Sesame Chili Garlic Chicken

Sesame Chili Garlic Chicken 

These last 3 weeks have been absolutely crazy for me. I am overworked and that means on most days of the week I am working almost 10 hours to 12 hours. My workout and diet has gone for a toss , my sleep cycle has literally changed but in between all this the only silver lining is the fact that every 3 to 4 days I try and cook something nice and that energizes me and I get motivated to work again though work has no connection with cooking or with food for that matter.

The thing is even when I have a lot of work I always find time to cook. Sometimes when I cook something special even with a mountain load of work I share the photographs on social media but then it becomes impossible to write about the experience because after all those hours of work or a break in between work all I want to do is watch some episodes from my favourite soaps and relax.

So I am yet to share my experience of making this lovely Pork Roast and handmade pasta and then there are some dishes which I didn't even bother documenting.

Anyway finally there is a 2 to 3 day break between 2 projects and I have very little work to complete today and so I finally managed to visit the market in the morning.

When it comes to food I usually listen to what my heart wants. I have been wanting to make my favourite Oriental stir fry which I make quite often . Its extremely simple easy to make and with a simple trick you get juicy succulent chicken which I learnt from Rasamalysia's website. Basically this recipe is something I tossed up taking reference from Oriental cooking but Rasamalaysia's tip on getting juicy chicken is a foolproof method.

Serves 2 :-

200gm boneless chicken cut up in bite sized pieces

2 tsp chili garlic paste (I usually make mine by soaking  1 head of garlic, 70gm dried red chili in enough rice wine vinegar and salt for 2 hours and then blend it to a paste) This stays in the refrigerator for 6 months since it has no water in it and can be used for a variety of Oriental dishes
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1.5 tbsp peanut oil or refined oil
2 tsp Oyster sauce which can be repalced by Hoisin sauce
Salt as per taste (Usually I do not need salt because the sauces have salt in them)
1/2 tsp bi-carbonate of soda
1 tbsp cornflour

For garnishing :-

2 tbsp finely minced spring onion
1 tbsp sesame seeds

So chop the chicken in bite sized pieces and its important that its bite sized and marinate with the bi-carbonate of soda and leave it to marinate for 20 minutes and wash the chicken very well. Now pat the chicken dry and marinate with half of the rest of the ingredients  except the sesame oil and peanut oil and let it marinate for 45 minutes.

Dry roast the sesame seeds on low heat making sure it does not brown and leave aside

Heat the oil and stir fry the chicken on high heat for a minute and add the rest of the ingredients from the marinate and then toss for 2 minutes . You should ideally use a pan with a handle and keep tossing it. This comes with practice because toss it for too long and you get tough chicken, toss it for too little time and the chicken remains under cooked.

Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and finely minced spring onion and let the chicken rest for 3 minutes and serve it as a snack or with hot sticky rice.

P.S. You can always make a version of your own but swapping the ingredients gives a different flavour if you omit some of the ingredients.

Oriental Black Pepper Chicken

Oriental Black Pepper Chicken 

They say necessity is the mother of all invention. For this particular recipe it was bottles of sauces beyond their expiry dates being sold at Big Bazaar which led to the creation of the sauce, well that along with my strong love for Calcutta's Chinese dishes which are on the verge of extinction.

So here goes the recipe for Oriental Black Pepper Chicken

Serves 2 :-

200gm to 250gm chicken de-boned breasts
Salt as per taste
Rice flour or corn flour  for dredging
2 cups of chopped Chinese cabbage
1 tbsp oil (Sesame or refined)

For the marinate sauce :-

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp black pepper
Salt as per taste (I used 3/4th tsp)
1 fat clove of garlic
1 tsp Sesame oil or refined oil

Start by making a smooth paste of the ingredients for the marinate sauce. Transfer it to a bowl and mix very well. Then make small cubes of the chicken and use half the marinate and let it marinate for 1 hour to 2 hours.

Now heat the oil in a non-stick pan. In case you are not using a non-stick pan use a bit of extra oil. Dredge the chicken in rice flour / corn flour and saute on high heat to seal the juices and then turn down the heat and cover and cook for 40 seconds on each side. It should be golden brown by the time you are done with both the sides. Leave it to rest.Now add the remaining  marinate along with 3/4th cup water and bring to a boil and add salt after tasting. Simmer for 2 minutes and add the chicken and cabbage and simmer covered for sometime.

In case you want a thick sauce, mix 2 tsp flour / cornflour with a bit of water to create a smooth paste and add to the simmering sauce before adding the chicken and cabbage.

Enjoy it with steaming hot rice