Shanghai Weekender: Rock! Roots and Shoots | Afrojack | Camel 2 Grand Opening

Date: Mar 29th 2012 6:16p.m.
Contributed by: joho

Woop woop! The sun is finally shining and we're sick of dining al-desko. Let's get outside and go drinking al fresco. Shanghai's fabulous terraces are beginning to welcome patrons for afternoon pints in the sun or dance party under the stars. Unless your busy prepping to sweep tombs, most of us are (supposed to be) working through the weekend. Never fear, there are still plenty of places to whet your whistle come nightfall and a slew of shindigs on Sunday to kick off Qingming with a killer hangover.

Why not rage through Thursday? Jazzercize with Alec Haavik Friction Alliance. Read about how he takes music to the edge here. If your down with Muse Crew, enjoy the good life at Eden.

On Friday the Camel opens its second location in Lujiazui. If you're over in the 'Donger head over and check out their new digs. Wonky Kong at Dada sees Siesta and NYC import DJ Empanadamn going ballistic for bass. It's also Champagne night at Sugar. RSVP and rock up for a glass of free bubb.

Saturday keep things classy, contribute to the cause or go ultra-trashy. CW's Mad Men party will host flappers and gangsters up at Hollywood or do some good while rocking out at the Rock! Roots and Shoots show at MAO Livehouse. Later on hit Afrojack at GPlus until your brain explodes or you dislocate your shoulder from all the fist-pumping. Reggae Bash is on at YYT so make sure not to shower and let your dreads hang low.

Wind down the weekend or up for the holiday with Heatwolves Sunday love affair, celebrate the release of the latest Duck Fight Goose album, catch Mongolian superstars Hanggai at MAO Livehouse or holler at AM444 (ChaCha and Jay.Soul's latest ...

I cooked: Jamie Oliver inspired roast chicken with chicken giblet/natural jus gravy

Ever since moving back to Malaysia, roast chicken is not something that I often cook. We prefer to have roast beef as it is a guaranteed 100% success every time (moist and tender meat). Don't get me wrong, roast chicken is not difficult to cook, but I often find the roast chicken that I cook here is not as moist as I would have liked it (It's a case of "It's not me, it's the chicken").

This time, we made roast chicken a la Jamie Oliver (with the lemon), using free range chicken ("choi yin kai"). It turned out moist, and the lemon is infused into the meat. Since I usually use all the juices from cooking in my gravy, the gravy tasted of lemon too (hence not recommended to use the lemon if you do not like lemony flavours). My mum recommends that I use Holland chicken the next time for even more moist meat.

I did not use all the root vegetables like Jamie did, as my parents prefer to eat steamed vegetables versus roasted vegetables. But I have prepared them that way before and they're delicious, so try the full recipe if you like.

The gravy is made using chicken giblet stock (adapted from Delia Smith), with the addition of natural juices from roasting.

Jamie Oliver Inspired Roast Chicken
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
Chicken, approx. 1.6kg
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lemon
Thyme and rosemary
50g butter
Olive oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper

For the gravy
Chicken giblets from the chicken, washed
300ml water
1/2 carrot, cut into chunks
1/2 onion
1/2 celery stalk, halved
4 whole black peppercorns
A few parsley stalks

1. Remove chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before roasting. Preheat oven to 240°C.

2. Prick the lemon several times using the tip of a sharp knife (before that I placed the lemon in the water for boiling the potatoes). Push the onion, garlic and lemon inside the chicken's cavity.

3. Place chicken in a roasting tray, then rub olive oil, salt and pepper all over.

4. Smear the butter over the top of the chicken, to give it a nice crispy skin.

5. Place the chicken on a roasting tin and put in the preheated oven. Turn the heat down immediately to 200°C and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.

6. Baste at least twice during cooking to keep the chicken moist.

7. Remove the chicken from the oven, and leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

8. To prepare the chicken giblets stock, place everything in a pot and bring to the boil. Skim the surface to remove any scum then gently simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the stock and remove the fat from surface before using.

9. To make the gravy, place the juices from roasting and chicken giblet stock into a small saucepan. Add 1/2 OXO cube to flavour it further and then add 2 tbsp of cornflour (mixed with 2 tbsp of cold water) to thicken the gravy.

Roast potatoes (recipe here)

For the full Jamie Oliver recipe, click here.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe - Delicious Chinese Food with Fresh Fruit Juice

Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe - Delicious Chinese Food with Fresh Fruit Juice Sauce: 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup fresh tangerine (or orange) juice sliced ginger 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons ketchup 10 dried red chili Coating: 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 1/2 cup regular bread cumbs 1 teaspoon salt Preparation: Combine all ingredients for sauce, bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes Mix 1 chicken breast with one egg. Coat thoroughly in bread crumb mixture Fry in 350 degree oil until golden brown Remove oil from wok, heat sauce until boiling and add chicken. Stir lightly and serve.

Video Rating: 4 / 5