Braised Chicken with Baby Taro (yu'er shao ji)

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 04:43:41 GMT

Step 1

Cut the chicken into 1/4-inch (3-4 cm) cubes and place in a bowl. Add the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine and mix well. Peel the taro, then cut each one into 2-3 pieces. Snip the chiles in half and shake out the seeds as much as possible. Lightly smack the scallion whites and cardamom with the flat of a cleaver blade or a rolling pin to loosen them.

Step 2

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a seasoned wok over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, spreading them out across the base of the wok, and fry for a minute or two until pale and slightly tinged with gold, turning them a few times during cooking. Remove from the wok and set aside. Rinse and dry the wok if necessary. Bring the stock to a boil in a separate pan.

Step 3

Heat 4 tbsp oil in the wok over gentle heat. Add the chile bean paste, cardamom, star anise and cinnamon and still fry until the oil is red and wonderfully fragrant. Do not hurry this step: take a few minutes to allow the flavors to develop Add the garlic, ginger and scallion whites and stir-fry until they smell wonderful too. Tip in the dried chiles, ground child and Sichuan pepper and continue to stir-fry until beautifully aromatic. (This is like conducting an orchestra, letting each of ingredients express themselves before calling on the next, building up to a grand crescendo of flavors.)

Step 4

Next add the chicken, taro and a little of the stock to the wok. Stir well, then transfer to a saucepan. Add enough stock to cover, bring to a boil and season with a little salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. At this stage you can remove and discard the cardamom, star anise and cinnamon, if you like.

Step 5

At the end of the cooking time, if you wish to reduce the liquid, turn the heat up and boil for about 5 minutes. Taste for salt, adding a little more if necessary, and then serve with sprigs of cilantro to garnish.

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