Sun. Feb. 18
We chose to celebrate Chinese New Year and the start of the Year of the Pig by eating chicken. Pretty ironic considering our location in Porkopolis and our demonstrated love of pigmeat in most of its forms (not ears, maws, feet, or chitlins - yet). But we got good asparagus from the Nice People at Findlay Market on Saturday, and it goes best with either chicken or beef, while black bean sauces are traditional for New Year.
So, as usual, get your sous-chef (thanks Holt!) to debone and chop up two chicken breasts into one-inch squares. (Put the bones in the freezer, to make broth when your frozen supply gets low.) Marinate the chicken pieces in a teaspoon of soy sauce, two teaspoons of Shao Xing wine, and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Take two teaspoons of fermented black beans, rinse them off in a sieve, let them drain, and chop them up fine. Mince a big clove of garlic, chop a large onion into inch-long pieces and separate their layers, and roll-chop a pound or more of asparagus into inch-long pieces, keeping the tips separate.
Assemble all this around you, along with some chicken broth (liquid or frozen), soy sauce, salt, vegetable oil, sesame oil, and a warm platter. This is the Chinese version of what chefs call mise en place, or just "meeze." There is probably a Chinese phrase for it, as chopping the various ingredients into similar sizes and shapes and having them ready is a crucial aspect of good Chinese cooking.
Once you have your meeze in place, heat the wok on high. When it's hot, add vegetable oil, then onions, which you stir-fry vigorously for a minute. Throw in the asparagus (stems first, tips a minute or two later) and a good pinch of salt, and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until they turn bright green. Dribble in (or if it's a frozen block, set in and let melt until you have the right amount) a tablespoon or so of broth, cover, and turn the heat low so the whole thing steams and simmers for a few minutes, until it's as tender as you like it. Scrape it all out onto the warm platter.
Reheat the wok on high, and when it's hot add more oil. Toss in the black beans and garlic, stir once, and put in the chicken, mixing vigorously. Keep stir-frying on high heat until all the chicken is opaque and thoroughly cooked; Doctor Betsy recently told us that about 70 percent of American chicken contains salmonella or campylobacter, and must be cooked to a temperature of at least 165 F. Thanks, Republicans, for emasculating the Food Safety Inspection Service!
When the chicken is cooked, empty the platter of vegetables back into the wok and keep stir-frying. Check the amount and flavor of the sauce by pushing a clearing into the center and letting it puddle up. If there's too much, let it boil and reduce. Taste it and add some soy or plain salt - it should be quite salty, as the chicken will bland it out. When it's hot, dribble with sesame oil, give a final stir, and serve.
Kung Hei Fat Choi: congratulations, be prosperous! See you in two weeks at the Lantern Festival, when we'll have put on several prosperous pounds!
1 comment:
You and Holt certainly make some mouthwatering dishes! I just spent a moment looking at the names of some of the recipes in your blog and am most tempted and intrigued by your creative combinations of ingredients.
Our Chinese New Year cooking was less inspired but, at least, sincere in its effort. The highlight was making Longevity Noodles with Benita. These we did not attempt to make according to the traditional method, since they are supposed to be the skinniest possible hand-pulled noodles, the technique of making which requires years of skilled practice; and then they are supposed to be dried and fried, or perhaps fried and dried... I don't remember. It's too much to attempt with a hungry four-and-a-half-year-old, however enthusiastic she may be! So we used our pasta machine and cranked out the longest and skinniest noodles our one attachment would allow.
Gung xi fa cai, as we say in Mandarin!
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