About a month ago, life handed me a big ol’ pile of lemons, and instead of making lemonade I threw them in the trash and decided to just sulk instead. Unfortunately, my kitchen was temporarily rendered pretty much unusable, which for me has been kind of devastating. It’s meant a lot of takeout food and not a lot of inspiration for me to show up here and share with you. I’m happy to say that it looks like the cloud on my kitchen is lifting and I’ll be able to get back in my apron and in front of my stove in a few short days, kitchen gods willing. Thank you for being patient!
This recipe is something that my kitchen produced in happier times, and for me it also brings back some really great memories. I am not going to claim that any recipe featured here is 100% authentic Vietnamese, or Mexican, or Chinese- after all, I make them from cookbooks using the ingredients available to me- but this dish reminds me of a time when my dear Vietnamese friend and former co-worker and I would eat Vietnamese food for lunch and dinner just about every day. I lived on lemongrass pork chops, lots of perfectly cooked white rice and vermicelli noodles. She has since moved away but whenever I cook with those flavors I’m reminded of some really fantastic times (and meals).
I used to see the word “caramel” in a recipe title, and turn an unnatural shade of pale. The first two times I put a bunch of sugar in a pot and turned up the heat, I found myself crying over a lumpy, stringy mess (wish I were exaggerating here). But with a little practice and patience, making caramel turned out not to be so dramatic (and also infinitely more dangerous, when I realized that in five minutes a useless jar of sugar could turn into something way too delicious). The caramel sauce for this dish is darker than you’d normally let it get for baking- it should have a tinge of bitterness- but just as easy once you get the hang of it.
The recipe below makes more caramel than you need, but it’s something you can put in an airtight container and keep indefinitely for future proteins cooked in caramel sauce, something you’ll find a lot on the Vietnamese menu. I’d consider this dish to be a good introduction to the cuisine- it features typical Vietnamese flavors (fish sauce, anyone?) but isn’t overly funky (I can’t think of a better way to describe that fishy pungent taste, but those who like Southeast Asian food know what I mean). And if you’re a caramel master already, then it’s also very easy! I served my chicken with steamed jasmine rice and some bok choy sauteed in peanut oil with a little bit of chile and garlic.
Bon appetit and happy spring (finally) everyone!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 2/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, well trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
- Chubby 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced, and smashed with a knife
- 3 tablespoons caramel sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 scallion, green part only, chopped
Instructions
- First, make the caramel. Select a small, heavy saucepan with a long handle. Use one with a light interior (such as stainless steel) to make monitoring the changing color of the caramel easier. Fill the sink with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the saucepan.
- Put 1/4 cup of the water and all the sugar in the saucepan and place over medium-low heat. To ensure that the sugar melts evenly, stir with a metal spoon. After about 2 minutes, when the sugar is relatively smooth and opaque, stop stirring and let the mixture cook undisturbed. Small bubbles will form at the edge of the pan and gradually grow larger and move toward the center. A good 7 minutes into cooking, bubbles will cover the entire surface and the mixture will be a at a vigorous simmer. As the sugar melts, the mixture will go from opaque to clear.
- If a little sugar crystallizes on the sides of the pan, don't worry. After about 15 minutes into cooking, the sugar will begin to caramelize and deepen in color. You will see a progression from champagne yellow to light tea to dark tea. When smoke starts rising, around the 20-minute mark, remove the pan from the heat and slowly swirl it. Watch the sugar closely as it will turn darker by the second; a reddish cast will set in (think the color of a big, bold red wine) as the bubbles become a burnt orange. Pay attention to the color of the caramel underneath the bubbles. When the caramel is the color of black coffee or molasses, place the pan in the sink to stop the cooking. The hot pan bottom will sizzle on contact. Add the remaining 1/2 cup water; don't worry, the sugar will seize up but later dissolve. After the dramatic bubble reaction ceases, return the pan to the stove over medium heat.
- Heat the caramel, stirring until it dissolves into the water. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes before pouring into a small heatproof glass jar. Set aside to cool completely. The result will seem slightly viscous, while the flavor will be bittersweet. Cover and store the sauce indefinitely in your kitchen cupboard. This recipe makes 1 cup of caramel.
- Next, start preparing the dish. In a small saucepan, combine the chicken, ginger, caramel sauce, fish sauce, salt, and water and stir to distribute everything evenly. Cover and bring to a strong simmer over medium heat. Stir again to break up the chicken pieces and replace the lid. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every now and again so that all the chicken is evenly coated with sauce. The contents will boil vigorously and steam will be coming out from under the lid. The sauce will increase in volume as the chicken releases its juices. If the contents threaten to boil over or the lid rattles, lower the heat.
- After the ten minutes, uncover and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce reduces and the color deepens to a rich reddish brown. Remove from the heat, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the flavor with extra fish sauce, if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the scallion, and serve immediately.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2014/04/12/chicken-and-ginger-simmered-in-caramel-sauce/
