Chicken and black bean sauce with bok choi
Heat up the wok for a delicious dinner for two with stir-fried strips of chicken, spicy black bean sauce, greens and egg-fried rice.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into slices 1cm/½in thick
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 10cm/5in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 red chillies, finely chopped
- 50g/1¾oz fermented black beans
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 150ml/5fl oz chicken stock
- 6 spring onions, finely sliced
- 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander leaves
- 2 heads bok choi
- 200g/7oz cooked basmati rice, cold
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
Method
Put the chicken in a bowl with one tablespoon each of the soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine and sesame oil. Add the cornflour then mix to combine and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is hot. Add one tablespoon of the vegetable oil, and when it is hot and slightly smoking, add the chicken and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until nearly cooked through. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside then wipe out the wok and return to the heat.
Mix together the ginger, garlic and chilli.
Add another tablespoon of the vegetable oil and when it’s hot and slightly smoking again, add a third of the ginger, garlic, chilli mix and all the black beans and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until just softened.
Add the remaining two tablespoons of Shaoxing rice wine, one tablespoon of the soy, all the sugar and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly and the chicken is cooked through.
Finish with a third of the spring onion and a tablespoon of coriander and stir through.
Set aside and heat another wok until hot, add one tablespoon of vegetable oil, half the remaining ginger, garlic and chilli mix and half the remaining spring onion and stir fry for one minute. Add the bok choi and 75ml/3fl oz of water and stir fry until the bok choi is tender and the liquid evaporated. Add one tablespoon of coriander and half the remaining spring onion and stir fry for one minute then put onto the serving plate.
Wipe out the wok and return to the heat, then add the last of the vegetable oil, ginger, garlic and chilli and stir fry for one minute then add the cooked rice and stir fry for one minute.
Pour the beaten egg into the centre of the wok, then stir fry through for a couple of minutes so the rice is hot and the egg cooked through.
Stir in the last tablespoon of sesame oil, and the remaining coriander and spring onion and fry for another minute.
To serve, pile the rice onto plates, spoon some chicken next to it, then finish with the bok choi.