This dish is a variation of a childhood favorite – the original is made with pork. This one is made with boneless chicken thighs. It is versatile recipe, with ingredients being swapped from chicken to pork to beef (and even boiled eggs as the main ingredient! with supporting ingredients also swappable – potatoes, radish, carrots, chestnuts, taro…) At its most basic, it is meat braised in a soy sauce marinade.
about 600 grams boneless chicken thighs, sliced in large chunks, rinsed and pat dry
Marinade:
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 bulb garlic, smashed
a small thumb of ginger, sliced into matchsticks
2 pieces large bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
dash of shao xing wine
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
110g cooked chestnuts (shelled)
a handful of banana blossoms, re-hydrated and tough ends trimmed
6 pieces boiled eggs or cubed potatoes, optional
1/2 to 1 cup water (or stock)
Mix marinade ingredients together; set aside for a while.
Pour marinade over the chicken chunks; let stand for about 30 minutes.
Place the marinated chicken and its marinade into the instant pot. Add 1/2 cup of stock (to barely cover the pork pieces) as well as the banana blossoms and potatoes, if using. Seal the IP and set on high. Cook for 10 minutes and let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes before releasing pressure manually, Check if meat is tender; if not, cook on high pressure another 5 minutes.
Add the chestnuts and set the IP on “saute”; cook until the sauce is reduced slightly and thickened (or thicken with cornstarch slurry). Adjust seasonings, to taste.
Just before serving, add a few more drops of sesame oil. Serve over hot rice!
Chopsuey at Halo–Halo ni Lucille 