Sichuan Pepper Chicken with Tomato-Chili Jam

Sichuan Pepper Chicken with Tomato-Chili Jam

Ingredients

Serves 4

Sichuan Pepper Chicken

1 lb / 453 gr free-range organic chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons cooking wine (ideally rice wine)

2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns (or 3 teaspoons ground sichuan pepper)*

2 tablespoons organic wheat-free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)

Pinch of fine grain sea salt

Handful of chopped fresh mint

*alternatively, you can sub it with 2 teaspoons of Chinese five-spice

Tomato-Chili Jam

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 shallots (or 1 medium onion) finely chopped

3 large mild red chiles, seeded and chopped

1 lb / 453 gr ripe tomatoes, diced

1 can (14 oz / 400 gr) whole peeled tomatoes

1 cup / 4.5 oz / 120 gr raw coconut palm sugar (I used Madhava)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons fish sauce (I used Red Boat)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

Directions

Tomato-Chili Jam

To make the tomato-chili jam, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan (preferably with a thick bottom) over medium-heat. Add ginger, shallots and chiles and saute’ until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Add 5 tablespoons of water and sugar and stir until completely dissolved.

Turn up the heat to high and caramelize the sugar for about 2 minutes.

Add fresh diced tomatoes, whole peeled tomatoes (without juice) and fish sauce.

Bring to a gently simmer and cook for about 50 to 60 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent burning.

Remove from the heat and add rice vinegar. Set aside.

Sichuan Pepper Chicken

If using whole peppercorns, heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add peppercorns and dry-fry for a minute, until fragrant. Remove and place in a mortar (or spice grinder) and grind.

In a shallow dish (or large ZipLoc bag) combine soy sauce, wine, ground peppercorns and salt.

Shake well and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan (or wok) over medium-high heat, add chicken and stir-fry for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with chopped mint and serve with tomato-chili jam.