Ming Tsai has never steered us wrong. His cookbook Simply Ming was a gift from Watoosa and Ickenham one Christmas, and everything we have tried from it is great.
Our first Ming Thing was this Citrus Herbal Tea Rub, and we've come back to it many times. Ming also recommends wine pairings with his recipes; this recipe called for a Sauvignon Blanc and has become one of our favorite wine varietals ever. Ever. The chicken recipe with the rub and the herbal quality of the Sauvignon Blanc are one of the perfect matches in the world.
Warning: this recipe makes a lot. Most of Ming's recipes are huge master sauces that can be used many ways. This one is used for chicken (see picture) and also halibut, but I'm only including the chicken version. The rub recipe is first. I usually halve it, and then have some leftover for a second round. Don't dump it all on the chicken or you'll have contaminated the unused part.
Citrus Herbal Tea Rub
(makes about 4 cups- lasts 3 weeks, refrigerated)
1 cup green tea leaves
1/2 c dried peppermint, spearmint or mint
1 c lemongrass powder or flakes (good luck finding it- try specialty stores)
2 T sea salt or kosher salt
2 T turbinado sugar or raw sugar
1/2 c dried orange zest, crushed
1/2 c dried lime zest
1/4 dried lemon zest
1/4 c ground ginger
Combine all in a small bowl or zip-lok bag; sometimes the ground spices really stir up a dust cloud. Use or store.
NB: Lime zest is hard to find dried. You can make any of these zests by zesting the fruit and spreading the zest on a baking sheet, bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours. Store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Seared Tea-Rubbed Chicken with Celery
(serves 4)
1 c Citrus Herbal Tea Rub
4 boneless chicken breasts (with skin, according to Ming, without for me)
3 T grapeseed or canola oil
2 shallots, minced
1 head of celery, sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick (about 4 c)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 c chicken broth, low-sodium
S&P
1 T unsalted butter
Spread the rub on a large plate and dredge the chicken in it on both sides. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add 2 T of oil and swirl to coat the pan. Saute the breasts, turning once, until cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Set the breasts aside and keep warm.
Add the remaining 1 T oil and sweat the shallots for 1 minute. Add the celery and saute until just heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest and broth and season with salt and pepper. Cook until reduced by one quarter, about 6-8 minutes. Whisk in butter.
Slice breasts into 1/4 inch thick slices and serve over celery with the pan sauce.
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