The Garlic Press

On Tuesday, I was having a hankering for homemade Chinese food. I tweaked a New Best Recipe recipe and came up with this tasty meal. The heat ingredients are the ginger and the chili garlic sauce. I’m kind of a wuss about spices, but my husband (who likes super, super hot spiciness) agreed that it was okay in the spicy department. He thought it could use another hit of chili-garlic sauce, but it was of tolerable spiciness for me. So, adjust the garlic-chili sauce and ginger to your liking.

Spicy Ginger Chicken and Vegetables

 

Adapted from the New Best Recipe

Place 1 lb. of boneless skinless chicken breast in the freezer for 20 minutes to make it easier to thinly slice. While the chicken is in the freezer prepare the marinade.

Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry vermouth or sherry

1 cup water

2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil (optional, I didn’t have any so I left this out and it was excellent)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Combine soy sauce, vermouth or sherry, and water in a medium bowl. Mix the cornstarch, flour and sesame oil in another bowl.

Slice the chicken into 1/4” slices. Place in the bowl with the marinade. Let marinade for 20 minutes to 1 hour. While the chicken is marinading, prepare the rest of the ingredients.

1/4 low sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons dry vermouth or sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon sugar

2-3 teaspoons garlic-chili sauce

3/4″ – 1″ of ginger, grated (about 4 teaspoons?)

peanut or vegetable oil

1 green pepper, chopped

about 1 cup sliced carrots

1 medium onion, sliced thickly

1 cup frozen (or fresh) peas

(or substitute any vegetables you like; I was going to add cabbage but it had gone bad…)

Whisk the chicken broth, vermouth or sherry, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic-chili sauce, ginger, sugar and corn starch in a pourable measuring cup or bowl.

When all ingredients are chopped and ready to go, drain the chicken and place it in the cornstarch-flour mixture. Stir (or mix with your hands) to coat the chicken thoroughly.

Place a wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat until smoking. Add 1/2 the chicken in as flat a layer as you can. Cook, without stirring (I know it sounds weird), but separating the pieces gently, for about 1 minute. Stir to turn them over and brown them on the other side. Transfer to a clean plate/bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok and heat until just smoking. Add the peppers, onions and carrots. Stir-fry until they begin to brown and soften a bit, about 1 minute. Place the chicken back in the wok and add the sauce mixture. Stir fry to combine and finish heating the chicken through. Cook until the sauce is thickened and coats the ingredients well. The vegetables should be tender-crisp and the chicken should not be pink. Add the peas and stir. Serve immediately with steamed rice.