Ingredients (Serves 2)
Chicken breast: 1 piece
Salt: 1/3 tsp
Sake: 2 tbsp
White leek (green part): A small amount
Ginger: 1/2 knob
<Seasonings>
Water: 50 ml
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Fish sauce (nam pla): 1 tsp
White sesame paste (neri-goma): 1 tsp
Chili oil (rayu): 2 tsp
Lettuce: 2 leaves
Shiso leaves (Japanese basil): 5 leaves
White leek (finely chopped): 5 cm piece
Almonds: 10 nuts
Thread chili pepper (ito-togarashi): A small amount
[Preparation]
Slice horizontally into the thickest part of the chicken breast and open it up to even out the thickness. Sprinkle salt on both sides. Dry-roast the almonds in a frying pan and chop them coarsely.
Evenly adjusting the thickness of the chicken breast ensures it cooks uniformly.
Tear the green part of the white leek into pieces; slice the ginger thinly (leave the skin on).
Cut the lettuce into 1 cm wide strips. Trim the stems off the shiso leaves and cut them into fine shreds. Mix the lettuce and shiso together.
[Instructions]
1. Place the green part of the white leek, ginger, and chicken breast in a frying pan, and pour the sake over them. Cover with a lid, place over medium heat, and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Flip the chicken over and steam for another 1–2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes to finish cooking with residual heat.
Cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. Check that it is cooked through to the center after the resting period.
3. Remove the green leek parts, ginger, and chicken breast from the pan. Add the <Seasonings> ingredients to the steaming liquid left in the pan, mix well, bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn off the heat.
The steaming liquid is packed with umami, so it serves as a flavorful stock. 4. Line a serving dish with the mixture of lettuce and shiso leaves, then arrange the chicken breast (cut into bite-sized pieces) on top. Pour over the liquid from step (3), sprinkle with the white scallion and almonds, and garnish with the shredded red chili pepper.
