Mushroom Treasure Chicken

I enjoy Chinese food. Given a choice for a meal out or a take away I would usually opt for Chinese. Always Light on the tummy and such wholesome food with fantastic variety!

My all-time favourite pan-Asian ingredients are Sesame oil and Shitake Mushrooms. The nutty and woody flavour mingles well to enhance the taste of any dish. I recently learned that shitake mushrooms have been used by the Chinese for medicinal purposes for over 6,000 years; Never realised this fantastic tasting mushroom was packed with so benefits such as reducing cholesterol and is also an antioxidant.

In this dish I put together some of my favourite ingredients chicken, bell pepper, shitake mushrooms, garlic and sesame oil.

Ingredients

 

1¼ cup thinly sliced chicken breast (about one large chicken breast)

 

Marinade

½ tbsp garlic paste
½ egg beaten up
1tbsp corn flour
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp light soy sauce
 

Other Ingredients

¾ cup julienned red and yellow peppers

3 pieces dried black mushroom (wood ear)
4 pieces dried shitake mushrooms
3 tbsp ml Tomato puree
1½  tsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
1½ garlic paste (try using fresh garlic)
½ tbsp cooking Shao Hsing cooking wine
5 dried red chilies
½ tbsp chilly sauce
2 cups water
1 tbsp corn flour
Salt to taste

Any of these ingredients are easily available in gourmet stores. In Delhi the best place to shop for this stuff is INA markets. Always more economical !!

Method

Preparing the Chicken

·         Marinate the chicken in the marinade for about ½ hour

·         In a pan heat about 3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Once its smoking, adds 2 dried red chilies and add the marinated chicken. Stir fry for about 1-2 minutes till the chicken changes colour, before it starts turning light brown. Remember, over cooking the chicken will make it chewy. Take out the chicken in a bowl.



The Chicken - just before taking it out in a bowl

 

Cooking the rest of the dish

·         In a bowl take about 1 cup of hot water and soak the shitake and black mushrooms. Once they have been re-hydrated finely slice them. Do not throw the water in which you soaked the mushrooms.

 

Top - Shitake Mushroom , Bottom - Black Wood Ear Mushroom

 

·       In the same pan add 1½ tbsp of vegetable oil, add the remaining dried chilies once the oil is smoking. Add the remaining garlic paste and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add tomato puree and stirfry for about 2 minutes.

·       Add the mushrooms and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Now add the left over water from the mushrooms and let it simmer.

·       Add chilly sauce dark soy sauce and cooked chicken.

·       Take one cup of water and mix 1 tbsp corn flour. Add this to the pan. Mix well. Add bell peppers and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Ensure that you don’t overcook the bell peppers, and they are a little crunchy. Cook on a low flame.

·         Finally, adjust salt and chilies (add more chilly sauce if you like) bring to a boil add sesame oil and rice wine. Your dish is ready to plate!

 

         Serve with either rice or noodles... Enjoy !!!