"Richard Sherwood’s wife Lori says this is the first meal he made for her (for breakfast), we’re not sure what to say about that except it must’ve worked cause that was twenty years ago." (AE)
Like most Chinese food recipes, this takes more prep than cooking time, but is well worth it. When it comes to the vegetables, prepare them as indicated below and set each aside until it is time to begin cooking.
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Cup Gin
1 Bunch celery, including leaves
1 Medium onion
2 Garlic cloves, smashed
2 Large stalks Broccoli
½ Cauliflower
Snow peas (a handful)
Bean sprouts (a handful)
1 doz small white Mushrooms
6 stalks Asparagus (optional)
1 Cup Chicken stock
Cornstarch
2 Cups Shirakiku Rice
2 T Canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste (or soy sauce, if you prefer)
Prep:
Overnight, or a couple of hours before cooking, cut up the chicken breasts into more or less bite size pieces and marinate in gin.
Take celery and discard 3 or 4 outer stalks, trim the bottom and the very top, then slice the celery heart (including leaves) on the diagonal all the way up.
Peel the onion, slice in thin rings and then cut the rings in half.
Trim broccoli stem (cut away tough part) and then slice diagonally all the way up.
Do the same with the cauliflower.
Rinse snow peas, string them
Rinse and blot bean sprouts in a paper towel.
Rinse mushrooms, blot dry and cut into thin slices or ¼’s if you prefer
Rinse asparagus, snap of tough parts of stem, slice diagonally
Cooking:
I usually prepare the rice first:
Take 2 cups rice and rinse in a colander under cool running water for about 3 minutes. Shake the colander of excess water and let the rice stand for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 3 cups water to boiling. Add rice when it has finished draining – once the rice & water begin to boil again, put the lid on, turn it way down and watch it --- I usually turn the stove off about 10 minutes into the cooking and let it continue to cook & rest on the stove until I am ready to serve.
For the chicken & vegetables – you can use a wok if you have one, otherwise I use an iron skillet with high sides.
Sauté onions and garlic in oil for a couple of minutes over high heat. Add the chicken (discard the gin marinade) and cook quickly, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. This is when I add the salt and pepper, to taste. If I add seasoning, especially salt, when I add the vegetables, I find that they turn a bit watery. Also note: the chicken won’t be fully cooked after 3 minutes, but as you add vegetables and chicken stock, it will finish cooking.
Begin by adding the longest cooking vegetables first: broccoli and cauliflower.
Once you add those, add about ½ cup of the chicken stock and keep stirring.
Once the vegetables are ½ way cooked, add the celery and mushrooms.
Once that’s the way you like it, I put 1 – 1 ½ Tbs cornstarch in a measuring cup, add at least a ¼ c of remaining chicken stock, stir then add to the pot. This should thicken the cooking liquid slightly --- if too thick, add the rest of the unadulterated chicken stock.
I usually add the snow peas and bean sprouts at the very last, they only need about 1 minute to cook.
Serve over rice and enjoy!
Serves 2, increase quantities of each item as desired
Richard Sherwood