Tung-An Chicken Recipe - Cooking Index
Tung-An Chicken Recipe - Cooking Index
| Chicken | ||
| 1 1/2 lbs | 681g / 24oz | Skin-on bone-in chicken breasts - (fresh) |
| For Par Boiling The Chicken | ||
| 2 | Nickel-size slices fresh ginger | |
| 1 | Scallion - cut in 3" lengths | |
| For Stir Frying The Chicken | ||
| 2 1/2 tablespoons | 37ml | Corn or peanut oil - (2 1/2 to 3) |
| 4 tablespoons | 60ml | Or 2 large Chinese dried black mushrooms (medium) |
| (shitake) | ||
| 1 teaspoon | 5ml | Szechwan peppercorns |
| 1 tablespoon | 15ml | Finely julienne fresh ginger threads - cut hair-thin |
| 2 | Or 1 hefty whole scallion - (s), cut in 2 1/2" | |
| 1/4 teaspoon | 1.3ml | Dried red chili flakes |
| Sauce Ingredients | ||
| 1/2 cup | 118ml | Rich unsalted chicken stock |
| 2 tablespoons | 30ml | Thin - (regular) soy sauce |
| 1 tablespoon | 15ml | Rice wine or quality dry sherry |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | 7.5ml | Sugar |
| 1 teaspoon | 5ml | Coarse kosher salt |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | 7.5ml | Unseasoned rice vinegar |
| Binder | ||
| 1 teaspoon | 5ml | Cornstarch dissolved in |
| 1 tablespoon | 15ml | Cold chicken stock |
| Final Seasoning | ||
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.5ml | Chinese or Japanese sesame oil |
Parboiling the chicken: Rinse the breasts under cold running water and remove any bloody clots. Smash the ginger and scallions lightly to release their juices, and put them with the breasts in a small, heavy pot to hold the chicken snugly. Add boiling water to cover, return the liquid to boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Simmer the breasts 10 minutes. Remove the chicken immediately from the pot w. a Chinese mesh spoon or a slotted spoon, and spray with cold water to stop the cooking. Reserve the cooking liquid. Use to empty your freezer of bones and make stock. The chilled chicken may be sealed airtight and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature prior to cooking.
Other preparations: Soak the mushrooms in cold or hot water to cover until fully soft and spongy, 20 minutes to 1 hour. Snip off the stems, rinse under running water to dislodge any sand trapped in the gills, then cut the caps into long strips 1/8-inch wide.
Roast the peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring for about 1 minute until they are fragrant and begin to smoke. Crush to a coarse consistency w. the end of a cleaver handle or in a mortar (I use a small coffee grinder - Holly)
Cut whole chicken breasts in half to one side of the keel bone. Leaving the skin in place, remove the meat in as much as one piece as possible. (You may discard the chicken skin if you wish, but it is customary in this dish to leave it on). Separate the fillets (some people call these 'tenders' - Holly) from the main pieces, and remove any membranes, fatty lozenges, and the tough tips at the end of the tendons. Much of the meat will be red, as at this point it is only partially cooked. Slice the meat crosswise, against the grain, into strips 1/2-inch wide. Cut long strips into 1 1/2 to 2-inch lengths.
Cut the scallion segments lengthwise into slivers 1/8-inch thick and combine in a small dish with the ginger threads and chili flakes.
Combine the stock, soy, wine, sugar, and salt (NOT the vinegar), stirring to dissolve sugar.
Preparations may be completed several hours in advance. Seal the ingredients airtight, and bring to room temperature before cooking.
Stir-frying the dish: About 10 minutes before serving, have all ingredients and a Chinese mesh spoon or a slotted spoon within easy reach of your stovetop. Put a serving dish of contrasting color in a low oven to warm.
Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot enough to evaporate a bead of water on contact. Add the oil, swirl to coat the pan, then reduce the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot enough to gently sizzle a pinch of peppercorn, add the peppercorns and let them sizzle until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent scorching. Add the scallion, ginger and red chili flakes and stir until the fragrance is pronounced, 10-15 seconds. Add the mushrooms, toss to combine, then add the liquids to the pan and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring. Add the chicken, stir gently until it turns 95 percent white, then remove it promptly with the slotted spoon to the heated serving dish. Move quickly, lest the chicken overcook in the liquid. Add the vinegar to the simmering sauce, stir, then taste for a good balance of sharp and sweet. True to Hunan taste, it should be on the sharp side. Lower the heat, stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine, then add it to the pan, stirring until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy, 5-10 seconds.
Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken and sprinkle the sesame oil on top. Serve immediately, while pungent and aromatic.
Serves 2 as a main course, 3-5 as part of a multicourse meal.
Menu suggestions: Barbara Tropp loves this dish on its own for a simple supper, with silver and gold thread rolls or a bowlful of everyday Chinese rice to soak up the sauce, and in season some cold-tossed asparagus w. sesame seeds to munch on between mouthfuls. To drink, try a white Burgundy, Meursault, Pouilly-Fuisse, or an oaky (as opposed to fruity) California Chardonnay.
Introductory notes by Barbara Tropp: Tung-An is a county in Hunan, and this dish has all the beauty of refined Hunan cuisine: it is pungent yet subtle, complexly flavored without masking the primary good taste of chicken. It is an easy dish to turn out, perfect for the beginning cook, and a paradise for lovers of pungent, saucy stir-frys. The original version calls for a whole young chicken and fresh red chile threads. I find whole breasts and dried red chile flakes far easier to use, and I make up for the visual loss by adding plush strips of black mushrooms. The breasts must be from small young chickens for the dish to be good.
The chicken may be cooked a day in advance. The rest of the dish can be assembled and cooked within 30 minutes.
Technique notes: Par-boiling the chicken gives it a supple texture and a strikingly clean taste. It also means that the dark sauce will slide off the chicken, leaving it a lovely ivory-white. Adding the vinegar to the sauce last keeps its zing intact. It is neither boiled off nor compromised by the flavor of the other ingredients.
Source:
Barbara Tropp, The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking
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