Lemongrass Jalapeno Chicken Stir Fry

Here is another one of my favorite recipes!  I've often joked about opening a restaurant completely devoted to LEMONGRASS!  I think there is already a Lemongrass restaurant in Southwest Houston, but it is not even close to what MY Lemongrass would be like! 

Lemongrass, also known as Cymbopogon, or XA (sah) in Vietnamese, is a widely used herb in Southeast Asian cuisine.  It has a subtle citrus flavor and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh.  I wouldn't recommend ingesting lemongrass in bigger bitesize pieces.  It becomes strawlike and stringy.  I always use the minced form unless I am adding lemongrass stalks to my soups or broths.

I grew up eating Ga Xao Xa Ot (Lemongrass chicken) as a bone-in dish with big chunks of chicken and a more caramel-ly flavor.  Over the years, I have altered my mom's recipe a bit.  It isn't so much caramelized as it is savory and spicy!  Give it a try, you're going to love this dish!

BUY:

• minced garlic
• olive oil
• one whole sliced onion
• green onion, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 fresh jalapenos, sliced
• onion powder (few dashes)
• garlic powder (few dashes)
• white pepper (black is fine)- (few dashes)
• 3 chicken breasts (sliced into bite-size pieces)
• finely chopped lemongrass (1-2 tsp)
• red pepper flakes (for heat, 1-2 tsp)
• fish sauce (muoc mam)
• oyster flavor sauce
• corn starch - 2 tsp

PREP:

Marinade for chicken:

• sesame oil, 2 tsp minced garlic, 2-3 tbsp of fish sauce, 1-2 tbsp of oyster flavor sauce, few dashes of cayenne (Remember marinades are very forgiving, exact measurements are not super important)

Add sliced chicken breast and marinade in separate bowl for 30 mins prior to cooking

optional (for color): 

• Slice onions, green onions, jalapenos
• Julienne bell pepper, optional
• Julienne red pepper, optional

CUC:

1. add oil and garlic to heated pan
2. add chicken, set aside marinade bowl (do not wash yet)
3. saute until almost cooked through
4. add lemongrass and stir
5. Add bell peppers, red peppers, and onions, saute for a few minutes until veggies are cooked to your liking
6. Add jalapenos (they cook very fast)
7. Add the remaining ingredients to the marinade bowl (onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, fish sauce, oyster flavor sauce, corn starch, and about 1/4 cup of warm water).  Mix until the corn starch has dissolved. 
8. Add mixture to pan and stir.  The mixture will create a thicker and more consistent sauce for the stir fry.  Serve with jasmine rice :)