Double cooked chicken in chili-garlic-vinegar sauce

I name this dish 'double cooked' because it is cooked twice, firstly I use the Pak Lo style to cook the meat (it can either be chicken, pork or duck) and secondly stir-fry with soaked chop chili and garlic in vinegar, which in Hokkien is called 'sng nee cho.'  This is a popular dish of my late mum-in-law.  Normally she will use the pak lo duck breast slices to cook in this appetizing sauce.  For my case I will either use pak lo chicken or pork belly to cook this dish.

The first cooking
Ingredients:
2 chicken thigh and drumstick 
4 slices galangal
3 shallots (peeled and thickly sliced)
2 garlic cloves (peeled and smashed)
3 tbsp cooking oil
Enough water for cooking

Marinade: (estimate quantity as I don't use actual measurements)
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp 5 spice powder
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Methods:

• Clean the chicken thighs and drumsticks.  Get rid of any excess oil, drain and place in a deep dish.
• In a bowl mix all the marinade ingredients together.
• Pour the marinade ingredients over the chicken, give it a rub to ensure that they are well coated.  Let it stand in room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Using a pestle and mortar, pound galangal, shallots and garlic until medium fine.
• In a medium heated wok, add cooking oil, fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant and golden, off the heat, dish up the fried ingredients into a bowl, leaving the oil in the wok.

• Using the same wok, reheat the oil using medium fire, add in the marinated chicken pieces together with the sauce, (the sauce won't be much), turning the chicken pieces to sear the surface.
• Once the sauce starts to thicken add in water, it must be able to cover the chicken pieces. If the sauce is not dark enough add in a bit more dark soya sauce.  Give it a stir and put the lid on.
• This process will takes quite a while, checking on the water constantly, turning the chicken pieces often to ensure that the meat is properly cooked through.
• In between the cooking process, we can taste for correct seasoning.  Personally for me, our family's preference on Pak Lo will be slight salty and sweet.
• Just as the meat is cooked, I add in the fried ingredients, stir to mix and let it simmer for about a minute or two. 
• Off the heat, dish out the chicken pieces onto a plate and the sauce into a bowl, leave them aside for the second cooking.

The second cooking 

Ingredients: 

2 red chilies (chopped)

4 garlic cloves (chopped)

enough vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil

Methods:

1. To soak the ingredients, In a bowl add chopped chilies, garlic and  enough vinegar to cover them, give it a stir and leave aside until cooking.  
2. When the chicken has cooled cut into small pieces (or you can debone the cooked chicken and slice into thin slices, which I've done before) and put them aside.
3. Just before cooking, if the sauce from the Pak Lo has a layer of oil on the surface, use a spoon to scoop out the oil so that the final dish will not be that oily.
4. Use a sift to separate the soaked chilies and garlic from the vinegar, just before cooking. 
5. In a medium heated wok, add in cooking oil, fry the chopped chilies and garlic until fragrant.
6. Add in the chicken pieces, stir-fry for about one minute, then add in half of the vinegar and the Pak Lo sauce, stir well to mix.  At this point I will taste for correct seasoning, add more vinegar if the dish needs more sourish taste and more Pak Lo sauce for a balance of sourish, slight saltish and sweet taste.
7. Off the heat, dish on a serving plate and dinner is served!

If you are cooking this dish do remember to cook extra rice, as this appetizing sourish-savory dish opens up your palate!

For those who loves pork belly, you can also try a hand for this dish, here's to share....

Let's cook and enjoy a yummylicious meal everyone ~ cheers ~