Teriyaki at Home

The glisteningly dark, salty-sweet richness of teriyaki chicken makes it a favorite at Chinese buffets and here at home. Tonight's dinner took a little forethought, but not much time to fix.

Day before yesterday I cut up boneless, skinless chicken breast to soak in sauce. Bite-sized pieces work best for stir frying, and kitchen shears make quick work of this job even when the chicken is somewhat frozen. The sauce, too, takes little effort with a big payoff. Many ready-made teriyaki sauces are good, but homemade is even better. I never measure the ingredients, just add things until the thickness and taste are appealing. My combination includes soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, honey, orange juice, black pepper, minced garlic and ginger, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. To make life easy, I mix everything in a large zipper-style bag and then dump the chicken in when I'm done. After mushing it around some, the bag goes in bowl (in case it leaks) and into the fridge for at least a day, usually two.

When the appointed time arrives, begin with the rice so it has plenty of time to cook. Drain the sauce off of the chicken into a small pan over medium heat. Add some corn starch for thickening, and stir until it comes to a boil. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer - stirring occasionally -while the chicken and veggies cook. While frozen veggies can be used, I find them just too limp for stir fry. Odds and ends of vegetables are useful, but one of the small packages of fresh mixed veggies from the salad section of the grocery store works well. I like the cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, and pea pod combo, though I do cut the goodies into smaller bites before stir frying them in a large pan with a mixture of canola and sesame oils. (The fragrance of sesame oil makes it one of those luxury items that I always keep in the pantry. A little goes a long way and adds such flavor to Asian cuisine that I can't remember what it was like to make stir fry without it.)

Once the veggies have cooked a few minutes - just to crisp tender - add the chicken and continue until it is cooked through. This goes quickly since the bites are so small. Finally, add the lovely glossy sauce to the mixture and stir it around to coat everything well. Usually the heady scent of jasmine rice fills the kitchen as the lid comes off just in time to layer it in a bowl with the stir fry. Tonight we ate the steaming bowls of goodness while watching a new television version of Robinson Crusoe. Good food, a good story, a comfy couch, and soft pajamas - who could ask for more?