Sesame oil ginger chicken (姜丝麻油鸡)

I've never been a fan of ginger and indeed the confinement period after i had Alicia was the time in my life that ginger well, made its presence felt.

Many moons after that, I developed a liking for fried julienned ginger.

Strange, but true.

I never thought that I'd cook ginger chicken in my life, but I did. And it's my latest craze.  :P

Together with a generous amount of sesame oil, this dish just blows me away!


Sesame oil ginger chicken (姜丝麻油鸡)


*measurements are estimates*


Ingredients:

• 3 chopped chicken thighs, skin removed
• 2 tablespoon heaps of julienned ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cloves shallot, sliced
• a generous amount of sesame oil
• 1-2 tablespoons hua diao jiu
• 1/2 bowl water
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

Marinate chicken with:

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons Lee Kum Kee chicken marinade
• a couple of dashes of ground white pepper
• a few dashes of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon hua diao jiu

Method:

1. Heat sesame oil in wok. Fry the garlic, shallot and ginger till they turn slightly brownish.
2. Add in the chicken and brown the sides.
3. Add in the water, hua diao jiu and dark soy sauce.
4. Bring the gravy to a boil then turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 25min, stirring occasionally for even cooking - the gravy will have thickened by then. (you can choose to transfer the chicken to a small claypot and continue the simmering there. If you do so, add the hua diao jiu when the claypot's covered (just let it seep in through the sides.)
5. Dish and serve.

*Add in more sesame oil in the process of cooking if necessary. The eventual taste of the gravy should be that of sesame oil and a hint of ginger.