Chicken, tofu and kangkong (water / swamp spinach) with chili garlic sauce

July 18, 2008 |

Yes, chili garlic sauce. Again. I can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. And I’m not even fond of spicy dishes. No, correction — I am not fond of overly spicy dishes. And that’s what makes the chili garlic sauce perfect for me so long as I use it for cooking rather than for dipping.

Chicken, tofu and water spinach stir fry with chili garlic sauce

Yesterday’s lunch was a stir fry made with chicken strips, firm tofu and kangkong. So unbelievable simple, so amazingly easy to cook and so utterly tasty that I had to stop myself from having a third helping. I ate so much for lunch I couldn’t eat a proper dinner at 7.00 p.m. And we had baked mac for dinner! Imagine me only have a small portion of baked mac.

Serves 4 to 5.

250 g. of chicken thigh fillets (skin on or skinless, your choice)
half a head of garlic, finely minced
2 red onions, roughly chopped
a large bunch of kangkong
a 330-g. cake of firm tofu (read my related entry on Masoya Japanese firm tofu)
liquid seasoning (I recommend patis, Knorr or Bragg)
2 tbsps. of chili garlic sauce
1/4 c. of vegetable cooking oil

Cut the chicken into strips. Pour in about a tablespoonful of whatever liquid seasoning you’re using and mix well. Set aside.

Wash the kangkong well, drain, then cut into three to four segments. Keep the segments in separate bunches — the toughest portion of the stalks is one bunch, the part next to it is another bunch, and so on, with the leafy tips consisting of the last bunch. You’ll be adding them to the wok one after the other to ensure even cooking. See, if you add them all at the same time, the leaves will be overcooked by the time the stalks are cooked through. Makes sense? it should.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok. I really recommend non-stick pans so that you won’t need to use so much oil for frying the tofu. You’ll need more than 1/4 cup of oil if you’re not using a non-stick pan.

While heating the oil, cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Add them to the hot oil and cook over high heat until lightly browned, stirring often. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate.

Pour off the oil from the wok. You’ll only need a trace to complete this dish. Replace the wok on the stove and add the seasoned chicken strips. Cook until the meat changes color then add the chili garlic sauce. Continue cooking until the chicken acquires a nice reddish color then throw in the minced garlic and chopped onions. Stir fry for about 10 seconds then start adding the kangkong. Remember, the thickest part of the stalks first. Add the rest with 1 minute intervals. After adding the leaves, stir fry for a minute then turn off the heat. Add more liquid seasoning, a tablespoonful at a time, tasting between additions, to get just the right amount of saltiness that will blend well with the chili garlic sauce.

Serve at once with hot rice.

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Comments

5 Responses to “Chicken, tofu and kangkong (water / swamp spinach) with chili garlic sauce”

A scientist in the kitchen on July 18th, 2008 11:37 am

I’d love to make this one, I like using kangkong beyond the usual sinigang or adobo we use at home.

Gay
melisa on July 18th, 2008 12:06 pm

Hi Ma’am,

This really looks delicious… Masarap at healthy na inexpensive pa… I always try to make my own chili garlic sauce. I will definitely try this recipe tonight. thanks and more power to Pinoycook.net
brenda on July 22nd, 2008 10:49 am

hi Connie!

i’ve made this yesterday for lunch and it was sooo good! although i only used Knorr chili garlic sauce. and before serving it, i sprinkled it with toasted garlic…. heaven!

thanks for sharing!
Shirlie on August 14th, 2008 6:49 pm

It looks good. I will try it this weekend.
Bianca on August 28th, 2008 7:42 am

I just tried this for dinner tonight and it came out great! Thanks! I had to make use of alternatives though, walang kangkong so I used spinach and I forgot to buy chili garlic sauce so I made do with sweet chili sauce (thai). I added the fried tofu cubes while the leaves were cooking, tama nga ba?