China · Guizhou
Guizhou Spicy Chicken
Chicken stewed with ciba chilli, potatoes and spices until the meat is soft and the potato is floury and well seasoned. Deeply aromatic, properly hot.
Ciba chilli is the fermented, sun-dried paste that Guizhou cooks build their whole heat around, and its colour runs red through oil and sauce. Frying the chicken separately in two stages, and only using part of that oil for the stew, is what keeps the finished dish from turning greasy. Beer rather than water is what makes the sauce cling and the potatoes soft.
Ingredients
- ciba chilli paste500 g
- bay leaves2 pieces
- dark soy sauce20 ml
Directions
- 1
Fill the wok about halfway with oil and deep-fry the potato sticks until golden, then lift them out. When the oil is hot enough to bake you, add the chicken pieces with sliced ginger and Sichuan peppercorns.
- 2
At first the oil is cloudy because the chicken carries water; once it fries clear the chicken is done, so lift it out.
- 3
Now you can take about a third of the oil out of the wok, since you do not need this much.
- 4
Heat the remaining oil and add the ciba chilli, doubanjiang and ginger slices, frying until the oil turns red, then add the fried chicken and toss until coated evenly.
- 5
Once the chicken has taken colour, add the dark soy sauce and pour in the beer; the beer must cover the chicken. Add the bay leaves, cover and let it sit for 10 minutes, tossing now and then.
- 6
Then add the potato sticks and whole garlic cloves, uncut, and let it sit for another 20 minutes.
- 7
Finally stir through the fermented rice lees and add the chopped garlic sprouts, and it is ready to serve.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.