Well, hello there!
Glad to see everyone back on the Sunday Gravy train.
How did your NFL team do in the draft?
That shitty huh?
Well, fuck. Sorry about that. Just think, in a little over 4 months we are back to live-ass NFL awesomeness and then your team will suck and then you have to wait until the FOLLOWING April to try and improve in the draft again.
It really is a vicious cycle. That could also be entirely my singular opinion since I’m a Vikings fan.
Anyway.
Nice to see everyone.
Spring going OK for everyone? Yeah. Me too. No massive complaints.
Got a real fun menu for you today and an absolute “Bookmark this fucking page” keeper of a meal.
We are going to make San Bei Ji, also known as “Three Cup Chicken.” It’s a typical southern Chinese and Taiwanese dish that features sesame oil and two different types of soy sauce. The “Three Cup” part is due to the original recipe using 1 cup of soy, 1 cup of rice wine and one cup of sesame oil each.
That’s a bit extreme so it’s been tweaked over the years and we will be adapting it today as well.
Inspiration is a term frequently batted around here on Sunday Gravy and I returned to a familiar source of that inspiration for this very menu.
This one is inspired once again by our good friends at Universal Yums.
As per usual just inside the front cover on page 3 of the Yum guidebook, they provide a featured recipe for the country represented in the Yum box.
We’ve used the Yums folks for inspiration a few times in the past.
Remember last year when we made Kulajda!
And the year before that we used the Yums recipe for this.
And the year BEFORE THAT when we made Tortilla Española.
This is all a very picturesque and long-winded way of saying that the recipes inside of the Yums guidebook are fucking legit.
We’ll demonstrate that today.
Did you get this Yum Box?
This was quite the tasty box indeed. Funny thing is, I don’t remember the snacks from this Yums box since it was almost a year ago when I received it. I do remember seeing this recipe and saving it to be used for this season of Sunday Gravy, and well? Here we fucking are.
Even though the recipe is clearly outlined in the guidebook I always research more than a single source, Like every recipe on Sunday Gravy.
I read about 5 different versions of San Bei Ji and kind of settled on a mish-mash from all of them.
The guidebook was the leading inspiration but I also used ideas for this recipe from The Woksoflife.com.
SAN BEI JI!
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 inch piece of ginger – minced
5 cloves garlic – minced
1 dried chili de arbol cut in half
2-3 pounds of chicken*
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup shaoxing wine
2-5 teaspoons dark soy sauce – I used 4 teaspoons
1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Small bunch of Thai basil leaves or 2 scallions
*Most of the recipes called for chunks of boneless/skinless chicken thighs, which was okey-dokey with me but some wings would be fucking outstanding in this dish.
We begin!
My store didn’t have boneless/skinless thighs so I went with the bone-in version.
This led to an interesting quandary since the thighs were supposed to be cut into cubes and how the fuck are we going to do that with a big-ass bone in each one?
Since the dish is supposed to be a quick prep and these fat as fuck thighs wouldn’t be cooked properly stir frying in a wok I settled on an initial pre-cook.
Rinse and dry the thighs and put in a lubed baking vessel. Season simply with some salt and pepper.
Both sides..
These will go into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for an initial cook of 17 minutes with the skin side down. That will be followed by flipping the chicken over, skin side up, and then a second cook of 20 minutes.
When they are pre-cooked they will look like this.
Get after that ginger next. Yes indeed peeling ginger is a pain in the goddamn ass but the end results are worth the effort. Plus the aroma is always enticing.
Give it a mince.
We follow that by mincing the shit out of the garlic.
Here are the 2 new players you may not be as familiar with.
That’s our shaoxing wine and the dark soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is very different from standard – or light soy sauce. It’s a little denser in viscosity and it’s a whole lot darker in color. Got a little more of the dankness about it too. The shaoxing wine is very similar to a cooking sherry, which could definitely be used as a substitute.
Next we create the mysterious witches brew that will be our sauce for the dish. That would include the water, shaoxing wine, light and dark soy and the sugar. Set it aside for a moment.
Let’s get going with the stir fry action.
Put the sesame oil and the peanut oil into your skillet or wok and get that over a medium heat.
The above recipe was adapted after I made this dish. The recipe called for THREE tablespoons of oil, one sesame and 2 vegetable oil. I will say that the dish only needs two tablespoons of oil PERIOD. The third was a bit excessive.
Now in goes the garlic, ginger and dried chilies to help season the oil.
A few minutes and they will toast and impart flavor to the oil and great gawd-a-mighty does it smell fantastic. You will indeed draw the attention of EVERY person in the place.
Just infuse the oils for a few minutes. We don’t want to burn that garlic.
Next we add the chicken.
Yes, this would have been a hell of a lot easier with chicken chunks but we’re working with what we had.
Cook for about 4-5 minutes then give it a turn.
See? I knew this would work. Dump that witches brew all over the chicken and make sure it gets well coated. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes while frequently turning the chicken.
A few minutes more then flip that chicken again.
See it start to get a nice rich mahogany color? That’s what we’re after.
Time to increase the heat under the skillet to help the brown sugar thicken into a glaze. Move the chicken around fairly continuously so the sugar doesn’t burn.
When the chicken is coated with sauce, turn off the heat and add in the Thai basil or scallions.*
Initial accompaniment to this dish would logically call for rice wouldn’t it? I like rice just fine but we just had rice a couple of weeks ago when we made the cod filets with pesto.
Thinking I would change the pace up a bit I decided to use udon noodles instead of rice. You can find fresh udon noodles in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. If your store has refrigerated tofu you can find the udon right nearby.
The udon packages are set-up like your basic ramen package with the inclusion of the little spice packet and everything. The only difference being these noodles are cooked and fresh.
The noodles only need a couple of minutes in hot water to prepare. I used two packages of noodles and only half of one seasoning packet for both packages of noodles. That shit is a sodium bomb.
I also decided to grab some store bought eggrolls for a side because why the fuck not? Who doesn’t like an egg roll?
Plate that business up, Son!
Noodles down, chicken and sauce go over the top then grab your ass an eggroll or two.
When ready we have this beauty.
*please note the distinct lack of scallions. Shit man, I forget stuff too.
Oh baby is this stuff amazing! That sauce can be slathered on about anything and it would be good. Strong notes of soy, garlic, ginger and sesame are present and accounted for. Both types of soy ring through. That dark soy is going to get another whirl I can goddamn guarantee you!
But that chicken thigh? Holy shit! It was cooked PERFECTLY. Still moist, juicy and tender. Yowza!
The noodles were a perfect call and they soaked up that rich, spicy, tangy sauce just beautifully.
Dammit I want more of this right now!
This is a simple meal that could easily be made as a week night meal. You can also use your choice of protein. Like the aforementioned chicken wings.
Give this bastard a try for sure.
And that’s a wrap for today.
I appreciate you stopping by again.
Tons of playoff action in the NBA and NHL and the full baseball schedule and all of that so you’ve got lots of viewing options today.
You’ll be able to see your shiny newly drafted NFL players in the rookie development programs in just a couple of weeks, then you can nervously watch and hope that none of them tear their ACL or break a fucking leg or something.
They’re so fragile at that age.
Enjoy your Sunday and I’ll see you back here next week.
PEACE!
[…] remember when we made the san bei ji and used these ingredients? That’s how this recipe came into my brain because it uses a […]
“NAWT FACKIN’ FAYUHHHHH” – Bruins fans right now
Come on you Ice Fins, only 20 more minutes of 5 on 4, then 5 on 3, then possibly 6 on 3 hockey.
One penalty call after another, each more ridiculous than the last!
Third straight power play for Boston.
/sound of shattering glass
My god, that’s Gary Bettman’s music!!!
“That bitch knows who he works for.” — Boston owner Jeremy Jacobs, Chairman of the NHL Board of Governors by a remarkable coincidence
“Phew!” – NFL teams who drafted a player with “character concerns”
This post made me very hungry
Today was one of those times when I had a really good idea for a post and it sounded like it couldn’t fail and well….
It didn’t fail.
I fucking nailed every single element and now I’m exhausted and I’m going to have some adult beverages and bask in glory for a moment.
Fuck ME that was delicious!
Bask away, glorious man!
You’ll be able to read all about it in….
Two weeks.
“Blocked by cousins”
I’ll take, How Does An Alabama Blind Date End for $600, Alex.
Blocked?
The joke assumes that you are on the blind date with here and her cousins show up.
Oh. I still think they end up going for it.
https://twitter.com/WhalersPlates/status/1652822072156995584
Some Gap-Toothed Urchin in Southie, back in September: “I wish the 2022-2023 Boston Bruins team would be the best in history!”
/monkey’s paw curls
Aaaaand, here’s the Boston bailout penalty call.
I think you mean “here the first Boston bailout penalty call”
There’s gotta be some sort of shortcut for ginger. My life was permanently changed for the better once I learned the garlic shaker trick.
In other news, apples are really overrated. They’re perfectly ok, but I mostly end up feeding them to horses rather than eating them. They aren’t even that healthy when compared to other fruit. I made a slide comparing apples and oranges once and even though it wasn’t meant to be a contest, oranges totally won.
I am outraged at this vile apple slander. Going to have a Honeycrisp right now in protest.
Beaten to the honeycrisp punch.
I’m an equal opportunity fruit consumer. I like apples just fine but it’s got to be the right kind. Sugar Bee apples are fantastic. I like honey crisp too.
The oranges lately have been perfect.
Plus I have my daily banana, strawberry and blueberry smoothie so I get about 4 servings of fruit every day.
We’re just getting into strawberry season and I’m psyched.
I’m really entertained by food.
I need to find somewhere to go strawberry picking. When I was a kid we would always go up to my grandparent’s place in Pennsylvania on Memorial Day weekend and pick strawberries. There is nothing as perfect as a juicy little funny shaped strawberry that’s freshly picked and warm from the sun. I understand that the big ones you get in stores are considered more attractive and travel better, and while they’re still good they just don’t compare. Even a couple plants on my patio could be great if I can find the right variety
There’s got to be some places near you. We have one in Palos Verdes but the real shit is Oxnard and Ventura. There’s a big place down near Carlsbad too.
There are a couple of roadside stands I’m willing to give a try as well. I have a suspicion that cold winters make the tastiest berries though (Michigan blueberries are fantastic, and I got some surprisingly close strawberries in my farm box back in Chicago). I might do some research and try to travel to find the best strawberries in North America
[urge to kill…rising] – John Elway
[urge to kill fading…fading…gone] – John Elway
This Bruins collapse is absolutely amazing, and for once I am enjoying the sounds of Jack Edwards’s voice.
Whoa whoa let’s not get carried away here.
But the Boston fans booing the team is delightful.
2-0 Ice Fins
Game Seven Double-Header underway.
GREATEST FACKIN THAHNG IN PLAHHOFFS NO ONE DENIES THIS
NAWT FAHR!!!
what in the bloody fuck was that?! holy poop on a stick
The point, as always, is never win the President’s Cup
They should rename it the Bettman Trophy, because nobody wants anything to do with it.
it’s a FACKIN CUP ain’t it you FACK
I can’t believe the Kings are still in this. They can’t score and they can’t rebound and Curry has only missed like two shots all game, but it’s still a seven point game.
This soundz like Damn Good Chicken. I will quibble about one thing tho- my knuckles will never be shredded again trying to peel ginger. Buy those frozen Dorot cubes, pop them out of the package. Done, and no blood and/or non- chicken skin in the food. I use one cube for every clove of garlic I use in a recipe. Ginger and garlic are always 50/50 for me, it’s all about balance! Probably because I am a Libra.
When I peel ginger I just slice away the outside with a knife – I suppose it’s less efficient but it’s certainly worth avoiding shredding my own skin.
I use a basic vegetable peeler to peel, then cut into rounds then just mince that shit.
Do you know you can freeze ginger? It’s true but you can only defrost it once.
Handy ginger tip.
All this talk of peeling, slicing and freezing gingers has us all greatly concerned.
-Red headed hobos near Ontario, Canada
If someone could figure out a way to bio-engineer ginger so it grows straight like a carrot instead of all knobby, that person would deserve a parade. Give me all that sweet straight Frankenginger!
My wife and I are lazy and just buy a squeeze bottle of ginger. Same for garlic.
I just love that fresh garlic bite. Can’t simulate that.
Yeah, I don’t mind the extra work for fresh garlic. I even cut cloves in half and yank out any sprouts.
Any time I would use minced garlic or ginger, I grate it on a microplane instead. Less work and really does the job of infusing flavor and less risk of burning.
I do that too, but some recipes need chunky garlic.
I really don’t watch NBA anymore, but I’m kinda wanting the Heat to make a run for the title. Come outta nowhere, win the whole fuckin thing.
It was pretty hilarious to see the Knicks fall to pieces *after* Jimmy Butler got hurt and was just standing in the corner doing nothing for the last five minutes of the game.
Basically, they transformed into the Jets.
It’s about that time, they won a round and all, can’t have too nice things.
Rebuttal: Fuck ‘em. Not even currently, I mean for the Big Three era and unleashing Seven Nation Army upon the States.
The crowd in Madison Square Garden is informing the officials of their disapproval of the previous several calls.
New York fans react reasonably
This is hilarious. As was that game.
https://twitter.com/MenInBlazers/status/1652726069760348160
This is known as “the Gramática”
I saw that shit live. That was indeed hilarious.
Napoli blew it’s chance today to wrap up the Scudo with 6 weeks to play, they played to the draw. So the next point they get will do it. Barbara looked good calling the game.
I’ll console Marika
Fulham are content to lose this game 2-1.
I do admire their fans commitment to giving Grealish shit every time he touches the ball.
Chicken thighs used to be weird and scary to me but I have realized they are pretty much the pinnacle of what a chicken has to offer. They’re so tasty, and so forgiving.
The superior cut of chicken.
Absolutely. It’s the part that “Tastes like chicken!”
I thought that was alligator.
Alligator is very tasty and has a similar texture and chew as chicken but it don’t taste like chicken. There’s definitely a seafood under current there. Kind of like frog and turtle. If it lives in and around water it tastes like it.
Now I’ve got to cook alligator.
We very rarely buy chicken breasts anymore. White chicken chili is on the menu for this evening, and it will be made with thighs.
A scary reminder – Haaland’s backup is probably the 2nd or 3rd best striker in the Prem.
It’s amazing what you can do when you’re owned by a nation-state funded by oil.
Kind of a weird feeling when my team is funded by Wal-Mart money and somehow isn’t the worst villain.
Intriguing dish here Buddy. I’d need to do some wings too, Wifeys not a chicken dark meat fan. My older daughter is into all things orient. I think I’ll take the easy way and just give her this recipe.
Bouna Dominica tutti!
I’m up because the OKC marathon runs down my street, and there are currently motorcycle cops on my corner and helicopters have been circling since 6:00 AM. Having three dogs and motorcycle cops outside of your front porch is not a recipe for sleep.
It’s like the helicopter “gravy” scene from Goodfellas here, but at least I got to read this. Thanks, YR. This looks delicious. I’ve made thighs in chile seasoned oil before, but never done it myself. That’s on the agenda for today now.
Last weekend a marathon rerouted my Sunday trip by a half hour. They should just add another degree of difficulty to the run by introducing traffic hazards. Yeah Buddy – Action Running!
Sort of like Frogger, but with marathon runners.
“Frogger? I barely know her!” – Patrick Mahomes
“Unsportsmanlike conduct by the crowd; not laughing hard enough at Patrick’s joke. Fifteen yard penalty, first down Chiefs.” – NFL officials
So steeple chase?
Organized running is the work of the devil. I don’t mind if people want to go outside and run around, by all means have fun! But when they feel the need to inconvenience thousands of people by shutting down busy sections of cities just so they can have people cheer for them and get a crappy humblebrag t-shirt then they’ve crossed a line and become parasites on society.
Three cheers for everyone who runs without making others late for work and just donates money to charities they like instead of making the charity stage an entire event!