Chicken Pot Pie 美味雞批

If you ask a person what their favorite comfort food is, I guess chicken pot pie might be very high on the list. Not only is it popular in America, it was also one of my favorite foods when I was growing up in Hong Kong, where it is usually served in a personalized size. No matter if it is big or small, it is still very yummy.

 

Ingredients to make 10 small pies (7cm in diameter)

Pie Dough:

150g salted butter, RT

55g milk, RT

55g powdered sugar

280g All purpose flour, sifted

Chicken Filling:

one chicken leg & thigh, boneless, about 350g

200g frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, onion, beans, corns, etc)

20g butter

50g milk

15g AP flour

Egg Yolk Wash: one yolk diluted with a teaspoon of milk or water

Prepare the pie dough:

1) Beat the softened butter with a handheld mixer until creamy. 

2) Add powdered sugar and mix until blended. 

3) Add milk and continue to mix.

4) Add sifted flour and gently mix until no dry flour remains.

5) Divide the dough into two portions: 300g for the crust and 250g for the pie top. Wrap them in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Chicken Filling:

1) Dice the chicken meat. Marinate with your choice of seasonings. I used salt, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper powder and oil.

2) Heat up a pan and cook the chicken completely through, then add the defrosted vegetables. Remove and set aside.

3) Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the flour, cooking until the butter hydrates all the flour. Turn the heat to medium low and slowly add the milk to make a thick, creamy roux. 

4) Turn the heat back up and add the meat and vegetables. Mix well. Let it cool to RT and refrigerate until ready to assemble the pie.

Assembly:

1) Preheat oven to 400F.

2) Roll out the crust dough to about a quarter millimeter thick. Cut out with a round cutter about 1-2 mm larger than your pie tin. Gently lay the dough inside the mold with about half a millimeter higher than the rim. Do not stretch the dough: lift the edges and let it fall into the tin so that it makes complete contact with the bottom and corners of the pie tin.

3) Spoon a generous amount of chicken filling in.

4) Cover with the top crust and seal the edges.

5) Brush with egg yolk wash. Use a toothpick to slightly score lines.

6) Bake in the preheated 400F oven for 25-30 mins or until the crust is golden.

Recipe Reference: 飲食男女 Eat and Travel Weekly

Egg Noodles with Shrimp Roe 手工全蛋蝦籽生麵

This is a continuation of my last post on making homemade noodles. This recipe is a bit different: replace water with whole eggs, and the addition of shrimp roe makes it more flavorable. It can be served fresh or dried for long term storage. Another option or variation is to use whole wheat instead or bread flour for a wholesome goodness.

Ingredients:
300g unbleached bread flour/whole wheat
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp shrimp roe
3 eggs, large
3 tsp oil
cornstarch for dusting

1) In a stand mixer bowl, add the ingredients and use the dough hook to knead for 5 minutes. If making by hand, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and hand knead. The dough should be on the dry side.

2) Cover and let the dough rest at RT for 20 minutes.

3) Divide the dough into three or four portions. Use a pasta/noodle machine to roll, from the largest setting to thinner. Dust with cornstarch to prevent sticking.
4) Cut to the desired shape or thickness.

5) Boil a pot of water and put the noodles in. Once it floats to the top, it is done. Remove to a bowl and serve with sesame oil and soy sauce.

Serving suggestion: add scallion and ginger shreds and more shrimp roe on top.

Note:
1) If you prefer a softer noodle, use all purpose flour.
2) Try not to add too much liquid. The wetter the dough, the more difficult it is for the pasta machine to cut and they will stick together.