Three
Cup Chicken三杯雞 (san-1 bei-1 ji-1)
A classic Taiwanese dish that is simply pungent. The three cups refer
to one each of sesame oil, rice wine, and soy sauce.
Serves 5–6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 kg (2.2 Ib) chicken, chopped into bite-size chunks
10 cloves garlic, crushed
10 slices ginger
1 cup sesame oil
1 cup Taiwan rice wine
1 cup soy sauce
A few stalks fresh oriental basil
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
2 chilli peppers, roughly chopped (optional)
Method
In a clay pot or casserole dish, brown chicken in vegetable
oil.
Add garlic and ginger and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Place basil on top of
chicken, cook for a further 5 minutes.
Remove chicken, minus liquid, to a serving dish. Serve
with white rice.
Notes
Don't be tempted to skimp on seasonings – this dish is meant to pack a punch.
And don't simmer much longer than 20 minutes or the chicken will start to
resemble salty hunks of leather.
The True Origin of Kiwifruit
Although its name strongly suggests a New Zealand origin, the kiwifruit
is in fact, native to China's Yangzte Valley. Until midway through the
20th Century, the fruit was known as Chinese gooseberry. more
