Taiwanese Style 3 Cup Chicken

3 Cup Chicken

In the Serving Bowl

Over the weekend, we had a guest from Taiwan staying with us and she mentioned this dish. I had seen it being made on TV and hunted down a recipe some time ago. Pauline and I shopped for the ingredients at the Asian market but we didn't get around to making it. 

Today we're going to a concert with friends and I've made this one-pot dish for dinner. We'll have it with steamed rice and a salad.

From what I gather, it's called 3 Cup Chicken because it uses equal proportions of dark sesame oil, dark soy sauce and wine (I used rice wine) for the sauce. It's really easy to make with very little preparation involved.

One recipe grabbed my attention because it marinates the chicken pieces in baking soda for 10 minutes and then thoroughly rinses the pieces under running water. It's incredible how beautifully soft the chicken becomes with this little trick.

I added some umami to the dish with the addition of a little Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce). There's plenty of salt in the sauce ingredients so I didn't add any more.

Refrigerate left-overs because this tastes even better the next day!

Ingredients

1½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite-size pieces

2 Tbsp. baking soda
20 slices ginger
20 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup rice wine
1/4 cup dark soy sauce (regular soy sauce is ok too)
1/4 cup sesame oil
1½Tbsp. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

1 tsp. sugar

1 large bunch Thai basil

4 stalks green onions,  cut in 1” lengths

Directions

1. Mix chicken with baking soda and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Rinse chicken well under running water, mix with a little salt and oil & set aside.
3. Stir rice wine, soy sauce and kecap manis in a bowl and set aside.
4. In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat.
5. Stir-fry garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
6. Add chicken and cook until browned on all sides. 
7. Add remaining ingredients except basil and green onions.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. 
9. When sauce reduces to ¼ cup & reaches a syrupy consistency, garnish with basil & green onions.

Serve over steamed rice.

Beli Mashi's Rogan Josh

Kashmiri Rogan Josh

2nd Attempt Using More Kashmiri Mirch

Beli Mashi (Mum's elder sister) wrote this recipe for me by hand, but I couldn't find it, so tried to recall from memory how she made it. It turned out so well, it was as if she was by my side while I was cooking it.

Gurkha Thee Pajun Chet

Squash with Shrimp

This uses the same recipe as KHAYUN THEE NGA CHAUK CHET but replaced eggplant with bottle gourd or gurkha thee (chayote squash).  

My Burmese Dinner

Burmese Dinner Last Night
Clockwise from top left:
Bitter Melon with Shrimp
Dinner is Served!
Green Beans
Chayote Squash with Shrimp
Fish Hsipyan with Pickled Bamboo Shoots
Steamed Basmati Rice

 The Bitter Melon with Shrimp and Fish Hsipyan with Pickled Bamboo Shoots dishes were recipes that were posted by members of the Burmese Food Lovers' Kitchen on Facebook. To protect their rights, I have provided a link back to their recipes on that group. If you wish to view their recipes, you may request to be added to the BFLK group by submitting a request here.

Bengali Garam Masala

Bengali Garam Masala
Clockwise from top:
Cinnamon Sticks
Cardamom Pods
Cloves

Garam Masala is a mixture of ground spices that is a common ingredient in Indian cooking. The bottled or canned variety, such as McCormick's brand, that is available in most North American markets is a blend of several ingredients. This mixture of spices is used to add warmth and flavour to meat, poultry, seafood and other Indian dishes. In India, the mixture of spices in garam masala varies from state to state and from household to household.

Baked Herbed Cod Dinner

Baked Cod with Green Beans Almondine
 & Pan Fried Potatoes
on a Bed of Basmati Rice

Who knew cod could taste so good? 

I generally avoid buying cod because they're pretty tasteless, fall apart easily and doesn't seem to be able to withstand simmering in a gravy. These fillets, however, were thick, meaty and very fresh. They turned out to be succulent and flaked easily after baking. Any fish fillet will work in this recipe.

Burmese Pazun Sipyan - Shrimp Curry

Pazun Sipyan
(Shrimp in Coconut Sauce)

This is a Burmese dish that was made in the microwave oven.  'Pazun' means shrimp and 'Sipyan' means 'oil returns'. So as not to skimp on fat, use a healthy oil such as extra-light olive oil when cooking Burmese food.  To get the full flavour to develop, no water was added because the oil must separate and return to the surface in the short time it takes to cook this in the microwave oven. It took exactly four minutes to get done!

Burmese Ohn Htamin - Cooked in the Microwave Oven

Ohn Htamin
(Rice Cooked in Coconut Milk)

I've blogged before about making Ohn Htamin on the stove top and that recipe is fine if you have ample time on your hands to saute the onions and rice prior to setting it to simmer on the stove top. Here is a quick and easy way to achieve the same results when there's no time to waste. It is almost a guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

Soon after we arrived in Canada in 1977, we bought our first microwave oven. It was an expensive piece of equipment but because it was such a new technology, I was wary of using it to its full potential. Boiling water for tea or coffee, reheating left-over food or thawing a frozen piece of fish or poultry was about the extent of its use in our home.

Three decades later, the microwave oven is proving to be an integral part of my kitchen. I've progressed to making quite a few dishes in the microwave oven and like it because it cuts down dramatically on the cooking time.

This method of preparing Ohn Htamin is the perfect example of how useful an appliance it is!

Burmese Ohn Htamin Neh Pazun Sipyan - A Microwaved Meal in Less Than 30 Minutes

Clockwise from Left:Ohn Htamin Neh Pazun Sipyan
Ohn Htamin
Pazun Sipyan
Fruit Salad

This Burmese meal was on the table in under half an hour because it was cooked in a microwave oven. Allow about 10 minutes preparation time to wash and drain the rice, thaw and peel already deveined shrimp and to assemble the ingredients. This is the perfect meal when guests drop by unannounced around dinner time and will feed 4 people. Serve a fruit salad for dessert for a light but festive meal.

Ohn Htamin
(Rice Cooked in Coconut Milk)

This Ohn Htamin or Rice Cooked in Coconut Milk was made in the microwave oven in just 18 minutes. That is unheard of when rice has to be cooked on the stove top or in a rice cooker. You will find the recipe here. 

Pazun Sipyan
(Tangy Coconut Shrimp Curry)

Add 4 minutes to that and accompany this rice with a delectable Burmese Tangy Coconut Shrimp Curry or Pazun Sipyan, which was also cooked in the microwave oven. Here is the recipe.

Just one can of coconut milk was used for this dinner. The creamy solids that collect at the top of the can were scooped up with a spoon and used in the shrimp curry and the rest of the coconut milk was used in the rice. The ratio of rice to liquid is 1:2, so the difference in liquid, after measuring the coconut milk, was made up with chicken broth.

Fruit Salad

The fruit salad comprises segments of navel orange, red seedless grapes and segments of apricot. A light, cool and refreshing end to a delectable Burmese meal! For another variation on the fruit salad, take a look at this option.