An inspiration struck me in a flash shortly after making my last Kung Pao chicken — pomegranate! I was thinking of something along the lines of a variation of a hybrid General Tso's and Kung Pao chickens, the goal in mind being a slightly earthy and fruit dish that's sweet, tart, and spicy like General Tso's is. It's when I get adventurous and creative like this that I enjoy cooking the most.
Today's Specimen
Ingredients
- main
- 2 chicken breasts, cubed (about 1 cup, packed)
- ¾ cup shallot, halved axially and sliced thinly
- 1 cup carrot, half-length alumette
- ½ cup lemon zest, strips sliced in half
- 1 tbsp. light agave nectar
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1 star anise
- about 15 tien tsin peppers (about ⅓ cup, or medium handful)
- 2 tbsp. sesame oil
- marinade
- 3 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp. garlic, fine diced
- 1 tbsp. ginger, fine diced
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- sauce
- 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp. pomegranate juice
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. light agave nectar
- 1 tbsp. garlic, fine diced
- 1 tbsp. ginger, fine diced
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
Directions
- In a small bowl or container combine the marinade ingredients and mix thoroughly until the starch is dissolved, then immerse the chicken in it and cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours, preferably overnight. A small sealable plastic bag is ideal for this purpose.
- When the chicken is done marinating drain it well in a strainer and set aside while heating sesame oil at medium-high temperature in a wok or large frying pan. At the same time combine the lemon zest, water, and agave nectar in a small saucepot and start simmering on low heat, stirring constantly.
- When the oil just starts to smoke add the star anise and cook until it starts to blacken and you can smell a strong aroma from the pan, then add the tien tsin peppers and cook them until they start to blacken and their pungent aroma wafts out of the pan, stirring or swirling constantly all the while. This should take about three to four minutes.
- Add the chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until it whitens on all sides, then add the shallots and carrots and cook for about five minutes, stirring constantly.
- Drop the temperature to medium and add the lemon zest and pour in the sauce and simmer, stirring constantly, for about five minutes.
- Remove the wok or pan from the heat and immediately pour each serving over a portion of rice to enjoy right away as an entre, preferably served with a vegetable side of some kind.
Next Time in the Lab
I like the sauce, but want to make slight modifications to it to render it a bit more fruity and tangy. It was a mistake leaving the tien tsin peppers whole, and so they will be crumbled into pieces next time. As for the use of lemon zest, that was a huge mistake and made the dish taste off every time I bit into one; I think I'll just keep it simple next time and only add green onions for vegetable. The marinade can be simpler, too.
- Omit the garlic and ginger and the corn starch from the marinade.
- Break the tien tsin peppers into pieces roughly a quarter-inch wide.
- Substitute 2 cups diced green onions for all the vegetables (and fruit) added to the chicken, adding at the moment of serving the dish.
- Increased the pomegranate juice from 3 tbsp. to 4 tbsp. in the sauce.
- Omit the lemon juice from the sauce.
- Substitute 1 tbsp. kumquat juice for the 1 tbsp. rice vinegar in the sauce.
