Do you like prawn sauce chicken 虾酱鸡? It’s a dish that can be readily ordered at any zer cha stall. However, most of the 虾酱鸡 at busy zer cha stalls out there disappoint me. Since it’s such an easy dish to make, why not try it myself? I can make it healthier and tastier.

First, the chicken wings are marinated with prawn sauce seasoning. It comes in a packet and you just sprinkle accordingly. Intuition or 6th sense will tell you how much to add. If you’re doing it for the first time, you may be shocked that the chicken doesn’t look brown after seasoning. Well, there’s quite a bit of flour in the mix. That’s why.

Next, line your baking tray with aluminium foil and turn on the heat. I like to bake at maximum setting for 25mins or until intuition or 6th sense tell me that it’s done. Keep baking until the aroma of the prawn sauce fills the kitchen. That may not be a reliable guide, but again when cooking, always use your 6th sense and common sense.

And here’s the finished product. All cooked in existing chicken fat. Not a single drop of oil was added.

Tastes much better than what you may need to pay for at your neighbourhood zer cha stall. And if it’s a Sunday evening, the waiting time may be just about the same too.

© Chan Joon Yee