”Zha Jiang Mian炸酱面”.This is the most famous “zha Jiang Mian” in Beijing… if you have  never been to this place meaning you  haven’t come to Beijing..haha.. i really don’t know how true it is……

 

The waiter will pour the ingredients inside the big bowl in front of us.. this is how it looks before adding the “zha jiang”

 

After mixture……. looks good right? It is definitely a must try food when you come to Beijing! The texture and taste was so so so so so so great!!

I can’t believe it has taken me so long to post this recipe; this creation inspired my cooking blog! Three years ago we were spending at least $30-$40 a week on Chinese take-out which is ridiculous! I did some research online and discovered a Chinese cooking technique used in stir-frying called velveting chicken. It produces perfect Chinese chicken (just like take-out)! The brown sauce took a couple tries but I finally nailed it! Honestly though, the brown sauce is something you will have to taste and adjust to your liking. We like ours to be spicy to replicate the “Chicken with Garlic Sauce” we used to order from Chinese take-out… notice I said “used to order”. We no longer buy chinese take-out, it’s awesome!

Ingredients
3-5 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 egg white
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Brown Sauce Ingredients
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Optional- 1 teaspoon Huy Fong Hot Chili Garlic Sauce (this spicy sauce adds the heat).
I had a hard time finding it in groccery stores so here is a picture

Directions
I start with the brown sauce since it can sit and wait while I’m working on the chicken. So in a sauce pan whisk together all the brown sauce ingredients; beef broth, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, sugar, ginger, garlic, and the chili garlic sauce if you want it spicy. Once the sauce is whisked together and the cornstarch is mixed in turn on stove to medium heat. Stir the sauce occasionally as it cooks so the cornstarch doesn’t separate. Once the sauce starts to simmer you will notice the color will change from a cloudy tan to a dark brown. It’s ready! Turn the heat off and let the sauce rest, it will thicken even more as it sits.

Now let’s focus on the chicken! Slice your chicken breasts into thin strips.

In a bowl or a plastic bag toss the egg white with the chicken then mix in the 3 table spoons of cornstarch. You can use more cornstarch if needed.

Put the chicken into a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes blanching it. As the water starts to boil again the water will get really foamy, that is normal.

With a slotted spoon or colander pull the chicken out of the boiling water. This is velveting chicken! Kinda cool, huh!

I don’t have a fancy schmancy wok, just a large skillet. I use the same large skillet to blanch the chicken and to stir-fry the chicken. So once I pull the chicken out of the boiling water I dump the water out of the skillet and return it to the stove. Whichever you use, a skillet or a wok… it’s time to stir-fry! On high heat put your chicken into the skillet and pour on the brown sauce! Stir the mixture and cook until it’s hot and bubbly!

Serve over white rice for an authentic Chinese take-out experience!
享用 (Chinese for enjoy! )