Black Pepper Sauce Chicken (黑椒汁鷄, Hak1 Ziu1 Zap1 Gai1)

This recipe was updated on 04 May 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Just like black bean garlic sauce, black pepper sauce is another ready-made bottled sauce that comes in handy when you want to make a stir fry dish. Among other ingredients, the sauce consists of black pepper (obviously) and some tomato paste. The sauce is supposed to go well with beef. I happen to use Lee Kum Kee brand and you can purchase black pepper sauce at your local Asian market.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

 

¾ lb.	375 g.	Chicken thigh or breast meat (雞肉, gai1 juk6), cut into 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)
1	1	Green bell pepper (青椒, ceng1 ziu1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1	1	Red bell pepper (紅椒, hung4 ziu1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
7.4 oz.	210 g.	One 15 oz. (425 g.) can straw mushrooms (草菇, cou2 gu1), drained
2 stalks	2 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
1	1	Jalapeño pepper, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces (optional)
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

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Lee Kum Kee brand black pepper sauce (黑椒汁, hak1 ziu1 zap1) or equivalent
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)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions

Lee Kum Kee Brand
Black Pepper Sauce
(黑椒汁, hak1 ziu1 zap1)

1. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by removing any skin or bones, and cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. Add the baking soda to the chicken, allow to tenderize for 10 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 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 red and green bell peppers. Cut the bell peppers into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
4. Open and drain the can of straw mushrooms.
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.
7. Prepare the sauce in a small bowl, add the Lee Kum Kee brand black pepper sauce or equivalent, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. Mix together and set aside. 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 and 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. Set the chicken aside in a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the straw mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then remove them to the bowl with the chicken.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Jalapeño peppers. Quickly stir fry the Jalapeño peppers to blacken them before adding more oil and then the bell peppers. Stir fry the peppers before adding the bowl with the ginger and garlic, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become 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 more water and/or Shaoxing wine. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.