Australia Day this year just happens to fall on the same day as Chinese New Year. A dilemma for many as to which to celebrate, however I simply looked at it as a 3 day eating fest. On the 25th of January we had a Burns Supper of sorts with friends, on the 26th we had a Multicultural BBQ with friends and on the 27th we are having a Chinese New Year Dinner with family. The Multicultural BBQ was with my friend M (who is Austrian) and her kids (who are half Austrian and half Peruvian) and we had people from all different cultures all across the globe. Everyone would bring a dish from the home country and share it with others. It seemed only fitting given the multicultural nature of Australia.
M’s Australia (temporary) tattoo
My contribution was Soya Sauce chicken with one of my mother’s recipes. She doesn’t give recipes out very often (three times only in fact) so I jumped on this immediately. I was also bringing Taramosalata and bringing the ingredients for shaved ice desserts which we would assemble while there (although the reasonably cool weather and the cracker of a cake that M made meant that this wasn’t necessary in the end).
This is a recipe that is so simple to make but so satisfying. I like this chicken with plain boiled rice or if I’m feeling particularly needy or cold, with some noodle soup and greens. The amount of water will determine how thick your sauce or gravy is, I personally prefer the sauce moderately thick, not so thick that it is sticky but definitely not runny so that it is like water. And for this recipe I try and overcome my fear of the smell of raw chicken.
The amount of gravy or sauce made is quite a lot. However the sauce is quite versatile. I love it ladled over rice and I also add a few tablespoons of it into a clear noodle broth to give it a depth of flavour. I cook these for 30 minutes or more, just because I like my chicken quite well done (I have a fear of biting into chicken and finding pink) and also so that it eases off the bone nicely. And what I do if I make this for myself is pierce the skin of the chicken wings and drumsticks so that the flavour goes right through to the chicken meat give it that delicious smoky brown hue. It’s not as “pretty” as when you leave the skin intact but the pleasure is purely in the eating.
Beef rendang from A&N
Chicken tagine from T&M
With our Multicultural Australia Day we had a wide variety of countries represented from: Austria, Peru, Persia, Italy, Malaysia, Algeria, Lebanon, Singapore, Hong Kong and Finland. We feasted on a fabulous range of food ranging from a deliciously flavoured chicken tagine (Algeria), a beautifully fragrant and spiced beef rendang (Malaysia), 2 types of delicious Persian rice (one with crispy bread at the bottom and a saffron rice with redberries, both a must try from Persia), a delicately dressed rocket salad (Italy), a sweet carrot salad, my soy chicken wings (Singapore and Hong Kong) and to end off a most spectacular Malakoff torte from Austria. And everyone, even though we may not have met before and were from vastly different backgrounds we all got on so well that it was a shame when we all had to leave. Australia Day doesn’t get much better than this.
Soy wings from me
Persian rice from S&S
Persian saffron rice from S&S
Rocket salad from M&P
Carrot salad by M
Malakoff torte by M
Happy Australia Day everyone! 
Lots of love,
Lorraine/NQN
xxx
NQN’s mum’s Soya sauce chicken wings
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons light soya sauce
- 4 tablespoons dark soya sauce
- 8 flat tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cups of water (plus more if you like your gravy thin)
- 1.5kgs/3 pounds chicken wings
Method
1. In a very large saucepan or wok (I used my large 36cm cast iron wok), stir fry chicken pieces briefly to brown lightly
2. Add in the rest of the above ingredients (soya sauces, water and sugar).
Chicken after being cooked for 5 minutes on high
3. Cook on high for 5 minutes. Then let it simmer until cooked (about 30 minutes). Add more water if necessary.
After half an hour of cooking
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24 Comments | Add your own
Happy Australia Day NQN! What a wonderful feast you shared with your friends
happy Australia day and Chinese New year day. this chicken looks delicious. good thing you got the recipe
Hi L, you are right when you said that it was a shame you all had to leave! By the way, you forgot to mention Italy and Lebanon! xo M
Happy Australia day!
Happy Australia day and happy CNY! Your chicken wings look gorgeous! Love the colour!
Mmmm those wings look yummy. Speaking of Persian food, there’s this Persian place in Covent Garden that has the most amazingly flavoured rice. You’ll have to try it if you come to London again!
Happy Australia Day, and Gong Xi Fa Cai! x
Happy Chinese New Year and Australia Day. The food looks so delicious, and how great to get your mum’s recipe – why is she so secretive I wonder – the chicken looks so savoury and tasty.
Your chicken wings look delish, and easy to make. I wish my mum could quantify her recipes (they are all a bit of this and a bit of that!)
Happy Australia Day! Sounds like an amazing feast.
Two great events on the same day! Happy Australia day and New year by the way. We decided to celebrate the same as you, bbq with Pavlova for Australia and honey sesame chicken wings on the bbq for Chinese new year.
Happy CNY / Australia Day Lorraine! Those wings look divine! My mom sounds like your mom! But luckily for me, my mom started passing on a few Malaysian family recipes! Hope yours will do the same
Gong Hei Fat Choi, NQN!!
Happy New Year to you and your family! My mum makes this, its finger licking good and seriously addictive!
Looks like you had a fabulous Australia Day! Love the chicken. My mother is a difficult woman to get recipes from as well – mainly because she is impatient with me for needing a recipe at all, Lord love her.
Your chicken wing recipe looks amazing! But could you please clarify this:
1.5/3 pounds kg chicken wings
What is the exact amount? TIA!
Hi Kathy-Thankyou! Happy Australia Day to you too overseas!
Are you celebrating it?
Hi snooky doodle-Thankyou and you too!
Haha yes slowly I am getting the recipes out of her, 1 a decade I think 
Hi Big M-Ah the pity of having Australia Day before a work day! I got Italy but forgot Lebanon, thanks for reminding me!
Hi Blond Duck-Thankyou so much!
Hi pigpigscorner-Thanks and the same to you too!
They were pretty good I have to say, I am glad they got the nice dark brown colour!
Hi Su-yin-Thanks!
That sounds fabulous! Person rice is so lovely indeed 
Thanks, same to you too! Hope you had lots of fun
Hi arista-Thankyou and likewise! I think some mums like to keep their cards close to their chest
Weird but possibly true!
Hi belle-Yes they never have measurements. I think there’s a term for it but I can’t recall what it is. Funny isn’t it!
Hi Sara-Thankyou, Happy Aust Day to you too
It was such a great feast!
Hi Maria-I know! How to choose?
Thankyou and you too! Sounds like the best of both worlds 
Hi Karen-Thanks, same to you!
haha I’m hoping she lets out a few more but she likes getting my recipes. Somehow doesn’t seem quite fair … 
Hi KatyBelle-Thankyou so much! Gong Hei Fat Choi to you too
Hi Maria-Thanks so much! Haha you know exactly how it tastes, so addictive yes!
Hi Cakelaw-We did, how was yours?
Ahhh seems like we have different dilemmas but the same problem! 
Hi B-That should read 1.5kgs or 3 pounds of chicken wings, I slipped up when adding the imperial measurements for the US readers-oops!
and a happy belated australia day to you! i wish i was in australia to celebrate in person. heck, i just wish i was in australia.
Yum! Great idea using wings and serving it as party food. I usually make it with a whole chicken then put boiled eggs in the leftover liquid.
You share the same fear of chicken as I do! I can’t stand the smell of it raw…makes me gag
and I won’t eat a piece if I find it slightly pink on the inside or tooo veiny…hehe…which is why I don’t cook too much with chicken..although I do love the taste when it’s done right…such a dilemma!
Happy CNY and Australia Day!
Hi grace-Thanks so much! Hehe yes I saw your Pepperidge Farm Tim Tam story. You definitely need to try our version of them
Hi Marc-Thanks, I love serving wings, they’re so easy to make and tend to feed the really hungry members
Ahhh eggs, interesting! I love the sauce.
Hi Alexandra-Yes I usually smell it just to see if it’s off or not (paranoia after buying some v. expensive free range chicken 3 days before used by date that when I opened it smelt disgusting) but that usually makes me a bit sick. I like it when other ppl cook it though
Thanks, same to you too!
What a terrific feast! Yummmmm I shall steal that chicken recipe sometime hee hee thhxxx
I just made them tonight for dinner. So simple and tasty although I used too much sugar which made the dish super sweet. I’ll know better for next time. This is such a great blog NQN, you have inspired me to cook!
yumm chicken wings sound fabulous. nice shots!!
cheers!!
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[...] ordered this dish ahead as it’s a special Chinese NY dish that A told us about at the Multicultural Australia Day party the day before. They had told my mum about it when she booked but she dismissed it as it was [...]
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