Chicken with Mixed Capsicums & Black Bean Sauce 🇨🇳

                                                                                                                  

For a quick satisfying meal, you can't go pass this classic Cantonese stir fry with chicken, capsicums, black bean sauce and rice on the side.  Black beans are made from black soybeans that have been fermented with salt.  Nondescript in appearance, they are used widely in Chinese cuisine to give that 'umami' flavour that chefs often talk about.  Blitzed in hot oil with ginger and garlic, they elicit a pungent, mouthwatering aroma that promises to turn your humble meat and vegetables into delectable morsels.  Use whole black beans available in packages from the Asian section of your local supermarket, rather than black bean sauce in a jar for best results.  They go beautifully with sweet, crunchy mixed coloured capsicums.  Make sure your wok is very hot before the chicken goes in to minimise them sticking to the pan.

Serves 2-3 

                                                                              

                                                                                                       

INGREDIENTS                                                                                     

• 280g / 10oz chicken breast
• 250g / 9oz capsicums, mixed colours
• 150g / 5¼oz onions, sliced into wedges 
• olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup vegetable stock or water
• 1 teaspoon cornflour

For marinating the chicken:

• 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxin wine
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 1 tablespoon water

METHOD

1. Slant your knife at a 45-degree angle and slice chicken breast across the grain into thin bite size pieces.  Mix with marinating ingredients in a bowl.
2. Prepare slurry by mixing 1 teaspoon cornflour with 1 tablespoon water in a small dish.
3. Remove seeds and membranes from capsicums.  Slice into chunks.
4. Rinse black beans with cold water in a small bowl for a few seconds.  Drain and roughly chop.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok on high until very hot.  With your spatula, spread the oil around the bottom of the wok.  Add all the chicken.  Spread them out in a thin layer and let them fry, undisturbed, for about a minute until caramelised on one side, then toss them around to cook through.  Remove to a plate.
6. Reduce heat to medium and add another 2 tablespoons of oil together with the black beans, ginger and garlic into the wok.  Stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Turn the heat back to high and add the onions and capsicums.  Stir fry for a few minutes until the vegetables have softened but still crunchy.  Sprinkle with salt.
7. Transfer the chicken back to the wok together with the stock or water.  Keep stirring and tossing all ingredients until the liquid comes to a boil.  Stir the cornflour mixture into a slurry with your finger or a small spoon.  Tilt the wok slightly to one side and add the slurry to thicken the liquid into a sauce.  Mix well until the chicken and the vegetables are coated with the sauce.  Remove from the wok and serve hot with rice.