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Huangmen jimifan

Huángmèn jī mǐfàn (黄焖鸡米饭): Jinan braised chicken with shiitake and green pepper over rice

Huangmen jimifan began in Jinan, in Shandong, and spread to thousands of little clay-pot shops across China where office workers queue at noon for a bubbling pot of chicken braised dark and glossy with shiitake, ginger and green pepper, eaten over plain rice. It reheats perfectly in a work microwave. The common mistake is using breast, which goes dry and stringy in the braise; bone-in thigh stays juicy. Chef's tip: caramelise the rock sugar in the oil before the chicken goes in, which gives the sauce its amber colour without extra dark soy.
Total time
45 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
3
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Ingredients

Serves3

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Fresh ingredients (3)

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Method

0/6 done
  1. Step 1: Squeeze 8 dried shiitake mushrooms dry, keeping the soaking water. Cut off the stalks and halve the caps.

  2. Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pot over a medium-low heat, add ½ oz rock sugar or brown sugar and stir for 2 minutes until it melts and turns amber.

    2 min
  3. Step 3: Turn the heat up, add 1 ½ lb bone-in chicken thighs and stir to coat in the caramel. Fry for 4 minutes until browned on the outside.

    4 min
  4. Step 4: Add 4 slices fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic and 2 dried red chillies and stir for 30 seconds. Add 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, the mushrooms and enough soaking water to come halfway up the chicken (about 250 ml, poured off the grit).

  5. Step 5: Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F at the thickest part, with no pink near the bone.

    20 min
  6. Step 6: Add 1 green pepper and cook uncovered for 3 minutes, until the sauce is glossy and the pepper is just tender. Serve over 1 ⅓ lb cooked jasmine rice. For lunch boxes, cool quickly, refrigerate and reheat until piping hot.

    3 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
560 kcal
Protein
34 g
Carbs
58 g
Fat
20 g
Fibre
3 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does huangmen jimifan take?
About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
What can I use instead of dried shiitake mushrooms?
Aubergine, diced, same weight.
What can I use instead of rock sugar or brown sugar?
White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.

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