I was looking for a recipe using bok choy in a stir fry and one from the Internet looked pretty good. But before I was through making changes a whole lot of ingredients and procedures were changed to better reflect Chinese cooking. Now it is time to make the dish and enjoy it.
Done! And I am quite pleased. Now Food Nirvana has a chicken stir fry ... a very nice chicken stir fry.
Ingredients:
For the Marinade:
1/3 tsp. of baking soda
1/4 cup of water
For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons of honey
½ teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. of sea salt
1/2 tsp. of white pepper
1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine
1 tsp. of cornstarch
For the Stir Fry:
2 tablespoons of canola oil, divided
2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine
1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" thick strips
1 lb. head of bok choy, washed and cut into 1 inch strips
2 large carrots peeled in strips, then cut the strips in half
6 scallions, diced
2 tablespoons (or more) of toasted sesame seeds
¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions:
Pre-heat the serving dish you plan to use for the stir fry in a 180 degrees F warming oven. Similarly, pre-heat the individual serving dishes you will provide for your guests.
Make the marinade of baking soda and water in a medium size bowl. Cut the chicken breasts into 1/4" thick strips. Mix the strips of chicken with the marinade and let the mixture sit in the bowl for 30 minutes.
Prepare the rice you plan to serve with this meal according to package directions, but using chicken broth as the liquid, and keep it covered for five minutes. Then put the rice into a serving dish, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and put it into the warming oven.
In a small mixing bowl, stir the honey, ginger, garlic, sea salt, white pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch and dark and light soy sauces together until well combined. Set the mixture aside to add to the stir-fry later.
Heat the wok over high heat until it begins to smoke.
Heat one tablespoon of canola oil in the wok over high heat. Add the marinated chicken and stir fry it for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the chicken strips are cooked through. Set the chicken aside in a bowl. Adjust the heat to medium.
Add one tablespoon of canola oil. Let the wok heat for two minutes.
Add the bok choy, carrots, and scallions. Add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Stir fry continuously for 3 to 4 minutes to cook the vegetables until they are crisp-tender.
Put the chicken strips into the wok and mix everything together.
Stir the sauce to mix in the cornstarch a second time.
Set the heat to medium high.
Add the sauce to the wok mixture and stir fry for 2 minutes to coat the chicken and vegetables with the sauce and to slightly thicken it.
Serve the stir fry in the pre-warmed dishes, with a sprinkling of (optional) cilantro and toasted sesame seeds and the rice you made earlier.
Provide a small bowl of dark soy sauce for guests who may want additional seasoning.
Enjoy!