Two years after Sabrina and I got married we had a new reason to come back to visit her family in Australia- a daughter! As she grew, her clamouring to cuddle koalas and possums and coo at kangaroos, emus, echidnas and the like grew louder and louder. So, after cutting her teeth at Sydney’s brilliant Taronga Zoo we began to travel to places where she could get close to critters and learn firsthand, that even the cutest koala can get cranky in a clinch.
At Eagle Reach Wilderness Resort in New South Wales’s Barrington Tops Nature reserve we hand fed kangaroos and wallabies on the lawn outside our room with every green parrot and rosella for miles around joining in the fun.
Then we ‘fished’ in the nearby billabong for tiny freshwater Yabby crayfish using lengths of string with little pieces of raw meat tied to the end. She screamed with laughter as she tried to scoop them up in a plastic colander we’d bought to use as her ‘net’ and then promptly fell in the muddy water. Later that afternoon on a guided rainforest walk, she marvelled at the Moreton Bay fig tree with its stone hard bark and octopus-like roots extending out over fifty metres in all directions above ground.
That evening after shopping at the venerable General store in the nearby village of Vacy, we lit the wood burning stove in our room and fired up the barbecue on the deck. As the sun set, thieving magpies raided our corn chips as we cooked and reflected on what a great place this is for simple, uncomplicated pleasures.
Whenever we go to New South Wales we always anchor our visits by spending a week or so in Sydney with Sabrina’s sister, and her husband. With his Chinese Malay background he has developed an interesting repertoire of recipes, and he loves to cook. One of our daughter’s favourite childhood dishes, which she still clamours for today, dates back to these early family trips, and was created by him.
Chinese Style Chicken Wings with Garlic & Black Bean Sauce: Serves Six
4 1/2 lbs chicken wings, cut into 3 pieces, save wing tips for stock
2 tbsp black bean and garlic sauce
4 tbsp chu hou pasted
4 cloves garlic, minced
1″ stem ginger, sliced
Heat a heavy based saucepan with 2 tablespoon of oil, add the ginger; cook until fragrant. Add the chicken wings, garlic, black bean sauce and the chu hou paste. Stir to coat all the wings, bring to the boil and reduce the heat to low, simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. There is no need to add salt because the black bean sauce is very salty. Also, there is no need to add any stock or water, because the chicken expels a lot of liquid, thus helping to make its own sauce.
Serve with steamed rice and sautéed vegetables of your choice.
Note: The black bean and garlic sauce and the chu hou paste can be bought at Asian food markets.
What a lovely personal account down the memory Lane! I cook chicken wings a fair bit, haven’t try this recipe. Will have a go sometimes 😀
Sounds wonderful