With the start of a new year, almost everyone vows the same things; eat better, get in shape, and generally live a healthier lifestyle. This does not mean you have to subsist on rice cakes and water. Preparing more meals at home is a great way to control what you what you eat, and feel better about what goes into your body. One takeout category that is hard for me to avoid is Chinese food. Sometimes I just have to have it, and it’s usually greasy and makes me a little sluggish after I eat it. However, Chinese food doesn’t have to be that way. This recipe is really easy, doesn’t require any hard to find ingredients, and best of all, can be made any night of the week. I used the Crispin cider for this recipe as it is readily available in most Seattle grocery stores, and it has just the right amount apple tartness to compliment the other sweet and sour flavors in the dish. Another thing I like about this recipe is that it's very versatile. Just about any combination of meat, tofu, and vegetables would work. Just use whatever you have on hand.
Serves about 4
2 oz. dried Shitake mushrooms
2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 medium sized onion diced
¾ cup diced carrots
¾ cup diced celery
¾ cup sweet potato, in cubes
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp. fresh grated, peeled ginger (a microplane works great for this)
8 oz. Crispin cider (you have to save a little of the bottle to drink, right?)
¼ cup rice wine vinegar (any white vinegar will do)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce (Mae Ploy is an easy to find and good brand)
¼ cup water
1 ½ tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1. Soak mushrooms in about 2 cups of hot water for about 20 minutes. While mushrooms are soaking, put a little oil in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium high heat.
2. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and when the oil starts to shimmer, add chicken, brown on both sides, then remove from pot.
3. Turn heat to medium, and add onions. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
4. Add vegetables and cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add garlic and ginger. When garlic and ginger become fragrant-about 1 minute-add cider and stir, scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pot.
5. Remove mushrooms from the water, but DO NOT dump out the mushroomy liquid. Wring out as much excess moisture from the mushrooms and dice finely, then add mushrooms and about 1 ½ cups of mushroom liquid to the pot.
6. Add vinegar and sweet chili, a few grinds of black pepper, cut chicken cut into strips, place in pot and simmer until everything is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
7. Combine water, corn starch, sesame oil, and stir to combine. Add mixture and cook for another few minutes until sauce starts to thicken.
Serve over noodles, or rice. If you are trying to be healthy, brown rice is not only a good source of whole grain, but also adds a nice nutty element to the dish. For those that like a little spice, top with crused red pepper, or Sriracha hot chili sauce and enjoy!
Comments