Sunday, May 20, 2007

vague East-Asian chicken

I made up this recipe today. My girls loved it, so I thought I'd try to tell you about it.
  1. Cut up
    • a chicken.
    I toss the giblets, the back, and the wing tips (I mean, I toss the tips of the wings; I'm not giving you footwear fashion advice). Some people cut the chicken into like 16 pieces, but basically cut it up however you like. You don't need the skin (your cardiologist will thank me) but don't obsess over it.
  2. Brown it in a little vegetable oil on medium heat, turning occasionally.
  3. Meanwhile cut up
    • a few (1-3) green onions.
    I like slicing 'em up really small, but do what's right in your own eyes.
  4. Add
    • 1-2 Tbsp soy sauce
    to the chicken and reduce heat to medium or medium-low.
  5. Add
    • the green onions you cut up in step #3;
    • 1 tsp minced garlic (from a jar if you have one, or mince 2 cloves if you don't);
    • 1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger (from a jar if you have one);
    • 1 Tbsp Chinese/Japanese/Korean sesame oil.
  6. Optional: You can add
    • a small can of bamboo shoots, rinsed and cut up
    here if you like.
  7. Continue stirring until the ingredients are well distributed.
  8. Add
    • ¼ cup saké
    then cover and reduce heat to low.
  9. Optional: You can add
    • ½ block of tofu, cut into 2cm (or whatever size you prefer) cubes
    if you like at this point
  10. Simmer at least another 5 minutes but not more than 20-30, stirring occasionally.
This dish is not really time-critical. I mean, it's not like a stir-fry that's best served up as soon as it's done.

No comments: