Saturday, March 23, 2019

As hot as you like it Taiwanese ginger chicken


This recipe won't put a complete meal in front of you. It lacks vegetables. That said, it was quite satisfying as a Saturday lunch just as shown. The bottle of Fiol Prosecco DOC we had with it helped balance the meal with its hints of pear and melon. For a prosecco, Fiol is not cloyingly sweet as some of these sparkling wines can be. In fact, it claims to be extra dry. But it's not.

Inspired by a recipe from the New York Times, I cut back on the garlic and added some celery and sweet, red pepper. The next time I may up the ginger, gin and soy sauce from the amounts listed. Why? For more flavour and more sauce. My wife and our guest were both asking for more sauce and I had none. Next time, I will.

The original recipe called for rice wine. This is not the same as sake. And since true rice wine is difficult to find, what is a good substitution? Gin. Go figure. I used Tanqueray.

One can either use red-pepper flakes for the heat or fresh, finely chopped, hot peppers. I went with fresh, using one, small, Thai red pepper from Remark on Hyde Park just north of Oxford St. W. These peppers are quite small and come in green, half-pint containers that hold dozens. If you are not going to use them quickly, they can be frozen for use later.

I remove the seeds before mincing the pepper into fine pieces. This cuts the heat. As it is, Judy and I find just one of these red peppers is more than adequate to spice a meal, but if you'd like to use more, please, go ahead. You have been warned.

Judy was concerned about the ginger in this recipe. She urged me to cut back. I resisted. I did go a little lighter on the garlic though. A fine call by Judy.

This chicken dish, complete with a thick sauce, works well served over white, Basmati rice. A few minutes before serving I tossed some chopped celery into the still cooking mix and I decorated each  plate with a few sweet, red pepper rings that had been briefly fried in a separate pan with olive oil.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp sesame oil (I used equal parts regular and toasted) . These oils add a nutty flavour to the dish.)
  • One 2 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into 'coins'. You should get about ten 'coins'.
  • 9 cloves of peeled garlic
  • 4 whole green onions cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3/4 tsp red-pepper flakes or one, minced Thai red-pepper. I would say no more than 1-1/2 minced Thai red-peppers. You do not want this to uncomfortably spicy hot. If in doubt, go for less. You can always add more.
  • 1-3/4 pounds of chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 rounded Tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup Tanqueray London Dry Gin
  • 1/4 cup light soy sauce
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup of fresh, coarsely chopped basil. I used 1/2 cup and my wife, who hates basil, loved it in this dish. A half cup worked for her and our friend.
  • an ounce or two of salted, roasted coarsely chopped cashews

The preparation is simple

  1. The very first thing to do it get the rice cooking. This will take about 20 minutes. Start it first.
  2. Then heat a deep, 5 qt. frying pad or large wok, add 2 Tbsp of sesame oil and when oil shimmers add the ginger coins, garlic, chopped green onions and minced hot pepper. Cook for possibly two minutes.
  3. Push the aromatics to the side, add remaining oil and after heating oil for a few seconds, add the chicken. It should be cooked in 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Add the brown sugar, stir all together and add the gin and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until sauce has reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. About five minutes before being done, add the diced celery. You want some resistance but not raw.
  5. About three minutes before the chicken is done, fry the sweet, red pepper slices in a separate fry pan. Flip once. Salt.
  6. Add basil to chicken dish, stir and serve. Spoon onto white rice  and decorate  with slices of red pepper.
  7. Coarsely chop an ounce or two of salted, roasted cashews and sprinkle on each serving.

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