Many of us like to enjoy some braised or stewed dishes during CNY. So do I ! Though I did not specifically prepared this for CNY, but I am sure the rich luscious gravy of this delicacy would be a perfect fit for anything you would be preparing to braise or stew during this lunar new year. As I saw some chestnuts in the season, and happen to have some really huge shitake mushrooms, I stewed them with some bone-in chicken thigh for an hour. And gosh, it was sooo sooo good that I finished my rice entirely with this one pot dish.
I used to blanch the chicken parts in boiling water before the stew to get rid of all the impurities. For a change this time, I run the chicken parts in some hot oil instead and deep fried them slightly before going into the stew. And my, the difference is really significant. You can literally feel the tenderness of the chicken after the stew and it’s so fragrant that the marinade seeps right in and all over the chicken.
The pictures might not do the dish enough justice since after the stew, they are usually all “black” in colour. But I can assure you the luscious gravy is something that you will certainly heart. A deliciously slurping dish that you would not want to miss !!
I’ve gotten the fresh chicken thighs from PurelyFresh and have them cut the thighs into 3 parts at no extra charge. This makes the preparation easier and all I gotta do is to marinate the chicken, blanch it over the hot oil and stewed everything for an hour. What’s next is to prepare more rice and enjoy !! I am sure you would 加饭 just for this dish !!
- 2 bone-in chicken thigh (cut into 3-4 parts)
- 3-4 stalks of spring onion (the white parts only, reserving some of the green parts for garnish)
- 4 pcs of dates
- 4 pcs of chestnuts
- 3 pcs of mushrooms (cut into halves)
- 4 pcs of baby carrots (optional, or any other vege you deem appropriate)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- some cooking oil (for deep frying the chicken)
- 1 tbsp light soya sauce
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tbsp light soya sauce
- 1 tbsp sweet vinegar
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 500ml water
- Marinade the chicken for at least 2 hours.
- Heat up some cooking oil and deep fry the chicken till 80% cooked. Drain well on paper towels and set aside.
- Reserving one tbsp of cooking oil in the wok, add minced garlic and spring onion and stir fried till fragrant. Add the mushrooms and baby carrots and stir fried slightly.
- Add in the seasoning, chestnuts, dates and chicken from Step 1 respectively. Stewed on low heat for approximately one hour till the chicken becomes soft.
- Dish and garnish with shredded spring onion. Serve hot with rice.
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