-
1
Soak the Wood Ear and Mix the Sauce
15 Mins
Warm water, about 40°C (104°F)
Put the 15 g of dried wood ear fungus in a bowl of warm water and leave it for 15 minutes until soft and springy. Drain, rinse and tear it into bite-size pieces. While it soaks, stir the 30 g of soy sauce, 15 g of fish sauce, 30 g of oyster sauce, 12 g of palm sugar and 2 g of black pepper together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.
Do the sauce now — once the wok is hot there is no time to measure anything.
Done when: Wood ear soft, dark and springy; sauce smooth with the sugar fully dissolved.
-
2
Fry the Eggs
4 Mins
High heat, oil about 180°C (350°F)
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over high heat until it shimmers. Slide in the 4 eggs one at a time and fry for 2–3 minutes until the whites are set and the edges turn golden and crisp, keeping the yolks runny. Lift the eggs out and keep them warm on a plate.
Hot oil and a confident slide-in give the lacy, crisp edges — cold oil makes pale, rubbery eggs.
Done when: Whites fully set, edges crisp and golden, yolks still runny.
-
3
Stir-Fry the Garlic, Chicken and Ginger
8 Mins
High heat; chicken to 74°C (165°F)
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the 18 g of sliced garlic and fry for 20 seconds until golden, then add the 600 g of chicken pieces in a single layer and leave them for 2 minutes without moving them so they brown. Add the 100 g of ginger matchsticks and the 10 g of sliced red chilli (if using), and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, tossing constantly, until the chicken is cooked through to at least 74°C (165°F) and the ginger has begun to brown at the edges.
Do not crowd the wok — chicken piled up steams instead of browning. Work in two batches if your pan is small.
Done when: Chicken browned outside with no pink inside and juices running clear; ginger matchsticks softened and lightly browned.
-
4
Add Onion, Wood Ear and Sauce
3 Mins
High heat, about 200°C (392°F)
Add the 120 g of onion wedges and the soaked wood ear to the wok and toss for 1 minute until the onion starts to soften. Pour in the sauce and the 30 g of water, and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes more until the sauce bubbles and glazes every piece. Taste and add a pinch more palm sugar or black pepper if it needs it — the finished stir-fry should be salty-savoury first, with the ginger's peppery heat and a gentle sweetness behind it.
The sauce should coat, not pool — if it looks watery, give it 30 seconds more on high heat.
Done when: Sauce glossy and clinging to the chicken and ginger; onion softened but still with bite.
-
5
Plate With Rice, Egg and Holy Basil
2 Mins
Serve hot, above 60°C (140°F)
Spoon 150 g of hot steamed jasmine rice onto each plate, pile the ginger chicken beside it, and lay a fried egg on top of the rice. Scatter the 10 g of holy basil leaves and the 40 g of spring onions over the stir-fry and serve at once, while the egg yolk is still runny and the ginger is hot and fragrant.
Break the yolk over the rice at the table — it turns into a rich sauce for the ginger chicken.
Done when: Plates hot, rice steaming, egg yolk intact and runny, basil still bright green.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve each plate at once, hot from the wok, with the fried egg on the rice and the holy basil scattered over the top. The runny yolk, the steamed rice and the peppery ginger chicken are meant to be eaten together in one bite.
Cambodia
1h
