Written by: Xenia Cordelia Lee

Featuring: Quah Chen Ying

Ah yes, Southern fried chicken, also known simply as fried chicken. With its crispy breading exterior keeping the meat tender. It’s a classic go to comfort food, especially when eaten with hands. The food tastes better that way; change my mind. 

Congrats on winning this weeks’ cook-off! What’s the inspiration behind this dish?

Thanks! This is my attempt at making fragrant tumeric fried chicken that is balanced with a refreshing salad and fragrant rice. It’s the ideal flavour. It wasn’t so much as inspiration but rather a random craving one day that brought about this creation. I was craving fried chicken and voila~

As Ariana Grande would say, “I want it, I got it” HAHA. Could you tell us more about it, is this a family recipe or did you look it up? 

If I have time, I would cook something for myself. I can’t do much cooking now because I’m busy with the final assignments. There really isn’t much more to say to be honest. It’s a simple recipe that anyone who knows how to cook can do it. 

Would you mind sharing the recipe perhaps? So that our readers can recreate your winning dish for themselves.

Well, I’m assuming everyone -especially Asians know how to cook rice, I just sprinkled some fried garlic and black sesame on top of it. The side dish is a freshly cut salad consisting of cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes. As for the chicken meat, I smeared turmeric powder to marinate for a bit before frying them then sprinkled some curry leaves on them with mayonnaise and cheese sauce. 

Wow, it really is as simple as that, not that there’s anything wrong with simple. There’s a song that goes, “simple is best, better than all the rest” HAHA. What about, if you could change one thing about the recipe, what would it be? 

I would have definitely added more spices and maybe even some spicy sauce if I had some around. I just love spicy foods hahaha.

I see, well, you certainly can handle spicy foods better than me, that’s for sure. Did anyone encourage you to participate in the Monash Cook-Off?

There’s a funny story actually, while making the dish, I thought to myself, ‘why not just try my luck’ and get a chance to win RM100. And I did! Guess I was just lucky that day HAHA.

Could you give me some of that luck? HAHA. Thanks for your time, but one last question before you go, we have to ask, what are you planning to do with the prize money?

I think I’ll buy food for my family! 

How sweet! Aights, take care and good luck with your assignments~

Here’s Chen Ying’s recipe!

Fried chicken

1. Marinade

Ingredients: 4 chicken wings, 2 chicken drumsticks, cornstarch, lemon juice, lime juice, tumeric and soy sauce

• Put the chicken into a bowl or container of your liking
• Add ingredients 
• Major ingredient: cornstarch
• Lemon juice, lime juice, turmeric, soy sauce added based on how you want your chicken to taste like
• Mix the chicken with the marinade
• Let it marinade for AT LEAST 4 hours in the fridge

Note: The marinade should look a bit viscous, not too watery, and should not be in clumps. As long as most of the marinade is coated on the chicken meat, it should be fine.

2. Batter

• Ingredients: 3 stalks of curry leaf, cornstarch, pepper
• Put cornstarch and a DASH of pepper into a bowl
• Tear the curry leaves into small pieces
• Put the curry leaf pieces into the bowl containing the cornstarch and pepper
• Mix the batter evenly

3. Fry the chicken 

Ingredients: Oil, marinated chicken, batter

• Coat the chicken in batter evenly
• Drop it in the oil and fry until GOLDEN BROWN

Note: If you are scared of the oil, use the wok lid to protect yourself.

Rice 

Ingredients: Rice, lemongrass, fried red onion, fried red onion oil, pandan leaf

• Wash and rinse the rice 3 TIMES
• Put rice and water into the rice cooker in 1:1 RATIO
• Break the middle part of the lemongrass 
• Wash and tie pandan leaf in a knot
• Put the lemongrass, pandan leaf, fried red onion and fried red onion oil into the rice cooker. 

Note: It’s better to use your finger to measure the rice and water.

Uncle Roger approves of this rice recipe!

Salad

Ingredients: Cucumber, carrot, tomato

• Slice cucumber, shred carrots and cut tomato into wedges
• Put everything in a bowl and decorate
• Drizzle any dressing of your liking.