Hot Fermented Bean Curd Chicken (辣椒腐乳雞, Laat6 Ziu1 Fu6 Jyu5 Gai1)

Fermented bean curd can be purchased with or without chilies. I decided to use the hot version in this dish together with red serrano chili peppers to give the dish an added kick of heat. You can, of course, leave out the added red chili peppers and even use the non-spicy version of fermented bean curd if you don’t like the spiciness of the dish.

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)
1 lb.	500 g.	Fuzzy melon (節瓜, zit3 gwaa1), quartered and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
3	3	Dried bean curd sticks (腐竹, fu6 zuk1), rehydrated and cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
2-3	2-3	Red serrano chili peppers (紅番椒, hung4 faan1 ziu1), to taste and cut into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces
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

3 cakes	3 cakes	Fermented bean curd with chili (辣椒腐乳, laat6 ziu1 fu6 jyu5)
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)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Fermented Bean Curd with Chili
(辣椒腐乳, laat6 ziu1 fu6 jyu5)

Preparation Instructions

1. Pour boiling water over the dried bean curd sticks in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the bean curd sticks for at least one hour or overnight.
2. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by removing any skin or bones, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 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.
3. 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.
4. Wash and cut the fuzzy melon lengthwise into quarters. Cut each quarter into ½-inch (15 m.) pieces.
5. Remove the bean curd sticks from the rehydration liquid and discard the liquid. Remove as much liquid as possible from the bean curd sticks and cut them into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
6. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
7. Remove any stems from the red serrano chili peppers and cut into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces. Place the peppers into the bowl with the crushed ginger and garlic. The amount of peppers to use in this dish depends upon personal taste, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the hot fermented bean curd, 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 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 bean curd sticks. Stir fry the bean curd sticks and then remove them to the bowl with the chicken.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bowl with the ginger, garlic, and red chili peppers. Quickly stir fry the ginger, garlic, and red chili peppers until fragrant before adding more oil and then the fuzzy melon. Stir fry the fuzzy melon. Add 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. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.