Pongteh Chicken

This is one of my favourite Nyonya (Straits Chinese) dishes. I think it's usually made with pork--I'm trying to find a butcher in this town to get meat for the pork version (as well as siew yoke or Chinese roast pork). I used to have pongteh with steamed rice quite often at Baba Low, a Nyonya cafe near my ex-office and have been craving it since I moved here. Happily, I think that my recipe tastes just as good as the one in Baba Low. :)

You'll need:
1 kg chicken (with bone) - cut into serving pieces
cooking oil (to cover base of pot)
a few good shakes of good sesame oil
3 large shallots (or about 6 small ones), sliced
half a bulb of garlic, minced
2in piece of ginger, cut into chunks
2 tbsp preserved bean paste
1 tbsp thick sweet soy sauce
2 heaping tbsp gula Melaka (if unavailable, use dark muscovado sugar)
approx 3 cups water
3 (starchy) potatoes, peeled/quartered
salt to taste

Method:
Pound shallots, garlic and ginger into a paste. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large pot, add sesame oil, and saute the paste till fragrant. Add preserved bean paste, thick soy sauce, sugar, salt and some water, and stir till well mixed. Add chicken pieces and stir till well coated. Pour in the rest of the water and leave to simmer. When chicken appears cooked, add potatoes. Simmer till sauce is thickened and meat/potatoes are very tender. Add more salt if necessary. Serve with steamed white rice.

Serves 4

Pounding the shallots, garlic and ginger into a paste

Note: You may add Chinese mushrooms (shiitake) if you wish... soak a few dried mushrooms in water till plump and add to the pot with the chicken.