Hi, Heaven.
Yes, the frozen ones at Fairprice would be fine.
Steamed Chicken with Ginger-Garlic Oil
2 Tbs. minced ginger
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. fine sea salt
1 Tbs. peanut oil
2 chicken leg-thigh pieces (about 1 to 1 1/4 lb.)
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt to coat chicken pieces
With a mortar and pestle, pound the minced ginger and garlic with the sea salt until well-blended and pasty. Transfer to a small sauce dish and add the peanut oil. Stir well and let sit for the flavors to blend for at least half an hour before serving. For better flavor, make a day ahead of time.
Trim excess fat off the edges of the two pieces of chicken, but leave the skin on. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. sea salt over each piece, rubbing the salt into the flesh and skin.
Place chicken in a heat-proof dish that will fit on the rack of the steamer. The dish should have some depth (at least 2 inches) to catch the juices that will steam out from the chicken. Let sit for 20 minutes before steaming.
Steam over medium-high heat for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through to the bone.
Remove bowl from steamer rack. The chicken will be sitting in a fair amount of broth. Remove from broth and chop through the bone with a cleaver into bite-size pieces, or bone with a sharp knife and slice into small pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Place chicken pieces back in their juices and serve with the ginger-garlic oil.
******
Steamed Eggplant with Sesame-Soy Sauce
2 long Chinese eggplants
2 Tbs. naturally fermented soy sauce*
1 tsp. pure sesame oil
1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. ground dried red chillies
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
A few cilantro (coriander) sprigs for garnish
Trim off the stem end of the eggplants and cut crosswise into segments about 2 inches long. Place on a steamer rack and steam over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, or until they are cooked to the tenderness of your liking.
While the eggplants are steaming, make the sauce by combining soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, ground dried chillies and sugar. Stir well to blend flavors.
When the eggplants are done, remove from steamer and when they are cool enough to handle, cut each piece in half lengthwise and each half again into 2-3 long strips. Arrange single layer on a serving plate. Spoon the sesame-soy sauce evenly over the eggplant pieces, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro.
Good warm, cold or at room temperature. Serves 2-3 with rice in a multi-course family-style meal.
**************
