Poultry Recipes - Chicken with Hijiki Seaweed Recipe

Ingredients

• 90g/3 1/2oz dried hijiki seaweed

• 150g/5oz chicken breast fillet

• 1/2 small carrot, about 5cm/2in

• 15ml/1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 100ml/3fl oz instant dashi powder plus 1.5ml/1/4 tsp dashi-no-moto

• 30ml/2 tbsp sake

• 30ml/2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

• 4Sml/3 tbsp shoyu

• a pinch of cayenne pepper

Serves 2

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Method:

1. Soak the hijiki in cold water for about 30 minutes. It will be ready to cook when it can be easily crushed between the fingers. Pour into a sieve (strainer) and wash under running water. Drain.

2. Peel the skin from the chicken and par-boil the skin in rapidly boiling water for 1 minute, then drain. With a sharp knife, shave off all the yellow fat from the skin. Discard the clear membrane between the fat and the skin as well.

3. Cut the skin into thin strips about 5mm/1/4in wide and 2.5cm/1 in long. Cut the meat into small, bite size chunks. Peel and chop the carrot into long, narrow matchsticks.

4. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and stir-fry the strips of chicken skin for 5 minutes, or until golden and curled up. Add the chicken meat and keep stirring until the color changes.

5. Add the hijiki and carrot, then stir-fry for a further minute. Add the remaining ingredients. Lower the heat and toss over the heat for 5 minutes more.

6. Remove the wok from the heat and stand for 10 minutes. Season and serve in small individual bowls.

Note: The taste of hijiki - a type of seaweed - is somewhere between rice and vegetable. It goes well with meat or tofu products, especially when stir-fried in the wok first with a little oil.