Chicken & Autumn Vegetable Sesame Ae

Although this dish is made like a stir-fry, it’s actually an aemono: an ancient Japanese preparation that combines seasonal foods with a rich, earthy-tasting, nourishing paste made from beans, nuts, and/or seeds. In this recipe, three variations of sesame seeds are used—sesame oil, sesame paste, and whole sesame seeds. While aemono are typically served as a savory cold or room temperature side dish, you can also serve it warm and make it the main dish.

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Chicken & Autumn Vegetable Sesame Ae
Tori-Niku to Aki no Yasai no Goma-Ae : 鶏肉と秋の野菜の胡麻和え

Serves 4

Main Foods

• Boneless Chicken Thigh (preferably with the skin on) or Breast Meat, 1 lb. (450 g)

• Lotus Root, 1/3 lb. (150 g)

• Shiitake Mushrooms, 6

• Shishito Peppers, 12

• Ground Toasted Sesame Seeds, 1 tablespoon

Seasonings

• Toasted Sesame Oil, 1-2 tablespoons

• Sake, 5 tablespoons

• Mirin, 4 tablespoons

• Salt, appropriate amount

• Soy Sauce, 4 tablespoons

• Sesame Paste (Neri-Goma), 4 tablespoons

Aromatics / Flavorings

• Whole White or Toasted Sesame Seeds, 2 tablespoons

Directions

1. Cut the chicken into 1.5” (4 cm) chunks, splash them with 1 tablespoon of sake, and season with salt. Massage lightly and set aside to come to room temperature while preparing the other ingredients.

2. Peel the lotus root, cut it in half, then slice each half into slightly less than 1/2” (1 cm) half moons. Place the slices in a bowl of water until ready to use. Cut the stems off the shiitake mushrooms and discard or save for another use, then cut the caps in half. Cut off the stems of the shishito peppers and poke the peppers with a toothpick, making holes all over so that they don’t explode during cooking.

3. In a small bowl, mix the sesame paste with the remaining 4 tablespoons of sake. Once well-blended, add the ground sesame seeds, mirin, and soy sauce.

4. Heat a deep, 9.5” (24 cm) fry pan over medium-high heat, add the shishito peppers, and char and blister them, tossing them as needed to prevent them from burning too much. This takes about 4 minutes. Take out and set aside.

5. Drain the lotus root and pat dry. Add 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil to the fry pan, turn the heat back on to medium-high, and add the lotus root. Lightly brown the slices, about 4-5 minutes. Push the lotus root to the sides of the fry pan and add the chicken to the center, lightly browning those pieces as well. (If using white meat, add another tablespoon of sesame oil first.) You may need to stir the piles of lotus root from time to time so that the ones on the bottom of the piles don’t burn.

6. Add the shiitake mushrooms, mix everything up so that the mushrooms are well coated with with the pan juices, and cook for a couple minutes. Add the sesame sauce, cover the fry pan, turn down the heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the cover, turn the heat back up to medium-high, add the shishito peppers, and cook, stirring from time to time, until the lotus root is cooked through but still crunchy and the sauce is reduced to a pastey consistency—when you draw a spoon through it, it should leave an open trail. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt, if needed. Cover and let rest during which time the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Serve

The dish can be served chilled, at room temperature, or gently reheated. Sprinkle the whole sesame seeds over the dish just before serving.

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