Sweet, salty, fragrant, and garlicky, Three-Cup Chicken 三杯雞 is perfect paired with a light beer, as seen on re chao 熱炒 tables across Taiwan. The “three” refers to soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine, but the recipe doesn’t actually use one cup of each. Basil headlines the dish—Thai basil is proper but if you can’t get it (like us) regular will do alright.

Chicken may be classic, but once you know the formula, you can make “three-cup” anything: mushrooms, tofu, squid, etc.

This recipe from Cat Yeh of Off Hour Studio features Dong He cold-pressed black sesame oil, as well as rich and brothy Vat Bottom Soy Sauce from the depths of Yu Ding Xing's terracotta brewing barrels.

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Three-Cup Chicken
三杯雞

Ingredients:

• 60 g ginger, sliced
• 10 whole cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 red chili pepper
• 2 lb chicken leg, cut into 1/2”-1” pieces (or bone-in thighs if you are butchery-challenged)
• 1.5 oz Thai basil, picked from stem (regular also ok if you can’t locate Thai)
• 2 tablespoons Dong He Peanut Oil
• 2 tablespoons Dong He Black Sesame Oil (+ a splash)
• 2 tablespoons rock sugar
• 3 tablespoons rice wine
• 2 tablespoons Yu Ding Xing Vat Bottom Soy Sauce
• 1/3 cup water

Instructions:

1. Heat wok or heavy-bottomed pan. Add peanut and black sesame oils.
2. Fry ginger and garlic over low to medium-low heat until semi-dried out and golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Add chicken and turn heat to medium-high. Stir-fry 10 to 15 minutes until chicken begins to brown and juices have evaporated.
4. Add rock sugar and fry until melted.
5. Add rice wine to deglaze.
6. Add soy sauce, a splash of black sesame oil, red chili, and water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring several times.
7. Add basil. Turn heat to high and stir-fry until fragrant and wilted, 30 seconds or so. Dish is done when sauce has thickened and coats chicken.