Three Cup Chicken 三杯?/SPAN> (san-3 bei-1 ji-1) A classic Taiwanese dish that is simply pungent. The three cups refer to one each of sesame oil, rice wine, and soy sauce.

Serves 5?

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 kg (2.2 Ib) chicken, chopped into bite-size chunks
10 cloves garlic, crushed
10 slices ginger
1 cup sesame oil
1 cup Taiwan rice wine
1 cup soy sauce
A few stalks fresh oriental basil
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
2 chilli peppers, roughly chopped (optional)

Method

1. In a clay pot or casserole dish, brown chicken in vegetable oil.
2. Add garlic and ginger and fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Add sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Place basil on top of chicken, cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Remove chicken, minus liquid, to a serving dish. Serve with white rice.

Notes
Don’t be tempted to skimp on seasonings ?this dish is meant to pack a punch. And don’t simmer much longer than 20 minutes or the chicken will start to resemble salty hunks of leather.