syrupy soy chicken
1 min readThis one-pot wonder rivals the simplest weeknight stir-fry with its soy-seeped chicken, melt-in-the-mouth aubergine and sticky sauce. The key process is the transformation of a thin soy sauce mixture into a sweet and savoury syrup as it reduces down during cooking.
Serves 41 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp finely diced ginger 450g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat 1 large aubergine (about 300g), cut into rough chunksnion: 4 spring onions, cut into thirds lengthways steamed jasmine rice, to serve for the sauce 3 tbsp light soy sauce 12 tsp dark soy sauce 3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 2 tsp granulated sugar 1 tsp ground white pepper 1 Put the sauce ingredients into a bowl, pour in 250ml water and mix well. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the ginger for 1 minute until it starts to blister and turn golden along the edges. Add the chicken in a single layer and brown for 2 minutes on each side.
3 Pour a third of the sauce mixture over the chicken: it will bubble furiously. Allow the liquid to reduce by half. Turn the chicken over, add another third of the sauce mixture and reduce by a half.
4 Tuck the aubergine in between the chicken and pour over the remaining sauce mixture.When the liquid has reduced down to a light syrup and the aubergine is tender, toss the spring onions through until wilted. Serve the chicken, aubergine and sticky sauce with steamed rice.
