This is my family’s staple dish.  A simple soy sauce braised chicken flavored with ginger and wine.  It tastes better if eaten the next day, so make a whole big pot of it.

In Malaysia, the dark soy sauce has caramel in it, making it thicker, sweeter with a blackstrap molasses-like smoky flavor.  We call it “hak you” literally translated to “black oil”.  My mom puts a dash of this black magic into almost all her dishes.   It’s also an excellent condiment with hard boiled eggs, fried Chinese sausage, cold tofu, etc.  You get it – we put it on everything.  I also remember eating hot steaming white rice tossed with a tab of butter or a tablespoon of pork lard (crunchies included) and the hak you, and when money was tight, we’d throw in a raw egg into the hot rice and call it a meal.

Chef’s tip: It’s all about the humble “hak you” dark soy sauce!  If you can’t find it, use the Indonesian kicap or Chinese dark soy, but add a little more sugar to the dish.

3 chicken legs (drumstick and thigh), about 2 lbs
5 cloves garlic, skin-on slightly smashed
3 inches ginger, peeled, sliced
3 Tablespoons sesame oil
3 Tablespoons light soy sauce
2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup sherry or Chinese rice wine
1/4 cup water

1. Heat a wok on medium high.  Add sesame oil, when about to smoke, add ginger and garlic.  “Pow” or stir fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
2. Add chicken pieces and brown chicken.
3. Add soy sauces and sugar and toss to coat.  Add sherry and water, cover and simmer under low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add a little more water if it dries out.

Tags: Malaysian