Soybean paste chicken with rice and broccolis

I had the most amazing holiday in New Zealand earlier this month, and thanks to all the delicious meals I had there, I came home feeling like a big balloon :-(. In order to prepare myself for even more rich and festive meals ahead this month (don’t you just love December? ;-)) I decided to take a little break from indulging too much and trying to eat healthy whenever I can. Naturally my mind goes straight to Asian, especially Korean ingredients that I’m familiar with when I plan a healthy meal. And the fermented soybean paste (Doen Jang) is probably the heart and soul of ‘wellbeing food’ in Korea. This traditional ingredient is similar to Japanese Miso, but the flavor is stronger and more pungent. It is most commonly used for soup and stew in Korea, but I am using it for stir-fried chicken in this recipe. This is very healthy and nutritious dish but by no means bland. Because of its strong umami flavor, you need the rice and vegetables to go with it. But no worries even if you don’t have a rice cooker, I will show you the easiest way to cook your rice on the stove in less than 20 minutes. If you need a break from all the heavy and decadent holiday meals, this is the perfect dish for you to try.

• Prep time: 1hr
• Cooking time: 15-20mins
• Serves: 2

Ingredients

Soybean paste chicken

• 480g. boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp. mirin
• 1/2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. ginger, grated
• 1 tsp. pure sesame oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. fermented Korean soybean paste
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure honey
• 1/3 cup. hot water
• 1 1/2 tbsp. grape seed oil
• 4-5 spring onions, chopped
• 2 red chilis, chopped
• handful of roasted cashew nuts (optional)

Rice and broccolis

• 1 cup. black or mixed rice
• 1 1/3 cup. water
• 2 broccolis

Cut chicken thighs into 2-3cm bite size cubes. Marinate them in mirin, soy sauce, ginger and garlic for 1 hour. Meanwhile, dissolve fermented soybean paste and honey in hot water.

Rinse the rice thoroughly 3 times, or until the water comes out clean. Drain, place it in a pot with 1 1/3 cup of water. Boil it in the highest heat for 3 minutes, turn the heat down to the lowest, put a lid on and cook for 15-16 minutes. Cooked rice should be fluffy and the water should all have been absorbed. If you want your rice to be drier, put a lid back on and cook for a few more minutes. Cut broccolis into bite size and steam for 4-5 minutes. I normally use steamer rack over boiling water in a deep pot.

When the chicken is marinated, add it in a medium-high heat non-stick pan with grape seed oil. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until meat turns opaque. Add in dissolved soybean paste and honey with chopped spring onions and red chilis. Continue to stir and cook for 9-10 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Take it off the heat, add roasted cashew nuts and mix well. Serve it with rice and broccolis.