This one, Nanshan-inspired poached chicken, is hard to mess up. I say that because it's made with poached chicken that sits in its aromatic bath, (reabsorbing some of it), for hours after it's cooked. So, it's virtually impossible to overcook . . .
Poaching Mise En Place & Myojin Riki Seisakusho SG2 Gyuto, 240mmChicken thighs, Chinese cooking wine, homegrown garlic, sliced/smashed ginger root and leek tops (freezer stock).
This all goes into a pot of cold water and is brought to a boil. Once boiling, keep it going for 15 minutes. After that, kill the heat and let it sit for anywhere from 3 to 8 hours before removing the chicken pieces from the liquid. I also strained, skimmed and reduced the poaching liquid down to a quart, which I will use as a 'stock' sometime soon. As we discussed above, normally, I like my stocks completely neutral but this nectar is just too good to not put to use.
While the chicken steeps, the sauce is made.
Sauce Mise En Place & Myojin Riki Seisakusho SG2 Gyuto, 240mmHomemade chile oil, salt/sugar/msg, toasted/freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce, 5-year-aged black vinegar, Chinese chile flakes, toasted sesame oil, sesame paste, Chinese celery ribs, minced garlic, minced ginger, Chinese celery leaves, scallion greens and cilantro leaves.
Mixed these ingredients to make the sauce that eventually covered the chicken. Some of these, I had more than I needed, so I added them to taste . . .
SauceFrom everything I've read and seen about this dish (and experienced eating it), the sauce is supposed to be broken, not emulsified. More often than not, because of the amount of mixing required to fully incorporate the thick sesame paste, I get that wrong and end up with a completely homogeneous (but still delicious) sauce. Today, I added the oils last and as you can kind of see in this picture, it went the other way.
Plated UpWith yet another homegrown tomato salad (still not sick of them!
) and some leftover/reheated jasmine rice.
=R=
Same planet, different world