James Martin’s Chinese classic Chicken in black bean sauce with fried rice recipe

James Martin makes a classic Chinese takeaway dish – Chicken and black bean with stir-fried rice and wilted bok choi – in today’s episode of James Martin: Home Comforts.

To get his dish on the way, James velvets his chicken – velveting is a technique in Chinese cooking for preserving the moisture of the meat while it is cooking.

With the technique, the chicken breast is usually coated in a mixture of egg white and cornstarch (rice wine or dry sherry and salt are frequently added), marinated for up to 30 minutes, and then cooked very briefly in hot oil until the color turns to white.

James says: “Heat up the wok for a delicious dinner for two with stir-fried strips of chicken, spicy black bean sauce, greens and egg-fried rice.”