Although a combination of two
authentic Japanese meals, these two work deliciously well
together as a meal.
Teriyaki is a combination of two words ‘teri’
means ‘’lustre’ and ‘yaki’
means ‘grilled’.
Teriyaki sauce is what gives the meat or seafood that shiny
look.
If you want to
make your own teriyaki sauce, you will need mirin,
a sweet Japanese rice wine.
But white wine and brown sugar mixed works. Just don’t
let the Samurai catch you doing it this way.
Alternatively, most supermarkets sell bottled teriyaki
sauce. |
|
To make your own teriyaki sauce, simply
mix one cup of mirin with one cup of light soya sauce, add
three heaped teaspoons of brown sugar and bring to a boil.
Let it simmer for a few minutes and then allow to cool.
THE CHICKEN
About 500g of deboned chicken, you can use breasts or thighs.
You can even use wings on the bone. In fact you can probably
use any part of a chicken. Or a duck even. Ostrich?
Cut chicken into bite sized chunks or strips
and marinate in half-a-cup of teriyaki sauce for at least
an hour. The longer the better.
In a heavy-based frying pan or wok, add about
2-3 tablespoons of canola oil and fry the chicken on a medium
heat until done. (About 10 minutes)
Remove chicken with any left over sauce from pan and set aside.
THE VEGGIES
You can use just about any combination.
Red bell peppers, green beans, carrots, onion, mushroom
and bean sprouts work well, but hey, improvise.
Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in the same
pan as you did the chicken.
Add a heaped teaspoon of freshly crushed garlic and the
sliced/chopped onion.
Stir-fry on high heat for about two minutes, then add the
rest of the veggies and two teaspoons of oyster sauce and
stir-fry until veggies are done. About 5 minutes.
Remove from pan and set asise.
THE NOODLES
We are supposed to use Japanese Udon or Chinese Lo-Mien
noodles, but from Athlone to Brooklyn they only sell the
Fattis & Monis variety so linguini or spaghetti works
just fine if you break it into short pieces before cooking.
Boil the noodles for about 3 minutes if
you are using the real thing. For the Fattis & Monis
version boil for 8 minutes.
Drain noodles in a colander and run cold water over it to
stop it from cooking any further.
Now, at the risk of evoking the wrath of
the Sanurai, add 3 tablespoons of oil, a third of a cup
of teriyaki sauce and a teaspoon of oyster sauce to the
pan.
When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and add
a third of the cooked noodles.
Stir regularly until the sauce is absorbed. (About 3 minutes)
Remove from pan and set aside.
Continue stir-frying the rest of the noodles in two batches,
adding more oil, teriyaki and oyster sauce as required.
(Not too much oil!)
Mix noodles and veggies in a bowl, adding salt,
pepper and soya sauce to taste.
Sprinkle some sesame seeds over chicken and serve on a bed
of stir-fried noodles.
