For those who have not heard of the sous-vide method, it is simply cooking something in a temperature-controlled liquid. The temperature is often lower than a full-on pan on fire. The result is a flavourful, juicy and evenly cooked dish, often a protein. While waiting for my ANOVA circulator to arrive in a couple more months, I use a rather primitive method of sous-vide with a cooking thermometer which works pretty well for now. Let's get back to the chicken.
The following recipe should be able to serve two along with other dishes, or just one very hungry soul.
Ingredients:
One whole boneless chicken breast
One large chunk of young ginger
2 stalks of lemongrass
6 cloves of garlic
Vegetable oil
One stalk of spring onion, finely chopped
Salt
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
A good quality zipper bag (ensure that it is of good quality cos it has to withstand heat of about 70deg C)
Steps:
1. Peel and slice the ginger into smaller pieces, and cut the lemongrass into even sections of about an inch long. Remove the skin of the garlic.
2. Roughly pound the ginger, lemongrass and garlic. You don't want to make them into a paste because you will have to remove them when serving. Lemongrass is very fibrous.
3. Heat up a shallow pan over high heat. Add a good lug of vegetable oil and fry the gingery herb mix till fragrant and lightly browned. Allow the mix to cool.
4. Separate the whole chicken breast into two by running a knife down the middle, lengthwise. Add a pinch of salt to each side and rub it evenly. Place the chicken breast into the zipper bag.
5. Add the mix and a bit more oil to the zipper bag with the chicken breast. Give it a good rub and make sure the breast is well covered in the flavourful oil.
6. Squeeze out all the air in the bag and stick in the fridge overnight. Remember food safety, put raw meat at the bottom compartment.
7. Remove the bag from the fridge about half and hour before cooking to bring the meat back to room temperature before cooking.
8. If you have a sous-vide circulator, set it at around 65deg C or 150deg F. If not, use a double water bath and ensure the temperature of the water in the cooking pot is at the above-mentioned temperature with the help of a cooking thermometer.
9. Place the whole bag into the water and let it sit for 40 to 45 minutes. While waiting, make yourself a good cup of coffee or read a book (:
10. When the time is up, remove the bag from the water and let it sit for another ten.
11. Take out the chicken breast from the bag and gently pick out the herbs that have stuck onto the meat
12. Pour all the juices in the bag with the herbs into a blender and blend it up into a paste. Add a pinch of salt to taste. Press the paste through a fine sieve/strainer to get rid of all the fibre and the larger chunks
13. For plating, slice up the chicken breast at a diagonal angle and generously thick, slightly less than an inch.
14. Since the chicken and the sauce are all light coloured, consider using a dark coloured plate. Take a good spoonful of the paste (the sauce) and set it on the bottom. Place the sliced chicken on top of the paste. Drizzle the sesame oil and soy sauce over the chicken, and finish off by sprinkling the spring onion over the chicken.
15. Serve.
