Scrambled Egg Chili Chicken (辣椒炒蛋鷄, Laat6 Ziu1 Caau2 Daan6 Gai1)

 

This recipe was updated on 19 Jul 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

The serrano and jalapeño peppers are growing like mad in my garden. So here’s a dish that consists of peppers and chicken in a Chinkiang vinegar based sauce. I wasn’t sure how hot the peppers were, so I seeded them before cooking, but seeding is totally optional. While I like hot and spicy food, this dish still made me sweat even after seeding the peppers, so you can imagine how hot the dish would have been if the seeds were still present! Chinkiang vinegar is rice based and black in color. The vinegar helps to moderate the heat from the peppers in the dish. Black or cider vinegar can be substituted if you can’t find Chinkiang vinegar at your local Asian supermarket.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Chicken thigh or breast meat (雞肉, gai1 juk6), cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2	2	Large green chili peppers (辣椒, laat6 ziu1), cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
2	2	Large red chili peppers (紅番椒, hung4 faan1 ziu1), cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
4-6	4-6	Eggs (雞蛋, gai1 daan6), scrambled
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

6 Tbs.	90 ml.	Chinkiang vinegar (镇江香醋, zan3 gong1 hoeng1 cou3) or black vinegar (黑米醋, hak1 mai5 cou3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Chinkiang Vinegar
(镇江香醋, zan3 gong1 hoeng1 cou3)

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by removing any skin or bones, and cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. Wet with water and add baking soda to the chicken, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the chicken in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the chicken overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Wash the green and red chili peppers. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and membrane. Seeding the peppers is optional. If you want a very hot dish, just keep the seeds and white membrane. Cut the peppers into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
4. Scramble the eggs in a bowl.
5. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
6. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
7. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Chinkiang or black vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the eggs and scramble them while the wok is heating up. To get fluffy scrambled eggs, use this technique: As the eggs set, remove the pan or wok from the heat while continually scrambling the eggs with a spatula. Once the eggs stop setting off the heat, put the wok back onto the heat until the eggs start setting again. Continue taking the pan or wok on and off the heat as the eggs set until fully scrambled. Transfer the eggs to a bowl when complete.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil. Add the chicken pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the chicken in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the chicken to a bowl different from that containing the scrambled eggs.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the chili peppers. Stir fry the chili peppers to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic mixture becomes fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the chicken back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
4. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some liquid (stock or water) to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Finally add the scrambled eggs and mix the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.