候使用的算盘上的算盘子，因此得名，也因为中间凹陷有聚宝的寓意，很适合在节庆时做来吃。

算盘子口感滑爽再带点Q弹，加上肉末、香菇、虾米之类和自己喜欢的蔬菜简单调味炒熟，就非常美味。

Hakka Abacus Seeds is a famous traditional Hakka dish common in Southeast Asia and Dapu County, Guangdong Province in China. 

It is made using steamed taro and cassava starch, rolled into balls then pressed with a dent in the center. The impression makes the balls look like the abacus seeds on the abacus (a type of calculator) used in ancient China, hence the name. 

Hakka Abacus Seeds have smooth and slight chewy texture, very delicious when it is lightly seasoned and stir fried with minced meat, mushrooms, dried shrimps and vegetables of your choice.

【酸甜鸡块】Sweet and sour Chicken

孩子回马来西亚经常吃不惯餐厅里的炒菜，尤其是带着骨头和皮的肉类料理，他压根就不敢尝试。据说这是外国出生的孩子的通病。

每次和家人出去餐厅吃饭的时候只有古老肉是唯一一个能入他法眼的菜。回美后他偶尔还会让我给他做，我也经常为了方便，用鸡腿肉做这款酸甜鸡块，也非常美味好吃呢！

Whenever my son visited Malaysia, he struggles to enjoy most of the dishes in restaurants, especially dishes with bones and skin cooked in it. 

 

The only dish that he could enjoyed was the good old sweet and sour pork/Gu lou Yuk. He liked it so much that even after returning to the United States, he still asks for it at times.

I have made the dish using chicken thighs many times, and personally think it is juicier and equally delicious!