Chinese Roast Chicken

My Mother's Simple Chinese Roast Chicken

Serves 4

• 1.6 kilo/3.5lb chicken

• 2 brown onions or 5 golden eschallots, peeled and diced

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon oil

• 2 teaspoons chicken boullion powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 2 whole Jalapeno chillies

• White steamed rice to serve

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Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Clean and dry the chicken with paper towels thoroughly. In a food processor or mortar and pestle, blitz the onions and garlic together. Empty into a bowl and add the dark soy sauce, oil, chicken powder, salt, sugar and pepper to the onion mixture.

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Step 2 - Spread all over the chicken using a brush or a spoon and place any leftover mixture inside the chicken.

Step 3 - Bake the chicken and the whole jalapenos for 60 minutes occasionally basting once or twice with any juices. Test for doneness by separating the leg and thick and if the juices run clear then it is done. The chillies should roast and sweeten and we just give half a chilli per person and they eat it along with the chicken for spice.

Steamed Bok Choy

• 1 bunch of boy choy (about 3-4 in each bunch)

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon chilli oil

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Step 1 - Quarter the bok choy and wash thoroughly to remove grit between the layers. Place in a steamer and steam for 4 minutes or until leaves are wilted. Drizzle over with oyster sauce and sesame and chilli oil.

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