Nov 14, 2024

Steamed Boneless Chicken Leg with Scallion and Ginger Sauce 蒸去骨雞腿佐蔥薑蓉醬

Think of it as hassle-free Asian recipe. I actually kind of stir-fry the scallion and ginger for the sauce, but if you'd like to make it even simpler, just heat up the oil and pour over the chopped aromatics. If doing so, the kitchen basically stays clean and you'll have a flavorful dish to eat along with, I would say steamed rice is the best way to go.


Steamed boneless chicken leg with scallion and ginger sauce 蒸去骨雞腿佐蔥薑蓉醬 - 


Steamed boneless chicken leg with scallion and ginger sauce


Ingredients?

  • 1 boneless skin-on chicken leg
  • 2 stalks scallion
  • 1 chunk young ginger
  • 3 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
  • Some salt
  • Some chili sauce (optional)


How?

The boneless chicken leg I used is about 190 grams. Also for the scallion, we'll need about 3/4 cup once chopped. Ginger-wise about 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon scraped and chopped.


Chopped scallion and ginger

I do suggest to thoroughly feel the boneless chicken making sure there're no tiny bone fragments remain. Once checked, steam till fully cooked. Pour out excess liquid after steaming. I actually save the chicken juice to flavor other dishes later on. Transfer the chicken to serving plate.


Steamed boneless chicken leg

Use a medium pot and drizzle 3 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil. I used olive oil for most of my cooking. Turn to medium heat and add in chopped scallion and ginger. Stir-fry till aromatic but not burnt. Lower the heat a little if needed. Season with some salt and do a taste-check, adjust the amount of salt used depending on your liking.


Stir-fry chopped scallion and ginger

Pour that scallion and ginger sauce all over steamed chicken. Serve with optional chili sauce drizzle on top.


Steamed boneless chicken leg with scallion and ginger sauce

You can definitely sear the chicken instead, but our goal is keep the kitchen as clean as possible after cooking, and searing inevitably will result in some oil splashing here and there.


Steamed boneless chicken leg with scallion and ginger sauce

However, if decided to go with the searing route, drizzle some oil to a pan and sear the chicken skin side down first till golden then flip and sear the other side. Once the chicken is done and removed from the pan, use the remaining oil to stir-fry the scallion and ginger.


The result for searing the chicken gives you a more flavorful dish in the end, but that comes with more cleaning work afterwards too. Give and take, your call.


Other steamed recipes:

 

Nov 8, 2024

Gnocchi in Broccoli and Spinach Sauce

My initial experience with frozen gnocchi was great. It was used in roasted red bell pepper sauce and the result was delicious. The frozen version yielded almost the same soft and comforting bite like the fresh made version. So I bought the product again and this time used in broccoli and spinach sauce.


Gnocchi in broccoli and spinach sauce - 


Gnocchi in broccoli and spinach sauce


Ingredients (about 3 portions)?

  • 400 grams gnocchi
  • 1 small broccoli 
  • 1 tightly packed cup spinach
  • 2 pieces anchovies
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 chunk aged Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon caper
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • Some extra virgin olive oil
  • Some salt


How?

Trim the broccoli stem and remove the fibrous part. Cut the trimmed stem to smaller chunks, break the florets to smaller pieces too. Aim for using the leafy part for the spinach only, I actually used the stem for other stir-fry dishes. If you can find baby spinach in a pack that's even better.


Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add in the broccoli stem first. Cook for one minute then add in the florets, cook for another minute. Add in the spinach in the end and quickly cook for 10 seconds or so, just enough time till the leaves wilted. Drain but not like over-drain it, we need some moisture there still. Transfer to food processor.


Boiled and drained broccoli and spinach

Also add to the food processor, aged Parmigiano Reggiano that's been cut into smaller chunks. I used about a total of two little finger sized of Parmigiano Reggiano. I didn't weigh the cheese but a bit more or less shouldn't be an issue.


On top of cheese, also add zest of one lemon, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of capers, 2 pieces of anchovies, 1 peeled garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend till smooth.


Adding broccoli and spinach to food processor along with other ingredients


Add some water if the sauce appears too dry. Also if you prefer a more "saucy" consistency in the end, use 5 tablespoons of olive oil here instead of 4.


Pour the sauce to a pan and use medium heat to warm it up. 


Heating up broccoli and spinach sauce

When the sauce comes to a light bubbling stage, add in cooked or defrosted gnocchi. Toss till incorporated with the sauce. Taste and adjust with additional seasonings or olive oil if needed.


Mixing gnocchi together with broccoli and spinach sauce

Plate and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over. Also grate some more aged Parmigiano Reggiano on top.


Gnocchi in broccoli and spinach sauce

The sauce can be made ahead of time and store in the fridge waiting for assembling, I suppose within two days should be fine.


Gnocchi in broccoli and spinach sauce

If you have frozen gnocchi on hand, great! If not, it's even better with freshly made version. Just need to precook the fresh gnocchi then drain before mixing with the sauce here.


Also it doesn't have to be gnocchi, any other type of short pasta like penne or even orecchiette should match just as good.


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