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Taiwanese sesame oil chicken soup
Muâ-iû-ke (麻油雞): bone-in chicken fried in black sesame oil and ginger, simmered in rice wine
When the first cold fronts reach Taipei, steam rises from clay pots of this at street-corner stalls, and families make it at home for new mothers and anyone run down by winter. Bone-in chicken is browned in dark, toasty black sesame oil with a mound of ginger fried until curled and crisp, then simmered in rice wine for a deeply warming, slightly bitter-sweet broth that is eaten with rice or thin wheat noodles. This soup is traditionally made with plenty of rice wine, and simmering does not cook all the alcohol off; for an alcohol-free pot, use the stock option given with the wine. A common error is heating black sesame oil on a high flame: it scorches quickly and makes the whole soup bitter. Chef's tip: fry the ginger slowly in the oil before the chicken goes in, until the slices curl at the edges and look dry; that is where the soup's warmth comes from.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumstickschopped into 5 cm pieces through the bone (ask the butcher)
- ¼ cup black sesame oilthe dark Taiwanese kind; toasted sesame oil can stand in
- 2 ⅞ oz fresh gingerunpeeled, scrubbed, sliced 3 mm thick
- 2 ½ cups rice wineTaiwanese michiu; alcohol-free option: 600 ml chicken stock plus 1 tsp rice vinegar and 4 extra slices of ginger
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 tsp rock sugaror sugar
- ½ tsp saltto taste
To serve
- 1 tbsp dried goji berries (optional)rinsed
- 10 ½ oz thin wheat noodles or cooked rice (optional)
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What you'll need
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Pat 2 lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks dry with kitchen paper. Wet chicken spits in hot oil and won't brown.
Step 2: Pour ¼ cup black sesame oil into a heavy pot or clay pot and add 2 ⅞ oz fresh ginger while it is still cold. Set over a low to medium-low heat and fry slowly, turning the slices now and then, until they curl at the edges, look dry and smell nutty. Don't let the oil smoke.
8 minStep 3: Turn the heat up to medium, add the chicken skin-side down and fry, turning once, until the skin is golden and the meat has turned white on the outside.
8 minStep 4: Pour in 2 ½ cups rice wine (or the alcohol-free stock mix) and 1 ¾ cups water, scraping up anything stuck to the base. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer.
Step 5: Add 1 tsp rock sugar, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender and pulls easily from the bone, skimming off any grey foam.
25 minStep 6: Check the thickest piece with a thermometer: it should read 165°F next to the bone, with clear juices. Simmer a few minutes more if not.
Step 7: Season with ½ tsp salt. Taste first: this soup is traditionally only lightly salted so the ginger and sesame lead.
Step 8: Add 1 tbsp dried goji berries, if using, and simmer for 2 minutes, until the berries plump up.
2 minStep 9: Serve in deep bowls with the ginger slices, over 10 ½ oz thin wheat noodles or cooked rice or with a bowl of rice on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does taiwanese sesame oil chicken soup take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of rock sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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