Baby and kacangma

Sharing a happy news. My brother's wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last week. And I am officially a "Ta Gu"(大 姑).

The kids and I had a little peep of the new baby last Saturday when we visited my sis-in-law at my parents' house.

Confinement lady was busy preparing food, and doing necessary chores for the new mother and baby. Looking at this scenario, reminded me of my own confinement. Oh boy, I have been through 3 confinements and each was different and bittersweet experience. 

One thing I enjoyed (call me a weirdo) during confinement was kacangma. Being a Hakka, we eat a lot of kacangma (motherwort herb) during our confinement. You could cook pork or chickens in kacangma but I heard now people cook ducks using kacangma too.

Dried Motherwort herb (ungrounded)

Usually I would prefer well-grinded motherwort so it expels more fragrance and bitterness, and easy to eat but sometimes I would not mind using those dried ungrounded leaves.

Following recipe is for normal consumption.  Just omit the salt and sugar and add in more rice wine and ginger for ladies in the confinement.

Chicken kacangma

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of dried motherwort leaves

1.5kg of chicken thighs, chopped into smaller bites

4 tbsp sesame oil

1 big sized ginger, grated in food processor

2 cups rice wine

1 1/2 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Peel the skin and slice the ginger.  Extract the ginger juices from the ginger using food processor.  Of course if you have mortar and pestle then it is even better because more juice and the ginger will be really minced
2. Heat up sesame oil in wok.  When it is hot, throw in the processed ginger (not the juice).  Saute for few minutes till ginger is fragrant and browned. Add in motherwort and stir for a while.
3. Add in chicken meat.  Cook for 5 minutes till chicken turned white.  Add in ginger juice and white wine.  Give a few quick stir. Cover the wok with lid and let it cook for 5 minutes
4. Open the lid and give the meat a stir.  Add salt and sugar (optional).  Cover with lid and let it cook till chicken is softer.  Turn off the heat and dish out the kacangma.

Remark: Can add water if you would like more broth to your kacangma but it will dilute the taste slightly.