Back in the day, I used to help out bussing tables at a friend's Thai restaurant and I'd get paid in tips and food. Since then, Thai cuisine has had some influence on my cooking style. This is a simple (and quick) way to make
thai pepper
garlic chicken (the more drawn-out version requires marinating and stuff), a favorite for me while in Siam Cuisine's employ.
And, yes, it does look like I'm making this up as I go along. That's because I am.. I've never documented this recipe before. You'll notice the measurements are mere approximations. It helps to taste the sauce as you go along to get a feel for what works and doesn't work for you.
And by the way, I don't measure - I cook.
Incidentally, this recipe could also be served with simple lettuce (of any kind) instead of the snow peas and carrots. If that’s the case, simply shred about 4-6 cups of lettuce and place on a serving dish. Omit all instructions for the preparation of the carrots and the snow peas and simply place the finished chicken mixture atop the lettuce and serve. The cool, crisp and almost-flavorless lettuce are a nice complement to the hot and flavorful chicken.
what you'll need:
what to do:
- Slice the chicken into whatever geometric shape you like so long as they are thin or small bits. Keep in mind that thinner/smaller bits cook faster.
- Throw them in a large pan with some oil. Add enough pepper until it becomes visible. Yes, visible. Not blackened, no, but do note the "pepper" in the name of this dish. So, yes, that much. Add a couple shakes of the thyme container if you feel moved to (or have any). Sauté till lightly browned.
- Whilst browning, slice up the onion into thin strips and the carrots into diagonal slats about 1/8" thick.
- Toss in the carrots and garlic. Stir a bit and allow to cook for a little while. Inhale - it should smell pretty good at this point.
- Splash in some soy sauce and oyster sauce. Now don't go nuts adding them, though. These are both rich in sodium and could potentially make the dish "well-salted". Oyster sauce helps to thicken the sauce as well as add a kinda dark sweet flavor. Careful not to go crazy with it. You should add nearly half as much oyster sauce than the soy. Mix and cook it all.
- Next come the onions. You know what to do with them. (No, not that, you sicko! Just add them in.)
- Taste. If the sauce does not appeal to you right now, this is the point where you can doctor it up. If there's not enough garlicky taste to it, add some garlic powder if you got any. If it's not got enough kick to it, add more pepper. If it's too salty or not sweet enough, add some sugar. Season to taste, yo.
- Now, hopefully the snow peas have been rinsed because if you add them now, they'll have some water with them. If covered, this will steam the snow peas. Allow to steam for about two minutes, you'll notice an infusion of bright green when it's been properly steamed. The water should evaporate, leaving a semi-thick sauce. (If you wind up with too watery a sauce, mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with slightly less than a cup of water and mix into the sauce to thicken it up.)
- Serve with steamed white rice. Enjoy.