[gtranslate]

Foolproof Hunan-style sesame chicken with fresh peppers can be your ideal way of cooking chicken on summer days. Instead of pan-frying, it uses a unique way of simmering.

Around one month ago, I introduced you to these simmered ribs with peppers. It is a dish I found during my trip to Zhangjiajie for those surreal quartz-sandstone pillars. Food in Hunan is incredibly hot for me. Most Hunan dishes are hot, and I found this combination quite mild yet strong-smelling. So I add it to my recipe list.

All of my family members love that dish so much. So I was always thinking about trying it with other ingredients. This time, chicken is our main role. And guess what? Chicken is even better than ribs.

Maybe it is quite unbelievably delicious even with such a short ingredients list. So I highly recommend you try it when it is less hot. Chicken is full of flavor, with a sesame oil-and-chili-pepper combination, but not hot at all. Soup or maybe juice is even better. It serves as the perfect dip for crusty bread or traditional steamed buns, steamed rice, or even noodles.

Summer is a great time to eat fresh chili peppers because they are in season. However, when used in a chicken recipe, I prefer to chop them into smaller pieces. The ingredient list didn’t prepare me for how amazing this actually tastes. It also has a super lovely, bright yellow color.

By the way, if you love Hunan-style, here are some recipes you must try.

Ingredients

The ingredient list is quite short, mainly with fresh chicken pieces, green pepper, ginger, and garlic.

• 300 g chicken cut into small pieces – Recommend using smaller pieces
• 4-6 fresh chili peppers- two as large pieces, and chop the remaining into small pieces
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp. Sesame oil
• 1 thumb of ginger, sliced
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• Hot boiling water to cover the chicken

Step by Step

Cut one of the peppers into large sections and the other part into smaller pieces. We will use the whole sections during the simmering process, which helps enhance the flavor.

Add sesame oil to the wok, then add the chicken pieces and ginger slices. Fry over medium-low heat until golden brown and aromatic. Be patient, this may take several minutes.

Add boiling hot water and two whole peppers. Cover the lid and cook for 20 minutes, depending on the age of your chicken, until cooked through. Then pick the peppers out and discard them.

Get another wok, add chopped chili peppers, garlic, and a small pinch of salt. Fry for around half a minute.

Or you can simple add those smaller pieces to your simmering pot.

Transfer the fried chili peppers into the soup. Turn up the fire and thicken the sauce a little bit.

Hunan Sesame Chicken with Peppers

Hunan Sesame Chicken with Peppers

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Ingredients

• 300 g chicken cut into small pieces
• 4-6 fresh chili peppers- two as whole and chop the remaining into small pieces
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp. Sesame oil
• 1 thumb ginger chopped
• Hot boiling water to cover the chicken

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Instructions

• Add sesame oil to the wok, then add the chicken pieces and ginger slices. Fry over medium-low heat until golden brown and aromatic. Be patient, this may take several minutes.
• Add boiling hot water and two whole peppers. Cover the lid and cook for 20 minutes, depending on the age of your chicken, until cooked through. Then pick the peppers out and discard them.
• Get another wok, add chopped chili peppers, garlic, and a small pinch of salt. Fry for around half a minute.
• Transfer the fried chili peppers into the soup. Turn up the fire and thicken the sauce a little bit.

Loe allikast edasi

[gtranslate]

Pork liver is a super popular ingredient in Chinese cooking, sometimes as a stir fry, in a soup, or cooked in a master stock. This is a super easy way of cooking pork liver that is unbelievably tender and full of flavor.

When I was a child, my mom always cooked pork liver in different ways. Every year before the Chinese Spring Festival, fresh pork liver was the most treasured ingredient for guests.

In Sichuan cuisine, pork liver is usually stir-fried with pickled chilies, just as the shredded beef. That’s the most common way, in my opinion.

Growing up, I didn’t prefer spicy food, so I ended up quite Cantonese. Sweet, savory with freshness.

Clean Pork Liver

For all offal ingredients, I highly recommend using starch or flour along with salt to remove the offal smell. I find this is much better than vinegar or lemon juice.

Firstly, add around 1/2 cup of starch, along with salt, to the pork liver. Combine well for a while, so the smelly stuff can be caught. Then wash carefully until your pork liver is clean and no longer slimy.

Add some beer and soak for a while. Then wash again and drain completely.

Marinating

Add a small pinch of salt and white pepper. Combine well, then add starch to coat evenly.

The sauce

During marinating, let’s make a basic sauce. Heat the oil until hot, then remove it from the heat and spread the scallion. Add oyster sauce and light soy sauce. Mix well. This is our sauce for this poached pork liver.

You can also pair this poached pork liver with other sauces, like the hot chili dipping sauce or the oyster-based sauce we used for steamed chicken.

Cook with the Simmering Method

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil in a wok or pot, then add the pork liver slices. Now turn the fire down to the lowest fire and cover the lid.
• Set for 2 minutes and transfer to a serving plate.

With this simmering method, called “焖煮” in Chinese, you can get super tender pork liver. Sound similar? We used this method for the famous white-cut chicken.

Serving

Spread the sauce from the last step over our simmered pork liver and serve hot.

Poached Pork Liver with Scallion Sauce

Scallion Pork Liver

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Ingredients

• 200 g fresh pork liver

For cleaning

• 3 tbsps. cornstarch
• 1/2 cup beer

Marinating

• 1/4 pinch of salt
• Dash of white pepper
• 2 tbsp. Cornstarch

Sauce

• 2 tbsps. Oyster sauce
• 2 tbsps. Light soy sauce
• 2 tbsps. Chopped scallion
• 2 tbsps. vegetable cooking oil

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Instructions

• Add around 1/2 cup of starch, along with salt, to the pork liver. Combine well for a while, so the smelly stuff can be caught. Then wash carefully until your pork liver is clean and no longer slimy.
• Add some beer and soak for a while. Then wash again and drain completely.
• Add a small pinch of salt and white pepper. Combine well, then add starch to coat evenly.
• Heat oil in a small pan until hot, remove the pan from heat. Add scallion, and then combine oyster sauce and light soy sauce, mix well.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil in a wok or pot, then add the pork liver slices. Now turn the fire down to the lowest setting and cover the lid. Set for 2 minutes. Transfer out to serving plate. Spread the sauce from the last step over our simmered pork liver, serve hot.

Loe allikast edasi

[gtranslate]

Super easy and addictive pan-fried chicken is my recent favorite way of making chicken, in addition to my Chinese steamed chicken recipe. There is no marinating, no simmer process. All we need to do is a long-time pan-frying process. The chicken is full of flavor, with a strong aromatic profile, especially from Sichuan peppercorns.

In busy seasons, I always wanted to make some quick, delicious dishes. Compared to other simmered chicken or stewed versions, it is much quicker and easier. The ingredient list is quite short too, only a few types of aromatics like ginger, garlic, dried chili pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn are needed. Don’t miss the Sichuan peppercorns in this recipe. It tastes super great in all dry-fried dishes, whether with protein or vegetables.

Using a pan to fry directly is a method called dry-frying in Chinese cooking. I have introduced this dry-frying, or long-time pan-frying, method in my pan-fried pork belly recipe. You can also apply this to chicken wings.

The slow process works similarly to dehydration and fat rendering, unlocking layers of flavor. The Maillard reaction during the process gives the chicken a lovely golden brown color. All of the pieces will have a lovely crispy shell, similar to our Chongqing chicken. By the way, if you love that version, this must be trying because they taste similar but are less spicy and much easier.

Elaine’s Note

• At the very beginning, add a small amount of oil as the starter. I highly recommend using sesame oil instead of regular vegetable oil for cooking.
• After adding the chicken chunks, there will be a stage with lots of water in your pan. Be patient and fry until the oil becomes clear again.
• Pour off the extra oil before adding seasonings, since we are aiming for a dry-fry texture. You can save this oil for noodles or salads.
• Turn over and move frequently after the chunks begin to brown in color to avoid burning.
• Garlic slices, dry peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns can easily burn when the heat is too high after prolonged pan-frying. So slow down the fire at the last sage.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cut the chicken into small pieces, clean and strain completely. Remember to choose younger chicken.

Add a little sesame oil to the pan, then spread the chicken in it. At first, there will be lots of water if you pan, continue frying for a while, and then add shaowing wine. Now, let’s add ginger slices to help remove the odd taste.

Continue frying for around 10 minutes with medium heat. You may find there is a lot of oil in the pan; pour it all out.

Slow the fire down and add the seasonings, including dried chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic cloves, salt, light soy sauce, and sugar. Continue frying until the chicken skin becomes slightly golden brown.

Here is our pan-fried aromatic chicken.

Pan-Fried Chicken- Easy Version

Pan-fried crispy chicken with super easy method

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Ingredients

• 400 g chicken – young chicken- cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp. Sesame oil
• 1 thumb ginger sliced
• 1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 5 cloves garlic slices
• 3 dried chili peppers cut into small sections
• 1 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorn
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Sugar
• 1.2 tsp. Ground pepper
• 1 tbsp. Light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil ,optional

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Instructions

• Cut the chicken into small pieces, clean and strain completely. Remember to choose younger chicken.
• Add a little sesame oil to the pan, then spread the chicken in it. At first, there will be lots of water if you pan, continue frying for a while, and then add shaowing wine.
• Now, let’s add ginger slices to help remove the odd taste.
• Continue frying for around 10 minutes. You may find there is a lot of oil in the pan; pour all the oil out.
• Slow down the fire, add the seasonings, including dried chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, and garlic cloves, salt, light soy sauce, and sugar. Continue frying until the chicken skin becomes slightly golden brown. Optionally, sprinkle some roasted white sesame seeds.

Loe allikast edasi

[gtranslate]

Last time, we made our pickled mustard greens (Chinese suan cai) from scratch. I made a large batch when the mustard greens were in season. In this recipe, we will make it as a soup base with blanched pork slices.

The Soup Base

If you’ve ever been to a Chinese restaurant and ordered suan cai yu (酸菜鱼 — pickled greens fish soup), you already know the magic. Pickled mustard greens can add great flavor, especially to soups and stews, with a bright, deeply tangy profile.

Although suan cai yu is the most famous dish using pickled mustard greens, the fact is that this soup base can match almost everything- tofu, vegetables, mushrooms, beef, and shrimp balls. In this recipe, we will use pork. You can replace it with beef slices, too. For all soup-based pickled mustard green recipes, I recommend using the traditional fermentation method of making your pickled mustard greens.

Today’s Star: Silky Pork Slices (水滑肉 Shuǐ Huá Ròu)

When I was a child, all kinds of boiled pork slices were my favorite food, and I was always amazed by how tender the meat could be.

Huá ròu piàn (滑肉片) is a classic Sichuan home-cooking technique in which thinly sliced pork is coated in a starch batter and then gently poached directly in hot broth or soup. We always use sweet potato starch because it is the strongest starch and can adhere to the pork slices even when cooked for a long time in the soup base. You may also use tapioca starch.

The cooked pork has an amazingly tender, smooth, and velvety texture on the outside. When you eat it, you can feel the silky texture.

Starch batter plays a super important role in this process. When it comes into contact with the hot liquid, the batter forms a protective barrier that further seals in moisture and prevents the pork from drying out. The technique is similar to the velveting for stir-frying.

When made in a clear broth, it’s called huá ròu piàn. But in Chongqing and Chengdu, you’ll find street vendors — often carrying their woks on shoulder poles. The spicer version of this type of pork slices is water-boiled pork-水煮肉片.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Let’s marinate the pork slice first.

• Cut the pork into slices, about 1-2mm thick. The most recommended pork cut for this one is pork butt. You can also replace it with beef.
• Marinating with shaoxin wine, salt, white pepper, and light soy sauce. Mix to combine all the flavors.
• Add around 3 tablespoons of water to 3 tablespoons of starch. And you will get a running-water, starchy texture like this. This special stage is scientifically named a non-Newtonian fluid. In the previous bok choy and pork soup, I used 2 tablespoons and found it was not runny and hard to coat. So I added 3 tablespoons this time. Pour the starch water into the marinated pork. Mix well and make sure each piece is well coated.

• Let’s make the soup base, add oil, and fry garlic and dried chili pepper until aromatic. If you get any animal fat, like lard or chicken fat, use it.
• Slightly squeeze the pickled mustard greens before adding them to the wok, and fry until the moisture disappears and you can smell their aroma. This may take some time, and it is the key step for the great flavor.
• Then add water, bring to a boil, add light soy sauce, and simmer for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld into a soup base. If you make your own pickled mustard greens, add some pickled liquid.
• You can add some vegetables as a base- tofu, bean sprouts, or golden needle mushrooms.

• In the meantime, add a pot of water to a boil. Then, turn the fire to the slowest setting and add the pork slices individually. 
• Transfer all the cooked pork slices to our soup base. Continue simmering for around 2 minutes.
• Garnish with some chopped green onions. You can serve in this way, or if you want to take it up a notch, you absolutely can finish the bowl the shuǐ zhǔ way.
• Add sliced scallion, then pour 3 tablespoons of smoking-hot oil on top. It won’t be the traditional version anymore. But it will be very, very good.

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Ingredients

• 150 g pickled mustard green
• 100 g bean spouts
• 8 cloves garlic
• 3 dried chili peppers
• 3 tbsp. cooking oil
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1500 ml hot water
• 3 tbsp. hot oil , smoking-hot oil
• 2 chopped scallion

Pork and Marinating

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Instructions

• Cut the pork into slices, about 1-2mm thick. The most recommended pork cut for this one is pork butt. You can also replace it with beef.
• Marinating with shaoxin wine, salt, white pepper, and light soy sauce. Mix to combine all the flavors.
• Add around 3 tablespoons of water to 3 tablespoons of starch. And you will get a running-water, starchy texture like this. This special stage is scientifically named a non-Newtonian fluid. In the previous bok choy and pork soup, I used 2 tablespoons and found it was not runny and hard to coat. So I added 3 tablespoons this time. Pour the starch water into the marinated pork. Mix well and make sure each piece is well coated.
• Let’s make the soup base, add oil, and fry garlic and dried chili pepper until aromatic. If you get any animal fat, like lard or chicken fat, use it.
• Place the chopped pickled mustard greens and fry until the moisture disappears and you can smell the aroma of the pickled vegetables. This may take some time, and it is the key step for the great flavor.
• Then add water, bring to a boil, add light soy sauce, and simmer for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld into a soup base. You can add some vegetables as a base- tofu, bean sprouts, or golden needle mushrooms.
• In the meantime, add a pot of water to a boil. Then, turn the fire to the slowest setting and add the pork slices individually.
• Transfer all the cooked pork slices to our soup base. Continue simmering for around 2 minutes.
• Garnish with some chopped green onions. You can serve in this way, or if you want to take it up a notch, you absolutely can finish the bowl the shuǐ zhǔ way.
• Add sliced scallion, then pour 3 tablespoons of smoking-hot oil on top. It won’t be the traditional version anymore. But it will be very, very good.

Loe allikast edasi

[gtranslate]

This is a super easy, foolproof, simmered ribs with green peppers, a dish coming from Hunan cuisine that is not so hot!

I traveled to Hunna on my last holiday and decided to try some of their local dishes. Guess what? Most of those dishes are too hot for me as well. There are peppers almost everywhere, including the soups. But I do find one, easy, humble, delicious, with a mild heat- these simmered ribs with peppers. It is incredibly delicious, even with a super-easy ingredient list.

You may know that both Sichuan and Hunan cuisines are famous for being hot, but they differ in many ways. Firstly, Sichuan heat in most cases is Mala with a small amount of pepper and Sichuan pepper. However, Hunan heart is much sharper, since lots of fresh, pickled peppers are used- like Hunan beef stir fry. Another difference is that many dishes in Sichuan cuisine are not hot at all. But most Hunan-style dishes are quite hot.

I know that ribs and peppers are a great combination, and we have already proved that in many other ways. But we will support this combination once again as soup.

This soup method is super beginner-friendly. The process is just as simple as this- sear the ribs, add hot water, simmer for around 15 miuntes, add fresh chili pepper, continue cooking for 5 minutes. Even if you don’t have any cooking skills, this can be your master dish.

Ingredients

The main ingredient for these lovely simmered ribs is super short. Ribs, fresh peppers, ginger, and garlic as aromatics.

The pepper I am using is our local Hot Screw Pepper. They are super large ones, so I use any three. If you need to replace it with your common types, you may need to use more.

Elaine’s Note

• There is nothing fancy about the dish; the only tip is to use boiling water rather than cold. Cold water will cause a sudden temperature drop and cause the ribs to tighten.
• After a long time simmering, the peppers contribute all of the flavors to the soup and ribs. But they don’t taste good. So discard them and add some new peppers.

Step-by-step instructions

• Soak the ribs in clean water for about 30 minutes, then thoroughly strain and dry.
• Prepare a wok, add oil, and fry the pork ribs until golden brown and aromatic. Be patient, this may take several minutes.
• Add boiling water, 2 slices of ginger, and half of the fresh peppers. Cover the lid and cook for 15 minutes, until the ribs are cooked through. Then pick the peppers out and discard them.
• Add fresh peppers and garlic. Season with salt, light soy sauce, and white pepper, then continue heating over high heat for about 5 minutes to thicken the soup.

Varations

There are lots of add-ons you can add to the soup, such as mushrooms. I tasted adding shiitake mushrooms and chanterelles. They are good enhancer and help us transfering from Hunan cuisine to Yunnan.

How to serve

You can serve it with steamed rice or use it as a topping and base for noodle soup. I highly recommend mixing the soup with rice.

Simmered Ribs with Peppers

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Ingredients

• 400 g ribs
• 8 green chili peppers divided
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 thumb of ginger sliced
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• dash of pepper

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Instructions

• Soak the ribs in clean water for about 30 minutes, then thoroughly strain and dry.
• Then prepare a wok, add oil, and fry the pork ribs until golden brown and aromatic. Be patient, this may take several minutes.
• Add boiling water, slices of ginger, and half of the chili peppers. Cover the lid and cook for 15 minutes, until the ribs are cooked through. Then pick the peppers out and discard them.
• Add the remaining fresh peppers and garlic. Season with salt, light soy sauce, and white pepper, and continue heating for around 5 minutes to thicken the soup.

Loe allikast edasi