Stir-fried Chicken with Chinese Chives

Every now and then I grocery shop in Chinatown in Soho. It's a bit out of my way, but is the only readily accessible source for cheap Pocky that I know (not that I'm addicted - no, not me). Add to that the allure of fresh Asian vegetables, newly-made noodles and tofu, and a huge range of otherwise impossible-to-find groceries and frozen goods such as crabs, shrimp, pig's maws, squid and frogs legs (although they always seem to be out of the latter, much to my annoyance), and it's always a shopping trip that makes for heavy bags on the way home.

Amongst other goods I picked up were a large bunch of Chinese Chives (Gau Choy), the flat, dark green type (as opposed to the Yellow Chinese Chives, Gau Wong, which are shielded from the sun as they grow). Also known as Garlic Chives, these are quite diffent from the chives we usually use; Chinese chives are Allium tuberosum (the cultivated variety) or Allium ramosum (the wild variety), whilst normal, 'European' Chives are Allium schoenoprasum. Somewhat amusingly, they also originate from the Orient, supposedly having been brought back by Marco Polo and been cultivated in Europe since the sixteenth century.

Chinese Chives have a stronger, more garlicky taste and scent however, as well as a more fibrous texture, and substituting one for the other when making Chinese food doesn't really work (to my mind anyway). Usually I just make Stir-fried Egg with these, but this time I decided to be a bit more adventurous. So I asked Barbara of Tigers and Strawberries, (my guru for all cooking Chinese) if she could suggest a meat dish that would make good use of the chives. She rose to the challenge and sent me this very tasty recipe. In Barbara's own words:

". . .what you can do is stir fry any meat with them [the chives] (though pork is classic--for Chinese Muslims or those in the extreme north--tender lamb is stir fried, too--and they are both good with seafood, now that I think on it)--like this:

Cut up a 1" cube of fresh, peeled ginger into thin slices, and then shreds. Cut your chives up into lengths of about 1". Slice your meat thinly, and then shred into 1 1/2" by 1/2" shreds. (It is easier to do when the meat is partly frozen.)

Marinate meat in a bit of dry sherry or Shao Hsing wine, and a splash of either thin or dark soy sauce. (Thin for chicken or pork, dark for lamb or beef.) Add about a half tablespoon or so of cornstarch, and toss the meat and marinating liquids together and let sit for at least twenty minutes.

Heat peanut oil up in your wok or pan, and when it is sizzling hot, add ginger, and stir fry until fragrant. (At this point, you can add either fresh chile slices, a couple of dried chiles or chile flakes to add a bit of heat.) Add meat to the pan, reserving any liquid marinade in the bowl. (Most of it will cling to the meat.) Pat it into a single layer, and leave it still to brown for at least forty-five seconds to a minute. As soon as you smell the browning start, then start stir frying. When meat is nearly done--you see very little bits of raw still on the slices add the chives, and keep stir frying. Add any reserved marinade, a pinch of sugar or honey, a lashing of white or black pepper, and a splash of soy sauce. Cook until the liquid reduces and thickens--about a minute or so if you have a really high heat stove. If you like it saucier--you can also add a tablespoon or so of chicken broth into which a bit of cornstarch has been dissolved, and let that thicken.

Drizzle a scant 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil on top just before removing from the heat.

Voila! Meat shreds with chives--a classic dish. I learned it from Lo, one of the underchefs at the Chinese restaurant where I worked."

I had intended to do this with pork. However, due to the District line tube being out, I couldn't do the usual Friday morning shop at my butcher's. And I refuse to buy meat at Tescos. Fortunately I had a couple of chicken breasts in my freezer - there was also a bag of squid bought in Chinatown on Thursday, but I was feeding Mark as well, and he doesn't care for squid.

The meat dish was accompanied by Baby Bok Choy (my favorite), steamed and tossed with sesame oil and sesame seeds, and Merchant Gourmet's Imperial Red Rice, which gets harder and harder to find. I was very peeved to notice recently that Safeways have followed Tesco's lead and stopped stocking it - filling it's space with packets of cheap 'n nasty own-store rice or even nastier 'instant rice dish'. Yuck.

I can see why this is a classic dish however - elegantly simple, and truly delicious. I was very happy how it turned out. I used honey and sherry, and added a single red chilli, which gave a nice little kicker to the taste. Mark was also highly enthusiastic - if the cleaned plate is anything to go by. The chicken was beautifully tender, and it's something I'll be adding to my list of core recipes. Next step is to try it with squid and pork. Thank you again Barbara!

Comments

[Barbara]

I can tell by looking at it that it turned out perfectly--I can almost smell it.

That is a Cantonese homestyle recipe--very simple. Lo told me that it was good for cooking quickly up after work. He also said that the chives were a good blood cleanser and had a lot of "green vitamins" in them. He was a great believer in the power of "green vitamins" and I never saw him sit down to a meal where something green was not served. He and Huy both cultivated my love of Chinese greens by cooking many different kinds of them so beautifully.

Baby bok choi are my favorites, too. I cannot wait until we terrace out the back yard in coming years; I want to grow various of my favorite Asian vegetables so I can have them fresh and local--baby bok choi, choy sum, fu gwa and long beans. And, of course, Thai chiles. I love those.

[Christina]

Thank you! :-)
I bought some seeds which I haven't planted yet for bok choi. Sadly the garden has gone a little by the wayside! Still there's always next year.