CREATING A WOK MASTER PIECE FILIPINO STYLE

If Picasso was a painting genius, then Ron Sambrano is a culinary genius. Yes I am! I am! I am the Greatest! Hey might as well aim high eh?

Here I'll do some wok cooking, it will be tasty Filipino influenced, spiced, warm, colorful and delicious. Masarap!

SPICY CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES

1 lb. chicken breast cubed (skin off)

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs fish sauce (patis)

3 tbs apple cider vinegar

3 tbs cornstarch

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp. minced garlic

In a mixing bowl (stainless or glass), mix all of the ingredients well, and let sit in refrigerator until a few minutes before wokking, try to stir fry this as close as you can to room temperature, never add ingredients that's too cold it will cool off the wok immensely.

1/4 cup chopped red onions

1/4 cup sliced red bell peppers

1/4 cup sliced green bell peppers

1/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup sliced thin bitter melon

The veggies will be stir fried by itself and set aside, actually you will cook these second and set them aside, the chicken cubes will be the first to be cooked and set aside.

Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbs fish sauce

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 lime juice squeezed

2 tbs Sambal Oelek  or more

2 tbs raw can sugar or more

1/4 cup of water

In a glass or stainless mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients well, and set aside until ready for the hot wok.

Thickener

1 tbs cornstarch

3 tbs water

Mix well in a small bowl and set aside, you will add this into the sauce to thicken.

STEP 1

Heat up your wok over high heat, do not put any oil inside yet. Get it nice and hot, you will know when by dropping a few drops of tap water into the wok, if it sizzles and evaporates in a split second, it is hot.

Put in the wok about 3 tbs of vegetable oil, swirl the oil up and down the sides of the wok. Now add in the minced ginger and garlic, swirl it around, drop heat to medium high, immediately add in the cubed chicken breast. With a wok shovel, toss the cubes around, do not burn the chicken, but if it chars a bit, that's okay. In about 3 minutes, it should be cooked enough for you to remove it into another clean bowl. You will recook the chicken with the other ingredients.

STEP 2

Add a tbs of vegetable oil to the wok, return to high heat for about 30 seconds, lower heat to medium high. Now add in all of the veggies, and stir fry them until barely wilted, and then remove into another clean bowl, as you will add this back in to the wok again.

STEP 3

Add 2 tbs of vegetable oil again into the wok, bring it up to high heat for about 30 seconds, then lower to medium high heat. Return the pre-cooked chicken to the wok, stir fry for about 2 minutes making it hot. Then add in the sauce. Cook until the sauce bubbles, it may thicken because of the coated cubes of chicken with cornstarch, if it does, disregard the thickener. If you do want it thicker, add a little of the cornstarch mixture.

STEP 4

Add in the pre-cooked veggies to the wok, and give it a few stirs to coat, off the heat and transfer to a nice serving platter. Serve with hot rice. Before anyone digs in to eat, sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top.

All recipes need to be altered because your taste buds are different from mine, so feel free to create something from this recipe if you want to, break the rules. Heck you don't want chicken? Add tofu instead, it's up to you. Good luck and good eating!

                      

        © 2015