Almond chicken
The almond chicken is a recipe typical of Chinese cuisine . Very common and appreciated in Italy as well, it is a quick and easy to make dish. The typical ingredients that characterize the chicken with almonds, such as soy sauceand ginger, have become part of our kitchen and are now available in most stores, not exclusively ethnic ones. The chicken is cooked in the wok, the typical pan used throughout China, which allows you to cook the meat evenly without adding too much fat. Our almond chicken follows the original recipe, respecting the ingredients and cooking techniques of the Chinese tradition. The advice is to serve it with white rice, usually basmati as in China.
INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE
Chicken (breast)-400 g
Peeled almonds-80 g
Onions-1/2
Rice flour-2 tablespoons
Soy (sauce)-50 ml
Hot water-2 tablespoons
Seed oil-3 tablespoons
Fresh ginger-As needed
Salt-How much is enough
PREPARATION CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS
1.Cut the chicken into very small pieces and flour them with the rice flour; Peel and finely chop the onion. Heat a non-stick pan and toast the almonds for 2 minutes.
2.Heat the seed oil in the wok, pour the onion and the grated ginger (2 cm of fresh root is enough), add the chicken, salt lightly and cook over high heat for 10 minutes, often moving the wok.
3.At this point pour the soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of hot water, add the toasted almonds and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Serve immediately at the table.
Accompany the almond chicken with basmati or jasmine rice.
VARIANT CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS
Add 1 tablespoon of chestnut honey to the soy sauce and complete the dish with toasted sesame seeds. Enrich the recipe by adding to the sauté of ginger and onions also 1 carrot cut into julienne. You can substitute the onion with the fresh onion or the shallot; if you do not find fresh ginger use 1 tablespoon of ginger powder.
TIPS FROM THE CHEF
Replace the soy sauce with cooked must and season with salt when cooked. When the flame is off, add 20 g of raisins made previously to be found in lukewarm water and squeezed.
Dino De Bellis
Chef of Salotto Culinario in Rome
WINE IN COMBINATION
It would combine well with a savory white wine, which is married with almonds and soy sauce, like a young Verdicchio di Matelica.
