An easy and very tasty dish from Nigella Lawson
Serves: 4
2 x 15ml tablespoons(1 fl oz) sake (Japanese rice wine)
¼ cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
splash of Asian sesame oil
1¾ lbs chicken thigh fillets (no skin or bones), preferably organic, cut or scissored into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp peanut oil
2½ cups sushi rice (cooked according to packet instructions)
Mix the sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and asian sesame oil in a dish that you can steep the chicken in: I use a 23cm/8-in square Pyrex, but anything similar would do.
Add the prepared chicken pieces and leave for 15 minutes.
Heat the peanut oil in a large, shallow frying pan or casserole (that has a lid) and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces from their dark marinating liquid to the pan and saute until they look cooked on the outside.
Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces in the pan and bring to a bubble, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes – cut into a piece of chicken to make sure it’s cooked through.
Remove the cooked pieces with a slotted spoon (you could keep them warm in a bowl covered in foil) and turn the heat up under the pan to let the liquid boil down to a thick, dark syrup.
Return the chicken pieces to the pan, stir well so that they are all coated in the sticky, savory syrup, then serve with a comforting pile of sushi rice and perhaps some steamed pak choi or greens of your choice.