Victor Liong's laquered cockerel with eight-spice salt

ingredients

• • Whole cockerel
  • Lemon, cut into wedges
  • Japanese Worcestershire sauce, as needed (see note)
  • Spring onion, julienned
  • Coriander leaves

• Black vinegar gastrique

  • 200 gm black vinegar
  • 200 gm sugar

• 8-spice salt

  • 280 gm Murray River pink salt
  • 40 gm sugar
  • 10 gm star anise
  • 15 gm black pepper
  • 10 gm Sichuan pepper
  • 1 gm chilli flakes
  • 15 gm white pepper
  • 12 gm coriander seeds
  • 10 gm fennel seeds
  • 5 gm cinnamon

method

• 8-spice salt

  • 1

    Preheat the oven to 150˚C. Toast spices for 15 minutes.

  • 2

    Cool slightly and blend into a fine powder. Sift and blend with salt and sugar. Store in an airtight jar.

• Lacquered cockerel

  • 1

    Cut the cockerel in half lengthways from the back, debone.

  • 2

    Boil water in a kettle. Place cockerel on a cooling rack, pour boiling water over the skin to shrink back.

  • 3

    Season the flesh side with spice salt and leave uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.

  • 4

    Steam the cockerel on low heat until the internal temperature has reached 65˚C. Cool to room temperature or chill overnight in the refrigerator.

  • 5

    To make the black vinegar gastrique, mix together the black vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until a syrup forms, then cool to room temperature.

  • 6

    Brush cockerel skin side with the gastrique and allow to dry out for an hour.

  • 7

    Heat oil in the deep fryer until 165˚C. Deep fry cockerel for 4-5 minutes or until the skin has turned into a burnished brown. Rest for 10 minutes.

  • 8

    Carve and serve with more spiced salt, lemon wedges, coriander and Worcestershire sauce.

notes

• To save time, buy a pre-chopped whole cockerel at Aurum Poultry Co.
• Japanese Worcestershire sauce can be bought from select Asian supermarkets and organic wholefoods stores.