Weeknight Dinner: Chicken Stir-Fry
Stir fry occupies a curious place in the American kitchen and at the American table. Tablewise, it is another illustration of the strange and, it must be admitted, sometimes racist history of Chinese food in America. This is a distinction it shares with other dishes such as chow mein and chop suey. Like most Chinese-American dishes, these have their roots in authentic Chinese cooking. For example, modern chop suey is identified as an evolution of the tsa tsui, a rough translation from the Mandarin for "a little bit of this and little bit of that," that was the pieces of meat and vegetables that were prepared at dinner time by Chinese immigrants who worked on the railroads in the American West.
Due to the railroads, the locus of Chinese immigrant culture at this time was the West, with San Francisco its epicenter. Chop Suey Parlors arose in San Francisco's Chinatown, a trend that spread west with key stops in Denver, Chicago and New York City. In these dining rooms, not only was chop suey on the menu, so were egg rolls, fried rice and a great many other dishes common to Chinese heritage but at that time alien to the American palate. Through these dining rooms, Americans were exposed to Chinese cooking, though not exactly an authentic version of it, and they liked it. Even today, most Chinese-American cooking comes right off of the takeout menu.
There is no good answer to the question of why Chinese cooking, of all the cuisines that contribute to the American table, is among the least authentic in expression. In a theory that points, unfortunately but plausibly, to xenophobia, versions of which I have encountered everywhere from Ruch Reichl to food blogs, one could extrapolate that the American mind and the American palate experience authentic Chinese cooking as just plain off-putting. In China as elsewhere in the world, people ate whatever was available, and, also as elsewhere in the world, that included what could be picked or caught. Many such ingredients weren't readily available on the North American continent (even though their counterparts were), but they also weren't particularly necessary. Chinese cooking is highly adaptive -- the design of the wok itself speaks to that -- and so Chinese cooks took what was at hand and used the techniques of their own cooking to create dishes with those ingredients.
Chinese American cooking can be said to be the result of Chinese cooks adapting their tools and techniques to American ingredients. Aside from the adaptability the maneuver displays, it displays practicality, for as the restaurant culture spread, Chinese cooks could present their efforts to American eaters. The racism is unfortunate and undeniable, but while a culinarian acknowledges that and apologizes as warranted, what's fascinating is that a distinct hybrid cuisine emerged. And not only has the cuisine emerged, it has claimed its own place at the table and done so while pushing its own great grandparent away.
Which brings us to stir fry. Stir fry is one of the fundamental techniques for the Chinese practice of preparing food in a wok. There are two ways to stir fry: chao and bao. In wok cooking, the chef's goal is to bring out the wok hei - roughly translated as "the essence of the wok" - and display that in the dish. Chao and bao are methods with which to express wok hei. The measure of the wok chef's facility is the distinction of flavors and textures within the final dish as that dish expresses the spirit of the wok.
For chao, food is tossed into a hot wok in a specific order and with a small pause between each for mixing: oil, dry season, meat, vegetables, liquid. The process is swift but there are allowances for the wok cook to mix food in the wok, even remove one ingredient in order to prepare the next. For bao, the wok is heated to red-hot and the ingredients are added in rapid succession, without pause, while the wok is agitated by the cook.
For the most part, woks didn't arrive in the American kitchen until the 1970s, when thanks to the renaissance of foodie and consumerist cultures of the day, woks along with other then-exotic kitchen tools from French presses to pizza stones started appearing in stores. But as a technique, stir fry had arrived as a common practice in the non-Asian American kitchen as early as the 1950s, and you didn't need a wok to do it. By then, the zip top canned Chinese dinner of infinite suburban week nights was an established pantry item. For more adventurous home cooks of the time, Beverly Pepper's Glamour Magazine After Five Cookbook (©1951/2) provided the recipe for an Oriental Hodgepodge (their term, not mine) in which noodles, chunked chicken, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and soy sauce were flash-sautéed in hot oil.
Since then, stir-fry has become a skill fundamental to the American home kitchen. For our stir fry, we are saluting Chinese cuisine's deep, robust flavors but we are making no claims to authentic Chinese cooking. This is a Chinese -American kitchen stir fry of chicken, vegetables, soy sauce and ginger, to be served over rice. If you have a wok, it can be prepared in one, but it can also be prepared in a sauté pan; the recipe below is written for both. Once you master the simple technique of stir-fry, you will find that, with a few ingredients, a satisfying weeknight dinner is never more than a flash away.
CHICKEN STIR FRY
A wok is a good item to have in your urban kitchen but it is only essential if you do a lot of Chinese or Chinese-American cooking. You can get a good wok here. Remember that you will have to season your wok before its first usage; the seasoning instructions should be included with the wok.
1 tablespoon peanut oil plus more if needed
3 medium cloves garlic
1 3-4 inch piece fresh ginger
1-1-1/2 pounds whole boneless chicken breasts
1 pound fresh Asian mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster or a combination
1 red bell pepper
1 bunch scallions
1/2 pound fresh snow peas or 1 8 ounce package frozen snow peas
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken stock, homemade or low sodium canned
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
Prepare the ingredients
1. Place a cutting board, two mixing bowls, a colander, a plate and a small bowl or cup near the cooking surface.
2. Place a drop of commercial vegetable cleaner in your palm and rub your palms together. Rub the pepper with your palms until it begins to feel clean. Rinse the pepper and your hands under a stream of cool water.
3. Place the cleaned pepper on the cutting board. Cut the pepper in half from cap to bottom. Cut away and discard the stem; cut away and discard any white pith from inside each half. Rinse each half under warm water to remove the seeds; if saving seeds for planting, do this step over a fine mesh sieve to catch the seeds. Cut off the rounded top and bottom of each half; cut into bite-sized pieces (it is okay if they are uneven). Working one halved pepper at a time, flatten each remaining pepper, skin side down, against the cutting board. Cut each flattened half into 1/2-inch strips. Scrape the pepper into the colander.
4. Lay the scallions on the cutting board. Align the scallions side by side and across the bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut across the bottom of the row of scallions to remove and discard the stringy root ends of the scallions. Use the knife to cut across the green tops of the scallions to remove and discard the browned or papery tops of the greens. Though it will not be uniform, some green should remain on each scallion. Use your hands to pull away and discard the papery outer skin of each scallion where present; not all scallions will have this.
5. Use the knife to cut each scallion in half lengthways from green top to white bottom. Use the knife to cut each scallion half in half lengthways from green top to white bottom. Align each scallion quarter lengthways and use the knife to cut the gathered scallions crossways into thirds. Scrape the julienned scallions into the colander with the pepper.
6. If using fresh snow peas, pick through them, discarding any that display discoloration. Place the snow peas in the colander with the pepper and the scallions. If using frozen snow peas, remove the snow peas from the packaging and place the frozen block of vegetables into the colander with the pepper and the scallions.
7. Rinse the vegetables in the colander under a stream of cool water. Leave the colander in the sink to drain while you prepare the mushrooms and the chicken.
8. Brush the fresh mushrooms with a mushroom brush or a soft toothbrush to remove debris if any. Use a paring knife to remove the calloused end from the bottom of each mushroom. Cut larger mushrooms into quarters. Transfer the prepared mushrooms into one of the mixing bowls.
9. Remove the chicken breasts from their packaging. Use a sharp knife and a clean cutting board reserved for poultry to trim the breasts of the tenderloin if it is present. The tenderloin is the strip that is attached to the meaty portion of the chicken breast, separated by a membrane. Freeze the tenderloin for another use. Slice each chicken breast it in half horizontally by placing the palm of your hand on the top of the thickest part of the breast and holding your knife parallel to the cutting board. Slice carefully, watching your hands and moving the edge of the knife away from you. Slice across the cutlets to form strips. Transfer the strips to the plate. Cover the plate with parchment paper or a layer of paper towels.
10. Peel each clove of garlic and remove the root ends. Halve each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Slice each half longways into slivers and then slice each sliver longways into matchsticks. Transfer the garlic to the cup.
11. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the rough outer skin of the ginger. Carefully use the tip of a sharp knife to cut away and discard any spots that display dark or pale discoloration. Cut each rounded protuberance from the ginger; set these aside for another use. Cut across the trimmed center of the ginger to form coins. Stack the coins and cut across them to form matchsticks. Transfer the ginger to the cup containing the garlic.
12. Pour the chicken stock, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar into the remaining mixing bowl. Add the red pepper flakes and the cornstarch. Use a wire whisk to incorporate the cornstarch into the liquid.
Make the stir-fry
1. If using a wok, follow the instructions provided with the wok to correctly position the ring on the burner. You may have to remove the grate from gas burners; again, consult the instructions. Position the wok on the ring and turn the burner to high. If using a sauté pan, place the pan on the burner and turn the heat to high. For either pan, place the lid within reach.
2. Measure the oil into the pan. Swirl the oil around the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the garlic-ginger mixture to the pan. Use a silicon spatula to get all of the mixture into the pan. Swirl the mixture in the pan.
4. Add the chicken to the pan. Use a wooden paddle or heat-safe spatula to move the mixture around in the pan around until the chicken browns.
5. Add the pepper-scallion mixture to the pan. Use the paddle or spatula to move the mixture around in the pan until it is well combined.
6. Add the liquid to the pan. Use the paddle or spatula to move the mixture around in the pan until it is well combined.
7. Put the lid on the pan. Let the mixture cook, covered, for 3 minutes.
8. Remove the lid from the pan. Use the paddle or spatula to move the mixture around in the pan.
9. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Put the lid on the pan. Let the mixture cook, covered, for 3 minutes.
10. Remove the lid from the pan and set the lid aside. Use the paddle or spatula to move the mixture around in the pan, testing for doneness and ensuring that the ingredients are well distributed throughout the dish.
11. Turn off the burner. Serve immediately.
Due to the railroads, the locus of Chinese immigrant culture at this time was the West, with San Francisco its epicenter. Chop Suey Parlors arose in San Francisco's Chinatown, a trend that spread west with key stops in Denver, Chicago and New York City. In these dining rooms, not only was chop suey on the menu, so were egg rolls, fried rice and a great many other dishes common to Chinese heritage but at that time alien to the American palate. Through these dining rooms, Americans were exposed to Chinese cooking, though not exactly an authentic version of it, and they liked it. Even today, most Chinese-American cooking comes right off of the takeout menu.
There is no good answer to the question of why Chinese cooking, of all the cuisines that contribute to the American table, is among the least authentic in expression. In a theory that points, unfortunately but plausibly, to xenophobia, versions of which I have encountered everywhere from Ruch Reichl to food blogs, one could extrapolate that the American mind and the American palate experience authentic Chinese cooking as just plain off-putting. In China as elsewhere in the world, people ate whatever was available, and, also as elsewhere in the world, that included what could be picked or caught. Many such ingredients weren't readily available on the North American continent (even though their counterparts were), but they also weren't particularly necessary. Chinese cooking is highly adaptive -- the design of the wok itself speaks to that -- and so Chinese cooks took what was at hand and used the techniques of their own cooking to create dishes with those ingredients.
Chinese American cooking can be said to be the result of Chinese cooks adapting their tools and techniques to American ingredients. Aside from the adaptability the maneuver displays, it displays practicality, for as the restaurant culture spread, Chinese cooks could present their efforts to American eaters. The racism is unfortunate and undeniable, but while a culinarian acknowledges that and apologizes as warranted, what's fascinating is that a distinct hybrid cuisine emerged. And not only has the cuisine emerged, it has claimed its own place at the table and done so while pushing its own great grandparent away.
Which brings us to stir fry. Stir fry is one of the fundamental techniques for the Chinese practice of preparing food in a wok. There are two ways to stir fry: chao and bao. In wok cooking, the chef's goal is to bring out the wok hei - roughly translated as "the essence of the wok" - and display that in the dish. Chao and bao are methods with which to express wok hei. The measure of the wok chef's facility is the distinction of flavors and textures within the final dish as that dish expresses the spirit of the wok.
For chao, food is tossed into a hot wok in a specific order and with a small pause between each for mixing: oil, dry season, meat, vegetables, liquid. The process is swift but there are allowances for the wok cook to mix food in the wok, even remove one ingredient in order to prepare the next. For bao, the wok is heated to red-hot and the ingredients are added in rapid succession, without pause, while the wok is agitated by the cook.
For the most part, woks didn't arrive in the American kitchen until the 1970s, when thanks to the renaissance of foodie and consumerist cultures of the day, woks along with other then-exotic kitchen tools from French presses to pizza stones started appearing in stores. But as a technique, stir fry had arrived as a common practice in the non-Asian American kitchen as early as the 1950s, and you didn't need a wok to do it. By then, the zip top canned Chinese dinner of infinite suburban week nights was an established pantry item. For more adventurous home cooks of the time, Beverly Pepper's Glamour Magazine After Five Cookbook (©1951/2) provided the recipe for an Oriental Hodgepodge (their term, not mine) in which noodles, chunked chicken, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and soy sauce were flash-sautéed in hot oil.
Since then, stir-fry has become a skill fundamental to the American home kitchen. For our stir fry, we are saluting Chinese cuisine's deep, robust flavors but we are making no claims to authentic Chinese cooking. This is a Chinese -American kitchen stir fry of chicken, vegetables, soy sauce and ginger, to be served over rice. If you have a wok, it can be prepared in one, but it can also be prepared in a sauté pan; the recipe below is written for both. Once you master the simple technique of stir-fry, you will find that, with a few ingredients, a satisfying weeknight dinner is never more than a flash away.
CHICKEN STIR FRY
A wok is a good item to have in your urban kitchen but it is only essential if you do a lot of Chinese or Chinese-American cooking. You can get a good wok here. Remember that you will have to season your wok before its first usage; the seasoning instructions should be included with the wok.
1 tablespoon peanut oil plus more if needed
3 medium cloves garlic
1 3-4 inch piece fresh ginger
1-1-1/2 pounds whole boneless chicken breasts
1 pound fresh Asian mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster or a combination
1 red bell pepper
1 bunch scallions
1/2 pound fresh snow peas or 1 8 ounce package frozen snow peas
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken stock, homemade or low sodium canned
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
Prepare the ingredients
1. Place a cutting board, two mixing bowls, a colander, a plate and a small bowl or cup near the cooking surface.
2. Place a drop of commercial vegetable cleaner in your palm and rub your palms together. Rub the pepper with your palms until it begins to feel clean. Rinse the pepper and your hands under a stream of cool water.
3. Place the cleaned pepper on the cutting board. Cut the pepper in half from cap to bottom. Cut away and discard the stem; cut away and discard any white pith from inside each half. Rinse each half under warm water to remove the seeds; if saving seeds for planting, do this step over a fine mesh sieve to catch the seeds. Cut off the rounded top and bottom of each half; cut into bite-sized pieces (it is okay if they are uneven). Working one halved pepper at a time, flatten each remaining pepper, skin side down, against the cutting board. Cut each flattened half into 1/2-inch strips. Scrape the pepper into the colander.
4. Lay the scallions on the cutting board. Align the scallions side by side and across the bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut across the bottom of the row of scallions to remove and discard the stringy root ends of the scallions. Use the knife to cut across the green tops of the scallions to remove and discard the browned or papery tops of the greens. Though it will not be uniform, some green should remain on each scallion. Use your hands to pull away and discard the papery outer skin of each scallion where present; not all scallions will have this.
5. Use the knife to cut each scallion in half lengthways from green top to white bottom. Use the knife to cut each scallion half in half lengthways from green top to white bottom. Align each scallion quarter lengthways and use the knife to cut the gathered scallions crossways into thirds. Scrape the julienned scallions into the colander with the pepper.
6. If using fresh snow peas, pick through them, discarding any that display discoloration. Place the snow peas in the colander with the pepper and the scallions. If using frozen snow peas, remove the snow peas from the packaging and place the frozen block of vegetables into the colander with the pepper and the scallions.
7. Rinse the vegetables in the colander under a stream of cool water. Leave the colander in the sink to drain while you prepare the mushrooms and the chicken.
8. Brush the fresh mushrooms with a mushroom brush or a soft toothbrush to remove debris if any. Use a paring knife to remove the calloused end from the bottom of each mushroom. Cut larger mushrooms into quarters. Transfer the prepared mushrooms into one of the mixing bowls.
9. Remove the chicken breasts from their packaging. Use a sharp knife and a clean cutting board reserved for poultry to trim the breasts of the tenderloin if it is present. The tenderloin is the strip that is attached to the meaty portion of the chicken breast, separated by a membrane. Freeze the tenderloin for another use. Slice each chicken breast it in half horizontally by placing the palm of your hand on the top of the thickest part of the breast and holding your knife parallel to the cutting board. Slice carefully, watching your hands and moving the edge of the knife away from you. Slice across the cutlets to form strips. Transfer the strips to the plate. Cover the plate with parchment paper or a layer of paper towels.
10. Peel each clove of garlic and remove the root ends. Halve each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Slice each half longways into slivers and then slice each sliver longways into matchsticks. Transfer the garlic to the cup.
11. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the rough outer skin of the ginger. Carefully use the tip of a sharp knife to cut away and discard any spots that display dark or pale discoloration. Cut each rounded protuberance from the ginger; set these aside for another use. Cut across the trimmed center of the ginger to form coins. Stack the coins and cut across them to form matchsticks. Transfer the ginger to the cup containing the garlic.
12. Pour the chicken stock, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar into the remaining mixing bowl. Add the red pepper flakes and the cornstarch. Use a wire whisk to incorporate the cornstarch into the liquid.
Make the stir-fry
1. If using a wok, follow the instructions provided with the wok to correctly position the ring on the burner. You may have to remove the grate from gas burners; again, consult the instructions. Position the wok on the ring and turn the burner to high. If using a sauté pan, place the pan on the burner and turn the heat to high. For either pan, place the lid within reach.
2. Measure the oil into the pan. Swirl the oil around the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the garlic-ginger mixture to the pan. Use a silicon spatula to get all of the mixture into the pan. Swirl the mixture in the pan.
4. Add the chicken to the pan. Use a wooden paddle or heat-safe spatula to move the mixture around in the pan around until the chicken browns.
5. Add the pepper-scallion mixture to the pan. Use the paddle or spatula to move the mixture around in the pan until it is well combined.
6. Add the liquid to the pan. Use the paddle or spatula to move the mixture around in the pan until it is well combined.
7. Put the lid on the pan. Let the mixture cook, covered, for 3 minutes.
8. Remove the lid from the pan. Use the paddle or spatula to move the mixture around in the pan.
9. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Put the lid on the pan. Let the mixture cook, covered, for 3 minutes.
10. Remove the lid from the pan and set the lid aside. Use the paddle or spatula to move the mixture around in the pan, testing for doneness and ensuring that the ingredients are well distributed throughout the dish.
11. Turn off the burner. Serve immediately.
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