Sesame oil chicken is a beloved Chinese family classic which many home cooks would have tried to whip up in their kitchen.
It is a go-to dish for my mother whenever she runs out of ideas on what to cook for dinner.
Some time ago, a chef friend of mine suggested I liven up this homely dish with a touch of mui heong salted fish.
Mui heong salted fish is a type of fish – mackerel is commonly used – that is fermented before being cured with salt. It has a more complex flavour, with meat that is soft and yielding.
In Cantonese, mui means mould. The term mui heong refers to the aroma and flavour as a result of the fermentation process.
Add the mui heong salted fish towards the end of the cooking so it does not overpower the delicate fragrance of the sesame oil.
Mui heong salted fish is usually available canned and dried. The canned version is preserved in oil.
But even before the circuit breaker, not every provision shop sold this type of salted fish.
If you cannot get hold of it, go with the usual dried salted fish that is still available. I prefer the ones made from ikan kurau.
For the dried salted fish, pan-frying it in a little oil until it is golden brown will make it even more flavourful. Set it aside before you begin cooking the sesame oil chicken.
The salted fish lends more savoury depth to the sesame oil chicken, but the dish itself is tasty.
If you are not a salted fish fan, you can still enjoy this dish of sesame oil chicken without adding the salted fish.
For the chicken, I usually go for kampung chicken as the meat is leaner and the chicken is less fat. The meat also has more bite.
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SALTED FISH SESAME OIL CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS
60ml sesame oil
80g old ginger, sliced
80g garlic cloves, chopped
1.2kg chicken, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbs oyster sauce
2 Tbs light soya sauce
2 tsp dark soya sauce
300ml water
2 Tbs Shaoxing wine
1 slice of canned mui heong salted fish (15g), deboned
2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced
50g spring onion, cut into 5cm lengths
METHOD
1. Heat sesame oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add ginger slices and fry for 45 seconds until fragrant. Add garlic and fry for a minute.
3. Add chicken and fry until no blood is visible.
4. Add the oyster sauce, light soya sauce and dark soya sauce.
5. Add water, cover and bring to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 25 minutes.
7. Add the Shaoxing wine and mui heong salted fish. Turn off the heat and cover for 10 minutes.
8. Garnish with sliced chilli and spring onion. Serve hot.
Serves four to five
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