Hot and sour hunan chicken pt 1

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
---Chicken & Marinade---
¾ pounds Skinless boneless chicken breast, (see note)
1 large Egg white
1 tablespoon Rice wine or quality dry sherry
1 teaspoon Coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
¾ pounds Firm young zucchini; trimmed (3/4 to 1)
½ pounds Carrots; trimmed & peeled
1 Walnut-size nugget fresh ginger
4 Cloves garlic (large); lightly smashed and peeled (4 to 5)
2 tablespoons Chinese salted black beans
¾ teaspoon Dried red chili flakes
4 tablespoons Oil; for stir-frying
½ cup Unsalted chicken stock
2 tablespoons Thin (regular) soy sauce; (2 to 3)
2 tablespoons Rice wine or quality dry sherry
2½ tablespoon White vinegar
¼ teaspoon Sugar
3 cups Corn or peanut oil (3 to 4); OR
4 cups Water; PLUS
2 teaspoons Corn or peanut oil
1 tablespoon Cornstarch dissolved in
1½ tablespoon Cold chicken stock

Directions

VEGETABLES

AROMATICS

LIQUID SEASONINGS

VELVETING THE CHICKEN

BINDER

Note: Chicken s/b carefully trimmed of membranes, cartilage & fat. If starting with skin-on bone-in chicken breast you need a 1 pound 6 to 8 oz.

breast to equal the ¾ lb. cleaned meat.

Slicing & marinating the chicken: Spread meat flat on a cutting surface & cut it into 1-inch squares. Holding your knife parellel to the board, cut the thickest squares in half through the middle so that the pieces are of a relatively even thickness and will cook to doneness at the same time. Blend chicken marinade ingredients until smooth & thick in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel balde or in a blender. Process for a full 30-60 seconds to achieve a rich consistency. Combine the chicken & marinade in a small bowl, stirring with your fingers to coat & separate each slice. Seal airtight and refrigerate for 6-8 hours or up to 1½ days, to permit the chicken to absorb the marinade. The longer it marinates, the more tender & flavorful it will be.

Other preparations: Slice zucchini into ¼-inch thick rounds. Slice carrots into diagonal coins ⅛-inch thick. Sliced, the vegetables may be sealed & refrigerated in an airtight plastic bag for several hours before stir-frying.

Mince ginger and garlic in the dry work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel knife. Add the black beans, then process with one or two on-off turns to chop them coarsely. Alternatively, mince & chop the ingredients by hand. Set aside on a small saucer with the chili flakes (chili flakes on the side). If you are working in advance, seal the saucer airtight and refrigerate.

Combine the stock, soy, wine, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. This may be done hours ahead & the liquids left at room temp. or refrigerated.

Velveting the chicken: About 10-15 minutes in advance of serving, velvet the chicken in water or oil. Directions for both follow, here also are Barbara Tropp's notes re. velveting (why bother & differences in results using each method):

Blanching cut & specially marinated chicken in oil or water prior to stir-frying is a technique common to Chinese restaurant kitchens. The 20-second bath tenderizes the chicken remarkably, hence the process has been dubbed "velveting" in English. Velveted chicken is half-cooked, will not stick to the pan, and needs almost no oil whn stir-fried. Therefore the resulting dish is grease-free and done in a flash. It is an absolutely distinctive & practical method, well worth adapting at home. Oil-velveted chicken is firm & plush; water-velveted chicken is soft & bouncy. The oil texture has great character, while the water process is attractively easy & clean. Choose the one that suits you best. ADDITIONAL CAVEAT FROM BT: You MUST use fresh (not frozen) chicken for velveting. Frozen chicken will not work. The plush texture that is the signal beauty of velveting cannot be had with chicken that has been frozen.

Velveting in oil: Have the chicken, a large chinese mesh spoon or large heatproof strainer to retrieve the chicken from the oil, and a bowl in which the spoon or sieve can rest & allow the chicken to drain alongside your stovetop. Heat a wok or deep, heavy skillet over high heat until hot.

Add the oil & heat to the slow-fry stage, 275 degrees F. on a deep-fry continued in part 2

Related recipes