Ginger-Scallion sauce

[Ricepudding]

The chicken and sauce you're describing is a Cantonese dish. It's pretty easy to make the ginger-green onion sauce at home. Chop up 2 or 3 green onion stalks, grate young ginger (available at 99 Ranch) until you have about 3 tablespoons and put together in a heat-proof bowl. Heat up a couple tablespoons of corn oil in a pan, pour the oil over the chopped onion and ginger mixture. Stir in some salt to taste, and if you have it, a pinch of powdered ginger. Dip poached chicken into the sauce.

I've made this ginger-onion sauce with bottled minced ginger too. You can adjust everything to taste.

Sam Woo BBQ gives a tiny little plastic container of the ginger-onion sauce when you buy their chicken. Better to make a generous amount of fresh sauce at home!

[lafoodie7]

Wow! That is so cool, thank you. I love to cook and this sounds very simple. I know many Asian grocery stores carry young ginger (I frequent Japanese ones since I am Japanese), so next time I will do that. Question: how to poach the chicken? I read one recipe that said to cut up a whole chicken into chunks (uh-oh, don't have a cleaver) and steam on a plate in a steamer. Any simpler ways or good places to just purchase the chicken pre-poached/steamed? I am becoming a lazy cook. I can handle making the sauce, though.... :)

[Das Ubergeek]

You can buy the chicken poached at any Chinese barbecue, but honestly just do it yourself. You don't need a cleaver, just a chef's knife, and if you want to poach it, just toss some ginger in some simmering water, put the chicken pieces in, and bung it in the oven at 170 F for at least an hour but as long as you want (it will not go over 170 F, which is the "approved" temperature for chicken and thus won't dry out).

And don't toss the broth -- drink it, it's good for you!!

[lafoodie7]

Let me ask you this: how much water? I ask b/c "poach" makes me think the water should just cover the chicken, whereas a ton of water makes me think it is really more of a "boiled" chicken. Thank you Uber.

[Das Ubergeek]

Poaching means to simmer lightly in liquid. You can poach in any amount of water as long as it covers the food. Boiling means that the water is at the boiling point (100 C / 212 F) and is vigorous. Poaching means the water just barely "bloops" now and then and is normally about 75 C (170 F).

[lafoodie7]

so Mr. chicken: to poach or to boil? (for this dish of the Hainan-Canton-Mandarin-Singaporean origins) (you are so knowledgeable!! I am impressed!)

[Das Ubergeek]

For the Hainanese dish you steam it. But I love poached chicken. Don't boil it.