Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011...9:47 pm

Ushering the Year of the Rabbit In

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It’s a bit of a joke, how much I adore gai yuen gwat, or chicken cartilage. I was first introduced to it as a dish in its own right at a little yakitori joint here in Hong Kong, almost three years ago. Tasty, crunchy, salty, crispy delicious nuggets, lined up on a pretty little stick, roasted to perfection over a charcoal fire.

Since then, I’ve encountered it in a couple of different forms – dusted in seasoned flour and deep fried (like KFC’s popcorn chicken, on crack), used in place of cubes of chicken in dishes like Kung Pao chicken. And no matter what form it appears on my plate it, I love it oh so very much.

Before bunny flew off to Singapore for the Chinese New Year break, she hauled me into a supermarket to stock up on some supplies, worried that I would starve while she was away. (I have a really bad habit of eating rubbish – if I eat at all – when I’m on my own for more than a day or two.) As we passed the freezer section (I was looking for fish fingers!), a bag of frozen gai yuen gwat caught my eye.

And so it was, that on this eve of the Lunar New Year, I’ve just had probably the most delicious meal I’ve ever, ever, made for myself, for my solitary tuan yuan fan. (Is it still a “reunion dinner” if I’m only reunited with deliciousness? I think so, yes.)

Kung Hei Fatt Choy, everyone! Here’s wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous, and absofrickenlutely delicious Year of the Rabbit. :)

Gai Yuen Gwat Donburi

250g pack of frozen gai yuen gwat, thawed
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
powdered white pepper
sea salt
canola oil

200g cooked Japanese white rice
1 onsen tamago (see note below)
freshly ground black pepper
Shichimi togarashi (optional)

Place all of the gai yuen gwat into a medium, non-reactive mixing bowl. Add in the soy sauce, vinegar/lemon juice, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and season with a generous shake of white pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Heat a non-stick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add all the gai yuen gwat in, and cook gently, allowing the fat to render out (which will help to lubricate the pan) as the pieces slowly crisp up. Cook thoroughly, and until all the pieces are a deep golden brown, then transfer to a small plate or tray lined with paper towels. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the cooked pieces, and toss.

To assemble, fill a large donburi bowl with rice in an even layer. Scatter the gai yuen gwat over the rice, leaving a small gap in the middle of your bowl. Carefully crack the onsen tamago into the middle of the bowl, season the egg with salt and black pepper, and dust the entire donburi with the Japanese chilli flakes. Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves one.

Note: Onsen tamago is a slow-cooked egg, where the egg is poached in its shell for about an hour at a low temperature. Cooking it this way allows the whites to become creamy and gel-like, without completely solidifying. I do this by bringing the eggs to room temperature, then immersing them in my sous vide supreme for 60 minutes at 62.5ºC.

5 Comments

  • Looks fantastic. And now I need to look into this sous-vide supreme you speak of.

    I wonder if it’s available in the US?

  • Oh the sous vide supreme is Awesome. :D I think if you can afford one and you have the counter space you should definitely look into getting one! And yes, it’s available in the US – it actually took close to a year (if I’m not wrong) before it finally appeared in Asia. You can buy it off the website, or off Amazon even.

    Other alternatives to cooking sous vide at home include the Polyscience Immersion Circulator (which is available at Williams Sonoma), or jury-rigging a rice cooker, if you’re into tinkering with stuff at home :)

  • thanks! I may try to rig my rice cooker temporarily as my spouse flipped his lid when he learned I was contemplating such an expensive toy purchase. Ha–I’ll buy it when he’s out of town.

  • Haha! The cheapest way to get sous vide-ing at home is probably to just heat a pot of water on a really low flame, and monitor the temperature with a thermometer, keeping a couple of ice cubes on hand if the temperature rises too much. It’s even easier if you’ve got an induction stovetop. (Be sure to place the food on a rack so it isn’t in contact with the hotter base of the pot though.) Downside of this is that it becomes a really involved method of cooking – you’re constantly stirring, measuring, heating, cooling etc.

    Another very inexpensive way is Kenji’s Beer Cooler hack on Serious Eats. Try one of those methods to cook a perfectly medium-rare steak for your husband, I’m pretty sure he’ll come around soon enough!

    Also, (hope you don’t mind the plug but) I’ve listed the SVS in my amazon store for when he finally warms to the idea. :D

  • this is an interesting recipe. it looks delicious!