Well, Team Billy made it far, and we’re all so proud of just how far he made it. So in honour of the “Dessert Queen” (LOL) I’ve decided this is a good time to post this recipe, which is a tweak of his posted recipe, and the version out of reigning Masterchef Adam Liaw’s book, Two Asian Kitchens (which I highly recommend you pick up if you love Japanese/Chinese/Malaysian foods).
I first made this recipe back some time last year, and as I said, I’ve tweaked it a little to suit my tastes. You can do the same! Be creative and flexible, cook what you like! I seriously love this recipe and cook it at least a couple times per month. Billy said it’s complicated, but I find it to be a very fast, inexpensive (I have most of the ingredients stocked in the pantry) 30 minute week-night meal.
Ingredients: serves 2
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced or thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 dried chillis (soak in warm water for a few minutes, then thoroughly dry)
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorn (can ommit, if you MUST)
1/2 onion (I usually use brown, accidentally bought red this time! But it adds nice colour…)
3 spring onions/scallions/green onions, cut in 2 inch pieces (optional)
A handful of roasted cashews, quickly toasted in a dry wok or fry-pan
For the marinade:
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Flour (to coat chicken before frying)
For the sauce:
4 tbsp raw sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry)
1 tbsp corn starch in warm water (to use at very end)
Method:
-Coat the chicken in the marinade and pop in the fridge, covered, for at least 1 hour (if in a time crunch, forgo this time — just pop it in as long as you can.)
-Now is a good time to prepare your “mise en place” (everything in it’s place) — this means get all your ingredients chopped or prepared and set in bowls or cups ready to add. This is crucial when stir-frying as you must move very quickly. The whole ‘cooking’ process will only take a matter of minutes.
-Make a little chilli oil to fry the lot in by heating a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok until almost smoking. Add the chillis and peppercorns and stir-fry until the oil is fragrant — don’t allow the chillis to burn! Remove the chillis into a bowl and set aside.
-Toss sliced garlic into the oil and stir-fry briefly.
-Toss your chicken through the flour to coat it all, then add to the hot oil and garlic. Stir fry until crispy, using tongs or chopsticks to separate the pieces and keep them from sticking.
-When it is golden, add your sauce. It will sizzle and de-glaze (getting all the sticky yummy bits off the wok.)
-Now add the onions, green onions & chillis and stir-fry around a little.
-Pour in a little of the cornstarch mixture just until the sauce thickens into a nice glaze. Add it reasonably! You don’t want the sauce to be gloppy.
-Add your toasted roasted cashews and toss through evenly.
-Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.
BIG NOTE: be sure not to overcook a stir-fry! Your veggies should have crunch to them still, and the dish should taste overall fresh. The whole cooking process in the wok should take around 10 minutes (hence why you gotta be organized!)
Tags: #TeamBilly, A Table For Two, Asian, atablefortwo, Billy Law, Cashews, Chicken, Chilli, Chillies, Chillis, Chinese, Contestants, Food, Gary Mehigan, George Colambaris, Gong Bao Chicken, Gongbao Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Masterchef, Masterchef 2011, Masterchef Australia, Matt Preston, Peppercorn, Spicy, Stir-Fry, Szechuan, Team Billy, Yummy
Thanks for this 30min week-night meal recipe! looks good and easy to make.
it is!! haha. thx for the comment raff!
Ok…why don’t I just stop making bad replicas of your dinners, and have you cook for us! Do you do home delivery. LOL.
luhlz. Just keep practicin’ & they’ll be great replicas!!
Sounds delicious!! I will try it, i really need to improve on my asian style stirfry dishes!
It is SOO good!! Stir-frys are easy w/ practice — just need a wok (the one in my pictures was $16 from Cabramatta), HIGH HEAT & organization.
mmmmm i don’t have a wok! (except an electric one we got as a wedding present but its quite useless) i was just reading your ingredients and love how you list the spring onion bit, i never know what to call them.
Love that first picture.
Thank you for the compliment Kulsum — that’s great coming from you! Have just been looking through your blog and your photos are beautiful.
Sounds delicious. I tend to go for pasta for a quick mid week meal, but this looks like a tasty, quick alternative.
How do you keep the garlic from burning when you add the chicken and fry it? I find that my garlic always burns when I try to do that. Would it be best to remove it after it gives off its flavor and then add back to the pan with the remaining ingredients after the chicken has been cooked? How hot is this dish? I like it pretty spicy and wondered if the whole peppers and the peppercorns were sufficient for a hot and spicy dish. Your picture looks scrumptous!!
Hey thanks for commenting.
To keep the garlic from burning, you could remove it from the heat before adding the chicken (cook it with the chillis then remove?). I haven’t found it usually burns, because it’s in the oil for less than 10 seconds before I add the chicken (causing the heat to distribute further), and then cooking the chicken really only takes a couple minutes before the sauce is added. But removing it would keep it safe for sure :D
I have a very high heat threshold — this is a mild dish to me. If you want to adjust it, add more chillies & peppercorns — and even desiccate or crush up some of the dry chilli to add to the sauce! You could also try adding some sliced fresh chillies.