Liuyang Black Bean Chicken

One of my favourite dish from Fuchsia Dunlop's cookbook, Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook. Made this dish a few times already.

The recipe uses  a whole head of garlic, fermented black beans, ginger, rice wine, rice vinegar, chili flakes and soy sauce. I've used boneless chicken thigh without the skin. Scallions are picked fresh from my garden pot. The chicken pieces are stir-fried until they change colour, remove and then fried  second time until they brown a little. The chicken are then removed, and stir-fry with the rest of the ingredients. 

Simple and delicious, great with white fluffy rice.

Liuyang Black Bean Chicken
(Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, Fuchsia Dunlop)
1 lb boned chicken thighs with skin
salt
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 head garlic
2-1/2 in piece fresh ginger
4 scallions, green parts only
4 tbsp black fermented beans, rinsed
1 tbsp clear rice wine or Shaoxing wine
2-3 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp clear rice vinegar

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks. Put the chunks in a bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon salt and the soy sauce and mix well; set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Peel the garlic cloves, cutting any very large ones in half. Peel and slice the ginger. Cut the scallion greens into 1-1/2 inch pieces.
3. Heat the oil for deep-frying over a high flame until it reaches 350-400F. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it has changed colour, then remove from the wok with a slotted spoon and allow the oil to return to 350-400F. Return the chicken to the hot oil and deep-fry again until tinged golden, remove and set aside.
4. Drain off all but 3 tablespoons oil from the wok, then return it to a medium flame. Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for a few minutes until they are fragrant and the garlic cloves are tender. Add the black beans and stir-fry until fragrant, splashing in the rice wine as you do so. Add the chili flakes and stir-fry for a few moments until they have lent their heat and red colour to the oil.
5. Return the chicken to the wok and toss it in the fragrant oil, splashing in the vinegar and adding salt to taste. When everything is sizzly and delicious, throw in the scallions, and stir a few times until barely cooked. Then, off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and serve.

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