Stir-fry Chicken with Chinese Parsley

Daily cooking is very different from planned luncheon and dinners. Most of the time, I dig into my fridge to see what I have and what can I cook out of this and that. Sometimes, I recycle leftovers and they turn out pretty well too. It’s all about cooking with what you have in hand for the family, for the day.

I have this terrible weakness when I go to the market, I tend to over buy at times. I have half a chicken, chopped into small pieces in the freezer and a whole bunch of organic Chinese Parsley which I bought because I liked the look of it displaying itself on the grocery shelf. How lame can I get.

I noticed many people cannot stand the smell of Chinese Parsley but I think fresh Coriander leaves has a sharper scent. Anyway, for those of you who think you may not like Chinese Parsley, this dish will prove otherwise. When the flavours combine, Chinese Parsley actually enhances this wonderful dish without giving you the shudders.

 

Ingredients

1/2 a large free-range chicken (chopped into small pieces)
a bunch of fresh Chinese Parsley
1 Tbsp light Japanese miso
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
6 thin slices of old ginger
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
a dash of crushed white peppercorns
olive oil

Method

1. Rinse the fresh Chinese Parsley clean of dirt and cut off at the roots. Make sure the roots are rid thoroughly of unwanted soil. Cut the parsley into 2 inches long from stems all the way up to the leaves. Do not discard the roots.
2. Heat up a stir fry pan and drizzle some olive oil into the pan. Add in the chopped garlic, ginger and miso, stir and put in all the chicken pieces. Stir them evenly until the skin is slightly golden in color.
3. Throw in the parsley roots. Add a teacup of hot water and bring the chicken to simmer, covered with a lid.
4. When chicken is almost cooked through (approx.10 minutes), add in the parsley , both the soy sauces and crushed peppercorns. This dish should have enough flavor without needing to add any more sea salt, cos the saltiness comes from the soy sauces and the miso. It actually tastes pretty refreshing and appetising.