Chicken Soy Sauce

"Chicken again?!" is my kids' gripe whenever they see a winged creature on my chopping board. I was afraid they might picket outside the kitchen to demand other food. Well, what can I do? Barring bird flu or salmonella, chicken is probably the cheapest meat you can have. We really prefer fish and other seafood but my gulay! The prices of fish here in London! No way we can afford them everyday. Unlike back in the Phils. where fish is so commonplace that people turn up their noses on galunggong (fish similar to mackerel). Getting back to my cooking, I came face to face with some chicken and this laziness to go to the supermarket for additional ingredients. Solution -> find a recipe which uses the usual cupboard ingredients or ones that I already have and voila mwala! Here comes the Chinese Cooking for Beginners by Huang Su-Huei to the rescue.


Chicken Soy Sauce

500 g  - 600 g  chicken legs or wings - cut into bite-size pieces
1 Tbsp soy sauce
oil for deep-frying
1 potato (about 250 g) - cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium carrot - cut into bite-size pieces
1 green onion - cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp cooking wine

*Sauce:
1 cup water
1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce

*Thickener:
1 Tbsp water
2 tsp cornstarch

1. Marinate the chicken in the 1 Tbsp soy sauce for about 20 minutes.
2. Mix the sauce and thickener in separate containers. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in the wok and deep-fry the marinated chicken for about 4 minutes or until golden. Remove and drain briefly in paper towels. Set aside.
4. Deep-fry the potatoes and carrots until golden (about 3 minutes). Drain and set aside.
5. Remove the oil from the wok and then add 1 Tbsp oil.
6. Stir fry the green onions until aromatic.
7. Add the chicken, wine and sauce. Cover, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Add in the potatoes and carrots. Cook for a further 10 minutes.
9. The sauce should reduce to about 1/2 cup. Stir in the thickener and bring gently to boil. Dish up and serve.