My father's Salt baked chicken for Grandfather

We had a huge Chinese kuali sitting on what we call a Foochow stove at home in Brooke Drive. And my grandfather was the one who built the foochow stove for the family. We lived in that house from 1956 to 1978. It was a huge 8 bedroom wooden house with a huge kitchen. The kitchen had three steps up the "first floor" . The first floor was only about 3 feet above the ground and this made the house very cool and airy. Another stair case lead to the upstairs where there was a living room with four bed rooms at the side and a "back room" for my father to listen to his radio. It seem that that room had the best reception for Radio Sarawak.

I remember one time, my grandfather came over to have the stove repaired because smoke was coming out of the cracks of the smoke chute. He was then more than 70 years old. He was given the usual guest room, with a typical bed made from five planks and two benches. My mother had the mosquito net well washed on the day he arrive. Grandfather must have a mosquito net because he was a very light sleeper. We kids were not allowed to go into the guest room when grandfather was around. It was his room and he needed his privacy. We were not allowed to touch any of his stuff. that was how my mother trained us not to steal, not to be covetous and not to disturb things belonging to other people.

Photo by Steve Ling (Pro Steve)

As he was a perfectionist he did every thing very meticulously. Thus when my father told him that our stove was having smoke comig out of the cracks he came with his tools and worked at the stove for a few days.

Cooking naturally went on while he was with us. I remember him being very patient, mixing the cement and chatting with cordially with my mum who went on doing her chores. He also decided to give the stove a new coat of pain - Chinese vermillon red ( it was a colour for cement available in those days).

Father was at work during office hours.

One day, my father came home with quite a big chicken, asking my mum to have it dressed and ready for cooking. My father made the first ever salt baked chicken for us.

He used our huge Chinese kuali to do the salt baked chicken. And grandfather really loved the chicken. It was good to see father and son having a good meal together. A few days later Grandma Siew came to pick him up with her little yellow car.

We kids remember all the nice food we had when Grandpa was with us. Especially the salt baked chicken.

Recipe:

3 kg salt

small free range chicken\rice wine sesame oil

4 to 5 hard boiled eggs

use old wok to fry salt until it is "jumping"

My father seasoned the chicken well with sesame oil and  and placed the hardboiled eggs in the cavity. He then wrapped the whole chicken in grease proof paper (at that time it was available at Kim Guan Siang). After 1 hour of slow cooking, we had a good meal. It was like a celebration for a newly repaired stove!! And thanks to Grandpa.

No more smoke spewed out from the stove into the the whole kitchen.

Are you grateful that you have a grandfather who is a good handyman?

(this dish is also good for new mothers.)