Steamed Chili Lemongrass Black Bean Chicken (鮮辣椒檸檬葉豆豉蒸鷄, Sin1 Laat6 Ziu1 Ning4 Mung4 Jip6 Dau6 Si6 Zing1 Gai1)

This recipe was updated on 24 May 2015. Some instructions were changed.

Steamed lemon chicken with black bean sauce is a recipe my Mom gave me when I first moved out of the house. I still have the 3x5 card (you remember those!) she gave me with that recipe many years ago. This variation of that quick cooking recipe uses lemongrass in place of lemons, with the addition of chili sauce to give the dish some spice. Since lemongrass is used instead of lemon, the dish has a hint of lemon rather than the stronger flavor a lemon supplies. The zucchini pieces are arranged along the edge of the plate to enhance the dish’s presentation.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Chicken thigh or breast meat (雞肉, gai1 juk6), cut into 1-inch (2.5 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 Tbs.	30 ml.	Salted black beans (豆豉, dau6 si6), crushed lightly
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), minced
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), minced
2 stalks	2 stalks	Lemongrass (檸檬葉, ning4 mung4 jip6), peeled and tender white portions cut into thin pieces
1-2 Tbs.	15-30 ml.	Sichuan Gao Fu Ji brand chili sauce (鮮辣椒, sin1 laat6 ziu1) or equivalent
2	2	Zucchini (意大利青瓜, ji3 daai6 lei6 ceng1 gwaa1), quartered and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces

 

Equipment

12 in.	30 cm.	Steamer (or larger)
9 in.	23 cm.	Plate or bowl for steaming
		Plate lifter

 

Sichuan Gao Fu Ji Brand Chili Sauce
(鮮辣椒, sin1 laat6 ziu1)

Instructions

1. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by removing any skin or bones, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 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 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 salted black beans and lightly crush them in a small bowl. Mince the ginger and garlic, add them to the bowl with the black beans, and mix together. Remove the tough outer layers of the lemongrass and then cut away any green parts, leaving the tender white portion. Cut the white portion of the lemongrass into thin pieces and put them into the bowl with black beans. Add the Sichuan Gao Fu Ji brand chili sauce or equivalent to the bowl, and mix all the ingredients together. Any brand of chili sauce can be used and the amount depends upon personal preference (i.e. how spicy you want the dish to be), so feel free to increase or decrease the amount.
4. Place the chicken into the center of the steaming bowl and then place the black bean, lemongrass, and chili mixture on top of the chicken.
5. Wash and quarter the zucchini into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Arrange the zucchini pieces around the edge of the steaming plate.
6. Fill the steamer with water and bring to a vigorous boil over high heat. Put the plate with the chicken into the steamer and cook over high heat for 5 minutes before reducing the heat to simmer for another 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the plate from the steamer with a plate lifter, and serve with steamed rice.