Chinese chicken salad recipe

How to Prepare / Make / Cook - ?Chinese chicken salad recipe

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS:

4 ounces rice sticks
4 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 head lettuce, shredded
preserved red ginger, chopped
Sauce:
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup light soy sauce
2 scallions, chopped fine
1 teaspoon pepper oil (optional, see link to recipe in directions)
2 to 4 cups oil for deep frying

PREPARATION:

Deep-fry rice sticks quickly, a few at a time in very hot oil until they puff, about 1 second. Drain. Remove.

Rub chicken with soy sauce and sesame oil. Place in shallow pan. Roast 45 minutes in 350 degree oven.

When chicken is cool, discard skin and bones and break meat apart with hands into shreds.

Confetti Rice

This dish gets its name from the riot of color created by the vegetables. It’s a great alternative to fried rice since the chicken broth imparts a delicate flavor without any added oil. I have given directions for making the rice in a steam pot or saucepan. If you are using an electric rice cooker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and add the peas halfway through the cooking.

2 cups long-grain rice
2 cups Chinese chicken broth (page 64) plus 1 teaspoon salt or
1 (13 ¾ -ounce) can chicken broth and enough water to make 2 cups
½ cup diced fresh carrots or thawed frozen carrots
½ cup diced red bell pepper (about ½ pepper)
½ cup com, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions or diced red onion
½ cup fresh peas, parboiled, or thawed frozen peas
2 tablespoons minced parsley.

1. Place the rice in a large bowl and cover it with cold water. Swish the rice around with your hands and then drain. Repeat 2 times and drain.

2. Place the rice in a 2-quart steam pot or in a 2-quart saucepan. Add the broth, 3 tablespoons water, carrots, red pepper, corn, and scallions. Mix well and smooth the surface flat so that every grain of rice is submerged in the broth. Put a lid on the steam pot or saucepan.

3. Place the steam pot in a bath of water in a wok, stir-fry pan, or other shallow pan wide enough to hold the pot comfortably. The water level should not come up any higher than 2 inches from the lid. Cover the pan holding the steam pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat no medium or medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add more boiling water to the pan as necessary so it does not ever evaporate completely. (Or place the saucepan over medium heat. When the water boils, stir the rice, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook until there is no visible liquid over the rice and the surface of the rice forms holes, about 5 minutes.)

4. Uncover the steam pot or saucepan and sitar in the peas. Re-cover the steam pot and the wok and cook for 20 minutes. (Or re-cover the saucepan, turn the heat as low as possible, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.) The rice should be tender and no longer have a hard core.

5. Remove the steam pot from the water or the saucepan from the heat. Fluff up the rice with a pair of wet chopsticks or a bamboo rice paddle. If using the steam pot, sprinkle the parsley over the top and serve directly from the pot. Transfer the saucepan rice to a covered serving dish and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.