Five-spice Roast Poussin with Mandarin Orange and Carrots

So, for my first fusion dish since that very important post, I decided to post a classic british roast chicken, but with lots of chinese flavour influence.

A poussin (pronounced poo-sun, sounds awfully french and posh doesn't it) is a teenage chicken (baby would be a chick wouldn't it??). It costs a bit more than chicken because the meat is much more tender, but my butcher was having a sale due to an oversupply of poussins, 1 pound each. That's cheaper than a chicken leg!

see how small it is!

I never really tried roasting a whole bird before, because it just doesn't make sense for one/two people. I usually roast chicken legs or sometimes chicken breasts, but this time, with a small poussin, I can finally try things like stuffing an entire lemon into the cavity. I want to try the technique of spatchcocking the next time I manage to get my hands on a whole bird!

I did this sometime in January, when mandarins and clementines were everywhere, so I decided to change it to a sweet citrus instead, and being mandarin oranges, I felt compelled to use some chinese spices. To prop up the bird, I roasted it on a bed of carrots, just because I felt very orange ;)

Five-spice Roast Poussin with Mandarin Orange and Carrots

serves 2

Ingredients

1 poussin

2 mandarin oranges/clementines

4-5 small carrots (or 3 large, halved lengthwise)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp five-spice powder

1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (hua diao/shaoxing)

few sprigs of thyme

1 tbsp melted butter + a few more dabs

1 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

2. Parboil the carrots for about 5 min, not till it gets soft! At the same time, drop in the mandarin oranges, whole, to make it easier for the juices to release later.

3. Meanwhile, wash the poussin, pat dry and season the inside and outside of the poussin with the soy sauce, five spice powder. Rub the sesame oil and butter over the skin.

4. Poke one of the mandarin orange all over then stuff it with a sprig of thyme into the cavity of the poussin.

5. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on a roasting tray , throw the remaining thyme around, and then place the poussin on top (try to prop the legs up by being strategic with the carrots hehe).

6. Cut the other mandarin orange in half and then squeeze the juices all over the bird and carrots. Sprinkle the tbsp of Chinese rice wine around.

7. Into the oven for about 45 min, till the juices run clear!

8. Let the poussin rest, tented with foil for at least 15 min before cutting into it. I served it halved with the roasting juices spooned over.

Yes, on mashed potato,very un-Chinese I know, but it just felt right against the roast poussin and sweet carrots. I think it would also work out very well if you drop the carrots and then section the chicken, serving it over a bed of noodles and steamed vegetables, with the gravy poured over, kind of like roast duck noodles.

This is the first time I've tasted poussin. You know how if you poke baby skin you get that feeling of slight amazement at the tenderness and smoothness? It's the same with poussin! Poussin has less developed flavour than chicken though, so the five-spice and soy sauce really helps to add a punch. The mandarin orange adds sweetness without the need for sugar or honey, giving the crispy skin a deeper golden hue and the carrots, a yummy sticky glaze. I love seeing so much yellow, orange and brown on a plate, I think they're a few of the most appetising colours to the eye(:

This is part of Weekend Herb Blogging #274 hosted by Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen.

You Paid For This

We're running a $1.5T debt, the Fed is printing money in a way they have never done before and we're paying for a Cowboy Poetry Festival. There's delicious irony to all of this as ably pointed out by Mark Steyn.

Once upon a time, the cowboy embodied the rugged individualism of the frontier. In Harry Reid’s world, he embodies dependency without end. To “preserve” the “tradition,” it is necessary to invert everything the tradition represents: From true grit to federally funded grit.

Cowboys, those tough hombres, those loners of the prairie, those self-sufficient wranglers of cattle need a government handout so they can recite poetry.

Man, I'll bet the lace on their underwear really itches under their chaps.

my gf's special day :)

assalamualaikum wbt! :)

hari ni, hari yg amat bermakna buat naiya, one of my closest GF back to MRSM Kuala Lipis dulu. sekarang pun if berkesempatan kami dating berdua lagi, sebab yang lain semua dkt overseas. sobbb. bangun pagi td, terus masak nasi & lauk utk abah sebab mama kursus di PD, mandi selaju mungkin, ambil baju + shawl yg tak payah iron, terus drive ke rumah naiya. naiya bertunang. *smiling*

meh mukadimah sikit. naiya bercinta dgn tunangnya sejak di bangku sekolah menengah lagi, so it has been at least more than 6 years ago. berkenalan melalui family (al-maklumlah sama-sama anak tentera). tunang dia mmg panggil AB je. AB ni jiran sy waktu kecik-kecik dulu. tuptap tuptap bercinta dgn naiya, kecil kan dunia! so dia org ni memang cinta yang direstui keluarga lah. AB tua setahun, dah bekerja pun, so insya Allah blh tanggung dah anak dara seorang nih :D

naiya. :)

naiya dgn kita :)

kita dpt kawan baru dr USM, munirah.

kami 2 je kawan naiya yg dpt dtg.

pihak lelaki dah sampai!

kek bertunang.

lepas tu camera sy terus KONG.

bateri takda saat2 genting nih. bawah semua camera HP.

pelamin naiya cantik sgt!

muka naiya berseri, jelas. :)

ini lah GF kita, naiya dgn tunang dia, AB

makanan catering dia superb, kuih muih pun best. lepas tu kan, nampak ada jeli kelapa, lepas makan, turun, tengok dah tak ada. sekali adik naiya turun, Faiz, bawa sedulang jeli kelapa, terus sy sengih sampai ke telinga :D sy bawa balik rumah 5 terus! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

tadi, ramai auntie-auntie yg dtg rumah naiya tu kenal sy. sebab semua tu jiran lama saya juga, dkt Kuantan dulu, dkt Sarawak dulu. Semua tanya mana mama, sy ckplah mama kursus, dan common question, "Aqilah bila lagi?" SAYAAA? mak aih, tunggu sy dpt DSLR, Kereta Audi & BMW dulu naa. :P

apa pun sy happy hari ni sebab kawan sy yg tersyg dah bertunang, dan harapnya dia kekal bahagia. lepas tu sy dpt kawan baru, munirah. :)

GUJIAS (Snack)

Ingredients:

White flour ......... 3 cups

Ajwain................. 1 tsp.

Potatoes..............6 -7

Chana dal........... 1 cup

Coriander powder .....1 tbsp.

Cumin powder ........... 1 tbsp.

Red chilli powder .......1 tsp.

Turmeric powder ........ 1 tsp.

Dry mango powder....... 1 tsp.

Green chillies ................. 2 - 3 chopped finely

Coriander leaves .......... handful

Methi leaves ...handful (or) kasoori methi .....1 tbsp.

Salt ....to taste

Oil

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes and cut them into small pieces.

2. Soak chana dal for 2-3 hours and boil it with salt.Take care not to over cook.

3. Mix all the spices, salt, green chillies, coriander and methi leaves, potatoes and dal.

4. Knead the white flour with salt, ajwain. 2-3 tbsp. of oil, adding little water.

5. Roll out the dough and using a gujia mould, put the filling and make the gujias.

Deep fry and serve them hot with chilli sauce and mint chutney.

GAJAR KA HALWA

Ingredients:

Carrots ....... 1/2 Kg
Milk ............. 2 cups
Sugar ........... 1cup
Ghee ............2 tbsp.
Cardamom Powder ... 1/2 tsp.
Almonds & Pistachios (for garnishing)

For Mawa:

Milk powder - 3 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 th tsp
Lime Juice or Vinegar

Method:

(to make mawa)
1. Mix 2 cups milk powder with 1 and 1/2 cups water and make paneer (cottage cheese) using vinegar or lime juice.
2. Drain and allow it to cool.
3. In a bowl, mix lightly :
1 cup milk powder, the prepared paneer, 1 cup sugar, ghee and cardamom powder.
4. Spread it in a flat dish and microwave it for 3-4 minutes.
(Mawa is ready)
5. Now take a thick bottommed vessel and put the milk and grated carrots.
6. Cook until the milk is dry, stirring occasionally.
7. Add sugar, ghee and cardamom powder and stir it for 5-6 minutes.
8. Now add the prepared mawa and garnish it with chopped almonds and pistacho nuts.