Crack over rice, part II

OMG. I think this recipe is BETTER than crack over rice. Deon thought so too. By the way, if you haven't tried crack over rice, you really should. It is yum. Speaking of yum...


Japanese Mum's Chicken

Read all the directions before you start. The original recipe is below, my changes are below that.

Sorry guys, taking a picture was a total afterthought. But doesn't it look good anyway?!

Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumsticks, skin on (the skin is important for flavor, and is so tasty to eat!) You can however, use boneless skinless chicken breasts, or even tofu if you prefer. I posted about both of those options at the very bottom.
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed a bit
• 1 small hot chili pepper, slit open, seeds removed

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over a high heat.

2. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.

3. Increase the heat, turning the drumsticks frequently in the sauce, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze.

4. Arrange the chicken on a serving platter, remove the garlic clove and chili from the liquid, and spoon the glaze over.

5. NOTE It's a glaze rather than a sauce, so there's not a whole lot of it.

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Here is what I did different:

Added 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Added 2 more cloves of garlic smashed and 1 minced (that I obviously didn't remove later)

Added 2 teaspoons cornstarch (dissolved in water) during the reducing process. It was just taking too long and we were hungry!

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Here is what I'm going to try next time:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts. There is enough liquid during the cooking process that I don't think they will dry out. As long as you add the cornstarch step you won't have to cook it all for as long either.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

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And another idea

Tofu! OMG, this is the perfect perfect recipe for tofu.

So for tofu here is what I would do...

Bring everything but the tofu to a boil and then simmer about 10 minutes (so you meld all the flavors)

Then add cubed tofu after the cornstarch, during the reducing process. I suggest using extra firm tofu that you have previously frozen because it gives it more texture.