Strange Flavor Chicken

[darkemeralds]

See, I really do care what you guys think! You voted Strange Flavor Chicken as the dish I should learn to make first, and happily enough it's both an appetizer and not that complicated. I wish you were here to share it with me.





The curious name "strange-flavor" derives from a bizarre but deeply satisfying combination of salty, sweet, sour, nutty, hot and numbing flavors, says Fuchsia Dunlop, the author of my new cookbook. (Honestly, I'm gonna start a Fuchsia Dunlop fan club...)

The combination is all in the black sauce you see: sugar, salt, soy sauce, black vinegar, black sesame seed paste, chili oil, sesame oil, and Szechuan pepper (Tieyu's magic powder).

A little mound of cold scallion slivers, a little mound of cold poached chicken meat, a healthy drizzle of the thick, black sauce that strikes you as rich and nutty till the chili oil and peppers hit.



Oh my God, it was fabulous!

My sister stopped by and we ate the whole plateful. Enormously satisfying, incredibly flavorful. And, my vegetarian friends, you know what? I think this sauce might be just as nice with tofu.

Next up: hot and sour soup.

Comments

[vampirefan.livejournal.com]

mmmmm... that looks strangely delicious!

*snicker*

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Hee! It really is strangely delicious.

[silk-knickers.livejournal.com]

I like the plate that it's on. Very cute. As for the food itself, it does sound strange, but good. Or at least, interesting.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I love my lily-pad plates.

Seriously, this strange-flavor sauce is delicious. I had quite a bit of trepidation offering it to my sis, but once it's on the chicken, and with the cold strips of scallion, it is absolutely a wonderful mouthful of flavor.

Your icon scares me.

[wedjateye.livejournal.com]

Beautiful presentation. I'm glad the 'strange flavour' turned out to be delicious.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Me too. I've got leftovers for my lunch today. Woo hoo!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

*drools*

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Hee! *hands altariel a napkin*

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

OMG - it's so pretty. Look at how you presented it! There can't possibly be any bad calories in anything so lovingly made.

Meanwhile - Fuschia Dunlop? So that would be, like, a pink tyre?

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Yup. Fuchsia Dunlop--the only Westerner ever to be admitted to the professional cooking school in Chendu, Szechuan Province.

She writes for the Times and the Guardian, I think, and tests her recipes in her London kitchen.

I bet she has sisters called Hydrangea and Honeysuckle.

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

Ooh - or maybe Black Narcissus? ;-)

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

On my way in to work this morning, after writing that comment, I passed a whole garden full of crocosmia (http://www.dungevalley.co.uk/Crocosmia%20'Lucifer'.jpg) in bloom. Also known as Lucifer. Maybe there's a Dunlop brother...

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

Whoo! Devilish.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

I meant to vote for the glutinous balls, but this looks awfully tasty! What a lovely presentation! *G*

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Oh, the glutinous balls will be on the menu one of these days! I'm encouraged by the success of this first try. I envision a feast: strange flavors, balls, and all.

[silent-sensei.livejournal.com]

Wow! That looks awesome!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Well thanks! It was. I just ate the rest of it for my lunch. I consider the experiment a complete success.

[llaras.livejournal.com]

*bookmarks*!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Hello! Hope you had a lovely birthday.

[llaras.livejournal.com]

I really really did. :-)

The Things I Cannot Change

[scarletlillys.livejournal.com]

I have heard good things about your fic "the things I cannot change" but it is friends locked. Any chance you would allow me to see it? I would really appreciate it. Lex is definately my favorite fandom character.

Re: The Things I Cannot Change

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I'm pleased you'd like to read it. I think I actually removed it from LJ, but there are two archives where you can read it:

Firefly's Glow: http://firefly.populli.org/archive/8/thethings.shtml (http://firefly.populli.org/archive/8/thethings.shtml)

and

Smallville Slash Archive: http://www.smallville.slashdom.net/archive/37/thethings.html (http://www.smallville.slashdom.net/archive/37/thethings.html)

Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for asking.

Re: The Things I Cannot Change

[scarletlillys.livejournal.com]

Thats wonderful, thanks

[str8ontilmornin.livejournal.com]

U-Ma-Mi, U-Ma-Mi!!! You covered all the bases. That looks and sounds delicious. Congrats.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

And all without resorting to MSG. I'm very proud.