Ma You Ji (麻油雞 (Má yóu jī))
Overview
Ma you ji, sesame oil chicken soup, is a warming Taiwanese soup. Thick slices of old ginger, with the skin on, are fried slowly in dark toasted sesame oil until they curl and turn golden and fragrant. Chicken pieces on the bone are added and browned, then a large amount of rice wine is poured in, sometimes with no water at all, and the soup is simmered until the chicken is tender. Much of the alcohol cooks off, leaving a rich, nutty, peppery broth. Goji berries are sometimes added, and it is often served with rice or thin wheat noodles.
History
In Taiwan, sesame oil chicken is above all the soup of zuo yuezi, the month of rest after childbirth, when new mothers are given warming foods every day to rebuild their strength. It is also a winter tonic food, and in the cold months night markets and special restaurants across Taiwan sell steaming pots of it, together with the similar ginger duck soup.
Main ingredients
Chicken, sesame oil, ginger, rice wine, goji berries. The soup is built on sesame oil and rice wine broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Chicken soups · Rice soups · More soups from Taiwan
Recipe
Method
- 1
Fry the ginger slowly in the sesame oil until golden and curled.
- 2
Add the chicken and fry until browned on all sides.
- 3
Pour in the rice wine and bring to the boil.
- 430 min 5 min
Simmer for 30 minutes, adding goji berries for the last 5 minutes.
- 5
Season lightly and serve hot.
- ✓
Serve. About 55 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
