Sweet and Salty Ginger Soy Chicken with Dirty Onion Fried Rice and Crispy Chilli Oil

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I call this 'dirty' rice because it looks dirty when I prepare it. It tastes damn good. You could add other bits and pieces to it, like roasted peanuts and sliced fresh spring onion.

I am currently obsessed with this chilli oil: Chotto Motto Crispy Chilli Oil. It is bloody fantastic on pretty much anything. I've drizzled it on chicken and beef, over noodles and rice. It works brilliantly with many dishes, and I highly recommend grabbing a jar. You'll become hooked.

Again, in this recipe, I am using my other current obsession - 'squeezy herbs' - Gourmet Garden's range of herb pastes and pre-chopped dried herbs. I find them incredibly handy, flavoursome and a great time-saver. You can get them in all supermarkets in Aus and similar products overseas.

I know some folk will baulk at me for not using fresh garlic, etc, all the time, but I'll be frank - I utterly detest peeling and chopping garlic; I find it a headwrecker. I use fresh garlic and ginger all this time, but I've found that these products, especially when cooking for the blog, have been game-changers for me. You can obviously use fresh instead of these 'squeezy' options. The rule generally is - with their garlic anyway, 1 clove = 1 teaspoon of paste.

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SERVES 4

LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USED IN THIS RECIPE ARE LINKED BELOW AND IN BOLD

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FOR THE RICE
400g (1 cup) basmati rice
Olive oil
4 large shallots, peeled and very finely chopped
1 tbsp squeezy garlic or 3 cloves, peel and minced
Half a bunch of coriander, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE MARINADE
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tsp squeezy garlic
1 heaped tsp squeezy ginger
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp chilli oil

YOU WILL ALSO NEED
8 free-range chicken thighs
Extra 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar for cooking
Extra peanut oil for cooking
Sea salt and ground black pepper

TO SERVE
crispy chilli oil (optional)
Cucumber, Red Onion, Chili, Mint, and Peanut Salsa - see recipe here (optional)

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TO PREPARE THE RICE

1. Boil a kettle of water.

2. Add rice to a metal sieve, rinse well under cold running water, and drain and set aside.

3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large, non-stick saucepan. Add the rice to the pot and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, scraping it up as it sticks to the bottom of the pan. The aim here is to lightly toast the rice before adding the water.

4. Season the dry rice with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then pour over the boiling water. It will all bubble and boil up, so allow it to while stirring all the rice into the water. Add only enough water to cover the rice by 2cm. Cover the pot and immediately turn the heat down as low as possible. Set a timer for 10 minutes and allow the rice to cook away - note: do not touch/stir it.

5. After 10 mins, using a fork, check in the centre of the pot if there is any water left under the rice; there should be none; if there is, continue to cook for another minute or so. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit for 10 minutes untouched. Then, after this time, fluff the rice up with a fork, check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if you think it requires it. Add the chopped herbs.

6. Set aside and keep warm.

TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN

1. Mix the vinegar, soy, garlic, ginger, peanut oil, honey, and chilli in a bowl to make the chicken marinade.

2. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs and discard. Place the chicken in the marinade and coat thoroughly. Cover the bowl and chill overnight—or for at least 4 hours.

3. When ready to cook, heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat, add the chicken thighs and cook over medium/high heat for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through and sauce is thick and caramelised.

4. Remove the chicken from the pan and rest on a cutting board.

5. Return the frying pan to the stove without washing it —we want to keep all the leftover bits in the pan.

6. Add the finely chopped shallot and sauté for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic and continue to fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add an extra tablespoon or two of rice wine vinegar to help loosen and scrape up all the sauce bits stuck to the pan's bottom.

7. Add the fried shallot mixture to the prepared rice and combine. The rice will start to take on a 'dirty' brown colour.

8. Heat a tablespoon or two of peanut oil in a wok until smoking. Tip in the rice and toss in the oil for 2-3 minutes to crisp it up. Taste again and season more if necessary.

TO SERVE

1. Slice chicken into 3cm strips. Serve with dirty rice and Cucumber, Red Onion, Chili, Mint, and Peanut Salsa - see recipe here (optional).

2. I also like serving this chicken and rice dish with crispy chilli oil. AS MENTIONED ABOVE - My current obsession is this one: Chotto Motto Crispy Chilli Oil.