I bought "Big Flavours of the Hot Sun" from Barnes and Noble in Dallas in 1996. The book blew me away with it's wonderful uses of spice from all corners of the world. It's often my "go to" summer cookbook, and has taught me a lot about how different spice blends work - Latin, Caribbean, Cajun, African, Middle Eastern, some Asian. It's really worth tracking down a copy.
We made this "faux" Hokkien style roasted chicken quite a bit a few years ago. Very simple, very tasty. The recipe is for 2 x 1.5 kilo chickens, which wroks well for us as we get two smaller free range chickens for $10 locally.
Mix the following and place it under the skin on the top of the bird, you need to gently separate the skin from the flesh with your fingers without breaking it. There's a membrane down the centre of the bird that is a bit tricky. Work from the beck end rather than the other end. (Worth learning to do this as you can put butter or other stuff inside the skin of any chook.
4 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp minced spring onions
Mix the following and cover the outside of the chickens with it.
3 tbsp white pepper (freshly cracked is best)
1 tbsp ground star anise
1 tbsp red pepper flakes (I'd run out so I used 1 tbsp paprika)
2 tbsp good salt (eg. ground sea salt flakes)
Cook chickens at 220 C for 40 to 50 mins. Pierce the side of the chicken to check that the juices run clear.
Serve with steamed rice and veg.
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