Monday, September 29, 2014

chicken with garlic black bean sauce

The problem with cooking with chicken (in my opinion) is that I always seem to have an extra piece of chicken left after cooking a meal.

Because I am not overly keen on eating left-overs - food never seems to taste as good after re-heating - I try to cook just enough for a meal. This usually means I'd end up with extra RAW meat (or vegetables) and have to think of ways to use them up.

Which in itself is not that big a deal, really.

At times when I feel uninspired to cook something new, I would fall back on the few recipes that I have cooked so often I can probably do so with my eyes closed. This does not mean that the dish is not tasty - the truth is far from that. These are the dishes I (and many other Chinese) grew up eating; the dishes that my mom used to cook every week.
Today I am sharing my recipe on the quick and easy stir-fried chicken with garlic black bean sauce.

It is such a tasty dish that even the LAm loves it. In fact, I think he will eat ANYTHING with black bean sauce!

To start, marinate the chicken with light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, Shaoxing wine and garlic black bean sauce.
I really like this particular garlic black bean sauce because of the fragrance of the beans, but you can use any that you like.
Give the chicken a good stir so that all the chicken is coated with the sauce. Set this aside.
Prep the remaining ingredients - shallots, garlic, chili and spring onion. Set these aside.
Heat the wok and add some vegetable oil. Once hot, add the shallots and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Add garlic and chili and stir-fry another 30 seconds.
Add the fermented black beans. Cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
Add the chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the spring onion and turn off the heat. The residual heat will wilt the spring onion.
It took me about 7 minutes to cook this (on high heat) - great for those days when dinner seems to be a chore.
This really was ho jiak (delicious)!

RECIPE
Chicken with Garlic Black Bean Sauce (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
500g chicken breast or thigh, skin removed and cut into strips
3 large chili, seeds removed and sliced thinly
4-5 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fermented black beans
1/2 bunch sprig onion, cut into 5cm lengths

Chicken Marinade:
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon garlic black bean sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Method:
1. To start, marinate the chicken with light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, Shaoxing wine and garlic black bean sauce.
2. Give the chicken a good stir so that all the chicken is coated with the sauce. Set this aside.
3. Prep the remaining ingredients - shallots, garlic, chili and spring onion. Set these aside.
4. Heat the wok and add some vegetable oil. Once hot, add the shallots and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add garlic and chili and stir-fry another 30 seconds.
6. Add the fermented black beans. Cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
7. Add the chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through.
8. Once the chicken is cooked, add the spring onion and turn off the heat. The residual heat will wilt the spring onion.
9. Serve hot, with rice.

2 comments:

  1. Knock, knock, Diana. I came over to have some Chicken with Garlic Black Bean Sauce. I just came out of hospital and am ravenous. Please feed me LOL!

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  2. It certainly looks very ho jiak!! I am going to make this for lunch! Hope I have the fermented black beans though!

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