黑椒雞丁Black pepper chicken

The fast work of the section, with the salt-and-sweet glaze of the black pepper and the thin-cut of the chicken and the green of the onion doing the balance. A 1–2 min of the wok-heat, and the whole dish is the marinate half of the chicken, the stir-fry half of the green, and the salt-and-sweet coat of the black pepper over the whole thing.

Origin

China, the restaurant stir-fry with the black pepper as the top note

Difficulty

2 / 5

Servings

2–3

Prep

15 min + 20 min marinating

Cook

~4 min

Total

~25 min

Equipment

• A wok or a 26–28 cm heavy skillet — the wide surface is what gives the chicken its browning, and the wok-heat that a small pan can't hold
• A flat spatula or a wooden spoon, to break the cube up and toss it against the hot surface
• A pepper mill, or a mortar and pestle, for the coarse crack of the black pepper

Ingredients

• 300 g (10 oz) chicken thigh, cut 1 cm cubes, the thin-cut that sets the 1–2 min window
• 10 ml (2 tsp) light soy sauce — the salt of the marinate
• 10 ml (2 tsp) oyster sauce (or a 5 g of dried shrimp, the depth half of the balance)
• 5 ml (1 tsp) cornstarch — the thin, glossy coat of the marinate
• 5 ml (1 tsp) sesame oil
• 1 (80 g) red or green onion, the thin-cut, cut 5 mm dice
• 2 (15 g) cloves of garlic, sliced thin
• 1 (5 cm) piece of ginger, sliced thin
• 2 (15 g) bird's eye chilies, sliced thin, for the heat in the dish
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
• 3 (20 g) black peppercorns, cracked coarse to about 5 g of the ground black pepper — the top note
• 10 ml (2 tsp) sugar — the sweet edge against the salt
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) dark soy sauce — the color and depth

Method

1. The chicken, marinated. The 1 cm cube of the chicken with the 10 ml of the light soy, the 10 ml of the oyster, the 5 ml of the cornstarch, and the 5 ml of the sesame oil, and a 15–20 min rest. The marinate logic — the salt of the soy, the depth of the oyster, and the 5 ml of the cornstarch are the thin, glossy coat of the stir-fry, and the 15–20 min of the wet side of the family is the one that carries it to the surface of the cube.
2. The mise en place. The 5 mm dice of the onion, the slices of the garlic, the slices of the ginger, the sliced chili. The coarse crack of the black pepper — about 5 g of the ground, the top note of the balance. Measure the 10 ml of the sugar and the 15 ml of the dark soy together in a small bowl, and stir — the 25 ml of the salt-and-sweet mix, all in one, so the 30 s it's in the wok is the salt-and-sweet coat, not a pause.
3. The chicken, and the browning. High flame, the wok properly hot — a thin wisp of smoke, the ready test. Into the wok, the oil, in a thin film, and the 1 cm cube of the chicken, and 1–2 min, breaking the cube up as it cooks, until it has lost its pink and taken on a clean, even, salt-and-sweet browning. Tip it all to one side of the wok. This is the 1–2 min window of the stir-fry, and the one that sets the surface of the cube and the thin-cut edge against the wok-heat.
4. The aromatics, briefly. In with the garlic, the slices of the ginger, and the sliced chili, and 15–20 s, until the garlic is a pale gold and the raw smell has gone to fragrance. The aromatics-in-hot-fat move — the thin-cut of the garlic and the ginger is the one that sets the 15–20 s window.
5. The onion, the black pepper, and the salt-and-sweet. In with the 5 mm dice of the onion, and 30 s, until the green has just softened at the edge and the salt of the marinade has taken hold. Into the same wok, the coarse crack of the black pepper, and the 25 ml of the salt-and-sweet mix, and a 30 s of the fast work, until the whole thing is a single, even, glossy coat and the black pepper is in the salt-and-sweet sauce, not sprinkled on the plate.
6. The plate. Toss the chicken onto a plate, and the balance of the dish is the salt of the soy, the sweet of the sugar, the depth of the oyster, the top note of the black pepper, and the sharp edge of the green of the onion, all in the 1 cm cube. A bowl of plain jasmine rice (the rice article) is the starch that carries the salt-and-sweet coat of the cube.

What to serve with it

This is the stir-fry of the section, and the one that stands in for the egg-fried rice (the rice grain) and the chow fun (the rice noodle). It's the dish that pairs with anything that's a light, fresh, sharp plate to set the edge against the wok-heat of the cube: the som tum (the raw, pounded, the salt–acid–sweet) is the "cut" against the stir-fry cube, and the mapo tofu is there for the people who want the heat and the salt of the Sichuan edge to go with the stir-fry cube.