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You can measure Nedd Brockmann’s success in any number of ways: in kilometres run, in millions of dollars raised to tackle homelessness, in gallons of his beloved choccy milk. But in our uplifting cover story, this unstoppable runner reveals how he sees himself and his astounding athletic achievements – like running from Cottesloe to Bondi, or smashing 50 marathons in 50 days! “I can’t stand that a group of people are looked past,” Brockmann says of the motivation behind his monster marathons. “No-one wants to be homeless, no-one chooses to be on the street.”

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My Mother’s Roast Chicken

Every time there is a family gathering, her roast chicken with its burnished skin graces the dining table.

Tony says…

If there’s one recipe that says home to me, it’s my mother’s roast chicken. We all love roast chook, but Mum’s has been a family favourite for as long as I can remember. The reason? It’s unlike any chicken you’re likely to eat in any Aussie home.

My mother’s name is Lim Heng Keow and she came from China’s Hainan Island to Malaysia in the 1930s when she married my father. She didn’t speak a word of English, but worked with my father as housekeepers for the British when the country was under colonial rule. Although British food was alien to her and, I gather, bland for her palate, she learned how to make traditional fare like Yorkshire puddings, tea cakes and trifles from the wives of English planters and miners.

Not content with the Worcestershire sauce and mustard that flavoured this recipe for roast chicken, she surreptitiously added soy sauce to season the bird. I don’t know when she added this Chinese ingredient to the roast, but all I can remember is this – it became a family favourite not long after.

Every time there is a family gathering, her roast chicken with its burnished skin graces the dining table. Sometimes enjoyed with potatoes and other times with rice, it is always served chopped-up Chinese-style, with its roasting juices poured over. As the youngest in the family, I am always given the drumstick to eat. Packed with complex flavours, the drumstick speaks to me of love and togetherness. And sweet memories.

Although my mother is no longer with us, her roast chicken lives on. While my siblings and our extended family don’t know why she added soy sauce, it is only recently that I discovered there is an entire genre of this style of cooking. In Hong Kong, it is called see yauh sai chan, meaning soy sauce Western food. If you’re ever in Kuala Lumpur, Hainanese cooks still offer cross‑cultural dishes at the Coliseum Cafe. Her roast chicken will always be a sentimental favourite to me because it is delicious. Try it sometime. It is a revelation!

TONY TAN’S ASIAN COOKING CLASS IS OUT NOW.

My Mother’s Roast Chicken

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 x 2kg chicken
3 garlic cloves, crushed, plus 1 whole garlic clove
2 onions, chopped
2–3 potatoes (Dutch cream or Desiree), peeled and cut into small chunks
¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup (125ml) chicken stock, plus extra for deglazing
1 large knob of butter
Sharp green salad, to serve

Mustard Glaze

1 tablespoon English mustard
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of sugar 

Method

Remove the chicken from the fridge 2 hours before cooking to come to room temperature. Heat oven to 220°C. For the mustard glaze, place the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Place the chicken in a flameproof roasting pan and rub it all over with the crushed garlic. Slip the garlic clove into the cavity. Brush the mustard glaze all over the chicken, including the cavity. Scatter the onion and potato around the chicken, drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour the chicken stock into the roasting pan and smear the butter over the chicken. Roast on the central oven rack for 20–25 minutes, basting with the juices halfway, then reduce oven temperature to 180°C.

Baste once more, and roast for another 35–40 minutes or until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a skewer (or the internal temperature reaches 82°C). Transfer chicken and vegetables to a plate and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add a splash of stock or water to the roasting pan and bring to a simmer over high heat, scraping the base of the pan. To serve, put the bird on a chopping board and cut off the legs. Cut the legs in half between the drumsticks and thighs, remove the wings, then remove the breasts. Cut the breasts into large slices, then arrange the chicken and the vegetables on a platter. Pour the roasting juices over the top and serve immediately with a zippy salad of cucumber and greens.

In our family, this roast chicken is eaten with rice and chilli sauce or spiced salt and lime juice.

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