The Shun Lee Cookbook - Michael Tong [43]
3. To begin the sauce, mix the pickles, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine, fish sauce, and hot bean paste in a small bowl. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water in another small bowl. Set the bowls aside.
4. Return the wok with the oil to high heat. Add the scallion, garlic, and chili, and stir-fry until the scallion wilts, about 15 seconds. Return the chicken to the wok and add the pickle mixture. Stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir-fry until the sauce thickens, about 10 seconds. Garnish the chicken with the cilantro, and serve immediately.
CURRY SHOWS UP in a few Chinese dishes. Here, a spectacular sauce with layered flavors of curry, coconut milk, and red pepper (sweet and hot) shows off the versatility of chicken. It is good the second, and even the third day. You can substitute shrimp for the chicken, or for a vegetarian curry, substitute cooked potatoes, cauliflower, and green beans for the chicken. If you want to make the curry a day ahead, cook and add the okra just before serving. Makes 4 to 6 servings
Curry Chicken with Hot and Sweet Peppers
24 okra pods
One 3 ½-pound chicken
Sauce
½ large red bell pepper, seeds and ribs discarded, minced
2 tablespoons hot chili oil
¼ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup peeled and minced red onion
⅓ cup peeled and minced white onion
3 tablespoons peeled and minced garlic
1 ½ tablespoons minced lemongrass (use the peeled, tender bulb end only)
1 ½ tablespoons peeled and minced galangal
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
3 Keffir lime leaves, optional
¼ cup curry powder
2 cups Chicken Stock (page 70) or canned chicken broth
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon sugar
2 whole star anise
1 teaspoon salt
One 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk (regular or light)
1. Trim the stem ends and tips from the okra. Place the okra in a medium bowl and add cold water to cover. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Using a cleaver, cut the wings, thighs, and drumsticks from the chicken. Chop off and discard the wing tips; then chop the wings in half through the joint. Chop each thigh and drumstick in half. Chop the carcass in half lengthwise, then chop it into 16 pieces, each about 1 ½ by 2 inches. Add the chicken to the water and return the water to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce. This will cook the chicken by about 40 percent.
3. To begin the sauce, mix the red bell pepper with the hot chili oil in a small bowl to combine. Set it aside.
4. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat until it is shimmering but not smoking. Add the red and white onions, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, and optional lime leaves, and stir-fry until the onions soften around the edges, about 30 seconds. Add the red pepper mixture and stir continuously over medium-high heat until the sauce turns red, about 7 minutes. It should simmer and gently bubble. If you have to stop to attend to something else, turn off the heat.
5. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Drain the okra and add it to the saucepan. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
6. Return to the sauce, and if you had turned off the heat, bring the sauce back to a simmer. Add the curry powder, then the stock, ketchup, sugar, star anise, and salt, and stir for 30 seconds. Drain the chicken and add it to the wok. Stir in the coconut milk and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook until the chicken shows no pink when it is pierced at the bone, 10 minutes. During the last minute, add the okra. Remove the star anise and lime leaves, if using, and serve immediately.
IN SICHUAN, during the mid-nineteenth century Qing Dynasty, there was a governor and court official named Ting, who was a famous gourmet. One story goes that the governor’s chef was cooking this dish and accidentally burned the red chilies. His guests, perhaps