Yien Shu Ji AKA Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Fried chicken is one of my guilty pleasures and I love exploring new recipes for the various versions of this beloved dish from around the world. So far in this column I’ve shared two of my favorite fried chicken recipes, from Korea and Thailand. But how can I forget the most delicious street food from my home country? So this week, it’s “yien su ji” (aka Taiwanese popcorn chicken).

The iconic fried chicken stand is ubiquitous in street markets across Taiwan. In addition to the little cubes of fried chicken thighs, yen su ji stands also feature a variety of meat and veggies like taro, bok choy, sweet potato fries, blood sausage, tofu, squid and fish cakes, as well as chicken hearts, livers, kidneys, anuses, gizzards, necks and feet. The vendor will fry the food and toss it in garlic, basil and a delicious blend of spices. For the sake of sensitive American palates, we’ll just stick to fried chicken for this recipe.

Ingredients:

(serves 2 to 3 people)

For the marinade:

2 cloves garlic

¹⁄₂ Tbsp. finely grated ginger

3-4 boneless chicken thighs

1 tsp. sugar

¹⁄₄ tsp. Chinese five spice 

¹⁄₂ tsp. white pepper

1 Tbsp. cooking wine

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

For the spice blend:

³⁄₄ tsp. salt

¹⁄₂ tsp. white pepper

¹⁄₂ tsp. Chinese five spice

¹⁄₈ tsp. ground cinnamon

¹⁄₈ tsp. curry powder 

For toppings:

1 handful fresh basil 

2 cloves garlic

1 egg

¹⁄₄ tsp. baking soda

1 cup sweet potato starch

2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Direction:
Start by finely grating 2 cloves of garlic and ginger. Then cut the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces. In a bowl, mix in all of the marinade ingredients. Cover it up and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While you are waiting for the chicken to marinate, mix up the spice blend. You can also usually find the Taiwanese fried chicken spice blend at the Asian grocery store. For years I’ve been trying to make the spice myself and it always seemed to be missing something, but I’ve finally figured out the secret ingredient: curry powder.

Prep the toppings by washing and drying the basil and mince 2 cloves of garlic and set aside.

Once the chicken has been marinated, combine one egg with ¹⁄₄ tsp. baking soda and the marinated chicken thighs; mix well until combined.

Bread the chicken thighs in sweet potato starch. Try to find the coarse sweet potato starch, as most Taiwanese fried food is breaded in that for its distinctive texture. You can find coarse sweet potato starch in Asian grocery stores and possibly the local specialty food store. If you can’t find it, regular sweet potato starch or corn starch will work fine.

Preheat the vegetable oil to 350°F. To test if the oil is hot enough, here’s a little trick most Taiwanese do before frying food: Stick a chopstick in the pan and if the tip of the chopstick starts bubbling, that means the oil is hot enough to fry.

Fry the chicken in batches for 3 minutes for each batch. Set it on a cooling rack or paper towel.

Once all the chicken has been fried, now fry half of the basil and all the minced garlic for 15 seconds, quickly remove from the oil, or else they can burn really quickly. They may also splatter, so please be very cautious doing this step.

Now put all of the fried chicken back in the pan for the final frying. This will give the chicken an extra-crispy texture. Let it cook for a minute. Drain the excess oil and toss it in a bowl along with the remaining fresh basil as well as the fried basil, garlic and the spice blend .

Serve it while it’s warm. If you’d like to try these with a meatless option, fried tofu or mushrooms and even green beans are also really popular in Taiwan.

Tu Dou Si ( Shaanxi Sour & Spicy Shredded Potato)

During our trip back to Taiwan last spring, one of my prime objectives was to visit a certain Northern Chinese cuisine restaurant in Taipei. The owner and chef of the restaurant is from the Shaanxi province of China, which is a fascinating place. It neighbors Inner Mongolia, Ganxu, Sichuan and Ningxia, which includes a large population of Chinese Muslims. Shaanxi province’s capital city, Xi’an, is one of the four great ancient capitals of China and is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, which leads to Europe, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. With so many diverse people moving throughout the region over the centuries, Shaanxi’s culture and cuisine is particularly distinct from what we typically think of as “Chinese food.” 

Because of Shaanxi’s northern location, wheat and potatoes are a staple food. One of the most delicious dishes we had at the restaurant was stir-fried shredded potato. As simple as it sounds, its texture and flavor is nothing like any potato dish I’ve ever had before. Both my mom and I were determined to make this dish. And in the end, my mom won the contest by perfectly recreating the same texture and flavor as we had in the restaurant. So this week I’d like to share with you my mother’s recipe for this famous Shaanxi Sour & Spicy Shredded Potato. Being the end of the harvest season, many of us have a lot of potatoes stored in the root cellar. This will really spice up your potato dishes this winter!

Ingredients:

2 russet potatoes

1 cup cold water

¹⁄₃ cup rice wine vinegar

1¹⁄₄ tsp. salt

1 scallion, finely chopped

1 hot pepper, finely chopped

1¹⁄₂ Tbsp. oil

Directions:

Cut potatoes into thin sticks; rinse and drain the water. Try not to use the shredder and cut by hand instead, or else the potatoes will get overcooked and you won’t get the crunchy texture. 

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, toss in the potatoes, oil and salt, and stir-fry for one minute. Add in the rice wine vinegar.

After that, pour in the water in batches, about 1/4 cup at a time. Cook until all liquid is cooked down. This will take about three to four minutes. 

Remove from stove and mix in chopped scallions and hot pepper. Now it’s ready to serve!

This makes a delicious side dish that will complement a heavy, meat-based meal. 

Dan Hobuck Jon ( Pumpkin Pancake)

“Jun” means “pan fried” in Korean. Different types of pancakes and pan-fried patties are often served as side dishes in Korean meals. In the old days, juns were only served to the royal family as a banquet food because they are pretty labor intensive. Juns are often filled with assorted vegetables, seafood and meat. Nowadays juns are not just for the royal and the wealthy, but they’re still mostly served during special occasions such as weddings, birthdays and New Year’s. Just like Japanese temporah, you can pretty much jun with anything you like. 

My mother is currently visiting me here in Maine and she has been having all kinds of fun using local ingredients through-out the season to make Korean and Chinese food for us at home. And what better ingredient than squash to cook with during the fall season? 

This week I’d like to share with you my mother’s recipe for squash pancakes — Dan Hobuck Jun.

Ingredients:

(serves 3 to 4 people)

For the pancake:

¹⁄₂ acorn squash

1 scallion 

1 cup flour

1 cup water

²⁄₃ tsp. salt

oil for pan frying

For the dipping sauce:

3 cloves garlic

2 scallions

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1 Tbsp. hot pepper flakes

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

5 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp.+1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil

Directions:

To make the batter, mix together 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and salt. Whisk until no lumps remain, set aside.

Peel and cut the acorn squash into thin sticks. Slice the scallions into thin strips too. Then toss both into the batter and make sure everything is well coated.

In a large non-stick skillet on low heat, drizzle a little oil in the pan and drop in the batter — about 2 Tbsp.of batter for each pancake. Let them cook for 8 to 10 minutes on one side before you flip them. Cook until both sides are crispy and golden brown. 

You can prepare the dipping sauce while you are waiting for the pancakes to cook. Mince garlic, ginger and scallions into small pieces, and mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Once the pancakes are done, serve them with the sauce. 

These make great banchan (side dishes) or enjoy them on their own! 

Five Spiced Daogan (Pressed Tofu)

Tofu has become a pretty popular food in Western countries, but while the processed soybean substance is usually considered to be a meat substitute, for many Asians it’s just another ingredient to complement our dishes. That’s why you often see pork and fish in tofu dishes. Some believe that tofu was invented in the Han Dynasty (164 BC) by a prince named Liu An, who accidentally created bean curds while trying to make an elixir of immortality for his father the king. Lots of tofu shops in Taiwan still have a Liu An shrine to pray to on the day when they make tofu.

These days there’s a debate raging over whether soy products are good or bad for you. I may be biased because I’m Asian, but I do believe that tofu is a healthy food to eat. After all, we have been eating tofu, natto and gochu-gang for thousands of years. We also grew up on soy milk instead of regular milk because many of us are lactose intolerant, and it doesn’t cause any apparent damage to our health. Having said that, there is some evidence to suggest that the way large agribusinesses grow soy may have a harmful impact on the environment. That’s why I prefer organic tofu and fortunately there’s a local business making fresh, affordable tofu right here in the midcoast.

There are countless ways to prepare tofu and hundreds of varieties of tofu to use. One of the most popular street foods in Taiwan is pressed tofu because it keeps longer, has more flavor and is also very versatile. It’s got a meaty texture, which lends itself well to braised pork or stews, fried ,rice and stir fries. It’s also pretty tasty when its deep fried, and it makes a great snack just on its own. Here is my own technique for making Five Spice Pressed Tofu.

Ingredient:

1 lb. tofu

¹⁄₂ tsp. Chinese five spice

1 clove garlic

1 chunk of ginger

1 scallion

¹⁄₂ cup soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

2 cup water

Direction:
Wash and clean fresh tofu and cut into 2-inch squares.

Place the tofu cubes on a clean surface and gently cover them with a cutting board. Hold it down with heavy pots and pans and let it press over-night. This will allow the tofu to squeeze out all of its moisture.

The next morning you will see that the tofu is dried and flattened.

Roughly chop up scallion, ginger and garlic. Place them in a large saucepan along with soy sauce, sugar and five spice. Bring the liquid to a boil and place in the pressed tofu. Allow it to simmer for two hours.

After two hours, place the tofu pieces on an oven rack and dry them in the oven at 175° F for 3 hours. If you have a dehydrator you can dry them in it for 5 to 6 hours.

You want them to have a slightly bouncy and rubbery texture. They will keep in your refrigerator for up to three weeks and in your freezer for three months. You can eat them as a snack or toss them in any stir-fry. You will be surprised how much they taste like meat as they bring so much more flavor and texture to the stir-fry.

Vietnamese Baguette

There are few things I enjoy more than the smell of freshly baked bread in the kitchen on a Sunday morning. I like to bake at least one loaf of bread a week, but no matter how many times I do it, I still get really excited when I see the dough proofing (the final rising before baking). And I relish the nervous anticipation of waiting to see how it will eventually turn out every time I place a blob of dough in the oven.

Having grown up in a country that has been colonized multiple times, I’m no fan of colonization. But the best thing the French brought to Vietnam during the colonial era is the baguette, which is the key component to the Bahn Mi (ie: the most delicious sandwich in the world). The Vietnamese baguette has a different texture than the French baguette. Not only does it have a thinner crust, but it also has a unique chewy texture. It took me some time before I finally figured out the secret ingredient that differentiates the Vietnamese baguette from a French baguette — glutinous rice flour. These days people tend to have a prejudice against fusion food as the foodie scene tries to find what’s the most authentic food out there. Personally, I enjoy fusion food, and sometimes when two cultures collide, out comes some of the most delicious food. Anyway, with globalization it’s almost hard to define what is real authentic food anymore.

A few weeks ago I shared with you my Bahn Mi recipe inspired by our trip to Vietnam, so this week I thought I’d share with you my easy recipe to make freshly baked Vietnamese baguette.

Ingredients:

(makes 6 baguettes)

3 cups bread flour (divided)

1 cup glutinous rice flour

1¹⁄₂ cup water

1 Tbsp. sugar

1¹⁄₂ tsp. salt

¹⁄₄ tsp. yeast

Direction:

Make the dough by mixing 1¹⁄₂ cup bread flour, water, sugar and yeast together. Mix well until no lumps remain. Cover it up and let it sit at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

Once the dough starts to bubble and has formed all the gluten, mix in all of the remaining ingredients. Kneed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover it up and let it rise for an hour or until the dough doubles in size. The glutinous rice is what gives the baguette its unique chewy texture and fragrance. Glutenous rice is also called sticky rice or sweet rice and you can find it in Asian grocery stores or your local specialty food stores.

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough up into six pieces. Let the dough rest for another 15 minutes before you shape them.

To shape the baguette, first flatten the dough, then roll it up into a log shape. Using your palm, roll the dough back and forth while stretching it out sideways until it’s shaped like an eye. Cover it up and let the dough rise one last time for an hour or until it doubles in size. 

Preheat your oven to 450 F and place a pan in the bottom of the oven. Boil some water and set it aside until the bread is ready to bake.

Once the dough has doubled in size, score the dough using a sharp blade. (photo 10) Quickly place the bread in the oven and pour the boiled water in the pan. This will create steam in the oven, which is what makes the crust on the outside of the bread. Bake for 20 minutes and let it cool for at least five minutes before serving.

While these baguettes are perfect for making Bahn Mi, they’re also excellent for hoagies or pretty much any other type of sandwich. 

For Bahn Mi recipe visit http://thewayriceshouldbe.blogspot.com/2016/08/banh-mi.html