History

Sesame oil chicken is a Hokkien postpartum confinement food (yue zi), traditionally given to mothers in the month after childbirth. Black sesame oil is heated until smoking, the deep ginger fried in it gives the soup its characteristic warmth. Now eaten across Taipei in winter (November to March), often at night markets and home kitchens. Shin Yeh and Mountain and Sea House both run the dish on their winter menus.

Common allergens: Sesame, Alcohol

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 15 minTotal 50 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (1.5kg), chopped into 12 pieces
  • 100ml black sesame oil
  • 100g fresh ginger, sliced thick
  • 500ml Taiwanese mijiu rice wine (or Shaoxing as substitute)
  • 500ml water
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 100g goji berries, soaked
  • Cooked rice noodles or jiu cai (Chinese chives), to serve

Method

  1. Heat sesame oil in a heavy clay pot until smoking. Add ginger; fry 5 minutes until curled and dark.
  2. Add chicken pieces, brown all sides 8 minutes.
  3. Pour in rice wine (carefully, it may flame). Add water and sugar; bring to the boil.
  4. Reduce heat, cover, simmer 25 minutes until chicken is tender.
  5. Add goji berries in the last 5 minutes.
  6. Serve in deep bowls with rice noodles or chives at the bottom.

Tip from the editors. The ginger must be browned in the sesame oil first; this is what gives the soup depth. Mijiu rice wine is the Taiwan canon; Shaoxing substitutes but is sweeter.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat sesame oil chicken soup

Sesame oil chicken soup in Taipei

More cities are in research. Want sesame oil chicken soup covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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