Whenever my stomach feels too bloated or when I want to enjoy the unadulterated flavour of chicken, I like to eat steamed chicken. The combination of ginger and sesame oil is a classic Cantonese one, one that gets rid of the ‘wind’ in the stomach and warms the body. Because of that, this could be a confinement dish. The Peranakans have their own version of this which they call muar eu kay. Like any other Singaporean favourite, there are so many variations to this dish - some prefer the ginger in slivers, some choose to fry or braise the chicken. But for me, marinating the chicken in a ginger-sesame oil cornstarch mixture before it is steamed is hands down my favourite way. The juices from the chicken collect in the dish - pure chicken essence - and the cornstarch gives the chicken a nice silky slippery texture.
Ginger and Sesame Oil Chicken
Serves 4
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon oil
35g chopped ginger
15g chopped garlic
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
¾ tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 ½ tablespoons Shaoxing wine
600g bone-in chicken, chopped into small pieces
½ tablespoon cornflour
Spring onion or coriander as garnish
Heat up the sesame oil and oil. Fry the chopped garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add oyster sauce, soy, dark soy, sugar, salt. Turn off the fire and add Shaoxing. Toss the chicken in cornflour well before mixing with the ginger mixture in a heatproof dish. Marinate for 20 minutes or overnight. Steam 15 minutes on high heat or until the chicken is fully cooked. Sprinkle sliced spring onions or coriander over.