What make cooking so much fun? For me, the attention to details and care not just about the taste, smell, but also look of the food. I am a engineer by career. Making/supporting the build process of a commercial airplane requires many of the same characteristics in cooking food.
Growing up, I ate “Canto” (aka Cantonese) food, spoke “chinglish” (aka Chinese/English), and lived as an American in the Midwest. Not till I was in Seattle when I became familiar with Taiwanese food. One of my favorite dish I was introduced to by my friends in Seattle was “Three Cup Chicken”.
A Taiwanese dish, Three Cup Chicken (san bei ji 三杯鸡）is bite-sized chicken (bone-in) braised with equal parts soy sauce, white rice wine, and sesame oil. The combination, plus some sugar and a potent amount of garlic and ginger, eliminates the need for any spices. An essential ingredient to add at the end is Thai or oriental basil, with adds a mild clove-like flavor to the dish.
INGREDIENTS:
2-3 lb. chicken (I prefer dark meat)
6-10 slices peeled ginger
10-15 cloves garlic (skin peeled)
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/4 cup of dark sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis)
A big bunch of Thai basil leaves (remove the stem)
DIRECTIONS:
Difficult Level: 2 – cut and peel
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30-40 minutes
1. Cut the chicken into pieces and set it aside.
2. Rinse chicken and then sprinkle baking soda on top of the chicken and toss in a bowl to cover the pieces all over. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes. Then rinse chicken under running water ensuring that all traces of bi carb are removed and then pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat up skillet on high heat and add small portion of the dark sesame oil.
3. Add in chicken and slightly brown it. Then add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until aromatic.
4. Add soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and continue to stir-fry the chicken.
5. Cover the chicken and lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add basil leaves and stir well with the chicken. Let it set for 3 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and serve with rice.
Note: Dark sesame oil is more expensive but the flavor is more intense with stronger toasted sesame fragrance.
Adaptation:
http://rasamalaysia.com/three-cups-chicken-recipe/2/
