Page 48 - Cuisine & Wine Asia 2020 - Mar/Apr 2020 Issue
P. 48

So  considering  how  easy  it  is  to  get  access  to
       鸡       chicken, does that mean chicken is easy to cook?
               Not  exactly.  As  we  talk  to Chef Raymond  Khoo,
       不       Executive  Chef  of  The  Peranakan, and  tuck into
               a dish of ‘ayam goreng’, we realise that even the
       可       most common dish needs care to bring the best
               out  of the dish.  The chicken,  for example, can
       失       dry out when not fried with proper care, and the
               natural juiciness of the bird can disappear then.

               “Really,  it’s  all  about  the  temperature  of  the  oil
               that’s  used  when cooking,” he demurs, when
               w e                   discuss how the ‘ayam
                                         goreng’ he’s made
                                           is  crispy, but
                                             juicy.   “Once
                                              the oil is hot
                                               en o u gh ,
                                               put   the
                                               ch i ck en
                                               in  for 4
                                               mi n u tes,
                                              and  that’s
                                              all    you
                                            need.   Once
                                          you   get  the
                                        right  temperature,
                                    don’t   over   fry   it.”
               His  ‘ayam  goreng’  is  marinated  with  European
               coriander, which is stronger, and was traditionally
               used  by Peranakan  families  in  Malacca to  cook.

               He also bring out an ‘ayam pongteh’ that we are
               startled to hear is made with Heura vegan chicken,
               a plant-based meat that absorbs the sweetness of
               the gravy in the ‘ayam' pongteh. "This pongteh
               is a little light on the tongue,”  Chef Khoo
               explains. A surprising note is that the chef and his
               team have been hosting full vegetarian/vegan Tok
               Panjang specials within the restaurant, which is the
               only  Peranakan restaurant to do so.  This  means
               that  it  is  possible  to  replace  chicken  with  vegan
               substitutes  for  a  healthier,  more  inclusive  meal.
               However, not all substitutions, vegan or otherwise,
                                                           can  replace  some  chicken  dishes.  “Some  people
                                                           would replace the chicken in the buak keluak dish with
                                                           pork,” Chef Khoo says, while wincing. “The flavours
               5. Chef Raymond Khoo                        aren’t so nice. The pork changes the whole taste of
               6. ayam buak keluak                         the buak keluak. The chicken, at the very least, still
               7.Heura 'ayam' pongteh
               pg047 8. ayam goreng                        retains the original flavour. So we still use chicken
                                                           in  certain  dishes  to  present  the  best  flavours.”

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