Taiwanese three cup chicken and smashed cucumber salad

Frederick Sy cooks pan-Asian for Nicky Pellegrino. The name “three cup chicken” comes from the three key ingredients: sesame oil, Chinese rice wine, and soy sauce. "Cups" refer to the equal ratio of the three instead of a literal measurement.

Chicken

1 bunch	Spring onion
5 cloves	Garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 piece	Ginger, thumb-size, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp	Sesame oil
300 g	Boneless chicken thighs, cut into medium pieces (Main)
2 Tbsp	Shaoxing wine
2 Tbsp	Soy sauce, dark
10 g	Chinese rock sugar, or palm sugar (brown sugar can be used as a substitute)
1 cup	Thai basil leaves

Salad

4	Lebanese cucumber (Main)
2 tsp	Salt
3 tsp	Sugar
3 cloves	Garlic, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp	Rice vinegar
1 Tbsp	Sesame oil
3 Tbsp	Soy sauce, light
2	Red chillies, sliced

Directions

Three cup chicken

1. Wash and dry spring onions and trim, separating the green leaves and white stalks. Cut the green leaves diagonally and reserve as garnish. Cut the stalks in half lengthwise.
2. Using a large frying pan or wok stir fry garlic, ginger, and spring onion stalks in 1 Tbsp of the sesame oil over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add chicken pieces and brown both sides of the meat.
4. Add shao xing, soy sauce, remaining sesame oil, and sugar. Bring to a boil over low-medium heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, slowly reducing most of the liquid. The resulting sauce should be thick enough that it glazes the chicken pieces.
5. Add basil and spring onion leaves and toss until basil wilts (approximately 20 seconds)
6. Serve hot with steamed white rice and smashed cucumber salad

Smashed cucumber salad

1. Trim off ends of cucumber. Using a mallet or something similar, carefully smash the cucumber then break the pieces by hand, discarding any clumps of seed.
2. Put the smashed cucumber pieces in a bowl and add salt and sugar. Transfer to a colander and leave for a minimum of one hour to cure and drain.
3. Put the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Add well-drained cucumber pieces and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.