Prolific cook, TV presenter and Masterchef alum Poh Ling Yeow is currently making globe-trotting small plates at a Melbourne pop-up aptly named Delicious Discoveries – set up like a sushi train in the QT Melbourne.
It's a collaboration with Scottish whisky brand Singleton, with optional drink pairings suggested alongside each dish on the menu. “Fun dining, not fine dining,” Yeow tells Broadsheet.
The tasty plates, starting from $8, include French fries with bagna cauda (a garlicky anchovy dipping sauce typically served with crudites), pandan-coconut sago shots, and apple and miso-caramel turnovers.
But the standout has to be the pillowy steamed bao, stuffed with crispy fried chicken and spiked with punchy kimchi – perfect for serving to hungry guests at home.
Overnight brining is the key to tender, juicy, fried-chicken, so make sure you plan ahead for this party-pleaser. And don’t overcrowd the pot if you want to avoid soggy bites.
Fried Chicken Bao with Kimchi and Kewpie Mayonnaise
Makes 24 bao
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 12 hours to marinate
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For brining
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
3 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
500g chicken thighs, halved
For dredging
1½ cups flour
½ cup cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
For assembling
2L rice bran oil, for frying
24 store-bought gua bao buns
250g ready-made kimchi
200g Kewpie mayonnaise
1 bunch coriander
¼ cup sesame seeds, roasted
Method:
To make the brine, whisk the buttermilk, egg, salt and garlic in a bowl to combine.
Add the chicken. Cover and rest overnight.
Mix dredging ingredients in a medium bowl, then rub in about 3 tbsp of the brine so there are some small chunks in the flour mix. Begin dredging the chicken, leaving as much of the brining liquid as you can to get a thick crust.
Heat the rice bran oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, until it reaches 160°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, put a wooden chopstick into the oil and when bubbles release, the oil is hot enough. Fry the chicken in batches until super crispy.
Slice into pieces that fit comfortably in the bao, about four pieces per bun.
To serve, steam the bao in bamboo steamers, then fill with the chicken slices, a few pieces of kimchi, a squeeze of Kewpie mayonnaise, stalks of coriander and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Poh Ling Yeow’s pop-up collaboration, Singleton Delicious Discoveries, runs until May at QT Melbourne’s Premiere space. Bookings now open.
Looking for more recipe ideas? See Broadsheet’s recipe hub.
