Leaving for Japan - Our Farewell Party, Part III
26 February 2008
The day of our departure to Japan is rapidly getting closer. In the midst of all the packing and various admin stuff which is currently keeping us busy we celebrated our farewell party last Saturday, for which I prepared different finger food which would probably qualify as Japanese fusion, some more and some less authentic, but in any case setting the right tone for our Japan party.
Before frying the chicken bits for these cute little mini-chicken skewers I marinated them in soy sauce, some dark and tasty sesame oil, a few spoons full of honey and quite a lot of ginger and sesame seeds. The pieces of red peppers were caramelized in the oven, and to add a little touch of spiciness as a contrast to the brown sugar I seasoned them with Japanese assorted chili, a spice mixture which you often find on restaurant tables in Japan, just as you find salt and pepper in the Western world. As most of the other Asian ingredients for this party I got it in the Japanese specialty shop I had discovered nearby, and for the first time I actually had a look what this characteristic mixture contains, apart from powdered chili peppers: orange peel, ginger, sesame seeds and seaweed.
I expect I will get very familiar with this spice during the coming year...
Sesame-Chicken Mini-Skewers
| yields approx. 50 skewers |
for the chicken: |
| 4 chicken breast filets |
| 80ml soy sauce |
| 3 tablespoons of honey |
| 1 tablespoon of dark sesame oil |
| 2 tablespoons of ginger, finely chopped |
| 3 tablespoons of peeled sesame seeds |
for the caramelized peppers: |
| 3 red peppers |
| 2 tablespoons of brown sugar |
| a pinch of assorted chili (Japanese spice mixture) |
| a pinch of salt |
to serve: |
| 50 toothpicks |
Chop the chicken breast filets evenly into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl (or similar container). Very finely dice the ginger and mix it with the soy sauce, the honey, the sesame oil as well as the sesame seeds (I took a mixture of black and white ones – both are fine, but in any case they should be peeled). Use dark sesame oil, which is extracted from roasted sesame seeds and is very intensive in flavour. Cover the chicken bits with the marinade, close the bowl and allow to rest in the fridge for a few hours.
Slice the red peppers into bite-sized squares, removing the stems, the seeds and the white bits in the centre. Spread them out on a baking tray with their inner side up. Sprinkle the brown sugar and some of the assorted chili mixture (be careful, it’s spicy!) over the peppers and season with salt. Leave them in the oven (pre-heated at 200°C) for about 20 minutes so the sugar can caramelize.
Sear the marinated chicken bits in a hot frying pan while stirring well so they get browned from all sides. They should be done within 5 minutes or so. Arrange them on toothpicks together with the caramelized peppers, creating little mini-skewers.
