Foil-wrap Five-Spice Roast Chicken

[zhemao]

Sorry for not posting much recently. I've been too busy to cook much. I tried this recipe out yesterday and I think it turned out quite well.

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs (other cuts probably also okay)


• Five-spice powder


• Salt


• Garlic Powder


• Sesame Oil


• Scallions

Pre-prep Directions:

1. Rub salt into the chicken thighs until the pores in the skin become visible


2. Sprinkle garlic powder onto the chicken and make sure it's evenly distributed


3. Liberally dust both sides of the chicken with five-spice powder


4. Put the chicken into a sealable container and pour some sesame oil over it. Toss to coat evenly


5. Let the chicken sit in the refrigerator to chill overnight

Cooking Directions:

1. Cut the scallions into stalks about as long as the chicken is wide


2. Lay down a sheet of tin foil. Place the scallions down first and then lay the chicken over them


3. Fold the foil over the chicken into a rectangular envelope. Make sure to leave extra space as the juices will come out during cooking. Each piece of chicken should be wrapped individually.


4. Put a non-stick pan on the range on low heat. Put the foil envelopes down on the pan and cover.


5. Let the chicken cook like this for about 30 minutes.


6. Turn off the heat and let it sit in the pan for an additional 5 minutes.


7. Move the foil envelopes to a plate and carefully unwrap.


8. Transfer the chicken to one container and pour the juices into a separate container.

That's pretty much it. If you have toaster oven, you could probably use that instead of the pan. Just make sure to use a baking tray in case the juice leaks out of the foil envelopes.

Not sure what to do with the extra chicken fat. After chilling in the fridge, it will solidify. Perhaps you could use it like a bouillon cube. You could make gravy from it, or use it to fry something else (Chicken-fried rice?). If I figure something out, I'll make another post here.

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Stir-fried Baby Bok Choy w/ Garlic

[zhemao]

So often in my recipes, I put "serve with white rice and your favorite stir-fried veggies". Here, I'll give a detailed description of how to make my favorite stir-fired vegetable dish: baby bok choy. This is a quintessential Shanghainese dish that focuses on simplicity and bringing out the natural flavor of fresh ingredients.

Part 1: Buying Baby Bok Choy

This can be kind of confusing to people not familiar with the vegetable, since there are many varieties called "bok choy" in the west. What I use is called qingcai in Mandarin and generally called "baby bok choy" or "Shanghai bok choy" in English. It's distinct from the regular bok choy because it has smaller greenish stems as opposed to long white stems. Make sure you get the right kind. You might be able to find it in a regular supermarket if you live in a big coastal city in the US. Otherwise, check out your local Asian market.

Part 2: Washing

Properly washing the baby bok choy is very important for getting rid of any undesirable flavors and bringing out the natural sweetness of the vegetable. If you don't do it properly, the dish will turn out incredibly bitter. Here is the process I use. My mother taught it to me, so it's got the old Shanghainese lady seal of approval. This'll be easier if you have two large washing bowls. I use one for the actual washing and the other for draining.

1. Separate the leaves in the head of bok choy and put them in the washing bowl.


2. Fill the bowl with water and lightly rub the vegetables to remove any dirt.


3. Transfer the vegetables to the other bowl and pour out the water. Wash out any dirt collected at the bottom.


4. Put the vegetables back in the washing bowl and fill with water again. Make sure the vegetables are completely submerged.


5. Let the vegetables soak in the water for 45 min. to an hour. This helps soften up the fibers and dilutes any bitter substances.


6. Drain the water again, then refill and give the vegetables a final rinse.

Part 3: Cutting

If the bok choy you bought is small enough, you may not actually need to chop them. I usually get mid-sized ones, so it's best to chop for even cooking. Since the stalks take a bit longer to cook than the leaves, I usually separate them out.

1. Using a cutting board and a sharp knife, separate the stalks from the leaves. Set the leaves aside (this is why you have two washing bowls)


2. Cut the stalks into bite-sized pieces. It's best to cut in half lengthwise and then start cutting horizontally.


3. Put the stalks in the other bowl. Make sure they are drained well. Excess water will make it hard to fry them properly.

Part 4: Cooking

Now we're almost done. The actual cooking is actually the easiest step. Besides the bok choy, you will need the following ingredients.

• chopped garlic


• salt


• sugar


• cooking oil

So here's what we do

1. Pre-heat the wok on medium heat. Once it gets to a stable temperature, add a tablespoon of oil and garlic.


2. Quickly stir the garlic until it becomes fragrant. This will only take a few seconds. Be careful to avoid burning.


3. Turn the heat to high and then add the stalks. Stir fry until the remaining water sizzles away and the stalks get somewhat singed. Make sure to stir from the bottom up.


4. Turn the heat to medium and add the leaves. Continue to stir, making sure the leaves make it to the bottom.


5. Add salt. This will make the water held inside the vegetables start to come out. Once it does, add sugar, turn the heat to low and cover. You do not need any additional water.


6. Let the veggies simmer until cooked. This should take about 3 minutes. You can check by biting into a piece and seeing if it's still crunchy. Your preferences for how well-cooked it is might vary. I like mine a bit chewy.


7. Turn the heat back up to high to reduce some of the liquid. Add additional salt and sugar to taste. Then turn off the heat and serve immediately.

Part 5: Eating :)

So that's basically it. This goes quite well with the five-spice roast chicken from my previous post. It seems like it would be a simple dish, but it's actually a bit tricky. But if you get it right, you'll be rewarded with healthy and incredibly delicious vegetables.

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