Friday 16 December 2016

Grandma's Garlic and Salt Chicken


This is probably the most dull and ordinary looking dish. After all it's just chicken, garlic and salt. I fried those whole cloves of garlic just to sex it up a bit. Hah!

It is a traditional Terengganu nonya dish which most Chinese families in Terengganu are familiar with. We call it "Kay Khong Eam". My grandma's version is different because she did not use boiled chicken.

I actually prefer grandma's version because it is what I am used to and also because I had a chance to taste one done the regular way and I found that it was not as good.



It is important to saute some garlic and salt first for that nice aroma and flavor. Marinating the chicken pieces with some garlic and salt for about an hour before frying makes it even tastier. 

This dish is great eaten with sweet chili sauce or grandma's homemade chili sauce. Strictly for garlic lovers though.

Chicken with Garlic and Salt
Recipe source : Phong Hong

Ingredients :
- 800g chicken pieces
- 1 bulb garlic, finely minced and divided
- 1 tsp salt or more to taste

Method :
1. Marinate chicken with half the garlic and some salt for about an hour.
2. Heat oil in wok and saute the remaining garlic and salt.
3. Add marinated chicken, stir fry until chicken changes color.
4. Add a bit of water and simmer the chicken until cooked.
5. At the end of the cooking process, keep stirring the chicken until all liquids have evaporated and the chicken is slightly browned.

48 comments:

  1. Good morning Phong Hong, I really like this garlic and salt chicken very much. Looks and sounds so delicious. Definitely want to try your grandma's version :D

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    1. Hi Ann! If you love garlic, you will love this dish :)

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  2. The chicken looks very moist and tender.

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  3. I find it quite difficult to cook chicken by just stir frying as it tends to stick to the wok/pan. I'd usually have to braise it in some kind of liquid/sauce. It must have taken you quite a while to keep stirring (so that it doesn't stick) and getting it cooked. I can almost smell your description of the abundance of one whole bulb of minced garlic and the addition of more garlic cloves in that dish...hehe! ;D

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    1. The chicken released some water and yes, I did stir every now and then. But during the last bit when I fried it until dry, there was some sticking. So I had to soak my wok before cleaning hee..hee..

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  4. How nice if the chicken is right in front of me, hehe...

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  5. I tried this garlic and salt chicken before. It was appetizing with white rice.

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    1. Glad to know that you liked the chicken cooked this way.

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  6. Wahhhh..... menu paling senang dan simple ni PH. Boleh cubalah nanti ... Macam tak biasa, i ni kan mmg suka menu yg simple macam ni hihi....
    Kalau tambahkan lagi garlic slice goreng mesti bestkan PH. Garlic ni my faveret tau cuma tulah..... agak smelly sikitkan...

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    1. Pada kita yang suka garlic, tak smelly kan, Hainom? Oh..garlic slice goreng lagi terangkat!

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  7. Grandma masak selalunya yg simple2 tp bila makan tu enaknya sangat luar biasa.Kadang2 kita copy 100% pun rasanya tetap x sama kan..
    Nampak sedap sangat tu..kalau ayam ni mmg laku la kat rumah saya ni PH hehee

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    1. Betul tu, Lina. Air tangan grandma tak boleh lawan.

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  8. Garlic? Usually Foochows would use ginger. Maybe I can try this sometime. I would prefer garlic to ginger, actually.

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    1. Yup, just garlic this one. My favorite with ginger would be ginger chicken, the one ladies eat during confinement.

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  9. I don't think that I have eaten this dish before because I don't remember eating chicken with a strong garlic taste. But from your description this dish must be full of garlic taste, perfect for garlic lovers!

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    1. It's a dish which garlic lover would appreciate.

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  10. Grandma's dish is definitely the best ever! No fancy and frills.. easy to cook and yummy to eat... Please do share more of Grandma's recipes.. :)

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  11. ooo ... at first glance, i thought you were attempting the korean garlic fried chicken! either way, i'm a major fan of garlic (i'll eat them raw or cooked, on their own), so i'm in! :D

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    1. Ah, another garlic fan! I also love raw garlic :)

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  12. From your description, this is definitely a delicious dish. I will try this simple to cook dish!

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    1. Simple and delicious, that's what we want!

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  13. PH, normally kalau simple bahan2 yang digunakan..turns out mesti simple yet sedap...less is more orang kata..hehe:)

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  14. orang lama masak mmg tak pernah menghampakan PH
    walaupun simple tapi cukup segalanyaaa best in the world kann

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    1. Setuju 100%, Kak Noor! Kita ni pun dalam golongan orang lama hah..hah..

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  15. I'm a garlic lover so this is good for me :D ...

    My grandma's recipe for chicken is different compared to yours. The only time she will cook chicken is when she can get her hands to kampung chicken, and her only method is to marinade it with salt AND soy sauce overnight and then steaming it. I'm not super fond of it though.

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    1. Oh, a garlic lover too, that's great! I love kampung chicken. Your grandma's chicken dish is even simpler :) But me thinks, it would benefit from some garlic hee..hee..

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  16. Hi Phong Hong,
    I like eating finely minced garlics and I love the fragrance. This Chicken with Garlic and Salt recipe from grandma I'm sure tried and tested recipe surely delish!

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    1. Hi Karen! Ah, there are many garlic lovers like us, so this dish will be sure to please.

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  17. Good morning Phong Hong, I really like this garlic chicken. Looks delicious. It's funny you know, I make quite the same recipe, but I roast the chicken in the oven. Thanks for sharing your Grandma's recipe.

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    1. Hello, dear! Ah, I have tried a simple garlic and salt roasted chicken too and it was lovely.

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  18. Soooo easy recipe, but for me i think i will add some chili and halia or daun limau purut, or serai..hihi..pandai2 je nak ubah.

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    1. Tak ape, ticer Azimah. Ikut citarasa sendiri. Garlic and salt plain sangat, kan? hah..hah...

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  19. Hi Phong Hong, I'll go for the fried garlic then the chicken. Love fried whole garlic.

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    1. Hi Kimmy! Me too! The garlic is the best part.

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  20. delicious! :) Hi... nice blog... would you follow each other? :))
    ✿⊰✽⊱✿That's Amore Blog✿⊰✽⊱✿

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  21. It is not dull looking at all, in fact it is delicious looking

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  22. I'll choose not minced the garlic because it take longer time for me to pick them out =.=" I don't like garlic >_<

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    1. Oh, then this dish is not for you LOL!

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