Topic: How to precook meat

[DARTHPHALL]

On the point of simplicity.
When I'm experimenting i try to think as a profit making business IE: simple/short time consuming methods = more profit,
more dishes cooked in least amount of time= more profit.
Bearing in mind the above factors but also not loosing sight of " making a very good meal" that makes customers come back.
Bad news travels faster than good in any business.
The reason for Chicken tasting so good is because its so lightly cooked the matrix of the meat is still capable of absorbing any spicy substance you put it in ( you can marinade with this cooked method !!).

? ? ?DARTH " They don't get any simpler than me " PHALL..... .....

[John]

This is how i cook my Chicken.
Chop 7-8 chicken breasts into as even pieces as you can ( i cut to the size of a ?2 pound coin = width height). I hope this helps. ;D
Boil a kettle.
Put chicken in pan.
Pour boiled water over chicken to just cover it.
Bring water to boil turn down immediately & slowly cook on simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
Look for one of the biggest pieces take out & cut in half to make sure its cooked through.
Take out immediately & put into your pot of Curry.
This may sound simple but like all of our recipes there is a knack.
I keep checking to see if cooked after about 5 minutes .
My Chicken is tender beyond words due to the lower heat & the small size.
DARTHPHALL..........

I tried this method last night, and found it to taste just like the indian restaurants and takeaways chicken, very tender and it does seem to absorb taste and colour from the curry. I'm gona use this method from now on.
Now after trying that method of Darths, i think im gona give his other stuff a try too!

[George]

Now after trying that method of Darths, i think im gona give his other stuff a try too!

John

Did you see my message, earlier today, applauding Darth's Pilau (Dabari) rice recipe?

Regards
George

[John]

George,
I've just had a good read of the Dabari rice, i think that'll be my next experiment.
It looks like a good pattern coming along with Darths recipes, did you use 4 whole star anise in the recipe of "dabari rice" ?

regards
john

[DARTHPHALL]

Thank you very much for showing faith in my recipes & methods its good to know people are getting success from them , gives me a warm glow of satisfaction .

[blade1212]

Darth,  Can you confirm there is no dodgy aftertaste from this precooked chicken ?

Reason I ask is that I often get a horrible taste with chicken from BIRs whereas I never get the same bad taste from Chicken Tikka - hence the reason I always get my curriies with tikka.

My own pe-cooked chicken is good too, but this method sounds a doddle.

PS. Assuming I cook the chicken for 8-10mins,  do you let it cool naturally and freeze it or bung it in cold water to rapid cool first ?

[John]

When i did this method the other day, I only used 1 chicken breast and i chopped it into about 6 pieces and placed in a pan, i then added boiling water from kettle and bought back to boil then left to simmer for 10 mins on low, then drained the water and left it for ages while i did other stuff, when it came to using the chicken i just bunged it in me curry and it had the perfect texture and the taste was just what you'd get from a BIR.

I think this chicken could be used straight away or cooled and placed in fridge to use next day, i never freeze precooked chicken as it always seems to have the taste of "freezer" i.e stick you head into a freezer and smell that frosty smell, well thats what me frozen precooked chicken has tasted like.

Thats why i love this method, cos i can just use 1 chicken breast if i only want to do 1 curry when i get home from work.
Regards
John

[DARTHPHALL]

Hi Blade.
I have to say i`ve never had a dodgy aftertaste, so i`m unsure what has happened to yours but, if you cook the chicken my way you could have it with some soy sauce or eat it plain its that nice.
I feel the trick is in the lower cooking time so you don't cook the taste out of the meat ( this can be said for all meats red or white).
I do think however that over-cooked Chicken in water does have quite an unpleasant taste maybe thats what you are tasting as dodgy, could be construed as a slightly metallic aftertaste .
When i cook chicken this way i empty out the remaining juice ( it tastes good & can be used to make Chinese style chicken & Sweetcorn soup or any of the watery Chinese soup recipes, this is what is done in Take-away`s, very economical ?).
Blade i let the Chicken stand in the empty pan until the curry is ready then just tip it in,i do the same for a very popular rice ( i`ve made up) dish i cook for my workmates.
If you like Chinese style very healthy recipes this is the one for you let me know if you are interested, & yes i will call it DARTHRICE. ;D
Hope this clears a few things up for you, please don't hesitate to ask any more questions if my posts are a little unclear ( which often they are, sorry in advance peeps !!).

 ?DARTH " you want to try my meat " PHALL...............

[blade1212]

Cheers John and Darth...I'll give that a go next time. Suppose it does make sense to only cook one at a time.

As for your question on whether I'd like your Chinese rice recipe.................

Does a bear shit in the woods ? Yes,  definately yes...... so post away my good man

[DARTHPHALL]

OK Blade, I`ll post it later this afternoon mate.
With several variations on the theme.


DARTH.....................................