Last week I bought some shiro plums at a farmers market. I had never tried them before but was intrigued by their lovely golden color. They were extremely sour, so I figured the best thing to do with them was make a sweet sauce out of them to use with pancakes or waffles. But then I wondered what would happen if I used them to make a savory sauce along with the apricots I also had on hand. I was very happy with the dish; it's sweet, sour, and hot all at the same time and is a beautiful color. Here is the resulting recipe for chicken with shiro plums and apricots.
1 T vegetable or olive oil
1 boneless, skineless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 large onion, sliced thinly
6 shiro plums, pitted and chopped
4 apricots, pitted and chopped
1/4 C water
1 tsp. hot sauce (I used the red rooster Asian hot sauce; Cajun style hot sauce has too much vinegar in it)
1-2 T honey
1/2 C cauliflower, chopped (if using fresh, blanch it first; frozen can just be dropped in and doesn't need to be thawed first as long as the pieces are small)
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 T water
salt and pepper
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook it in the oil just until the exterior is white; it doesn't have to be cooked all the way because you'll put it back in the pan later. Remove the chicken to a plate. Cook the onion in the chicken drippings until soft and golden. Add the chopped fruit and their juices and the water; let simmer for a minute to release the juice from the fruit. Add the hot sauce and honey. Stir and then taste; you may have to add more honey depending on how sour the plums are. Return the chicken to the pot. Add the cauliflower. Add the cornstarch and water. Put a lid on the pot and cook until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice. Enjoy!
1 T vegetable or olive oil
1 boneless, skineless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 large onion, sliced thinly
6 shiro plums, pitted and chopped
4 apricots, pitted and chopped
1/4 C water
1 tsp. hot sauce (I used the red rooster Asian hot sauce; Cajun style hot sauce has too much vinegar in it)
1-2 T honey
1/2 C cauliflower, chopped (if using fresh, blanch it first; frozen can just be dropped in and doesn't need to be thawed first as long as the pieces are small)
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 T water
salt and pepper
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook it in the oil just until the exterior is white; it doesn't have to be cooked all the way because you'll put it back in the pan later. Remove the chicken to a plate. Cook the onion in the chicken drippings until soft and golden. Add the chopped fruit and their juices and the water; let simmer for a minute to release the juice from the fruit. Add the hot sauce and honey. Stir and then taste; you may have to add more honey depending on how sour the plums are. Return the chicken to the pot. Add the cauliflower. Add the cornstarch and water. Put a lid on the pot and cook until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice. Enjoy!
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