At Home with Chinese Cuisine (18 page)
Read At Home with Chinese Cuisine Online
Authors: T P Hong
Gong Bao Diced Chicken, SiChuan Style
The conventional sweet and sour blend of taste has acidity and sugar knocking loudly on the taste buds. Gong Bao is recognised as a blend of milder sweet and sour tastes reminiscent of the taste of lychee. In this blend, the same quantity of sugar and vinegar is used.
Unsalted roasted peanuts add the contrasting crunchy texture to this chicken dish. They go well with the dryness of fried chilli. It is convenient now that unsalted roasted peanuts in shell are available from supermarkets. Shell the peanuts and remove the skin.
In case you wish to deep-fry them, soak the raw peanuts in warm water until when the skin is soft and can be rubbed off; pat them dry thoroughly. Deep-fry them in oil over a low heat until golden. Drain and put them on kitchen towels to remove excess oil. Leave them aside to cool down completely.
I enjoy the numbing sensation of SiChuan peppercorns, but I do not like chewing on them, and picking them out one by one while enjoying the dish is tedious. I therefore prefer to remove them after infusing them in the oil. Sichuan pepper powder can be added towards the end of the cooking to enhance the numbing sensation.
If you suspect that the meat you have is from a tough bird, place the meat between two layers of cling film and pound it gently with a rolling pin to tenderise it. If you come across some of the free-range “mountain running” chickens in China, try them as they are. The demand for these chickens often outstrips the supply exactly because people enjoy the bite in their meat.
2 chicken leg quarters, boned 10 or more dried chilli, seeds removed 2 T SiChuan peppercorns, seeds removed 2 spring onion whites, finely chopped 5 g ginger, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 30 g roasted or deep-fried peanuts, skin removed 1 t chilli oil (optional) 1 t sesame seed oil 145 ml cooking oil | Remove any fat, tendon, or gristle from the meat. Tenderise the meat by chopping across the meat gently using the spine of a cleaver on both sides. Cut the meat into 1.5 cm cubes and leave them in a bowl. To marinade the meat, please see “Marinade (how to)” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Prepare the SiChuan peppercorn-infused oil: Heat the wok until hot over a low heat; add 30 ml of the cooking oil. When the oil is lukewarm, add the SiChuan peppercorns into the wok and stir until the aroma of the peppercorns is released and the colour of the peppercorns turns slightly darker. Switch off the heat and allow the peppercorns to infuse in the oil for 10 minutes or more. Remove the peppercorns from the wok. The peppercorns could be used as the garnish when plating. Put the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside. When ready to cook, bring the meat out of the fridge to return to room temperature. |
For the marinade: 1 T rice wine 2 t light soy sauce salt and pepper 1 T cornflour mixed with 1/2 T water For the sauce: 1 T rice wine 1 t light soy sauce 2 T vinegar, such as BaoNing vinegar from SiChuan Province 20-30 g granulated sugar 1/2 T cornflour 1/3 t salt 15 ml water | To season the wok before cooking, please see “Wok” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Put the wok back to the heat source and adjust it to a medium heat. Add 60 ml of the cooking oil and heat the oil until hot. Add the meat, count to 5 before stirring. Stir-fry the meat until it turns slightly golden. Drain the meat in a colander with a bowl underneath. Heat up the peppercorn-infused oil in the wok over a medium heat. Add the dried chilli pepper and stir-fry until they start to darken slightly. Add the ginger and garlic and stir; add the spring onion white until their aroma is released. Put the chicken back into the wok and stir to combine. Turn the heat down slightly and pour the sauce mixture into the wok in a circular motion, shake the wok and stir. Turn the heat back to a medium heat, let the sauce bubble away and coat the chicken pieces. There should be no residual sauce left in the wok. Drizzle the sesame seed oil, chilli oil (if used) and toss to mix. Switch off the heat, add peanuts and stir to mix. Plate on a warm dish. Strew the peppercorns on top (if wished) to serve. Leave the vinegar on the dining table in case guests find the sauce on the sweet side. |
Three-Cup Chicken is a dish that uses oil, soy sauce, and wine to cook the chicken – hence the name. The oil could be ordinary cooking oil, black sesame oil (as used in Taiwan), or lard. Dark soy sauce is used in this dish to give colour to the chicken, and the wine can be sweet or dry rice wine. The three liquids do not need to be of the same volume. Water is usually not used in the cooking.
Three-Cup Chicken is originally a Hakka dish. The Hakka (meaning “guest” in Chinese) is one of the six branches of the Han Chinese. There are various theories as to the origin of the Hakka people. One commonly held view is that their ancestors were the Han Chinese from northern China who fled the hardship of wars and famine and sought a land of peace in which to settle. The first two major migrations southward took place around the second century BC and the third century AD. There were four more waves of migrations to follow over the centuries, during which a unique identity of their own was formed, with their own dialect and culture.
By the fourteenth century, the triangle of the southern part of JiangXi Province, the west of FuJian Province, and the north-eastern side of GuangDong Province became the centre of the Hakka settlement, and it remains the case today. In response to the policies of the Qing Dynasty to populate the less developed regions, the seventeenth century saw the fifth large-scale migration of Hakka people moving from the southern coastal provinces of GuangDong and FuJiang east, west, and north-eastward to provinces such as GuanXi, SiChuan, and ZheJiang and Taiwan. The Three-Cup Chicken that travelled with them became a common thread linking the Hakka people together but with a distinctive touch reflecting the locality in which they settled.
If you mention this dish in Beijing, people will state the city of NanChang in JiangXi Province as the place for the authentic Three-Cup Chicken. NanChang is the major city of JiangXi Province and is situated in the centre of the province. It is in close proximity to the triangle of the Hakka settlement in the south. The local Three-Cup Chicken is prepared using lard, dark soy sauce, JiuNiang,
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ginger, and spring onion whites and is served in a sand pot.
For the mainland tourists on a culinary tour to Taiwan, the piping hot Three-Cup Chicken in a sand pot with aromatic Thai basil as a garnish is a must. Frying ginger slices in dark sesame seed oil until golden and slightly dehydrated is a unique feature of Taiwanese Three-Cup Chicken. The rich aroma more than tickles the sense of smell; it whets the appetite and draws people to the dining table. Even though JiuNiang is available, it is the rice wine and crystal (rock) sugar that are being used in Taiwan. In GuangDong Province, a double-distilled rice wine from JiuJiang is available to give a unique flavour of the region. For an even dryer taste, consider the triple-distilled rice wine from the same distilleries with alcohol content per volume ranging from 40–50 per cent.
Black sesame seed oil is much praised for its nourishing quality. Scientific research has demonstrated the effects of the sesame seed oil to combat diabetes, reduce blood pressure, and promote heart health. According to TCM, it has a neutral food property that nourishes the lungs and kidneys and aids the relief of constipation. Winter is the season the oil (accompanied by ginger) is used in cooking most often. The black colour of the sesame seeds corresponds to the winter season. The oil and the ginger are inseparable. This pairing is used for both meat and vegetable dishes not only for their flavour but also for their tonic and warming effects.
There remains a boutique industry in Taiwan that produces the traditional cold-pressed black sesame seed oil by using locally grown black sesame seeds. The seeds are roasted over a low temperature using hard firewood, and then they are left to cool down and are finely ground. Some producers choose to steam the finely ground power before gathering them in a disk-shaped container for pressing. Olive as a fruit can be pressed more than once, and hence the first cold-pressing olive oil is more delicate in flavour and is pricier. The marketing ploy of describing the black sesame seed oil as the first cold-pressing oil to attract customers is disingenuous because the sesame seed powder can only be pressed once for quality black sesame seed oil.
Three-Cup Chicken, Taiwanese Style
750 g chicken leg quarters (about 3 pieces) 25 g fresh ginger, sliced 7–10 garlic cloves 3 spring onion whites 4-6 T dark sesame seed oil 4-6 T dark soy sauce 7 T rice wine 2–3 t crystal (rock) sugar salt and pepper 2–4 red hot chilli (optional) a handful of Thai basil leaves | Preheat a sand pot or other heatproof earthenware pots such as Japanese Donabe on the gas burner. Chop each chicken leg quarter into 6–8 pieces; leave the skin on. To prepare the garlic: Peel the garlic cloves and blanch them in simmering water for 1 minute or two, depending on the size of the clove. Drain and dry them and add them to the oil over a medium-low heat; fry until golden in colour. Bring them out to drain on a plate lined with kitchen towels. Heat the wok over a medium heat until hot. Add 4 T of the dark sesame seed oil to the wok. Add the ginger slices into the wok and stir-fry until they pick up a golden colour and are slightly dehydrated. Put the chicken pieces in; stir-fry until the skin and the meat pick up a light golden colour. If you prefer drier and more intense flavour, stir-fry the chicken pieces until they are golden and the surface slightly dehydrated. Add the spring onion whites and chilli (if used) and stir until you can detect the aroma of the spring onion. Add 4 T of the dark soy sauce and stir until the meat picks up the colour of the soy sauce; add more soy sauce if you like stronger colour. Add the wine, sugar, salt, and pepper; taste to adjust the seasoning. Stir and cook until no visible wine is left in the bottom of the wok. Transfer the contents to the heated pot on the gas burner. Add the golden garlic to the meat. Turn the heat down to low and put the lid on to braise the meat until it is done; it will take about 10–15 minutes. The cooking time varies depending on the size of the chicken pieces and the variety of the pot used. Stir the meat once halfway through the cooking. When the meat is cooked, open the lid, stir in the Thai basil, and switch off the heat. |
DongAn Pullet with Vinegar
東安子雞
The Folklore has it that this dish originated from a small eatery owned by three old ladies in DongAn in HuNan Province during the reign of Emperor XuanZong of the Tang Dynasty (he reigned from AD 712–756). No explanation was given in terms of the significance of this specific time period, but the dish was known simply as chicken with vinegar. The story was told that it was not until the early twentieth century, during the warlord era, that it was formally named and made famous by a military commander TangShengZhi. He was from HuNan Province and often entertained guests with this dish. When he was asked about the name of the dish in one occasion, he conjured up a name that told of its origin and the ingredient used. Chairman Mao ordered this dish of his home province to entertain President Nixon during Nixon’s visit to China. From humble background to stardom, one can imagine various preparation methods, some refined and some rustic, to suit the palate of all social classes.
The blend of acidity from the rice vinegar and the hotness from the chilli is the attraction of this dish. Even though the name of the dish mentions vinegar, the hotness of chilli plays an equally important role in the flavour profile of this dish. When cooking with chilli, the vinegar can be added to neutralise the alkaline capsaicin (the chemical compound that gives the chilli its heat) to smooth the edges of the raw heat.
There is a saying in China about local diets in three provinces in China that are renowned for their love for chilli: HuNan, SiChuan, and GuanXi, where chilli consumption is akin to an addiction. The hotness of chilli does not scare off HuNanese, the quantity of chilli is of no concern to people from GuanXi Province, and for SiChuanese, the only concern is that the dish is not hot enough. Judging from recipes I am familiar with from the three provinces, the pungency of SiChuan pepper also accentuates the chilli hotness in many local dishes. If you enjoy chilli and SiChuan pepper, increase the quantity as you wish, but make sure dried chilli is used because it has a dry hotness that is absent in fresh chilli, and the aroma is quite different. If you have this dish in HuNan, you will find dried chilli being left whole. By doing so, it makes them look much more assertive and invincible in the presentation of this dish.
Although pullets are traditionally used, the recipe presented here uses fresh chicken thighs instead. And instead of using raw meat, you might also find a different version of this dish using undercooked chicken (about 70 per cent cooked).
2 chicken leg quarters, boned 5 or more whole dried chilli, seeds removed 3-4 spring onions, split into two strips from the middle and cut into 4-5 cm segments 15-20 g ginger, finely shredded salt and pepper 6 T rice vinegar 2 t cornflour mixed with 10 ml water 2 t sesame seed oil 130 ml cooking oil For the marinade: salt and pepper 1/2 medium-sized egg white | Remove any fat, tendon, or gristle from the meat. Cut it into strips (1 × 1 × 5 cm) across the grain. Place the strips in a bowl. To marinade the meat, please see “Marinade (how to)” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Bring the meat out of the fridge to return to room temperature before cooking. To season the wok before cooking, please see “Wok” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Put the wok back to the heat source, adjust the heat to a medium level, and add 100 ml of the cooking oil, followed by the meat. Count to 5 before stirring. Stir from time to time until the meat is separated and turns white. Drain the meat in a colander with a bowl underneath. Heat the wok over a medium-high heat until hot. Pour in 15 ml of the cooking oil and stir in the chilli until the colour darkens slightly. Add 1/2 of the ginger. When the aroma of the ginger can be detected but before it picks up colour, put the meat back in to the wok. Stir and add salt and pepper and 2/3 of the vinegar. Stir and put the lid on. When the aroma of the vinegar is detected, add the rest of the ginger. Thicken the cooking liquid with the cornflour and water mixture, stirring continuously. While the sauce is bubbling away, drizzle the rest of the vinegar around the rim of the wok and stir or toss. Add the spring onions, stir, drizzle the sesame seeds oil, stir or toss, and plate on a hot dish. |