Chicken Pongteh

Another of my Mother-in-law's "agak, agak" recipe which I prepared today because I was feeling rather energetic after cooking Kuah Lada and I wanted to cook something for my daughter and her family. It's another Peranakan dish but this recipe has been tweaked to suit my husband's palate. He doesn't like the strong smell of certain spices that go into this dish. Hence I used them sparingly so that it not easily detectable.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cut to serving sizes
3 to 4 heaped tablespoons taucheo (preserved mashed soya bean paste)
4 to 5 large onions
3 cloves garlic
1 part of a star anise
1 cm long cinnamon stick
Water
Sugar to taste
2 to 3 carrots, cut into chunks (can add more)
2 to 3 potatoes, cut into chunks (can add more)
1 teaspoon dark soya sauce

Method:

1. Grind onions and garlic together.
2. Put onions, garlic and taucheo in a pot and stir fry for a minute with a little oil.
3. Add in carrots and some water, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add in the potatoes and chicken and add enough water to cover.
5. Bring to boil and then simmer till chicken and potatoes are cooked.
6. Add dark soya sauce and sugar to taste.
7. Serve with sliced fresh green chilli.

The gravy should be thickish. This dish can be eaten with bread/French loaf.