The name three-cup refers to the ratio of rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil used in the original recipe. The ingredients have evolved and been adapted over time to suit different regions in Taiwan and China. The secret to this flavourful dish lies in large amounts of aromatics — ginger, garlic and Thai basil. You can substitute Thai basil with regular basil, though Thai basil is recommended for its anise-like flavours.
If you are new to Taiwanese cooking wine, Mijiu — I recommend you pick up a bottle at your local Asian grocer (I get mine from T & T). There are substitutes you can use, such as Chinese rice wine, sake, dry sherry or plain vegetable stock, but you’ll get the best results from Taiwanese cooking wine.
Preparation
1 pound dark chicken meat, boneless, cut into 2-inch pieces
3-inch knob of ginger, sliced into thin pieces
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Thai red chili, chopped into pieces
1 cup of fresh Thai basil, roughly chopped
Oil for cooking
Sauce
3 tablespoons Taiwanese cooking wine (substitute rice wine, sherry or sake)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup water
Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.
Add all of the sauce ingredients into a bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of oil and fry the ginger pieces until golden brown on all sides, around 1 minute. Ginger, unlike garlic, lasts longer in hot oil, so make sure to cook separately. Add the garlic and chili until they are golden and fragrant. Making sure the aromatics do not burn. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.
Add the sauce, stir and cover the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook until the sauce has reduced to a syrupy state. Toss in the Thai basil and cook for another minute until it has wilted. Garnish with more Thai basil or green onions. Serve warm with rice.
