Pineapple chicken with guo bao rice
Stir-fried chicken smothered in a sticky, sweet pineapple sauce with a kick of ginger and chilli. A dish to rival any takeaway, and it's really easy to make too!
Ingredients
For the rice
- thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger
- 350g/12oz premium grade sushi rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
- 200ml/7fl oz fresh chicken stock
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- pinch Chinese five-spice powder
- pinch white pepper
- small handful dried goji berries, rinsed and drained
- sea salt flakes
For the pineapple chicken
- 250g/9oz boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1.5cm/¾in cubes
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 dried chillies
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- ½ small pineapple, peeled and cut into 1.5cm/¾in cubes
- ½ red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1.5cm/¾in cubes
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
- small handful cashew nuts, roasted (optional)
- freshly ground black pepper
- handful fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
For the sauce
Method
Grate the ginger into a clean tea towel. Gather up the edges and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Discard the ginger fibres.
Put the sushi rice in a heavy-based deep saucepan, about 25cm/10in in diameter. Add the chicken stock, ginger juice, rice wine, five-spice and 300ml/10fl oz water and season with a pinch of sea salt and the white pepper. Bring to the boil, add the goji berries and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to a light simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until all the water has gone, the base is slightly golden and the rice is toasted – when lifted out, it should come out as one whole layer of rice.
Remove the pan from the heat and keep it half-covered. (This will keep the rice warm while allowing the steam to escape, keeping the bottom crispy.)
Meanwhile, to make the pineapple chicken, put the chicken in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Add the cornflour, mix well to coat and set aside.
Whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a small jug and set aside.
Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking. Add the rapeseed oil and chillies and fry for a few seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. As it starts to turn opaque, add the rice wine and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Add the pineapple and red pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce, bring to the boil and simmer until the volume has reduced by half and the sauce is slightly sticky and thick. Add the spring onion and cashews (if using) and cook for 20 seconds, stirring well.
Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, garnish with the fresh coriander and serve immediately with the rice.
