Chicken and Potato (薯仔炆雞)

This is my sister's recipe, and it's delicious! We had a big dim sum lunch in Liverpool today and I came home minus one child, who has decamped to my parents' house for a bit of peace and quiet. Give the lack of vegetables in today's diet, this went some way to redressing the balance. The boys had it with rice and half a corn on the cob. We also managed to make a dent in the glut of potatoes from the garden.

I tried to adapt this recipe previously, with my slow-cooked chicken, chestnut and potatoes (栗子薯仔炆雞), but I prefer this version, which only takes 20-25 minutes of cooking time. Using floury potatoes instead of waxy potatoes leads to a natural thickening of the sauce without needing to use cornflour. I was tempted to add chick peas, which would have also gone down well.

One child is a bit fussy about chicken (breast meat only unless drumsticks are involved - I hope it doesn't last long!). For reasons of taste and cost, my preferred meat would be from the thigh, so use an equivalent weight of whichever you prefer.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts or equivalent weight of thigh meat, diced into 2-3cm chunks
• 50ml light soy sauce
• 100-125ml Shaoxing rice wine (or use dry sherry as a substitute)
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
• A pinch of ground white pepper
• 2 slices of ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• 3 shallots, peeled, halved and sliced finely
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
• 3-4 medium sized floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 3-4cm chunks
• A handful of frozen petits pois
• Approx 100ml water to top up
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
• A couple of drops of sesame oil

Serves 3-4

Instructions

• Prepare the liquid mix. Add the light soy, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar, five spice and white pepper to a jug and mix to combine. Put to one side
• Put 1 tbsp of sunflower oil into a wok or pan and heat over a medium-high heat. Add the ginger and stir-fry quickly for 30 seconds, coating the sides of the pan in oil
• Add the garlic and stir-fry quickly for a few moments, then add the shallots. Stir-fry until the shallots soften - be careful not to let them catch and burn
• Add the chicken and stir-fry to seal. When the chicken is sealed, add the carrots and potatoes and stir the ingredients to mix.
• Add the liquid mixture to the pan then top up with water - the liquid should over no less than 80% of the ingredients, but do not cover completely
• Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes at a gentle boil.
• After 20 minutes, add the petits pois and stir. You will see the potato start to break up and thicken the sauce. Replace the lid and boil gently for another 3-4 minutes

• Remove the pan from the heat and add a few drops of sesame oil for flavouring. Stir and serve immediately with rice

Chicken and Potato (薯仔炆雞)